Performance analysis: inFamous: Second Son

Eurogamer :

"Following in the wake of technological showcase that is Killzone: Shadow Fall, Sony's first-party studios surprise and delight us once again with a stunning new workout for the next-gen PlayStation 4 hardware - inFamous: Second Son. Unfortunately, owing to a combination of factors (GDC, Project Morpheus, Metal Gear Solid and the late arrival of inFamous code, if you're wondering), we didn't have the time to bring you a full tech analysis at launch, but we couldn't mark the arrival of this beautiful title without a spot of Digital Foundry coverage.

We loaded up the game and played through the first hour, bringing you this initial performance analysis, covering off a range of different gameplay scenarios where we can see how Sucker Punch's brand new PlayStation 4 engine performs."

[rhcpfan]

I don't see why they couldn't just lock it at 30 fps.

Anyways, I'm thinking of picking this one up, is it really worth the full price? The reviews are kind of all over the place.

[GarrusVakarian]

If you like the past 2 infamous games then absolutely, yes. It's a big step up from the past 2 games. The graphics, mo cap, voice acting, gameplay are all better, imo.

It's also the cleanest looking console game ive ever seen. 1080p with the AA that Sucker Punch have used makes for a really nice IQ. I think whatever AA they have used in Infamous SS should be the standard for console games....or at least PS4 exclusives.

Seeing as you obviously have a PS4, why not just watch a livestream and make your judgement from that? Or a YT video.

[rhcpfan]

I completely forgot all about the livestreams, I'll probably do that. Thanks.

[HeWhoWalks]

Couldn't have put this better. The cleanest looking console game is an understatement. On that fact alone, it's probably the best looker there is....period, for consoles.

Gameplay is refined, mo-cap, everything. I even enjoy the story, as the humor-mixed-with-serious tones complement the series' comic book roots!

[pedrof93]

So this isn't 30 FPS ?

It fluctuates between 30-45 FPS ?

That's nice. But a 30 fps locked would be nicer.

The secret to enjoy a open world game, is too NOT spend all your time on collectibles and side missions, you should alternate between that and the main story,

[Conzul]

The story is shorter and more straightforward than I would have liked for an inFamous game, but everything else is hugely improved. Aside from the crisp graphics and glitch free open world, the acting and facial capture is the best I've ever seen.

So yeah you should buy it. Most definitely has a place in the permanent collection of any PS4 fan.

Edit: Ohgosh and the climax/bossfights are truly remarkable. All those dynamic particles and dashing about....Game gets a 9/10 in my book.

[starchild]

I don't know why some devs are choosing to uncap their games' framerates. It results in judder and doesn't improve the experience.

Every 30fps game would run higher than 30fps if you uncapped the framerate. This is because rendering loads vary from place to place in a game, and framerates have to average above 30fps in order to maintain 30fps the majority of the time. There is a reason, though, that developers have always normally capped at 30fps: to avoid judder and uneven controller response.

Still a lovely game though. I would simply like to see an option to cap at 30fps.

[Gazondaily]

Platinum'd this today. Decent game but the visuals are not what I would describe as next gen. Apart from some particle effects and some lighting a lot of the environments just look last gen. In surprised more people havent made a noise about it.

[starchild]

@ Septic

I haven't had a chance to play it yet. I planned to get it day one, but I had stuff that came up that delayed that plan for at least a few days.

A lot of stuff does get swept under the rug. I'll be interested to see what I think when I see it on my own display.

[johndoe11211]

@septic

Did you just say this game looks last gen??? Are you serious???

[ambivalentFRYER]

Johndoe -

Are your reading glasses broken? He said the environments look last gen.

[Gazondaily]

@johndoe

Yeah honestly I dont get it. I'm honestly surprised more people aren't commenting on it. At least Edge magazine seem to get it (or agree with me):

"If it wasn’t for the breathtaking view – and in terms of lighting, shadow and detail, Second Son exceeds even Shadow Fall’s visual achievements – it would be easy to confuse this with an early release for the previous console generation. And not a very good one."

[chickenface]

Septic

Excellent attempt in trolling, your opinion is biased in the fact that you're an xbox fanboy... therefore your opinion is lightweight and counters everything everyone has said about this game

[Gazondaily]

"Excellent attempt in trolling, your opinion is biased in the fact that you're an xbox fanboy... therefore your opinion is lightweight and counters everything everyone has said about this game"

http://img.4plebs.org/board...

Lol okay if you say so. I spent £50 on this and took the day off work because I'm a xbox fanboy ¬¬

Carry on as you were.

[Cupid_Viper_3]

@ septic.

