inFamous 2

Overview

The existence of this sequel to 2009's PlayStation 3 exclusive open world hit from Sucker Punch, inFamous, was originally leaked when Sony registered the site " infamous2thegame.com". The game was finally confirmed in an issue of Game Informer. It takes place in a new city, and introduce new powers and a new villain.

Story

Sucker Punch announced in their GameInformer article that the game will begin with Cole MacGrath (inFamous' protagonist) having a clean slate in the New Orleans-inspired city of New Marais, completely unknown to the citizens. The reason for this decision was to keep the beginning of the second game from interfering with the multiple potential endings of the original, without having to go to the effort required to read the data on a player's hard drive and come up with two different plausible beginning sequences.

Although he ends up fleeing Empire City after being thoroughly trounced by The Beast, the ultra-Conduit hinted at in the original game, Cole didn't just arrive in New Marais solely to run for his life. He's searching for more of the First Sons technology, having discovered that New Marais was where the mysterious group first developed the Ray Sphere responsible for the powers Cole possesses. He hopes to gain more power through their creations, and prepare himself for his inevitable battle with The Beast.

Cole finds himself in a heap of trouble from the moment he enters New Marais. A well-prepared, violent, and very dangerous group known simply as the Militia has seized control of the city, and they will replace the Reapers, Dust Men, and First Sons as the the standard enemies you will fight throughout the course of the game. Apparently, Empire City wasn't alone. Ray Sphere explosions have affected cities across the country, creating hundreds, if not thousands, of new Conduits, and the Militia is determined to keep its streets pure, eliminating anyone that shows any signs of having superhuman abilities... like Cole for example. The third faction in the game, known as The Corrupted, are monstrous-looking beasts that resemble the Necromorphs from Dead Space.

inFamous 2 overhauls protagonist Cole MacGrath. The reason for the redesign was to make Cole more likable and easier to sympathize with than in the first game. "We want him to be a little gritty, a little street, without the grumpiness," says inFamous 2 art director, Mathias Lorenz.Cole's voice actor was also changed . In Infamous Jason Cottel voiced Cole and in Infamous 2 Eric Laiden took his place.

Infamous 2 will also allow the player to carry over their save files from the first game. Even more interesting, Sucker Punch has said that there will be a choice part-way through the game that will lead you down one of two drastically different paths in the game depending on what choice you make. Like the original Infamous, the player will have to play through Infamous 2 at least twice in order to see everything.

Good and evil have been relabeled Order and Chaos in Infamous 2. Each side is represented by one of two new female characters. Kuo represents order, and she has the power of ice at her disposal. Nix, on the other hand, is impulsive and rash, using her power over oil to create fiery mayhem across New Marais. At some point in the game, Cole will have to choose to join either Kuo or Nix, and depending on what choice the player makes, he will then have access to new ice or oil-based abilities, while being locked out from the other.

Sucker Punch has said that many choices in Infamous 2 will be more far-reaching than in the original. For example, if you choose order and join Kuo for the rest of the game, you'll also have to deal with Nix. She will become increasingly unhelpful and may even become one of Cole's biggest foes by the end.

Gameplay

There are many new abilities in inFamous 2, in addition to the ones from the original. Sucker Punch has stated there will NOT be a Metroid-style power drain at the start, and that most of Cole's abilities from the first game will be accessible from the start of inFamous 2. This ultimately turned out to be a lie, unfortunately. New abilities include the addition of a large metal weapon, currently called The Amp, that will channel Cole's electricity to make melee combat more entertaining. One of inFamous 2 's big focuses is improving the melee combat to make it more than just an afterthought this time around. Another new ability is called the "Ionic vortex", where Cole hurls a giant lightning tornado. There is also the possibility of ice and oil powers in addition to the standard lightning bolts Cole used in the first game, depending on choices the player makes down the road. The focus, however, is still on the electricity-based powers.

Traversal seems to have to been sped up, as the movement abilities Cole possessed in the original game appear to have been reworked. The Static Thrusters ability gets upgraded in the middle of game, and the improved version provides a small boost to height upon activation, as well as reducing Cole's falling speed even further. Cole's Induction Grind ability now works on when he is hanging onto a wires on ledges as well.

On April 7, 2011, a new trailer was posted on the Playstation Blog, showing off Cole's other elemental abilities of ice and oil. Cole can use his ice powers to propel himself vertically, speeding up climbing and making rooftop traversal easier without wire grinding. His Shockwave receives an ice powered variant, where he blasts a chunk of ice into pieces, creating a pushback effect similar to the original power's. Shown fire abilities were a "phoenix tackle" move, where Cole's arms turn to fire, and he levitates briefly before diving towards an enemy, causing an explosion. Cole also seems to be able to use a bio-leech type ability on multiple living enemies, which appears to be another fire ability. The choice between Fire and Ice powers is essentially included in making the game-long choice of being good or evil, with good players receiving the Ice powers, and evil players receive the Fire powers. Another new ability is called "kinetic pulse", this power allows Cole to lift nearby cars and objects to hurl them towards an enemy.

