INFAMOUS : SECOND SON....(Review)

Infamous: Second Son (stylized as inFAMOUS: Second Son) is an upcoming open world action-adventure video game, developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 video game console. The third main entry in the Infamous series, which had previously been developed for the PlayStation 3, it will be released on March 21, 2014.Second Son is set seven years after the ending of Infamous 2, in which Cole MacGrath activated the Ray Field Inhibitor (RFI) to destroy a conduit (super humans, named for their ability to channel powers) named John White, also known as the Beast. The explosion resulting from activating the RFI was originally thought to have killed all conduits across the globe, but those outside of the blast radius or with a natural resistance have survived. Fearing the abilities of the conduits after the destruction of Empire City, the US eastern seaboard and the worldwide economy, the Department of Unified Protection (DUP) is formed, and major cities across the United States are heavily monitored for conduit activity, whom the DUP have labeled collectively as bio-terrorists. The game is set in Seattle, Washington, and players control Delsin Rowe (Troy Baker), a 24 year-old graffiti artist with no real direction in life. One day, Delsin witnesses a bus crash, and attempts to help; in the process, he comes in contact with a conduit, and his own dormant conduit abilities are awakened. With his new abilities and his older brother Reggie (Travis Willingham), a police officer, Delsin will dedicate himself to fighting back against the oppressive DUP, as well as other conduits such as Abigail "Fetch" Walker (Laura Bailey).Gameplay will be similar to the previous entries, sharing the open world element. Delsin will use the chain wrapped around his arm as his main melee weapon, which will be used in conjunction with other powers that he absorbs throughout the game. One notable change from previous games is that instead of the accessing an aiming system by holding down the L1 button, the player will not need to do so, and will just be able to fire whenever they want, using an on-screen reticle to aim. Parkour returns as a major element, and is executed in the same way; by jumping up walls, Delsin will automatically grab ledges, from which he can hang, pull himself to another ledge, or fire his weapons.

Second Son was revealed at the PlayStation Meeting on February 20, 2013. While his power initially appeared to just control smoke, Sucker Punch has stated in interviews that Delsin's ability is actually to absorb the abilities of other conduits. Currently, the only powers shown are smoke and neon light based, but Sucker Punch has revealed that he will absorb more powers, and that these are only the "tip of the iceberg."

As with other entries (barring the first game), actors portray their characters via a combination of motion capture and voice work. The technology was also enhanced to include capture of the actors' facial expressions. As such, the characters all bear resemblance to their respective actors. Troy Baker will do the voice and motion capture for Delsin Rowe.