We've had two reasonably extensive looks at Sucker Punch's inFAMOUS, one at least year's Tokyo Game Show, and one just a few weeks prior to this review. And in both instances we concluded inFAMOUS was a fence-sitting game without being able to fully test its tangible sandbox touts, or experience the raw power of electricity through the palms of the game's protagonist (and potential antagonist), Cole McGrath.

For the better part of the last few days then, I've been running the game through its paces, literally. inFAMOUS proclaims sandbox, but you're never going to be getting into cars, on motorbikes or the like (though you do *kind of* ride the roof of a train). In fact all of your traversing is done on foot, and for the most part, across rooftops.

The game-world then, reflects this and isn't necessarily the biggest of the open-world games out there. There's still plenty of space to explore, and the city planning (aka level design) is actually quite good; Sucker Punch serving up a veritable parkour playground for players where a speedy line across ledges, rooftops, signposts and railways can be easily strung together once you've worked out the machinations of Cole's cat (or racoon)-like motions. This might all sound hunky-dory, but it's just... well, let me explain.



inFAMOUS purports to be a superhero sandbox game, and all the incredibly well-presented comic-book inspired cut-scenes and narrative 'powers-post-explosion' elements maintain this claim. Unfortunately the game's inner workings, stemming from minor elements such as dialogue right through to enemies, counteract the claim, bringing it - and the game's fun-factor - to a screeching halt. It takes an incredibly strong will to push through to a point where you're somewhat satisfied with what you've just put yourself through, and I doubt anyone barring the most die-hard of Sony fanboys (and there are a lot of them) will find this strength of will to see that inFAMOUS does have something enjoyable to offer.

If I could put an image to this game, it would be of me constantly scratching my head in frustration and ever-escalating angst. Not necessarily because inFAMOUS is all-round bad, but because the idea here and myriad elements are so strong, I want them to work, it's just in the wake of all the bad things on offer, it becomes something of an exercise in tedious faith; hoping for something more, but consistently finding loopholes, misgivings and plain dead-ends in the road towards gratifying gameplay fulfilment.

Issues begin with the game's structure early on. You're given control of Cole post-massive explosion (which is the catalyst for all events that unfold from here on out), but on a very linear path. It's a narrative decision, I understand, but unless you follow the game's intended course from the outset, you can actually die within the first few minutes of gameplay - which to me, is a little silly in a sandbox title and equally depressing given you're meant to be a character who is manifesting 'amazing' power each step he takes.

Don't get me wrong, it serves its purpose, I just feel it was handled poorly given the overall goal.

This follow-the-leader formula then continues for the first few missions as we're slowly introduced to the game's mission structures and the ways in which to play and engage them. Comparing this opening to the likes of say, GTA IV (or any GTA title for that matter), where you can start running amok almost immediately is another clear indication that just because you have a sprawling metropolis populated with cars and NPCs doesn't mean you have a game with ultimate freedom.

Speaking of NPCs, the inhabitants of Empire City really aren't too bright. From the game's early moments, you're somewhat disliked amongst the denizens, which is shown through negative banter towards you, or animations of NPCs cowering or running away from you. Later on in the game, if you choose to follow a good karma path they'll start to respond more favourably to you, but what I noticed more than anything is this in itself is fleetingly glitch-ridden. One instance saw me rescuing a downed chap in a sewer. He stood up, thanked me then told his friend across the way to open a locked gate for me. As soon as this role was completed though, his AI switched back to being afraid and he cowered right next to me. Both inconsistent, and just plain rude.

This lack of dynamic AI is rampant throughout the game and extends itself in most ambient aspects. Cars just circle the block (I know because I sat on the roof of one to see), and will simply come to a miraculous stop if anything dangerous is happening in front of them. There's no organic desire to live, or avoid accidents such as those seen in GTA, which simply paints a fairly simple algorithmic pattern of background noise for all of this, which in turn negates the intended soul for Empire City – what's the point in saving a place that doesn't feel real or alive?