You and I have had a few disagreements in the past. One regarding Killzone Shadow Fall, as you were attempting to tell us how rushed and unfinished the game felt while praising BF4.(Troll)

We also clashed because you have been in 95% of all Titanfall threads on here defending the game at every turn. Nothing is wrong with that, you're passionate, I get it. What Titanfall couldn't do in terms of "consistent 60 fps" you made up for it, meaning your defense of that game was more consistent than its framerate.

But buddy I have to say that after the bullsh!t you wrote above, I will now put you on my ignore list. (I know, I know, it doesn't mean squat to you, lol). But it seems that Titanfall have successfuly, permanently damaged your eyesight, and left you as "smart" as one of those mindless "grunts" running around the game.

You're a high functioning troll in the same vain as Sessler. Someone who throws a fit and call Sony liars when it comes to killzone multiplayer resolution, but finds it completely acceptable for Ryse, Titanfall, and Dead Rysing 3 to all be running at way less fps then what they're advertised.

You're a cancer to this hobby, and cancers often go unnoticed until it is too late.

[johndoe11211]

@ambivalentFRYER

1: Saying the environment looks last gen is close to saying the game looks last gen.

2: Funny how you were quick to run to his defense and criticize me when in the very next post he agreed with what I said.

3: If I promise to buy new reading glasses would you promise to try and acquire some common sense?

4: Go troll somewhere else.

[Xdone]

Why do you have to rely on other peoples opinion mate, try it for yourself...:D
Happy gaming...

[HeWhoWalks]

The reviews are actually aren't all over the place. They're generally positive.

Either way, nothing suggests that it ISN'T worth the full price. Decide for yourself, though. If you enjoyed previous inFAMOUS games (or anything similar), you will probably like Second Son.

[rhcpfan]

The prices of games got raised to 70 dollars in Canada, that's why. I have to be a bit more selective unfortunately.

[Prime157]

Yeah, if you like the first two, this is a big step up. That's what I've told people, and experienced for myself.

[majiebeast]

If you take that Sessler review serious i dont know what to say.

[miyamoto]

NEVER believe anything Eurogamer says, buddy.

Its that time of the year when ever a PlayStation exclusive gets released the gaming media is on a click bait feeding frenzy.

They use this as an opportunity not to give us honest opinions, analysis or reviews but a perfect business opportunity to make more money.

They know controversy generates more hits and clicks.

Do the right thing.

[parentoftheyear]

It's a blast(shard)!!!!

[Bigpappy]

I understand where you are coming from. Not having demos for every game makes me much more cautious about which games I buy.

[iceman06]

Generally, this is true. However, for a tried and true IP that has had 2 games prior, I tend to worry less. At very least I am getting a game that I already like. Best case scenario is that they completely knock it out of the park.

[assdan]

I love it.

[Bennibop]

Pay no attention to low reviews, I can understand a few 7s due to personal tastes anything lower is pure trolling as it deserves higher even on technical achievement. I have x1 and ps4 this is the best game I have bought so far. It's a lot of fun and looks beautiful.

[Father__Merrin]

its a pretty good game, you will enjoy it.........many reviews are picking on this title its simply not what they make it out to be

i would definitely say its the 1st real next gen game visually thankfully it has improved gameplay over infamous 1/2

in certain parts of the game it looks so clean you will never see anything like it on consoles, even a stringent PC fan who has a high end pc will concede visually its a looker

[ramiuk1]

yes,its awesome fun,im good at moment,will be doing evil once finished

[Gazondaily]

Rent it. I personally dont think its worth full price and I've got a platinum on this.

[MaxwellBuddha]

I think it's good (though I'm not all ga-ga over it like the rest of the cultists here) even though it's shorter than I would like. I'll have the platinum once I complete my evil playthrough.

[chickenface]

xbox fanboy

absolutely no surprise here

[Gazondaily]

Calm down. I'm giving my honest opinion here. No need to shed tears.

@Maxwell

Am I wrong about the visuals? What do you think? This is no where near the best looking next-gen game in my opinion but everyone here is saying it is.

Anyway, I enjoyed the game. The powers are what save this game (obviously) but the story was lacking and short, the good and evil dynamic was very basic and didn't really amount to much minus a few exclusive powers and varying cutscenes and there weren't that many side missions, many of which were just plain repetitive.

[Flutterby]

It is easily the best looking next gen console game , it managed to take killzone sf's title. I am not even sure septic is playing the right console let alone the right game.

[jkendrick]

@septic

Your the true definition of a trolllll! The game is awesome, the best game thus far on next gen systems.

[Gazondaily]

Wow...you guys..unbelievable...Im a troll..right.

[GarrusVakarian]

It's not really affecting me that much because it's usually around 30fps...but i would still like the option to lock it at 30fps, like how GG did with Killzone SF. When it hits 60fps or close to it im like "oooh ,that's smooth", then i drops back down and im like "awww man". So i would rather just have a consistent 30fps.

The game is simply amazing, btw. You thought neon was the best power? Think again.

