Infamous: Second Son Review - The Digital Fix

Put simply, Infamous: Second Son has an awful lot riding on it. Literally millions of PS4s have been shipped since the rather huge launch back in November and fanboys the world over have been heralding this as the new dawn of gaming - native 1080p, 60fps, amazing particle effects and so on, the sky’s the limit. Sadly though for all the fanfare and internet forum shouting nothing in the PS4 line-up has shone; Killzone was gorgeous yet hugely underwhelming to play and the other big release, Knack, was just flat out poor.

[ape007]

6?

LoL

[Dynasty2021]

Well when you peal away the hype and the "pretty" graphics that console fans have been riding on as proof their hardware isn't lacklustre even though it is, as Watch Dogs proves for example, Infamous SS is a short, okay game.

Not amazing by any means.

[Silly gameAr]

Not a 6 by any means either. I swear a lot of these sites on N4G make me sick to my stomach.

@Lukas

I have no problem with opinions, but come on. This reads like it was written by somebody that's mind was made up that Infamous was going to get a lower score before they even played it.

[GarrusVakarian]

Opinions...

What are they?

What do they mean?

[Baka-akaB]

Why should we peel away it's obvious advantage to begin with ? it's part of the experience and point of the game .

ANd even then , it's still a pretty good action game , hardly something that would usually get rated 6 , in other circumstances such as a non exclusive and less high profiled game

It's his opinion , and possibly made for hits , but i'll just disagree with it and move on ...

[Muzikguy]

I haven't played the game yet. Some people are telling me to just rent it because of it being so short. Whenever I get around to it though I will be buying it. I try to not believe all the hype surrounding many games and see them for what they are. Knowing that, I've been following InfamousSS for quite some time and in no way would I believe a "6" is a good score for it

[Baka-akaB]

Yeah it's short , but it's basically one of those game you have to play twice for the full experience anyway , unless truly bored by it .

Besides most action game are short and even shorter , so it's fine .

I'm not sure i'd like as much 10-20 extra hours of the same thing . If longer , i want more variety and stuff to do

[Gazondaily]

@Muzikguy

Rent it mate. Trust me. I platinum'd the game in 2 days easily. I'll be giving the game away tomorrow when I do my review anyway.

[BLow]

@Septic

2 days really? Well, I'm glad I bought the game. Trust me. Care to give us a time limit in those "2 days". Most normal people have jobs, kids, girlfriends, wives, and friends they hang out with. Everyone doesn't beat games and platinum them is 2 days. I really want to know how long you actually played for those 2 days.

Maybe, I'm going overboard. But do you need to go through the game twice to platinum. If you don't then I guess that explains it. I haven't looked at the trophies yet because sometimes they can spoil the game. And yes, I've had it since launch and haven't beat it yet. Work and a wife kinda takes up some of my time.

[Gazondaily]

" Care to give us a time limit in those "2 days". Most normal people have jobs, kids, girlfriends, wives, and friends they hang out with"

I am busy most of the time. I work, go out and workout everyday. The platinum that I got in 2 days didn't revolve aroundme sitting at home for those days. You could easily get this platinum in a day.

1) The game isn't very hard, even on expert. I hardly noticed much of a difference except that I could soak up less bullets

2) The campaign is really

3) The trophies are easy to get. The orbs are visible on the map once you destroy those truck jammer thingies or whatever they were.

"But do you need to go through the game twice to platinum."

Yeah you do. You have to play as good and evil. Do the 'good' playthrough first time round. Do all the challenges. Then be the bad guy on expert difficulty.

[Blaze929]

It's always some kinda reason or conspiracy behind something when a PlayStation exclusive scores under an 8.

Tin foil hat wearers, MAYBE this is just his opinion? Simple as that.

[T2]

it doesn't have to be a reason or conspiracy to identify hack writing... and game "journalism" is full of hacks that can barely write a proper scentence... not saying anything about this article in general, but a ton of articles on here are absolute trash.

