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Empire City has seen better days. A sudden explosion has taken out six blocks of the city, leaving a massive crater and a man named Cole as the sole survivor of the incident. Emerging from the wreckage, Cole soon discovers that the explosion has granted him abilities of an electrical nature. But as the confused protagonist begins to readjust himself to his chaotic circumstances he suddenly passes out, only to awaken two weeks later to a much grimmer future than he could ever imagine. Enter the world of inFamous. Developed by Sucker Punch Productions, this Playstation 3 exclusive will electrify gamers with its non-linear approach to the action genre.
inFamous is a sand-box game similar to that of the Grand theft Auto series. Taking on the role of Cole, an electrically empowered courier, players will be able to go anywhere, allowing them to tackle obstacles and deal with opponents in a variety of ways. Every city building has been modeled with exploration in mind as Cole can scale each and every one of them.
As Cole explores Empire City, he will encounter many guards and other super-powered foes similar to himself. Even though his electrical powers won't allow him to use any firearms, Cole will not have any problems in the combat department. He will be able to rapidly shoot electricity out of his hands, create an energy based electrical shield to repel enemies and protect himself from attacks, and even use his abilities to create a ball of electrical energy which act as grenades. Cole can use these various powers to subdue his human adversaries and interact with the environment by surging electrical current through various generators and devices. He may sound like an unstoppable force, but Cole's powers come at a slight disadvantage. As mentioned earlier, Cole cannot use any munitions based weaponry as the electrical energy coursing through his body causes bullets to explode. He must also stay away from water as interaction with all things wet can be lethal. And even though Cole's abilities will allow him to manipulate electrical energy, he unfortunately cannot generate it. As he is able to drain electrical devices of their precious energy, he will find that his newfound abilities can be extremely limited in areas which are suffering from blackouts.
Cole may be the protagonist of inFamous, but whether he is a hero or not is entirely up to the player. With his new found abilities, Cole will be able to help or hinder the outcome of the Empire City's future. As players make their way through the frantic city, they will happen across injured pedestrians and chances to play the role of savior. Using his powers, he can transform his very hands into make-shift defibrillators and revive those who are in dire need of medical attention. If players decide to aid the helpless strangers, then Cole's karma will increase. The higher the karma and the more likely it will be that the citizens will help Cole in his journey throughout Empire City. It might seem tempting to stop and help every innocent bystander that Cole encounters but players should note that even selflessness has its downside. An example of one such situation has Cole racing across the Empire City to defuse a bomb. On his way, he stumbles across a woman who is in severely injured. Saving her might seem like the obvious decision but in doing so he may have delayed himself long enough from disarming the bomb. Choices like this will shape Cole's development and present players with many alternate paths.
inFamous looks to engage players as they make their way through this action filled title. By combining exploration aspects with decision based gameplay, every gamer is guaranteed to have a unique gaming experience. Set for a release in Spring of 2009, Sucker Punch has definitely given PS3 owners something to look forward to in the new year.
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