[AceBlazer13]

I haven't gotten the final power yet, which i'm assuming is from augustine, but the one you get from eugene is freakin awesome. definitely enjoying my power, thank you sp.

[Conzul]

Eugene's power is my least favorite. Not in essence, but in theme - if that makes sense.

[Rodney25]

The final power is garb. It's missing too many moves, the best is between Video and Neon I can't choose.

[orionone]

Nice job Rodney. Thanks for the spoiler. FFS. :/

[GW212]

I got really drunk after work yesterday. Came home and put this bad boy on. Woke up this morning and couldn't remember anything about it. So I decided to just start all over. I only have smoke right now. Just got into Seattle and doing some shard hunting.

The game is such a blast to play. Graphics are crazy and I'm very pleased that the frame rate is that smooth. Goes up and down as you mentioned but I haven't caught any stuttering whatsoever.

I'm doing a good karma play through now. The replay value is most certainly there. Can't wait to do a evil play through. Most certainly going to hit a platinum trophy on this one.

PSN ID: GKW212... Add me!

[Xdone]

Nice read..... dem particle effects :D

[CrossingEden]

My Impressions
Did a 100% completionist good playthrough of this game in one sitting yesterday, from 4am to 9pm, so it's a straight 15 hour 9/10 game. Can't wait to do evil playthrough.

OT
Radiant Sweep seems to cause the most framerate problems, although it's VERY rare. Definitely wouldn't mind an option to completely lock the framerate though. I get the feeling that my evil playthrough will be very hectic.

P.S.
Protip
Do ALL of the side content, (blast shards, audio logs, DUP agents, stencil art, hidden camera, taking down structures and then district showdowns, etc), before visiting the space needle mission called "The Gauntlet" I did this and became a level 4 paragon from the get go and got upgraded to hero right after meeting fetch. I also had an excess of blast shards so I could unlock every power upgrade as soon as I got new powers or abilities, for example, soon as I got neon run I upgraded it to let me neon run infinitely.
It really helps and it's means you can cruise around doing the early story missions with slightly maxed out abilities. It makes the game much more enjoyable, and yes, you will feel alittle OP with all those upgrades, and yes the effort is worth it. I also recommend that you do this as soon as you get to the second part of the game as well. The feeling of getting a new power from a new character and upgrading them immediately is glorifying.
ALSO
Does anyone know how to link their papertrail account with their psn ID? It only gives me the first mission. Thanks in advance to anyone who has a solution.

[GW212]

When you say second part of the game, do you mean when you enter Seattle or something later?

[jocomat9]

already doing this thanks for sharing anyway

[GarrusVakarian]

Wow, 15 hour session? Crazy. I haven't done that since Skyrim.

And about the paper trail, im pretty sure the site is broken at the moment. The last 2 test thingys aren't available and i keep getting 404 error.

[MasterCornholio]

Very good performance and at 1080P.

:)

[killzone619]

27fps is good performance?

[FlunkinMonkey]

Better than 12fps at 900p or dipping to 30fps for a game at 792P!

[GarrusVakarian]

I'd love to see how it would run on a certain other console ;)

Why so salty?

[MainstreamGamer]

I can taste the tears in your eyes killzone619. Its real salty.

[Ezz2013]

yes, those rare 3fps is killing the game /s

[MasterCornholio]

Well it only dropped to that in one very intense situation so yes I would consider it good performance. Games with bad performance are those that have an average framerate of 25FPS and have regular drops to the teens. Like Ryse Thief and DR3 for example.

[svoulis]

I personally like unlocked framrate. I think it takes away that blur that Vsync 30fps adds when moving around really fast. Sure the FPS floats between 30-45 but I like it that way over 30capped I can feel the difference in the controls.

I am about 8 hrs into the game and its amazing.

[AndrewLB]

Actually V-Sync doesn't cause the image to blur, it actually reduces not only blurring, but tearing and stuttering as well. It does tend to increase input-lag between what you're pushing on the controller and what you see on the screen. Depending on what type of anti-aliasing that's used, the effect can range from unnoticeable to unplayable.

[assdan]

I think the game may have noticeably bellow 30 once for me for maybe a second right after a massive explosion I caused during an orbital strike.

[DanielGearSolid]

Lock it at 37!

Is that possible? Idk

[bleedsoe9mm]

there are parts of the city and if you jump on the train where the framerate dips to uncomfortable levels

[MasterCornholio]

I've seen much worse in next gen games like Ryse for example.

[bleedsoe9mm]

dead rising 3 would be my example

[Hicken]

But Dead Rising has a bit of an excuse.

[MasterCornholio]

Why would it have an excuse if it was originally an Xbox 360 game?

