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[LookAtMeGo]

Traversal is nothing like the first two. The powers are also much more innovative than the first two. The story is apparently better than the first two. What more do you want out of a new entry for an established series?

Everything must be done on the touchpad!!

 

[batman2million]

Holy crap. Gamefly just shipped me a copy. I was not expecting that!! Hype level increased!

 

[Smurf]

I'm laughing my ass off at everyone complaining about the game not having "next gen gameplay" and yet no one seems to able to explain what "next gen gameplay" would actually be like.

Presumably they mean microtransactions, social justice and 90 minute gameplay?

 

[boredandlazy]

Sounds like this is just another mediocre Infamous game with a fresh coat of paint. Sony should probably consider shelving this series for a while.

Sounds like this is just another mediocre post with a fresh coat of paint. You should probably considering shelving your account for a while.

 

[BigSpleenAttack]

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.

Cheryr picking at it's finest lol game has an 80 meta, with 5 hours of free content coming, looks good to me.

 

[mephixto]

A solid 8, I think I will wait a little more to buy a PS4. Not saying the game is bad but Infamous on the PS3 didnt't caught my interest.

My money is on the Order, I think.

 

[BRocknRolla]

I can understand this weird desire of reviewers for revolution along with the graphical leap, but it feels a bit unfair to the game to crticize it for being a better version if what's been done before.

I think the greater issue is that there's little indication of what this means to reviewers. It's an ephemeral, moving target that could mean just about anything to anyone; a real, "We'll know it when we see it," kind of criticism. That's what seems unfair, and it's unhelpful to readers as well.

 

[Mahonay]

For those of you looking to cancel your PSN pre orders, contacting Sony Support yielded success for me. They gave me the one line lecture about the terms of agreement stating all sales are final but they processed the refund for me anyway. I was playing with fire a bit because I purchased it with my US PSN account and I'm in Australia. I hope they don't do geo checks or even care :\

I will pick this game up eventually but not for 60 bucks. My backlog is too huge to justify spending that on a game where chances are I won't enjoy it that much.

Game averages about an 8 out of 10. Cancels preorder.

What?

 

[w00zey]

Sounds like an infamous game. I'm in.

 

[nOoblet16]

The only problem I have with this game from looking at all the videos so far is that the parkour animations still look like the previous two games which were quite floaty and cartoony looking in that aspect.

 

[sonicmj1]

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.

Ground Zeroes does a lot to differentiate it from previous Metal Gear games. It's set in a single large contiguous space with no loading times. A mission can be cleared from multiple exits, thanks to a helicopter that can be called anywhere at any time. Guards can be marked and tracked throughout the environment, they have better vision, and the player is given a chance to react to being spotted. The player can use vehicles in the environment freely. Even if the player has played a MGS game before, there are many new factors for them to consider and change how they approach the game.

Infamous: Second Son follows the gameplay template of every other Infamous game so far. The mission design uses the same patterns, the powers fulfill similar roles, and so on. "Next-gen" might be a poor way of phrasing it, but some reviewers feel like they've played this game before, and games get knocked for that sort of thing all the time.

 

[fluffydelusions]

Sounds like an infamous game. I'm in.

This.

 

[Capella]

Agreed, unless E3 has some new announcements then I don't see anything in 2014 hitting 90's.

I think this will especially be true if reviewers are really looking for that "next-gen" or "next evolution" experience in these new games. I expect a lot games, gameplay wise, not to be that different from last gen for the first year or so.

Overall, I think these scores are pretty good and better than I expected. I thought reviewers where going to be pretty harsh on it since the game didn't seem to stray too far from other inFamous games. It looks like a fun game from what I've seen (and accidentally spoiled for myself from clicking the spoiler thread instead of OT...) so I'll probably pick it up whenever I get a PS4.

 

[Dragon]

So what's the point of being a reviewer if you're not consistent? How am I to trust your views if one day your saying this isn't okay to saying it is okay on something else. I'm human being too and I'd rather someone be consistent than flippy floppy with their views

I'm all for consistency, right there with you. You do realize though that we have are hypocrites about one thing or another. I think pointing this out is fine, and the people defending the criticism being talked about the most in here are bizarre.

