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Infamous: Second Son Review Thread

Lol at people getting upset about "gameplay isn't next gen". TBH, from what I've seen, it doesn't. It a super safe game that is taking the gameplay elements of the previous games and adding very little. Basically the game isn't doing anything that feels fresh. There are a few things I was hoping to see from the franchise that would have made the gameplay feel fresh but they chose not to. The 7 and 8 reviews seems on point and I question anything above

This right here. I wanted to be hyped for this game, but as soon as I saw the first gameplay video I realized it was just more of the same.
 
cant tell if this is pho real

Lol.. that' was funny.

Those were my worries about the game. Being the same over and over, just with shiny new graphics. Not saying anyone here or in this thread, but other sites out there it seems that the main thing for some are just graphics. Graphics graphics graphics.

Meh.. game will still be fun. Looks like it's still going to be MLB the show only as the game I pick up for my PS4 when I grab one.
 
So is the early consensus that it's more of the same with a fresher coat of paint?

It'll still probably remain my go-to title when I get a PS4, since I quite liked the Infamous games and it's probably the only Sony IP that would have me jump at the chance of a purchase.
 
So I wonder what game is going to be the first highly reviewed AAA next gen exclusive.
I honestly don't see any exclusive slated for 2014 breaking 90. The only AAA game I can see doing that is Destiny, simply due to scope and Bungie's "seal of quality" that gets reviewers all starry eyed.
 
Hot damn. Actually better than I expected.


Can't wait to play this. Going on vacation for a week tomorow, but my buddy is getting his PS4 from his XBO trade in today. Might pick it up before I fly over, will be a nice showcase for his new system.
 
This is the 3rd inFamous game and it plays almost exactly like the first two.

Next-Gen Gameplay: Pushing the inFamous series forward through gameplay innovations.

Last-Gen Gameplay: Same old gameplay already experienced through two games.
This explains nothing again.
 
So it's a solid, fun, sandbox game that looks amazing but has crappy plot and some repetitive / uninspired game mechanics?

Sounds like every other Infamous game I played and I loved them.
 
inFAMOUS Second Son is a better game than inFAMOUS and inFAMOUS 2 and it may end with a lower metacritic. :(

I really don't understand how critics work.
Standards change over time and the bar gets raised. Not to mention GTA V came out since then, and every open world game is going to be judged against that game now. It suffers performance issues, but its missions and narrative are the best in the genre.
 
Looks like solid scores to me. I mean Kotaku said YES so that means insta purchase for me!

But very expected scores. The game will be hella fun and is the best looking game out there so in the end, that is what you want really.
 
I normally don't care about metacritic scores nor reviews both high and low (I normally look at the lower scoring reviews to see any faults in the game) but Tomb Raider has a higher metacritic score and several reviewers scored it much higher than this.

I'll let that sink for a minute.
And why is that a problem, exactly?
 
Ha, I got the same feeling. GAF was always raving about Sessler and how good he was in his videos. Now they're shitting on him.

I don't get it and I don't really care. He's just 1 guy out of a dozen other reviewers.

This post is most certainly not a catalog of our contemporary travails, an accelerated reality bearing more truth than just gazing at our own reflection.
 
PS4 owners made it sound as if this game was going to be THE killer app of the system. Never made sense to me.


I just never understood this argument either. The other infamous were really bland and lifeless feeling. The powers were cool, but the world just wasn't interesting. Judging from the reviews, this one seems to be the same way.
 
I don't agree with your dismissal of inFamous' quality, but

It's an exclusive game for a Sony platform. Have you not been to any review threads for one of those before?

Well this is normal for all console exclusives....Nintendo/MS exclusive review threads are no different.


OT: Sounds like some solid reviews. Will be the first game I get with my PS4
 
Metro gave it a 6.
I think hes a sessler clone

The graphics are a great advert for the power of the PlayStation 4, but in terms of gameplay and story this hasn’t moved on at all from the previous generation.
 