But the word "saving" brings me to my next major problem with the game and something I mentioned earlier. Idealistically inFAMOUS is a superhero title, but beyond Cole's amazing balance and climbing ability, there's very little here in the way of true superherodom. His electricity isn't very strong, and feels more like an eccentric gun and grenade combination than anything else. You rarely use it in the way it should be, such as electrifying surfaces to take on enemies in an outside-the-box contest. It's equally vexing the baddies, junkies-turned-super-mutants, are crack shots with their weapons, more often than not killing you before you even know where they are (and yes, that pun was absolutely intended).

In fact there's an absolutely unbalanced system of conflict, and it happens with grunt enemies. You can take them out from afar, but even at certain distances your lightning bolt may not reach them, yet, their sniper-like abilities – from the same distance – can knock you senseless. It's also annoying because Cole can suck up power from any nearby power-source, but it's incredibly easy to have this interrupted (and you dead very quickly), meaning you're constantly running from battle to find a safe spot to recharge. And most unforgiving of all is jumping from far above with the intention of performing Cole's best move (best described as "death from above") only to have a single bullet hit you just centimetres from the ground, thus culling the ability and leaving you wide open to attack.

Cole has a few different default offensive moves that manifest early in the game. The aforementioned lightning bolt action takes no 'ammo', and can be used over and over again (sort of like a pistol with endless rounds). Eventually he'll also get grenade-like electrical charges, which really only act similarly to grenades (they don't really do much more than explode) as well as the ability to hover and perform a "Force Push" type of move that is just more like a stun gun than anything (it doesn't do much more than push people or items directly in your path about). There's also the "death from above" move, which a massive area of effect devastation action, but it only seems to be effective around 60% of the time, which just adds to all the frustration on offer already.

The karma system is also really lax in that it's just too cut and dry. Throughout the game, in narrative effect, you're offered choices of either good or bad consequence. One particular instance had me choosing whether to be sprayed in the face with a murky mutagen substance that brought on hallucinations (which actually progressed the story), or make a bystander do it. Here the choice was obvious - do it myself so I can get more of the story fleshed out. What's worse is said hallucination lasted less than 10 seconds with no negative effect. You will unlock different abilities specific to your karmic alliance, but for the most part these rarely change the shape of engagement.

Missions see you having to turn power grids back on through sewers, looking for satellites on roof-tops, collecting battery shards, saving makeshift medical centre, disrupting enemy couriers, riding (and running) trains and infiltrating enemy strongholds. Initially your hand is fairly held, but eventually you're somewhat free to roam the city, and engaging and completing side-missions (represented via yellow icons as opposed to blue ones which are narrative-specific) will create enemy-free zones, so diligent players can free up the immediate area to traverse without being annoyingly shot at or accosted by the Reapers. But ultimately, this is all just distraction to the main game.

The real crux here, is in the game's story, and for the first half of the game, you're going to disagree. Powering through to the bitter end though, will reveal some stellar story-telling in the interactive form; it's just a hard slog to get to that point.

Some of the proceeding missions are also really solid to engage, and manage to break the monotonous mould you've been curing in with gusto, but again, non-hardcore Sony types are seriously going to find it difficult to feel compelled to get to said point.

Unfortunately inFAMOUS just doesn't look the part, barely plays the part and therefore really isn't the part.

There are moments of excellence, but they're so few and far between, they're easily forgotten in the wake of all the tedium on offer. So much of the game is formulaic and old-school in a negative sense; you'll wonder how this wound up on a next-gen powerhouse like the PS3. There are far too many moments and ideas pulled directly from the Sly Cooper series to make inFAMOUS stand on its own two feet and when it does, it really is just fleeting.

If you can make it through to the end, you deserve a trophy for perseverance, but if you've been waiting for a rock-solid PS3 exclusive to sink your teeth into, be prepared to be disappointed and just be thankful Uncharted 2 really isn't that far away.