So, Infamous Second Son is finally here... ...It's awesome! I've only played for about an hour or so, but i can already tell i'm gonna enjoy this. The game feels very similar, and yet entirely different from it's predecessors. The controls of the game have been slightly altered since Infamous 2, but once you're used to them, they're actually an improvement. Deslin's set of powers is also alot more varied than Cole's, whereas Cole's focus was mainly attacking and dishing out pain, Delsin can use them differently depending on his karmic choices throughout the game, like smoke grenades to stun enemies for nonlethal takedowns. The morality and karmic choices are still pretty black or white, which is something people hated about the previous games. Combat feels refreshed and challenging, and still strangely familiar to I1&2. Some minor points are that the upgrade menu (and other menus) are overly complex and very confusing at the beginning. The game also doesn't offer much of a tutorial, and throws you into a challenge almost right away. The game, setting, and story as a whole feel very different (more realistic/mature) from previous Infamous games. Wether or not this is a good thing is up to the player, really. 8/10
Before I say anything else... Neon OP. It's broke, and in talking with some of the devs it's their favorite power as well. I'd like to point out that someone with more experience in, say, RPG games (FFX as a perfect example) won't feel confused or overwhelmed by the menu setup. It seems to be a basic RPG style menu setup for the upgrades. And I have to admit, I liked getting thrown into the thick of things without much of a tutorial blaring in my face. I'd rather figure stuff out, or simply get told how to do something and not get punished for immediately doing it that way. I've always felt that kinda thing is counter-intuitive to actually playing the game. But I'm probably biased. With Second Son being set in Seattle, my hometown, I simply enjoyed seeing how accurately they got the overall architecture of the city and the feel of it. Plus the shoutouts to Phoenix Jones are awesome. But yea, it's not entirely perfect. I'd say it's more frustration with how some of the AI just don't seem to respond to getting shot at points during the game. When using Neon on a perfect good run, it's damn near impossible to nail some of the good karmic shots you need to land on the tougher enemies on the island, and instead of going through what should only be a quick little scuffle turns into a prolonged firefight.
The only thing i truly hated about this game was that the Infamous Paper Trail side-missions were far too tedious and complex, and did not offer an adequate reward for your trouble. All you get in the end is some exposition, and four costume changes. Everyone who put their sanity at risk in those mind-boggling online puzzles and riddles (some of which you couldn't possibly figure out on your own) was expecting Delsin to get in-game Paper powers.
I actually really enjoyed the puzzles. They were intricate and challenging, and were completely unexpected. But after the initial shock of them, I really enjoyed them and zealously went after each one. The only one that truly did stump me was the drawing numbers into the bird for Part 6