Sucker Punch has also stated that, like the original inFamous Sucker Punch is aiming for a Teen rating for inFamous 2.

Mission Creator

After beating the intro to inFamous 2 players will be able to play or create their own user made missions. People will be able to make platforming levels, defense missions, shooting galleries, escort missions, obstacles courses, shoot and destroy, survival missions and any other type that you can think of. Players will be able to write dialog for their missions and choose which characters and items they want to use. Players will also be able to earn karma by completing other peoples missions for the first time and you can't earn karma from the missions that you create. The new creation tools will get a test run with a beta that will come in April, with more details about the beta being released on March 14.

Demo

A demo for InFamous 2 was released in-stores (i.e. Wal-Mart GameStop) in mid May, 2011. The gameplay features two new powers for Cole, ionic vortex and kinetic pulse, and also including Cole's original powers from the previous game (lightning grenade, lightning bolt, etc etc). All gameplay takes place in New Marais. The demo features two levels for both good and evil. The good side has Cole searching for power cores to gain new abilities, teamed with Dr. Wolfe and Agent Kuo. While the bad side has Cole using his abilities of fire/oil to try and save a girl that was kidnapped by the first sons and also collecting medical supplies for citizens.

E3 2010

During E3 2010, Sony finally showed a trailer for inFamous 2. The trailer showed Cole, sporting both a new visual look and a new voice actor, running across rooftops in a city that vaguely resembles New Orleans. As Cole jumps around, the trailer goes to a speech held by an old man, who will fairly obviously be a villain in the storyline, saying that "he" can be stopped.

Then the trailer switches to gameplay. New to the sequel is Cole using an actual weapon, some kind of trident that he has electrified with his own power. He apparently charges it up and strikes at his foes with it. During this part of the trailer, Cole narrates the whole thing. We understand that he's searching for a life that he can't seem to find. He also seems to have come into some rather bad luck lately, wryly commenting that "some stuff never changes" over a montage of images of people trying to kill him. It then shows Cole standing in a frozen street in the middle of summer, with ice coating his left arm, implying that in addition to electricity, Cole will gain control over ice as well. "Well, maybe some things."

The trailer ends with a glimpse of one of the game's bosses (the Beast). The trailer then shows the logo, that seems to be surrounded with ice, electricity and fire.

Collectors Edition

The Collector's Edition of inFamous 2, called the "Hero Edition," was sold for $99.99, and included the following:

• 8.5" Cole statue
• A Replica of Cole's messenger bag
• A mini comic from DC
• A soundtrack with bonus tracks
• A voucher for the following in-game items
• A 24k gold version of Cole's "Amp" weapon
• A Kessler skin
• The lightning hook power (it lets players grab enemies and objects and pull them towards Cole.)
• The electrocution grenade ability (it shocks enemies with arcing electricity and immobilizes them before detonation.)

"Hero Edition" will also include all of the pre-order bonuses from different stores, including new skins for Cole and his Amp weapon.

Easter Eggs

• In the introduction cinematic to the mission Torn, Zeke is reading the Thievius Raccoonus from Sly Cooper. The back of Cole's messengers bag also has the Sly Cooper logo on it.
• Many of the theaters and local shops around New Marais. Examples include movies playing at a movie theater named Hey Low Reach, Uncharted Love and Call of Booty.

Powers

The powers in inFamous 2 are split into separate categories that are assigned to specific buttons. These powers can be swithced between quickly during gameplay using a quick select menu. There have been several new powers added into the game from the first inFamous.

Cole gains fire or ice powers depending on whether you are good or evil in the game. If you complete the game and have a save of another game that was finished with the other karma alignment, you will be rewarded with access to all the powers in the game, as well as a large number of experience to help in buying them.

Bolts

Unlike inFamous 1, Bolts require energy to use, though usually only a small amount.

• Alpha bolt – Sends out a single, small electric projectile. Can be fired in quick succession.
• Pincer bolt – This bolt splits into three separate projectiles that home in on enemy. Causes more damage than a standard bolt, but has a lower rate of fire.
• Artillery bolt – An arced variant of the original bolt with an increased range.
• Magnum bolt – A very powerful bolt, but has a rather low rate of fire. Similar in appearance and travel time to the bolt used in inFamous 1. Hero only
• Skull bolt – Hitting an enemy in the head causes a small explosion. Evil only
• Bolt stream – A continuous and fully automatic stream of fire. Hero only
• Scythe bolt – Five separate bolts aligned horizontally. Reminiscent of a Spread Gun. Evil only