 

[BigSpleenAttack]

I'm laughing my ass off at everyone complaining about the game not having "next gen gameplay" and yet no one seems to able to explain what "next gen gameplay" would actually be like.

Also, Gamecentral review is the lowest scoring yet it appears. Exactly as I predicted weeks ago.

LOL Yep it's an assinine statement, game reviews are really a joke.

 

[Gurish]

EDGE didn't say graphics is lacking, as a matter of fact they said it looks amazing and even better than KZ:SF which is probably what they consider as the best looking game on PS4 until I:SS.

I don't understand where that "EDGE BITCHED ABOUT ITS GFX" thing came from, it's exactly the opposite.

Visuals seems to be a consensus and everybody were blown way by it, even the harshest reviews.

 

[KoopaTheCasual]

I can't tell what's sadder; the fanboy score warz, or people on GAF passing judgement on a game due to it's metacritic.

 

[Mondy]

This...after reading the reviews? What of the reviews from fellow gaffers? or the ones that range from 100-80s which far outweigh the sparse 7s?

I'm really curious is all.
Obviously its your money and making a financially conscious decision is always wise, but im genuinely curious.

It's not the game, it's me, I guess would be the appropriate adage. Watching gameplay footage, I wasn't entirely convinced that I would enjoy it before a single review came out, but since my PS4 has been starved of games to play, I jumped the gun and pre ordered anyway.

And as I said, my backlog is begging to be played anyway. I will certainly pick this up again later on, but for cheaper. I would wager it will drop to 40 bucks or so come E3 time or a bit later.

 

[Betty]

MGSV is not a full game yet. We have no idea if the phantom pain can carry that open world gameplay for a full game and its a year away.

Fixed.

Reviewers loved GZ, they just dropped the scores due to price/content ratio, which is fair enough, Phantom Pan on the other hand I can easily see becoming critically acclaimed.

As for Second Son, it seems Sucker Punch might have to either radically reinvent some aspects of the InFamous series going forward, or just carry on and accept they'll never be critical darlings. There's certainly a fanbase for the franchise.

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

Should also be noted nearly everyone that got the game early were saying it is excellent, and best in series.

 

[travisbickle]

I see a few 'single playthrough' comments in the low reviews, even though sucker punch have created two separate storylines, Mission structures, and power dynamics. I think some reviewers just want single player games to die ... Except for 100 million dollar GTAs that would send most devs bankrupt.

 

[Nymphae]

I'm laughing my ass off at everyone complaining about the game not having "next gen gameplay" and yet no one seems to able to explain what "next gen gameplay" would actually be like.

I love this too lol. Look at examples of "next gen gameplay" from this gen. The only one I can think of is "crowd dynamics", which is just graphical enhancements really.

 

[DistortionOfReality]

Sounds like this is just another mediocre post with a fresh coat of paint. You should probably considering shelving your account for a while.

PREACH.

Seriously, if you don't like this series, why are you in the OT for the next installment?

 

[jet1911]

The only problem I have with this game from looking at all the videos so far is that the animations still look like the previous two games which were quite cartoony in that aspect.

There's a video out there where the dude climbs a building and you see Delsin just weirdly hoping on the side without really touching the walls. Looks strange in a game that look that good.

 

[Soren01]

Good.

 

[fuzzyreactor]

Should also be noted nearly everyone that got the game early were saying it is excellent, and best in series.

they always say that

 

[noobasuar]

I think it's funny that people think that review scores affect sales.

I know you guys all desperately want this game to sell better than Titanfall or whatever but reviews are pointless in helping drive sales.

 

[Mahonay]

A solid 8, I think I will wait a little more to buy a PS4. Not saying the game is bad but Infamous on the PS3 didnt't caught my interest.

My money is on the Order, I think.

I'll say it's definitely fair to say Second Son appears to be a great game for people that already have PS4s, but not a good enough reason to buy a new console if you don't have it yet.

