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Infamous: London Event

Infamous: Second Son – London Preview

Last week I had the privilege of going to London to play an exclusive demo of Infamous: Second Son on the PlayStation 4.  Attendees were also treated to a free bar, snacks, and access to the stage where the developers from Sucker Punch and actor Troy Baker were answering questions to a live stream.

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Your character, Deslin Rowe, replaces Cole MacGrath from the previous instalments in the franchise.  Like Cole, Deslin has special powers that help you travel, destroy enemies and save friends.  As expected from an Infamous game, decisions you make throughout affect the storyline you experience; for instance somebody who decides to use their powers for good will experience a different story to someone who decides to destroy the innocent.  As Second Son is the beginning of a new story in the Infamous franchise, this game appeals to both the dedicated fan base and newcomers alike.

The first impression you form when playing Infamous is how good it looks.  This is a PS4 exclusive, so it has been designed with the PS4 hardware in mind.  Like Killzone Shadow Fall, this game sets the standard to how all future PS4 releases will be compared to.  Both the character models and the Seattle environment are breath-taking, and encourage you to explore the city, which Sucker Punch claims to have added many characteristic features unique to Seattle – where the development company is based.

The game mechanics felt very fluid, and after a few minutes of roaming the city the controls are very recognisable.  The demo introduced me to two different powers: neon and smoke.  Smoke powers served better during combat situations, whereas neon worked best for travelling, enabling me to scale walls and buildings with ease.

I was able to experience both the good path and the evil path of the story.  Personally I preferred the evil storyline, as it was more entertaining to play as a raging lunatic rather than a stealthy assassin.  That said, this won’t stop me and other dedicated players from playing the game through twice, even if only to achieve a platinum!

The one gripe I had was that Deslin is not able to function in water, of which there is a lot in Seattle.  Should you fall into the water, the gameplay will stop, and you have to wait around 5 seconds before you respawn onto dry land.  This is by no means a deterrent for anybody to purchase the game, but was certainly jarring from what was otherwise a smooth experience.

Overall though, the lasting impression not only encouraged me to pre-order Second Son, but also convinced me that this is one of the rare games that will encourage me to play through multiple times.  This is the PlayStation 4 exclusive that early adopters have been waiting for, and for many other people, a system seller.

About the Author George Barrett

I'm currently a Computer Science student from the UK, and am interested in technology, software, gaming, technical theatre and much more! To find out more, visit my website or my social links.

I'm currently a Computer Science student from the UK, and am interested in technology, software, gaming, technical theatre and much more! To find out more, visit my website or my social links.

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