On a 5 pt scale, scoring 2 games 2pts apart is more than just simply saying you like one game more than another. You can give two games the exact same score and still like one game more than the other.

I think the issue has more to do with the size of the gulf rather than Sess's personal preference in games.

You're trying to force an objective measurement in to numbers that represent a subjective sentiment.

He could give one game a 2 and one game a 20 and still feel the difference in quality is marginal. Who's to decide that isn't what the scale means to him? Moreover, why does it matter? Why is one point okay and two points the equivalent of razing homes and property?
 
I dunno, meta critic is a pretty decent barometer. For every sess score there's a playstation nation review on the other side. Game in the 80s is pretty good. I didn't really like Infamous 2 so hopefully this game helps me get back into the series.
 
This is the 3rd inFamous game and it plays almost exactly like the first two.

Next-Gen Gameplay: Pushing the inFamous series forward through gameplay innovations.

Last-Gen Gameplay: Same old gameplay already experienced through two games.

Gameplay innovations? Sounds like buzzwords like Web 2.0. Something you can throw at it without actually having to say what you mean.

This explains nothing again.

Exactly. It's a throwaway comment that you can level without having to actually defend it. Sure Infamous plays like Infamous. Ground Zeroes plays like Metal Gear. So? This isn't a new IP.
 
I take it you have got the game then? Otherwise your tone is rather difinitive without having much substance...

Personally I think the game is an incremental improvement, but that is what I expected. To be honest, I haven't seen a single current gen game which has really pushed things forward from a gameplay perspective that couldnt be done last gen.

No i don't have the game but I don't really need to play it to see that it isnt doing anything fresh. Where is the dynamic destruction or manipulative environments? The game really needed to go in this direction given its theme and the fact that it is on a next gen console now.
 
inFAMOUS Second Son is a better game than inFAMOUS and inFAMOUS 2 and it may end with a lower metacritic. :(

I really don't understand how critics work.

Evolution.

And it was actually caused by what you said: If Sequel is better than previous game, then Sequel review score has to be better.

If that trend continued we would have broken the review scale in a couple of years...
 
Every review thread, somebody, or some site, 'loses credibility' for not scoring a game as high as people were hoping.

Looks like most people are quite enjoying the game. That's usually a good sign, but obviously some people need universal praise before they can sleep sound at night.

I've read through about half a dozen reviews so far and something I've noticed is that they're all fairly short.

Naw, it has to do with the fact that the sales and livelihoods depend on metacritic scores, as well as future sequels. That's why people get upset with scores. For example, Obsidian had to lay people off after New Vegas got 84, and we won't be seeing another Obsidian open world rpg funded by Zenimax.
 
They get shit for using 7-10 and get shit if they try and use the entire scale, they just can't win.

Basically people love to mock reviewers but when their favourite game the normally perceived shill bump, it's time to get grilled.

Honestly it's good seems reviewers are slowly learning to use the rest of the game. Perhaps mediocre games will start to get 5 some time, perhaps... lol
 
Now I'm confused to what Next Gen gameplay is..

AC4 has last gen gameplay
NBA2k14 has last gen gameplay
Dead Rising has last gen gameplay
Madden has last gen gameplay
Battlefield 4 has last gen gameplay
Need for speed Rivals has last gen gameplay
COD has last gen gameplay

So why exactly is a sequel getting docked scores for having the same gameplay as the original game. What difference does there need to be besides having different powers, which was never in previous games, a different story line different from the the last 2, a different set list of moves, other ways to navigate the city etc?
 
Gametrailer's review seemed to go into detail about gameplay mechanics, side missions etc much more than the other reviews -- out of the ones I have watched anyway (Gamespot, IGN, Sessler).

Daniel Bloodworth reviewed it apparently, and he's honestly one of the best, most professional reviewers out there. I always enjoy his reviews. I'll check it out.
 
The graphics are a great advert for the power of the PlayStation 4, but in terms of gameplay and story this hasn’t moved on at all from the previous generation.