[mochachino]

I played the game for 8 hours yesterday, I normally get bored with games after a few hours and a need a break for the rest of the day (especially online competitive mp) but this game keeps me playing non-stop.

It's weird, there's nothing particularly interesting about the missions but it is really fun being incredibly powerful and constantly growing more powerful. I love SP so it's perfect for me.

[iceman06]

That, sir, is the hook of this game IMO. It's not about the missions so much as it is about the quest for a new ability to face the missions. It's the hunger to become a superhero. Then, proving it against what the game throws at you.

[PersonMan]

The game is great, but I really hope they add a frame rate limiting option in a patch. For people who like unlocked frame rates, you can keep that option off, but as for people like me, it would be nice to be able to limit it to a maximum of 30fps at all times. It makes for a much more consistent experience since it's mostly 30fps anyway.

[Sevir]

I gotta say, the Boss fight right before entering the lantern district was epic... Currently at Paragon and enjoying Neon, been playing now for 10+ hours the Side missions are a blast and I love the extra missions, paper trail and Coles legacy so far add new things to do.

So glad I got this game! And Sessler is a funny dude... Honestly this game is easily a 9. It isn't perfect, but it's hugely enjoyable. Quite the looker too. Insanely clean. Can't wait to meet the next Conduit!

[killzone619]

what happened to the devs saying the game was a "rock solid 30fps"?

the game drops down to 27fps in one scene.

[CernaML]

Wow! In -one- scene?

An obviously unoptimized mess. For shame, Sucker Punch.

[dantesparda]

This is the 2nd or 3rd time you've b*tched about the framerate, yet i dont remember you b*tching about the Titanfall dropping below 30fps and thats a game who's big selling point is 60fps. So give it a break kid, you're trying to hard.

[SoulSercher620]

Now your trolling is becoming desperate. You want this game to fail in the worst way possible don't you?

[jkendrick]

@killzone

Don't you have Titanfall fall to play. Why so butt hurt? We are enjoying the best game so far on next gen. Stop being so salty!

[TristanPR77]

After playing Infamous yesterday I got to say it is one of the best visually stunning games so far. If the PS4 can manage to make that so early then what is to come is going to be breath taking.

Infamous is truly amazing. One of the first thoughts I had while play was: oh God I'm glad a choose PS4 over xbone.

[ambivalentFRYER]

Yeah...you have fun with that and your typical trolling. In the meantime the rest of us will enjoy the games on BOTH consoles, like true gamers do.

[Flutterby]

You heard it here Tristan like ambientflyer said , you can't be a real gamer unless you own every console there is even if it's over priced and underpowered and you don't actually want it /s

easily the best next gen console game to date.

[mayberry]

Infamous and Killzone SF are my choice for best games so far this gen. "The game is a visual feast. Similar to Guerrilla Games' latest work,(Killzone sf)". The free new maps in Killzone are BOSS too! The one where the helghan warship powers up an down is absolutely amazing!

[DEEBO]

This game had my eyes watering from playing too long i don't want it to end.
he is so fast, if the reviewer's can't see the quality of this game they need to just stop playing games and find a different job because they are not being honest with the gaming community.

[jjb1981]

It's extremely fun. I'm doing the first play though as a good guy. I'm saving the carnage for the second play through.

[belac09]

it's fantastic, i didnt know what to expect, i loved the first game, 2 was o.k, but this is on a whole other level...superb!

[Ck1x]

The game looks really good, but from the Eurogamer 2hr live streaming it seems a little underwhelming in the game play department. I know most people are putting their eggs all in the visual basket. But aside from the flair and flashy effects I was expecting to see something more! Even the parkour seems way behind what the early Assassin's Creed games have established. A lot of these early games are seeming more like tech demo's than a true evolution in the franchises.

[StoneyYoshi]

The way the character climbs is how it has been since the first one. Its part of the games roots. Its not hurting anything IMO.

[Ck1x]

I know, I owned both previous games! That's why this game seems like a small step up from those games. Visuals look amazing, yes... But you can't blame people for expecting a little more from the title.

[jkendrick]

Wow another trolllll! You guys getting tired of Titanfall already?

[NeoTribe]

Best game this gen so far. Absolutely gorgeous and a joy to play.

[sAVAge_bEaST]

NeX JeN

..Done.Son..

[StoneyYoshi]

Ah yes i just noticed that shop earlier. So many sly/cole references all over the city!.

[TheGrimReaper0011]

the game just looks like more infamous, which I have no problems with
I might get a ps4 just for this, if i find one

[idontcare]

So the mighty beast PS4 drops below 30fps even with empty streets. This should bring some ps fanboys back to ground. Just enjoy the friggin game!

[Flames76]

After seeing the reviews i would say people should pass on second son.It looks boring and the same as the last two.Good job sony you have no exclusives right now and this is what you give playstation owners.They just keep falling behind the Xbox One