I have to start this review by stating that I despised the first Infamous. I found the characters irritating, the missions repetitive, and the gameplay loose. It is understandable then that I dove into Infamous 2 with some hesitation. Thankfully, this hesitation lasted roughly twenty minutes into the game. The opening mission introduced new characters that were actually likable, new enemies, and some impressive new electric powers. The game only got better from there.
For those who are unfamiliar with the world of Infamous, you play as Cole McGrath, a bicycle delivery guy who was hit with an electrical nuke. This nuke infects an entire city with a new disease, but it grants Cole electric powers that allow him to shoot lightning from his fingers and drain power from power poles. Cole then has to travel around Empire City (New York) to figure out what happened to him. In the second game, Cole travels from Empire City to New Marais (New Orleans) to get stronger and battle an evil entity simply called the Beast.
Throughout Infamous 2, Cole battles a southern militia, a crazed religious leader, and new mutants called “freaks”. Cole only battles a small assortment of enemies in the game, but this doesn’t cause the game to be repetitive. The different enemies all have unique fighting styles and attributes, so this keeps you on your toes. Later in the game, Cole meets some new enemies that rival his powers. These enemies keep getting larger and more powerful as the game goes on which increases the difficulty.
Infamous 2 also introduces new powers and new weapons. Cole obtains a melee weapon that channels his electric powers into a powerful striking tool. He also has the option to gain fire or ice powers that completely change the mechanics of the game. These fire and ice powers give you new attacks and transportation options. The new leash was my favorite addition because it basically made Cole into an electric version of Spiderman. Swinging around New Marais looking for blast shards was one of the more entertaining ways to pass the time.
One of the main problems that I had with the first Infamous is that the main missions and side missions were repetitive and they did not relate to each other. In Infamous 2, the side missions affect the story arc in more meaningful ways. Many of these side missions introduce or expand on new characters and locations. The story missions also have more varied objectives than the standard kill this guy or find this object. The game also has a new feature that allows the players to create their own missions and battles. These UGC (user-generated content) missions show up around the game world, and they can be accessed at any time.
Infamous 2 manages to introduce new characters, gameplay styles, weapons, and locations without losing any of the decent aspects from the first game. It is fair to say that I was completely blown away by Infamous 2. I beat the game twice to see both the good and evil endings, and I highly recommend that any players do this. If you enjoyed the first Infamous or other open-world superhero games, you will not be disappointed by Infamous 2.