I remember getting the first game for free because of that whole Playstation store fiasco about a decade ago now. And damn did I enjoy it. I got the sequel too about three years later. And with the news that the PS3 store is shutting down I decided to boot up and see how well they’ve aged.

InFamous 1: I’m not gonna lie, this game looks like shit, it’s janky as hell, and the animations and framerate are horrid. But it’s still a good time. The lighting and particle effects take center stage. The electric bolts interacting and bouncing around the environment looks cool as shit today. So does summoning a fucking thunderstorm. The story is what people remember this game for though.

The story is probably one of the most interesting superhero stories out there. It’s very complicated when you write it down but playing it you get the gist immediately. The characters, tone, and setting are all grim and fantastic. Empire City getting turned into this nightmarish ghetto under quarantine and lawless. Plus the relation between Zeke and Cole is still fascinating to watch. This dude fucks up majorly like four times and he still manages to be likeable. He’s human and a good contrast to Cole who is basically immortal. (Sidenote the animated comic style cutscenes are cool too)

InFamous 2: The tonal shift between the first game and this one is extremely jarring. Cole has a different voice actor and he might as well be a different character. He’s no longer cold and stoic with a gravely voice. He sounds like Ellis from Left 4 Dead and makes silly jokes every second. I don’t know how to feel about this shift but I just got used to it.

The game however looks immediately better, more colorful, better animated, tons of quality of life fixes, the list goes on. I just think it’s weird how the evil electricity is orange instead of red like the first game.

This game is a little more heart wrenching and the stakes are a lot higher. With such a basic premise taking up the whole game, and the way the characters constantly argue and near the end, break apart and hate each other. Plus either ending is like a punch in the gut.

In conclusion one thing many have said and I agree with is that the morality system in these games is too black and white. You either act like the devil or an angel with no inbetween. I tried to think of maybe a white neutral side which would be hard to implement but would be interesting.

It’s a fun series including Second Son which I haven’t played in a while. It’s kind of a shame though that this series got shelved for Ghost of Tsushima. Hopefully it’ll make a comeback someday, hopefully.