Infamous Second Son review: A stellar Playstation 4 exclusive

Though the Playstation 4 console has been on the market for a few months now, there aren’t many “must-have” exclusive titles to own just yet. Other than “Killzone: Shadow Fall,” the only console exclusive titles have been smaller games released on the Playstation Network. And as good as those games have been, no one is buying a Playstation 4 to play “Resogun.” But Sony now has a stellar PS4 exclusive title in “Infamous: Second Son.”

In the “Infamous” series, there exist humans called “Conduits” who can absorb and control certain substances and are subsequently hunted by government organizations to try and harness their superhuman powers. In “Second Son,” players take control of Delsin Rowe, a guy with a bit of an authority problem who, after coming into contact with an escaped Conduit, learns he has the power to absorb the abilities of other Conduits.

When an organization called the Department of Unified Protection arrives to investigate the escaped Conduits, Delsin runs afoul of its leader, a woman named Augustine who is herself a powerful Conduit and uses her power to inflict serious wounds to Delsin’s friends. He can only help heal his friends with Augustine’s power and follows her to Seattle with the hope of gaining her power but finds himself at odds with the entire power of the DUP.

“Infamous: Second Son” is an open world, third person action game but more in the vein of superhero titles like “Prototype” and “Crackdown” and less like “Grand Theft Auto.” Though Delsin’s time in Seattle will mainly be used looking for Augustine, there are several ways you can spend your time in “Second Son.” Side missions, activities and collectibles are plentiful and acquiring new powers is also a favorite pastime of Delsin’s. But the most fun you’ll have in “Second Son” is using your new-found powers to take the fight to the DUP across the city of Seattle with some of the slickest, most visually stunning graphics I have ever seen on a console.

The city of Seattle itself is massive and painstakingly detailed to give each distinct section of the city a personality. The colors are bright and deeply saturated, making the scenery of “Infamous” incredibly vivid. But more impressive than the scenic stylings are its considerable lighting and particle effects. Working in tandem, the lighting and particle effect systems in “Second Son” create highly detailed visual effects that before now have only been possible on high-powered gaming PCs. When Delsin absorbs a power source, the essence of that source swirls around him in bright specks of light and motion.

The impressive lighting and particle effects also greatly enhance the damage and destruction that Delsin’s powers can cause. Though only parts of the environment are destructible, like cars and sections of the city set up by the DUP, the lighting and particle effects help to add detail and weight to the havoc you can wreak in Seattle.

And while blowing up vehicles and knocking down DUP structures is a big part of the game, just getting around the city is a ton of fun in itself. Delsin’s offensive powers and abilities are largely similar, with heavy attacks, projectiles and methods of nonviolently taking down enemies, his powers’ methods of locomotion are greatly varied and prompt you to use different powers to accomplish different things. For example, I’ve found smoke to have more powerful offensive attacks but not nearly as good as neon for traversing the city quickly and effectively. Though, if you really need to get to another section of the city quickly, there is a manner of fast-travel available. Delsin is also quite adept at parkour and you’ll be able to easy traverse the city and scale buildings with or without the help of your powers. The parkour in “Second Son” isn’t as complex or intricate as in the “Assassin’s Creed” series, but  it’s still top notch.


As you play “Second Son,” the choices you make and how you play affects Delsin’s karma. Whether you subdue or kill enemies and certain good/evil decisions you can make affects your overall karma. You can also create stencil and spray paint art around the city, accomplished by using the motion controls in the DualShock 4, which adds good or negative karma. It’s an interesting idea though your karma doesn’t seem to affect much and the direction of the story doesn’t seem to change whether you’re good or evil. The design on Delsin’s jacket will change and you’ll have access to different upgradable abilities whether you’re good or evil, but your karma doesn’t seem to affect much else.

Along with the relatively small repercussions of your karma, I wasn’t all that pleased with the length of “Second Son.” I was able to scour the entirety of Seattle, completing every mission, side mission and collectible in no time flat, due to the short length of the main story and the relative lack of difficulty (even on the highest setting). You can tell a lot more work went into making “Second Son” look pretty than having the story be a hard-hitting look into social inequity but you can’t fault Sucker Punch too much since the final product does look absolutely amazing and it’s incredibly fun to play.

Even if there were more AAA, exclusive titles for the PS4, “Infamous: Second Son” would still be at the top of every must-play list. Its impressive visuals combined with its open-ended gameplay mean that there will be plenty to do in Seattle as you battle the DUP and enhance your Conduit powers. With DLC on the way, “Infamous: Second Son” is a great start to the PS4 exclusive game library.