 

[Tex117]

Ill pick it up on sale, but the reviews are better than I expected.

 

[v0mitg0d]

Eurogamer review closing comments just did it for me.

Not buying this.

For those of us not able to access the site, would you mind quoting the meaningful part?

 

[Kerned]

From what I have read it sounds to me that someone who didn't like the previous games (and I didn't) probably won't like this one.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

Game averages about an 8 out of 10. Cancels preorder.

What?

Blows my mind more that people will willingly that kinda drop money on a digital preorder if they are that on the fence. Why not just wait?

 

[Ricky_R]

The only problem I have with this game from looking at all the videos so far is that the animations still look like the previous two games which were quite cartoony in that aspect.

I think read something about it being a design decision so controls were more responsive, etc. I would've liked better animations, but it is what it is.

One of the reason I love TPS's or games in third person view is because I enjoy the character's animations.

 

[Boudica]

So what's the point of being a reviewer if you're not consistent? How am I to trust your views if one day your saying this isn't okay to saying it is okay on something else. I'm human being too and I'd rather someone be consistent than flippy floppy with their views

Exactly. In one game game (COD:Ghost/PS4) a reviewer (Polygon) docks points for slight frame rate issues. In another game (TitanFall) the same review site pretty much makes a small mention about even more sever performance issues, and carries on like nothings wrong. I get it, certain reviewers like certain genres, franchises, developers, platforms, etc better than others. But don't be so damn transparent in your biases.

 

[boredandlazy]

I think it's funny that people think that review scores affect sales.

I know you guys all desperately want this game to sell better than Titanfall or whatever but reviews are pointless in helping drive sales.

Yeah, if that was the case Nintendo would be selling more Wii U's...

 

[VanWinkle]

You know what? These are great scores for the third game in a series like this. Not everybody is going to like this type of game. That's just a fact. People need to stop being sensitive about this stuff. I was expecting a 78-85 Metacritic and we got right in there.

 

[Kuro]

I think it's funny that people think that review scores affect sales.

I know you guys all desperately want this game to sell better than Titanfall or whatever but reviews are pointless in helping drive sales.

what

 

[breakfuss]

I can't tell what's sadder; the fanboy score warz, or people on GAF passing judgement on a game due to it's metacritic.

fanboy score warz.

I don't have infinite time or money, so I see nothing "sad" about taking reviews into consideration. What is really sad, however, is that everything has to be 90 or above to be considered 'good'.

 

[TetraGenesis]

Have these people beat the game yet? I saw some complains about repetition and the ending so it might be too early to judge the reviewers. Still seems like a good (Infamous) game overall, so it doesn't matter anyway.

Quite a few have Platinumed it actually. I'm willing to bet more gaffers approached 100% completion, both hero and villain, than these reviewers.

 

[WJD]

Eh, as someone who really enjoyed inFamous 2 this is fine for me.

 

[BlackBuzzard]

Are there some gaffer reviews/impressions out yet? I trust the average gaffer a lot more then reviewers that use complaints like "last gen gameplay" and "not like GTA V".

 

[mocoworm]

For those of us not able to access the site, would you mind quoting the meaningful part?

I think this is it:

Overall, it's good clean fun - so it's a shame that Second Son suffers from a consistent failure of imagination in how it's put together. There's not been much of an attempt to shake up the mission scenarios or structure of the game, leaving you with a very rote open-world adventure. Follow the waypoint marker, chase the suspect, investigate the scene, wipe out the jackboots; hunt the collectables and tick the boxes. You've been here many times before. The collectables and side missions all contribute to reclaiming districts from the DUP, which organises them into chunks and structures the reward usefully, and they've been judiciously pruned - but this is good admin rather than great game design.

As pretty and playable as it is, in no sense is inFamous: Second Son a post-Grand Theft Auto 5 open-world game. It's just a tidier, shorter and shinier one. It's easy to enjoy and has a winning personality, but it's reluctant to deviate from a stale streetmap of game city. It's no rebel, then. In fact, it's a conformist.

