14 DAY TRIAL // 
Infamous 1 took a mechanic that had been relatively popular until then, that of moral choices with impact on the story, and used it as a central premise for a great and complex plot involving super-powered protagonist Cole MacGrath.
Infamous 2 developed that core premise and added not just a new city but also more powers for Cole, not to mention a tense story with a definitive conclusion. The standalone expansion Festival of Blood explored a side sequence that was mostly in tune with Halloween and not with the actual universe.
Now, developer Sucker Punch Productions is back with Infamous: Second Son exclusively for the PlayStation 4. With a new story, a fresh protagonist, more powers, and the same emphasis on morality, Second Son looks like a great evolution of the series.
Does it deliver on its bold promises or should Cole make a comeback? Let's find out.
Story
Second Son takes place a few years after the ending of Infamous 2 and uses the currently accepted ending that Cole MacGrath sacrificed himself for a better world in which humans and conduits can live together. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out that great as, in a pretty generic twist, conduits are now feared by the populace and are treated like terrorists by the DUP (Department of Unified Protection).
The new game focuses on Delsin Rowe, a bohemian artist with a laid-back attitude, and his big brother Reggie, a cop in the Native American reservation they both live in.
After a van with conduits crashes nearby, Delsin finds out that he has the conduit gene and can actually absorb powers from other super-powered characters. Most of the aforementioned conduits escape the DUP and flee to the nearby Seattle, forcing the DUP to implement a lockdown on the city and basically turn it into an Orwellian nightmare of surveillance and martial law.
It's up to players and Delsin to figure out how they can fight against the DUP, going in a heroic or ruthless route. Once again, there are key moral choices but, even more so than before, they're quite binary and the ruthless choices don't fit at all to the Delsin we're introduced to at the beginning of the game.
The other important characters, like Reggie, as well as the villain, play some good roles in the story but others, like fellow conduit Fetch, have really short periods in which they're relevant, after which they're promptly forgotten by the main plot.
In terms of the endings, both are done really well and show two different aspects of the classic "with great power comes great responsibility." The good one is certainly satisfying for traditional players who want to be heroes, while the bad one is fitting for those who want to accumulate power and use it for their own purposes. There is one action, however, in the bad ending that might not please all those ruthless players out there.
Gameplay
Infamous: Second Son respects the recipe of the previous titles, offering an open world third-person action adventure experience in which players control Delsin as he amasses more and more powers, while making key choices that dictate what abilities in each of the four power sets are unlocked.
This time around, instead of focusing all on electricity like it did with Infamous 1 or 2, Sucker Punch has decided to let the imagination of its designers fly, coming up with wacky abilities like smoke and neon, not to mention two really outlandish ones that I won't spoil here.
While that may sound unimpressive, in practice they work really well. Depending on your moral alignment, they all develop in different ways. Generally speaking, the heroic abilities are more surgical and precise, so that you don't cause collateral damage or brutally kill opponents. On the other hand, the ruthless abilities focus on area of attack and bombastic explosions that destroy everything around them, from helpless enemies to innocent bystanders.
Unfortunately, while the powers feel really great, the combat doesn't exactly flow that well, especially when you're taking a heroic approach. Delsin is a much faster protagonist than Cole but he can't withstand that much damage. Given how enemies are really precise in their aim and have a lot of ammo in their guns, you are often forced to flee the battlefield so that your health is recharged. What's more, their attacks almost constantly stagger Delsin, so you'll certainly get annoyed during combat.
While the powers are diversified, they mostly follow a basic pattern, containing long range attacks, area of effect ones, and special "missile"-based abilities that need to be replenished by absorbing more of that same power type. Each set also includes a karma bomb ability to wipe out all nearby foes, but some are more satisfying than others, with the coolest looking being the neon one, in my opinion.
Enemies are relatively varied, with regular soldiers but also ones infused with the power of controlling concrete, which can cause quite a bit of pain for Delsin. Just like the protagonist, the bigger foes are extremely agile and move around the battlefield, so be prepared to constantly look at the minimap in order to spot them, especially during nighttime battles.
Boss battles are certainly impressive but the actual health of the massive enemies is way, way too big for the good of the encounters, drawing them out unnecessarily and just causing frustration.
The open world is quite big and split in districts. You can choose to liberate these areas by dwindling the influence the DUP has there and then summoning a confrontation, but be prepared for an onslaught of enemy forces.
There are also plenty of different side activities, such as busting drug dealers for good players or eliminating anti-Conduit rallies for bad ones. You can also hunt for cameras, take down the annoying search drones for blast shards to augment your skills, and other such things. Special mention goes to the graffiti mini-games that see players use the DualShock 4 controller as a spray can.
Visuals and Sound
Infamous: Second Son looks absolutely gorgeous. The city of Seattle is detailed, the textures are sharp, and the character models are phenomenal. While some animations tend to repeat themselves, the detailed motion capture makes characters like Delsin and Reggie really stand out. The framerate is quite stable at 30fps and, with the exception of a few collision issues or pop-ins, the open world title handles really well.
The soundtrack is also impressive, managing to easily go from environmental tunes to combat music in the blink of an eye. Voice acting is top-notch, starting with Troy Baker as Delsin Rowe, to the various Conduits he meets along the way and, of course, his brother Reggie.
Conclusion
Infamous: Second Son is a great-looking game that definitely takes advantage of the PS4's new power and abilities. Unfortunately, its combat needs a bit of tweaking and the boss battles need shortening. Even so, you'll go through quite a lot of great moments in the new title from Sucker Punch.