[Gohadouken]

Oh yeah people can tell you're certainly a fan of the author's writing , coming out of the shadows to defend the poor persecuted guy , and totally dont have an agenda there /s

It's a troll review give up your schtick . The review start as a ps4 rant , fanboys and something completely unrelated to the game .

No need for conspiracies either , people dont pay mediocre hacks fanboys usually , they do the deed on their own , like zealots . Much like some of the so called SDF , and so called XDF

[Themba76]

troll review

[marlinfan10]

lol the guy didnt enjoy the game like you did so it must be a troll review

[Anon1974]

No, it's a troll review. Here's a hint. If you start your review by bashing the PS4, bashing it's fans, bashing the PS4's lineup and suggesting that millions of PS4 owners are mournfully milling about without any games to play...warning...you might be reading a troll review.

What on earth does any of that nonsense have to do with the game being reviewed?

Could you imagine if a Titanfall review started with "Well, the Xbox One isn't selling as well as it's closest competition, and Kinect seems like a forced addon..."? Of course this is a troll review. Stick to reviewing the damn game. You want to write an editorial on the PS4 thus far, do that elsewhere.

Certainly he's entitled to his own view of this title, but it discredits his work when he opens with completely unnecessary, and in my opinion inaccurate, commentary on the PS4's launch.

Downvote for me on the quality of this article, and this site for not editing out that extraneous nonsense from it's reviews.

[Vegetarianshark]

This review is obviously fishing for hits, lets all just pretend this never existed.

[ksa-sh8sh8b8]

he give Infamous: Second Son because it is not 1080P 60fps .

and give titanfall 9/10

what !!
0_0

[hulk_bash1987]

If he is in fact the same person to review both games, then that is certainly a bit contradictory. I personally love the game but if he thinks its a 6/10 then that is his prerogative. It doesn't change my opinion that its is a hell of a good game.

[andibandit]

Dude, did you even read the review, he pretty much praised the graphics all along, and the 1080P 60FPS, was a positive reference....

[ThatEnglishDude]

...or perhaps he was just disappointed and wasn't overly impressed with it. *rolls eyes*

Personally, I loved it!

[sin7279]

stupid and troll review!

[ArbitorChief]

Why is it a troll review when a Playstation game get's a low review?

[Shane Kim]

Because of the way he writes the article and compare it to other PS4 exclusives. That's not even the point.

Did anyone reviewing Titanfall compare it to Halo and say, "Titanfall is abysmal because of the lack of story compared to Halo". PS4 exclusive is always being judged for what it could be...never for what it is.

[pyramidshead]

Damn, well said. Bubbs+

[solidjun5]

Bingo. Well said.
This is an obvious troll review. Moving on.

[Themba76]

agreed. say what you want but I was a former xbox only guy and halo story is far better than titanfall's but no one says nothing.

[DARK WITNESS]

I am sorry, I played Titanfall, can someone remind me what the story was again?

When it comes to story, Halo and Titanfall should never.. NEVER...EVER.. be brought up as a comparison.

I have never been a massive infamous fan and I have only played the demo when they did the launch event thing in London, I thought it was ok but it didn't blow my mind (graphically yes, but not in terms of gameplay)

in the end I picked getting Titanfall over Infamous because I thought I would get more fun out of it as I would be playing online with my friends. I got board of it within like a day or two and went back to Warframe... of all games!

[heisenberguk]

Did you read it? CAN you read?

[WeAreLegion]

Have you noticed that people call them troll reviews when Microsoft and Nintendo games get abnormally low reviews, too? You're seeing what you want to see.

[ArbitorChief]

That's what fanboys do. If someone's opinion on the game is a 6/10 or a 10/10, that's their opinion. I couldn't care less what this person thinks of the game, I have my own opinion on the game, it's a good game, all I did was ask why it's a troll review and it seems only because the score was a 6/10.

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

He was right about killzone though, absolutely gorgeous to look at but a snooze fest to play. I've had it since day one and I just finished it two weeks ago, same with call of duty. Infamous is a much better game than he's giving it credit for imo.

