The PS4 era commenced with this new tangent of the inFamous universe, introducing a new character in a new city with a new range of superpowers. This time, you play a kid named Deslin Rowe, who's a bit of an arrogant punk, but with his heart in the right place. Experiencing an accident by chance that endangers his loved ones, Deslin gains powers and has to use them against an armed force that's occupied Seattle to fight "bio-terrorism." Through this setup, the game inhabits the same style and manner of gameplay as its predecessors; you're given free-reign over the city, unlocking more districts and more of the story as you fight the powers of oppression. As before, you have the power to fly, to perform strong melee attacks, to zap things and thunder-drop on bad guys, and so on. But while Cole used purely electric powers, Deslin starts off with smoke powers, giving him the ability to throw cinders, to dissolve and fly through vents, and to incapacitate enemies with vapor. But that's not all; as the story goes on, Deslin can absorb other mediums of power; you're eventually made to use neon powers (allowing you to shoot lasers, send our powerful energy blasts, and turn to light and run really fast), video powers (allowing you to turn invisible, swing and shoot holographic swords, and fly with glowing wings), and concrete powers (allowing you to shoot rubble). With four different sources of power, the possibilities are expanded, and taking out bad guys is not as repetitive or straightforward as before; you're given more flexibility and power than ever before. And it is necessary, because the game throws a lot more challenges at you; enemies are tough, numerous, and more well-armed than before. The game excels at giving you power and allowing you to run free with it.
As before, you're given the choice to be good or evil; you can save or heal citizens, or you can hurt them. Certain story decisions can also contribute to your karma, and your path will inevitably alter the direction of the story and characters. The themes of good and evil are played with in interesting ways towards the story's end. It's not quite as sublime or mind-blowing of a story as the first game, and some gamers may find it flat and disappointing. Side quests can be rather repetitive for many (although I found it perfectly addictive playing those missions to free up the city little by little). The game does have its strong moments though; I think Deslin has way more personality than Cole did, making him a more appealing character with plenty of room for growth. Deslin learns much as he goes on, making sacrifices and suffering to the point where he matures into a proper hero or villain. He comes to learn that other characters (including the main villain, whom I think is pretty well-developed) go through the same. It may not be a fresh story, but it is still a strong one. If there's anything to really complain about, it's that the game is short (it must have taken me 20 hours or more to finish), and they could have easily included more to the main story that would allow you to use those concrete powers.
The game's greatest strength is that it is masterfully-crafted. It makes full use of the PS4's hardware to render extremely smooth, clean, colorful, and highly-detailed graphics. Seattle may not resemble the real-life city much, but it is well-rendered with impressive textures, effects, particles, and lighting. It's also much more realistically-proportioned than before, giving you a better idea of the city's size (whereas the older games made the cities seem really small in comparison to its people). Characters look phenomenally realistic, thanks to quality texturing and animation. Sounds are good, voice-acting is great, and the music is fantastic. The game has okay writing, and the designs for all the settings, props, costumes, creatures, and everything else is decent.
Second Son is only disappointing in that it's short and its story/gameplay doesn't offer that much new to the table, but it is still a blast thanks to its beautiful graphics, its plethora of superpowers, and a colorful main character. Casual PS4 owners may be impressed by the technical qualities of the game, but may be put off by the repetitiveness of the missions. If you're a fan of the series, this game is a no-brainer. As for me, I think this might be my favorite of the lot, and can't wait to see if more will be made down the line.
If you get the Collector's Edition of this game, you'll have a few bonus missions that help connect this game with inFamous 1 and 2. They're alright. This edition also gives you a couple of free in-game costumes, which are neat, but don't really affect gameplay. The CE is really best if you want the swag (the hat, buttons, patches, and stickers, which are neat). A free DLC is available - the inFamous Paper Trail mission - which offers a really neat detective story sidequest that can reward you with more karma.
5/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Good | Game: Perfect)
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