Sucker Punch’s third inFamous is one of those all-important ‘second wave’ titles, intended not only to persuade those still sitting on the fence regarding purchasing a new console, but to also convince early adopters that they have made the right choice. Both the Wii U and 3DS suffered from not having a strong enough second wave, and arguably, the Wii U has never recovered.
inFamous: Second Son certainly is a strong enough game, although review scores are likely to be lower than Sony expected. The Metacritic currently stands at 80% from 61 critics, with scores ranging from 6/10 to a perfect 100%. We can’t even recall the last game to receive 100% – not even the likes of Mario 64 and Zelda: Ocarnia of Time were given that score when reviewed by the magazines of the era. Hmm.
It would appear that American critics were able to look past its shortcomings on the grounds that it’s a system showcase. The majority of European critics, however, felt that the visual sheen wasn’t enough to cover up the cracks left by a repetitive nature and a lack of things to do outside of the main mission.
See if you agree with that statement:
100% – Canadian Gamers Online: “I truly can’t say enough good things about inFAMOUS: Second Son. A winning combination of great gameplay, challenging combat, solid acting, gorgeous visuals and more makes it one of the PlayStation 4’s absolute must own titles”
9.5 – Destructoid: “Second Son is by far the best inFamous yet. If you’re a fan of the series, then checking this one out is a no-brainer, and if you’re not, consider jumping in with Delsin. You don’t need any prior knowledge of the franchise to do so, and if you have any appreciation of open-world superhero games, you’ll enjoy itâ€
94% – GamesBeat: “Infamous: Second Son is a phenomenal game, and a must-play for any PlayStation 4 owner. If you don’t own a PS4, it’s worth buying one just to play Second Son — that’s how good it isâ€
9/10 – TheSixthAxis: “While the narrative might not have the same impact as previous games, it’s somewhat more of a down-to-earth tale of an ordinary man with extraordinary powers, and that’s an exciting new direction for the series to takeâ€
4.5/5 – Joystiq: “Second Son is polished and refined enough to make previous series entries feel dated in comparison. It represents a great leap forward both in terms of gameplay and in graphical fidelity, and establishes a high standard for what players can expect from the PlayStation 4â€
9/10 – EGM: “inFAMOUS: Second Son doesn’t break a lot of new ground, but the new characters, diverse powers, and intriguing story are enough, particularly when combined with the power of the PS4. Fans of the inFAMOUS series will absolutely love diving into this new-gen iterationâ€
8.7 – IGN: “Second Son is a departure in tone for the Infamous series, but its superpowered action lives up to expectations”
8/10 – NowGamer: “Maybe it’s hard to describe InFamous: Second Son as a ‘next-gen’ experience, but it’s certainly a reason to own a PS4 – if not for the graphics, then for the sheer entertainment it can provideâ€
8/10 – Official PlayStation Magazine: “inFamous: Second Son shimmers across the screen in a way that simply wasn’t possible on PS3. The core missions lack sparkle, but this sandbox yarn is heroic in full-flow”
8/10 – GameSpot: “Second Son is a great game that knows exactly what it is, and sucks you in with its unfiltered funâ€
7/10 – God is a Geek: “Infamous proves that if you look good, sometimes you can get away with things other’s cannot. It’s not the best game in the world, and it’ll frustrate you at times, but the visual splendour is such that you need to see it for yourself to believe itâ€
7/10 – The Escapist: “The best in the series to date, inFAMOUS: Second Son tells an amazing story and gives players a ton of relishable power to play with. It’s held back by some outdated and formulaic ideas, but overall it’ll keep players happyâ€
7/10 – EDGE: “As an open-world game, Second Son feels emaciated. There’s little to do in the way of side missions, and what is here becomes repetitive, unlikely to sustain interest beyond a single playthrough. Approach it as an action game that just happens to be set in a nonlinear environment and it makes more sense, but its not-inconsiderable achievements take effort to uncoverâ€
7/10 – Eurogamer: “It’s easy to enjoy and has a winning personality, but it’s reluctant to deviate from a stale streetmap of game city. It’s no rebel, then. In fact, it’s a conformistâ€
3/5/5 – GamesRadar: “The gameplay itself isn’t all that revolutionary, but the stellar presentation and enjoyable characters assure you’ll enjoy your trip to Seattle–even if you’ll wish there was more to do thereâ€
3/5 – Digital Spy: “It’s a game that makes the most of the PS4’s visual capabilities, but whether it’ll keep you entertained while your eyes are treated to its graphical flair is a less likelyâ€
6/10 – GameCentral: “The graphics are a great advert for the power of the PlayStation 4, but in terms of gameplay and story this hasn’t moved on at all from the previous generationâ€
With DriveClub delayed, there’s a long wait until the next first-party exclusive. Xbox One owners are in the same boat too – although Kinect Sports Rivals is just around the corner, it’s not something that’ll appeal to all.