Hope the other reviews are right. They are better than I expected and I really pray this is a worthwhile experience beyond graphics.

Not really unexpected, but it seems to sell really well, great reviews should help too (getting some of those who don't just get any exclusive game for their PS4 anyway).
 
After KZ: Shadowfall, I'm going to play the game before criticizing any of those low reviews(because the low reviews were right in the case of KZ)..
 
This right here. I wanted to be hyped for this game, but as soon as I saw the first gameplay video I realized it was just more of the same.

It's what I expected the game to get dinged for. It's inFamous 3. As a big fan of the first two I'm very much looking forward to it but if you didn't care for them, I doubt this would change your mind unless you really want a next gen visual showcase.
 
Sessler, Sterling and Gerstmann.



I strongly disagree. That game was a massive disappointment with intolerable gameplay mechanics, and I didn't even pay for it.
The control's in gravity rush are unique and tight. The gameplay was one of its best features. I could have fun just flying around with no missions.
 
Funny how the people and sites who are giving this marked down reviews because of the repetitive nature and no side missions are the same people who gave high marks/praise to titanfall despite it being CoD with wallrunning and mechs, no singleplayer and repetitive FPS action.

boom

/thread

Titanfall was not revolutionary what so ever....its fun sure, fresh for maybe a couple of hours.....but I dropped Titanfall after 2 hours............I dropped my jaw and Infamous when the game ended...

Titanfall = fun in bursts

Infamous was so good......I finished it in one sitting (15 hours.) because it was addicting.

Now I'm playing it through again.
 
Seems like a game for fans of earlier inFamous games. Not sure Sucker Punch was really aiming for anything else, but I guess when you're one of the first AAA exclusives on the PS4, expectations are a bit higher.
 
Feel very pompous doing this, however it is more relevant to the discussion here.
Some context, I originally posted this in the OT of the game, but think it makes much more sense in here. I also edited it down to just keep the most important points.


I am expecting "game journalists" to be extra critical of the game to be honest.

They know damn well many in the know are considering this title to be the first real "next-gen" game from a visual perspective.

As a result they are going to be extra critical of everything besides the visuals because from their perspective it is absolutely essential to be hyper critical of all other aspects of the game for "the integrity of the medium."
Please do not get me wrong, these other aspects are important to modern games. No doubt about it.

(Game "journalists") like to talk about the "integrity" of the game.
They like to talk about the artistic merits (not the graphics artistic merits, the artsy-fartsy artistic merits).
They really like to fabricate, I mean talk about, the political correctness and impact on society of the main character.
Basically they love to talk about any number of the countless other hipster topics they believe separate them from the common video game player.

The problem with video game reviews these days is they talk about everything except why most of us at least initially started to play these games to begin with.

To have fucking fun.
 
Still buying this, Metacritic score be damned.

tumblr_m4sw74QgB81r6h78wo1_500.gif

LMAO!

Mine was shipped out on the 18th, it should've been here today, I need my neon/beanie fix!
 
Now I'm confused to what Next Gen gameplay is..

AC4 has last gen gameplay
NBA2k14 has last gen gameplay
Dead Rising has last gen gameplay
Madden has last gen gameplay
Battlefield 4 has last gen gameplay
Need for speed Rivals has last gen gameplay
COD has last gen gameplay

So why exactly is a sequel getting docked scores for having the same gameplay as the original game. What difference does there need to be besides having different powers, which was never in previous games, a different story line different from the the last 2, a different set list of moves, other ways to navigate the city etc?

haha, yeah. I'd love to see the scores of a game that wasn't pick-up-and-play, and required some learning and time investment to master, like for example Final Fantasy XIII.
 
This right here. I wanted to be hyped for this game, but as soon as I saw the first gameplay video I realized it was just more of the same.

What game isn't "more of the same"? A lot of people would say the same about GTA, Titanfall or even Uncharted... What was the last "revolution" in gaming?
 
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