[GarrusVakarian]

" all I did was ask why it's a troll review and it seems only because the score was a 6/10"

I'd say Shane Kim did exactly what you asked and explained it perfectly, why did you ignore him?

I couldn't care less about this guys opinion or anyone else's, whether the score is higher or lower than this 6/10. The game was an 8/10 for me. No more, no less. But i do agree with what Shane Kim is saying in that PS exclusives are always held up to a higher standard by reviewers, they are rarely ever judged or taken for what they are, but instead criticized that they don't meet the ridiculously lofty expectations of the reviewer.

....But on the flip side, i guess that's really no ones fault but Sony's and their devs for creating such great exclusives in the first place lol.

[BABY-JEDI]

This game is so above a 6/10. The reviewer is a spanner IMO. Solid 8/10
: P

[Alsybub]

In your opinion. In his opinion it is not. Simple.

[Illusive_Man]

Visually impressive but shallow gameplay, sparse environments, and too conservative. If video games were based purely on looks the game would get an 11. Unfortunately, while it is strong in the department it is weak in others. Personally, the reviewer gave valid points, a 6 is a bit harsh but not entirely unjustified. I would have given a 7. It's an average game, and only received much fanfare due to the lack of other quality games on PS4.

[GarrusVakarian]

"It's an average game, and only received much fanfare due to the lack of other quality games on PS4."

That is completely subjective. In my opinion, the game is above average (I'd give it an 8/10) and it received that much fanfare because A) People liked the look of it and B) There have been 2 great past games. Also "lack of other quality games" is completely subjective too.

I always laugh at people who can't accept low review scores like the some of the people above, you don't have to agree with them, but to flat out say their opinion is void because it doesn't match your own is stupid. I don't agree with this guys score, but im not calling for his blood, haha. He doesn't perceive the game the same way you do...so what?

[Alsybub]

Absolutely, no one has to agree.

[mogwaii]

I couldn't agree with you more and ps4 is my console of choice, i was rather dissapointed with second son and i couldn't believe how short it was, just when i was getting into it BAM its over.

[isa_scout]

My problem was after finishing the story there wasn't much else to do. It took less time than I expected to 100% both islands and I did it before I finished the story. Needless to say I was pretty bummed when I unlocked the final power at the end of the game, and had nothing left on both islands to enjoy the new power. I got the plat trophy in 3 days. Way to short in my opinion. I'd give it a 7.5 when comparing it to the previous games in the series.

[lawlesdweller]

I have titanfall as well as Infamous.

Titanfall is half a game - the added advantage of using bots to bolster teams allows for players with little to none as a skill level to feel they have "done" something - the game runs very well obviously down to the maps being small and less players to cram into the server.

Its disappointing to say the least BUT infamous a 6 hmm well seems like this person needs to stop trusting/needing Xbone to become something it aint.

[bmx_bandit]

Says the guy who wrote this:

"The PS is made for gamers by gamers were on the other hand XBONE is made by sellers for profit"

Ok. If u say so.

[DARK WITNESS]

He may have said that, but it does not mean he is wrong about Titanfall.

I would say I agree with his take on Titanfall 100%

It is far from the revolutionary shooter for the "New Gen". In fact it's not even an Evolutionary Game. The game could have come out on the 360 6 months ago with a "remastered" next gen version for xb1 and people would see it for what it really is.

MS and EA are smart though and have done everything to keep the 360 version out of site and out of mind so people hold it up as this pinnacle of what the future of next shooters is going to be.... Hell no, I hope not!

[rmedtx]

I played this game from start to end. There is absolutely no way it deserves anything bellow 8. These kind of reviews are a disservice to us the consumers; shame on them.

[Scrivlar]

It is pretty overrated to be fair, when I played it I just thought it was really good but wherever I go on N4G people are raving about how amazing it is and I just sit here with a confused look on my face like maybe I missed something about the game, even for a last gen game it's quite average but with the added expectation for one of the new next gen games it left me pretty disappointed.

