Celebrating 16 years of InFamous

Celebrating the open-world superpowered sandbox as it turns 16.

2009 was a phenomenal year for gaming, especially for PlayStation. The quality of first-party games coming from their studios seemed to be hit after hit, with titles like Ratchet & Clank: A Crank in Time, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge and of course InFamous. There were probably few better times for gamers to own a PlayStation 3. 16 years on, that same superpowered romp stands tall as an excellent gaming experience, one that we'll be celebrating for this landmark.

Oddly enough, InFamous wasn't the only superpowered open-world title releasing that summer, as Sucker Punch Productions' PlayStation exclusive superpowered sandbox released on May 26th 2009, only to be met with competition from Radical Entertainment's multiplatform superpowered sandbox, Prototype, which dropped a short 3 weeks later on June 12th. It set up a battle for empowered sandbox supremacy, while I had fun with both titles, InFamous was the champion for me. 16 years on, it towers above Prototype as a brilliant power-infused gaming experience.

One thing InFamous nailed was its presentation. The game itself looked great and still looks good by today's standards, the world feels real, and despite being set in a quarantined New York, it didn't feel bland like so many other dystopian cities do, but lived in and inviting. It was littered with activities and collectables begging to be uncovered, and thankfully, it was the sort of world you wanted to explore.

The comic book presentation of the narrative was a stroke of genius. The story already felt like an excellent superpowered origin tale, so tying it to some great-looking comic book artwork only added to that effect and helped reaffirm the identity InFamous was creating for itself.

One of the biggest selling points for InFamous was its karma system, letting players tackle the game as a hero or a villain, with Cole's powers and design reflecting their actions. These choices would become more difficult as the story ramped up, with the heroic route presenting more challenge and caution, whilst the villainous route gave players a more chaotic (but easier) ride, with actions disregarding the citizens of New York for your benefit.

The evolution of Cole's power being tied to the karma system progression was a neat choice, too, as it meant the abilities on offer began to reflect his play style and morality, with heroic upgrades focused on precision and the evil side focused on AOE (area of effect) and destruction.

The story of Cole McGrath remains a great comic book tale, with antagonist Kessler making a great opponent for Cole, as well as being a villain who is often underappreciated among video game villains. Kessler pushed Cole to his limits as he tried to mould Cole into a Conduit ready to take on the oncoming threat.

The same love goes for Cole and best friend Zeke, who share a great dynamic, one that's only built upon in the equally great sequel, InFamous 2. Zeke provides a good amount of quips and helps act as Cole's man in the chair, and Cole himself as a character works great, whether you choose an evil or heroic path. Watching him deal with the fallout of the Ray Sphere bombing and adjust to the powers flowing through his body is a rewarding journey to follow.

All that praise wouldn't mean much if the gameplay wasn't fun, and well, you probably guessed it, but InFamous is an electrified blast to play, from start to finish. As you progress through the game, Cole becomes more and more powerful, which in turn gives him more abilities to play with but also helps evolve the traversal of the game with powerlines and train tracks, allowing him to skate at high speeds and a brief hover ability to keep momentum across gaps and drops. That freedom is also backed by a koala-like grip, clinging to buildings and street lamps as Cole manoeuvres his way around the city, scaling buildings with plenty of ease.

The combat is great too, with a good variety of enemy types to test your mettle against, as well as the karma-based powers letting you experiment and combo moves together to devastating effect. The game reinvents traditional weaponry like grenades and rockets into electrical blasts of power, but also equips you with an electromagnetic shield to block damage and shockwaves to knock enemies back, amongst other stellar powers. It's a great piece of kit to mess around with, and the constant evolution keeps the gameplay interesting and pushes you to keep playing in the hope of discovering new abilities.

Despite Cole evolving into an electrical powerhouse, InFamous continues to present a challenging yet rewarding time. You'll need to keep an eye on your environment to get the best of your opponents, with places to recharge and heal as well as places to cover and hide. It isn't about going in with electric handguns blazing (unless you opt for lower difficulties and want to), it throws a more strategic and rewarding fight, your way and will require smart use of your power supply and environment to win.

I love InFamous. I mean you've probably gathered that by this point, but I do. It's an excellent superpowered sandbox, and one that has stood the test of time, proving it's still a worthwhile adventure to be a part of, 16 years (and likely many more) later.

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Have you played InFamous before? Are you still waiting for a remake/remaster like me? I hope you enjoyed the blog post. Until next time, have a great day. :)