Gamesided Game of the Year 2014 | Martin’s Picks
By Martin Benn
4. Infamous: Second Son
I enjoyed the first two Infamous games, but while I found the stories entertaining for the most part, I could have done without the large number of collectibles and the tedious side missions. Infamous: Second Son solves both of those problems. The game is even further streamlined than the other two games by centralizing the way you level up into power surges and less into collectibles. The few collectibles you do partake in are located on the map. On top of these improvements, you also get more than one kind of power and you can easily switch between them as you play allowing you to diversify the ways you tackle different areas of the game.
The story of the game is not exactly what one would call deep, but it does ask some questions about what it means to be an outcast in an already outcast group. Delsin’s Native American heritage provides a backdrop wherein you are deciding whether you can be a hero honoring your family and culture despite your differences from them. To be different from one’s family is enough to make someone question plenty about themselves, but then to be outcast by the rest of the world because of the same reason can force some tough decisions. Delsin wreaks havoc in the name of either group you choose whether a hero or infamous. In addition, the DUP and the stories of the other conduits provided great sidenotes to Delsin’s tale as you see the world of conduits struggling to find their place in a world that does not want them. The tale being told in Infamous: Second Son was a much better story than it was given credit for.
Lastly, it really must be noted this game was among the best looking games this year. DriveClub is a stunner as a racing game, but in terms of sandbox environments I have not seen a game released this year come even close to delivering on the scale Infamous did. In a year where so many new titles overpromised on what they could bring, Infamous: Second Son delivered a graphical performance looking exactly like it did in its commercials. This game was so fun.
Next: #3 Is Pure Isometric Excellence