[silvacrest]

trolling for hits long after other reviewers have given their scores...

[Alsybub]

I love this site. Reviews are opinions and we all have them. If everyone agreed then the world would be a very different place.

[Pro_TactX]

@Alsybub

Reviews shouldn't be subjective though. They should be objective.

[Shane Kim]

Then why the hell is there reviews of any item in the world if all it is, is a blog with some guys/girls opinion?

Obviously you can throw in a little bit of personal opinion but a review of any item should be objective. You compare price, features and you compare it to the competitors with a similar product. Simple as that.

[SpiralTear]

@Shane Kim
@Pro_TactX

If reviews are objective, then how do we decide by what standards we are to judge the games? When comparing features, which features are more important than others? In creating these standards for critique, we are exerting our own opinions on the games, therefore making them subjective.

I don't agree with this review at all, but there is no way that a review can be objective, simply because there is no one universal standard of judgment that every reviewer can (or should) use when evaluating it. You need to have an opinion in a review. Otherwise, it's not a review; it's a technical document.

[Darkfist]

so after seeing all the praise the game gets and the 1 million sold, now he review it lol.

[bmx_bandit]

Its as legitimate as all the 10/10 reviews.

The Truth must be out there somewhere....;)

[SixtyNine]

I thought this game would be the reason I buy a PS4, I guess not. I couldn't bring myself to play the second infamous game till this day. And I enjoyed the first a lot at the time of its release.

I'm looking forward to E3. I want to see more PS4 games, emphasis on PS4.

[heisenberguk]

You choose not to get it BASED on THIS review? WOW!! JUST WOW!!

[SixtyNine]

No. I didn't even speak about this review. If I couldn't bring myself to play inFamous 2, how long would second sons hold my attention for? I'd rather save my money, thanks ;)

[Baka-akaB]

Mmmm . You enjoyed the first one , the most lackluster according to mainstream opinion , but didnt play the 2nd when you could and still could ? It's not as if the game aged or anything ...

I'll skip on not getting a ps4 yet for it , that part is ok . But your pattern is weird

[SixtyNine]

See, there are actually some of us that go by our instincts rather than 'mainstream opinion'.

I did the same with Dark Souls. . I couldn't be bothered playing it. Although I enjoyed and finished Demon Souls.

The only franchise I've made an exception for is the Uncharted series. I've played all three of them except golden abyss.

What can I say? It seems I always want something new instead of more of the same. If that makes me weird then I'll gladly embrace the term.

[Baka-akaB]

Uh ? I never said anything about following mainstream opinion , if anything i always follow instincts too . I only said Infamous 1 was the least liked one amidst public opinion and you seemed to enjoy it . So it seemed a fair assumption you could enjoy the sequels that are deemed superior

And quite frankly i dont care if games i like are or arent mainstream/popular . My favorite stuff quite usually arent mostly by accident rather than focused search .

Finally I didnt call you weird , i just initially found the reasoning odd , without further explanations

[babis1974]

"the digital fix"...it's broken!

[ElementX]

I wouldn't give it a 9 or 10 but I wouldn't give it a 6 either. I'd probably rate it 7.5. I really don't think it's as good as everybody else thinks. I couldn't even finish the second infamous game. I got bored with it and this is very similar just different powers that all do basically what the other games did. There isn't much to do outside the storyline and no reason to explore. There's nothing hidden to search for which is my main reason for exploring

[GundalfDeGrej]

I agree with that 7.5. It's a great game but it didn't make me want to play it a lot more after I'd finished it once. The combat feels nice but the overall experience just wasn't that memorable for me. It might not be a 6/10 but it ain't no 9/10 either. In my humble opinion of course. Everyone has one. The people here who claim this review is just click bait needs to get that into their heads.

[Baka-akaB]

I give it a 8 , it's a pretty excellent game , but with a few short comings and a lack of depth for an open world game , even if story driven . When i look at other fellow story driven open world games , even if rare and few , they do provide a bit more than exploding stuff within and outside the story .