Blasts

• Alpha blast – The standard shockwave that can push enemies back and repel explosive projectiles.
• Detonation blast – A smaller ball of energy that can attach to surfaces and enemies before an explosion that will damage enemies and send Cole into the air.
• Graviton blast – Causes enemies and objects to float momentarily, making them easier to hit. Hero only
• Punch blast – A longer, narrower blast that causes more damage and knockback when it hits enemies. Evil only
• Shatter blast – Cole will send out a horde of ice spikes and then blasts them towards enemies. Hero only
• Nightmare blast – This blast temporarily disorientates enemies that are caught in it. Evil only

Grenades

• Alpha grenade – The standard grenade, unlike the first game, these do not stick to enemies or objects.
• Sticky grenade – Much like the sticky grenade from the original, holding square will make it bounce off surfaces for ricochet opportunities. Hero only
• Double grenade – A grenade that explodes on impact, then explodes a second time in the air. Evil only
• Ice grenade – This grenade will create a cluster of ice spikes upon detonation which can freeze enemies. Explodes on impact. Hero only
• Napalm grenade – A fire based grenade that explodes on impact. Evil only
• Cluster grenade – Causes the standard grenade to split into a large cluster of smaller grenades for a devastating attack. Has a Sticky effect similar to the Sticky Grenade's.

Rockets

• Alpha rocket – A standard rocket that causes massive damage if a direct hit is made.
• Redirect rocket – After firing, Cole can redirect the rocket manually with a bolt attack. Hero only
• Tripwire rocket – Two rockets connected by a tether, the wide area makes it very difficult for enemies to evade this attack. Evil only
• Sticky rocket – This will split into separate rockets and home in on several enemies.
• Freeze rocket – This will instantly freeze smaller enemies on contact killing them outright.
• Hellfire rocket – A deadly rocket that does huge amounts of damage. Evil only

Misc Powers

• Kinect pulse – Cole can lift objects in the environment and throw them at enemies.
• Lightning tether – Cole shoots out a lightning bolt and reels himself in towards it.
• Ice launch – Cole uses an ice pillar to jump for a large amount of vertical distance. Hero only
• Firebird strike – Cole will launch himself forwards and cause an explosion on impact. Evil only
• Frost shield – Cole will generate a shield that can absorb enemy fire. Hero only
• Spikers – Cole will summon spikers to fight for him in combat. Evil Only

Ionic Powers

Ionic Powers are super moves that require an Ionic Charge to use. These charges can be randomly found by killing enemies.

• Ionic vortex – Cole shoots a cyclone attack straight forward that will suck up enemies and objects while electrifying them and sending them flying.
• Ionic freeze – Cole sends out massive ice pillars in a circle around him that freeze enemies but do not harm civilians. Hero only
• Ionic drain – Cole will drain the life out of nearby humans and use it to refill his own energy. Evil Only
• Ionic storm – Allows Cole to summon a lightning storm, unlike the first game this cannot be controlled with the Sixaxis motion control.

Amp Upgrades

• Melee finisher attacks – After two successful hits, Cole can follow up with a finisher that does huge damage.
• Ultra attacks – An upgraded version of the finisher that can damage multiple enemies but requires four hits.
• Ultra drain – Upon landing an ultra attack, Cole’s energy will be completely filled.
• Quicker combos – A single hit charges up the combo twice as much, meaning finisher attacks require only hit and Ultra attacks 2.

General Upgrades

• Megawatt Drain – Increase electric drain speed by 50%
• Ionic Charge 2 – Cole can store two Ionic Charges
• Gigawatt Drain – Increase electric drain speed by 100%
• Ionic Charge 3 – Cole can store three ionic attacks
• Enhanced Precision – Faster zoom speed and slow down
• Blast Shard Sense – The nearest blast shard shows up on the edge of the radar when Cole pings

Karmic Boosts

• Bolt Recharge – Hitting an enemy will give you energy. Third rank of Hero
• Group Heal – Healing a civilian will heal others nearby. Second rank of Hero
• Civilian Safety – Civilians take almost no damage from Cole’s attacks. First rank of Hero
• Bystander Bonus – Gain 1XP for defeating a civilian. First rank of Evil
• Bolt Chain – Hitting something with the Bolt attack will chain electricity to nearby enemies and objects. Second rank of Evil
• Bio Leech Overload – After using the Bio leech, Cole will have unlimited energy for a short period. Third rank of Evil
  

  Soundtrack

01 Cole MacGrath 3:30

02 Get Bertrand 3:24

03 7th Ward 5:11

04 Plight 2:19

05 Lucy Kuo 3:19

06 Swamp Blockade 3:29

07 Overcharge 3:42

08 Bertrand 3:44

09 Origin Stories 2:59

10 The Freaks Are Everywhere 2:22

11 Powered Down 3:27

12 Rescue Wolfe 2:52

13 Meet Nix 3:17

14 Empire 2:00

15 Pushing and Shoving 3:05

16 Karma 3:13

17 The Beast 4:06

18 Unfinished Business 3:42

19 Hardcore Parkour 3:07

20 La Roux 2:35

21 Shoot the Messenger 3:40

22 The Decision 1:55

23 Fade Away 3:42