Like some of the other titles that came out alongside it InFamous: Second Son is more of a hardware showcase than anything else, it's got impressive visuals and use of the PS4's different hardware functions but also to its detriment has shallow gameplay and a forgettable story. The InFamous series main mechanics are your superpowers and the morality system and Second Son is no different. Throughout the course of the game, you can swap between three (eventually four upon beating the main story) different power types: smoke, neon, and digital. These different power types are supposed to act as the main source of variation in the game but honestly, aside from a couple of noticeable differences in your overall movement, these powers all felt samey. And the whole morality system is a perfect example of the illusion of choice in video games. Aside from a few things in the story playing out differently most notably the ending, absolutely nothing changes about the way you play the game depending on your chosen morality. It's the same either way. Fights are flashy though and are backed up by the fluid movement and solid visuals but the combat just isn't engaging or innovative enough. I also found the story to be pretty forgetful in all honesty. I thought Delsin was very obnoxious and none of the side characters sat well with me either. I'm not kidding in the slightest when I say I really didn't care at all when Delsin's older brother bit the dust at the end of the game because he just wasn't an interesting character. The main villain was super cliche too along with the story's main themes of control, understanding, and acceptance. Factor in the really generic main and side content and you've got one of the most overrated PS4 exclusive games out there. Sorry, not sorry.