To get above 7.5/8 , the follow up game or games need to go further

[blackout]

This is a twisted score, but 8/10 are fine. We just had an open world game come out in September (GTA). Now comparing genres this game in no way should get 9s or 10s. GTA has set a standard I feel, and when you give a game like infamous high scores in the 90's what does that really mean for GTA?

[heisenberguk]

WOW! Stopped reading after the 1st paragraph which does nothing but troll the PS4(which is 'a bit dusty' apparently!) and it's owners!(who ALL shout on forums and now regret wasting £350 allegedly) Everyone is entitled to their opinion but come on man(or woman), you are so transparent it's laughable!!(and that's CLEAR just from the 1st few lines) This is nothing but fanboy trolling AT BEST but I guess you knew that when you were writing it! Well at least it got you the attention you craved so in that sense it's a job well done I suppose!

[TheRealHeisenberg]

Fair enough. It will still be the first game I buy when I get a PS4.

[Mr_Luke]

Troll review. Maybe a butthurt one, without a PS4?
Poor him.

[Illusive_Man]

People seem to hand out 8s just because, like they know it's not good enough to be a 9 but are too scared to give it an honest score. 8s are the new passing grade. It's beautiful but only slightly above average game.

[Inzo]

Nothing to see here, moving on.

[AceBlazer13]

"fanboys the world over have been heralding this as the new dawn of gaming", think your mistaking it for that shooter that released a while back.inFamous has been called what it is, another inFamous game with a notch over the others.

[RamboRabbi]

Let's just take a moment to think about how titanfall was the most overhyphed game of the next gen line up and how average the game is, yet reviewer's gave it 9/10 but most of the user scores are around 7-8/10, whereas with SS it's completely the opposite with review scores being suspiciously low and user scores being 8-9/10. I wish game sites would stop taking M$ bribe money and give an honest score, you only have to look at IGN to tell something is wrong considering how high COD review scores were for like 5 years in a row. I will never trust a review until I have played the game for myself.

[CrossingEden]

Let's take a moment to remember that this is an INFAMOUS REVIEW that never mentions titanfall at all so for you to reference titanfall is completely off-topic and nonsensical.

[mediate-this]

Just a opinion, if:ss is not a mind blowing game, i played it once, and havent turned my ps4 on since i beat it. Not alot to do in the game, lots wrong with the game. Graphics are great but again not jaw dropping.

[windblowsagain]

After playing Uncharted, the last of us, Gow, Infamous.

Then Playing BF4, Killzone, Infamous ss.

It's hard for something to make me go WOW.

But for the games that do, it's mainly to do with lighting.

And Infamous does this very well.

But like any game, it's opinions.

[Longshot28]

...........I smell clickbait.

[datpanda]

I'm all for opinions, but it sounded like the presuppositions were already there before against the game... Also, would anyone deny it is a solid game (at least 8.5) if it wasn't such a dry month or launch in general? Yes, not a system seller, but we only want it to be since there haven't been any really. Just judge it on it's own without that criteria.

[GW212]

A 6, opinion or not, is a terribly low score for this game. That's like saying Peyton Manning is an average quarterback (little flawed there because I don't think this game is Peyton Manning good, but you get the idea) because he plays for a team you don't like. That may be your "opinion" but not all opinions are justified or right. His opinion is incorrect. In the real world, opinions are wrong sometimes and this is one of those times.

I would give this game an 8 based on the best console graphics to date by a wide margin but would deduct for the somewhat shallow game play. Still a blast, but there is certainly something missing.

With all of that said, I was similarly annoyed when reviews came out calling Titanfall a 6/10. That game has awesome game play but lacks the graphic piece of the equation. I'd give it an 8 as well.

[SpiralTear]

"His opinion is incorrect."

For God's sake, man, it's a review. A critique. Something that you fundamentally need an opinion to construct. He's not trying to interpret the deepest mysteries of the universe or make some substantial claim about the human condition. It's a review of a game.

And really, if he doesn't like the game, who cares? Why is everyone getting so bent outta shape because this one publication gave it a lower-than-expected score?