 

[Dragon]

Ground Zeroes does a lot to differentiate it from previous Metal Gear games. It's set in a single large contiguous space with no loading times. A mission can be cleared from multiple exits, thanks to a helicopter that can be called anywhere at any time. Guards can be marked and tracked throughout the environment, they have better vision, and the player is given a chance to react to being spotted. The player can use vehicles in the environment freely. Even if the player has played a MGS game before, there are many new factors for them to consider and change how they approach the game.

Infamous: Second Son follows the gameplay template of every other Infamous game so far. The mission design uses the same patterns, the powers fulfill similar roles, and so on. "Next-gen" might be a poor way of phrasing it, but some reviewers feel like they've played this game before, and games get knocked for that sort of thing all the time.

All the stuff you expound upon regarding Ground Zeroes sounds great! Infamous Second Son gives you four powers compared to previous games. You can switch them on the fly during a fight if need be. That's definitely a big improvement from previous games and I think just as important as some of the Ground Zeroes improvements. Good post!

 

[MYeager]

So what has new experiences?

Many games. Take for example the generational difference in GTA games since that series was mentioned in one of the articles. There was a significant different in design between GTA2 to GTA3. Not only did the player perspective change but the overall structure of the game was changed along with it, score wasn't something racked up for example. San Andreas broadened the scope of the series within that console generation.

GTA4 narrowed the scope again but with the generational jump the game it also refined the basic mechanics of the game while also adding to it with things like a new physics engine. Mission design was altered and the studio changed the narrative structure and how you interacted with the open world in different ways as well. GTAV broadened that scope, added some new game mechanics to it and offered larger set pieces to mission design.

FPS have gone on to change and experiment with different risk/reward systems, how environmental destruction affects the maps, and so forth.

If inFamous: Second Son's developers chose to improve the powers and combat but didn't improve the basic open world structure of the previous titles, which was the weakest part of those games already, then that's a perfectly valid complaint.

 

[Raven77]

I really don't get it.

Doesn't this game allow for permanent environmental destruction? Has any other game done that where the destruction is actually permanent? Doesn't it also use some graphical effects to change gameplay around?

Sorry haven't actually played it so reserving judgment on these reviewers until...you know...I play it.

 

[Bunta]

I think it's funny that people think that review scores affect sales.

I know you guys all desperately want this game to sell better than Titanfall or whatever but reviews are pointless in helping drive sales.

Wait, what?

 

[petethepanda]

While it could certainly be phrased better, I don't get the knee-jerk hatred towards the idea of someone feeling its "gameplay is last-gen" or "isn't next-gen." They just mean it's more of the same or didn't make much of an effort to do anything new, which is a valid criticism.

 

[Sublyminal]

I think it's funny that people think that review scores affect sales.

I know you guys all desperately want this game to sell better than Titanfall or whatever but reviews are pointless in helping drive sales.

Nobody really knows how well Titanfall is selling though, has anyone released any numbers yet other than that one PR guy in Euroland saying hundreds of thousands are playing?

 

[josecitoxnyo]

Are you being serious ??
There is nothing next gen about MGSV game play , it more open world and now you have some more options .
Which is evolution for MGS but there is nothing gen about it , you can play the game on PS3 and PS4 the same way .
Now if people say SP should evolve the game play more i have no problem with that.
Saying it has no next gen game play is BS statement that some using so they don't have to explain stuff .

That´s the evolution itself, it´s all up to you and now the game is designed to offer you that and more, a lot more. It´s a major step forward in the franchise, and the genre itself. You can´t say anything like that about ISS except, OH MY GOD THE GRAPHICS.

Don´t get me wrong, i loved both infamous games, and since the first day i saw gameplay of ISS i have this thoughs about the game. Now, after playing the game i feel exactly the same as that day and even regret having payed $60 for it.

 

[HueyFreeman]

PREACH.

Seriously, if you don't like this series, why are you in the OT for the next installment?

Well this is the review thread, not the OT.

Reviews are about what I was expecting. I might have bitten day one, but the Canadian MSRP has jumped to 70 bucks, so I think I'll probably wait till it hits a sale.