If you really think the game is better than that, then this review really shouldn't mean anything to you. I had lots of fun with Second Son and I recommend anyone to give it a try themselves. Ironically, the people who love this game the most are the ones who take the reviews most seriously, even though their opinion on the game is already set and unchanged.

Here's the deal; if you disagree with this review (which many people do, myself included), just play the game. It's not like their opinion means anything to your already set-in-stone view on it. I liked Second Son and I advise anyone to play it thoroughly instead of complaining about this review online all day.

[GW212]

Clearly you misunderstood what I was saying. Again, this is the real world and opinions are not always right and/or justified. I appreciate you trying to make a level-headed statement but it misses the mark I had set.

Further, I gave this game an 8 so I don't think I'm one of those that "loves it the most." I don't take video games very seriously in general. If you do, like No_Limit and other weirdos on this site, you have a problem and need to re-evaluate your life. I play video games for fun as an escape after work or a long day.

THAT, my friend, is the deal.

[No_Limit]

LOL, you only played 14% of the game so you have no credibility at all to judge someone else on their reviews. Come back when you play at least 50% of the game. Just like you only played 1 minute of Ryse and Titanfall. ;0

Here is you achievements and trophies just in case you forgot.
http://oi62.tinypic.com/t67...
http://i59.tinypic.com/vpbx...
http://i57.tinypic.com/23ks...

[GW212]

Haha, I knew you had no life, I just knew it. Stalking me on video game sites? I'd say get a job but you're probably in sixth grade or something. You literally had to search through my comment history to find where I had given out that info, yikes. If you had done even MORE homework, you'd see that those are both new accounts due to a personal issue. It was a girl thing, you most certainly wouldn't understand. But I digress.

All of that said, I've logged about 20 hours on Titanfall and probably around the same on Infamous. I'm not a trophy hunter, I explore and clear areas and worry about trophies later. So yes, I have logged more than enough time on both to make judgments.

[No_Limit]

err, your gamertag is listed on your homepage, please, like I have time or give a darn about your history. I was curious because you were downgrading the graphics of Ryse like a week ago when we had this argument and sure enough, and as expected, you didn't even play the game at all just talking out of your a...se. But whatever, a troll as been exposed and please stop tracking me and commenting on my posts as you are not welcome. BTW, the percentage is not for achievements, it is for completion total of the game and minutes play is listed as well, thought you knew that?

[listenkids]

"and the other big release, Knack, was just flat out poor."

It really wasn't that poor.

[sovkhan]

As silly as polygon's reviews, move on and let it be :)

[P_Bomb]

[QUOTE]..Delson Row..[/QUOTE]

Stopped reading there. Can't take a review seriously that hasn't even done the bare minimum research required to spell the protagonist's name correctly. Repeatedly. However finds the time to bash unrelated games and make assumptions on customer satisfaction and 'dusty hardware'.

In other words, it's "Delsin Rowe" http://infamous.wikia.com/w... , and my dust to shine ratio is alright.

[giovonni]

I haven't played the game, but I can tell you as a writer myself, His review will come off as bias just from the opening lines. The writer does clean it up by saying positive things about the game, and I disagree with this being a flame bait fishing for hits article. The writer gives credit, and simply states his opinion, and that's the problem.

The author does''t understand the rules of a review it should hold no personal opinions it should only hold facts about the game, and of the game only. The problem with Review pieces that follow the rules tend to well, suck. It would have been better if he submitted it as an opinion piece and gave his score.

[guyman]

a reviewer that mentions the word "fanboy" - what an idiot, with absolute no credibility. He's clearly out to hate on this game. It DEFINITElY does not deserve a 6, it doesn't even deserve 7 but somewhere around 8 - 8.5. However, i can understand when people say the story is underwhelming, because frankly, it is - but i believe this game is a strong foundation for the next one.

[JasonRoseEh]

Funny thing, I took the same direction in my review as well. The game felt like a 9, but the more I played it, the more I realized how stagnant the formula has become.