Support NeoGAF

[Bl4ckSunsh1n3]

Were people expecting this game to get 10s and 9s across the board? I enjoyed Infamous 1 and 2, but they definitely had their flaws and were somewhat derivative. Everything we've seen of Infamous: SS makes it look like it will have the same gameplay with a new coat of paint. If you liked 1 and 2, then go buy this one, but don't expect a game with the same formula of games that averaged an 8/10 to suddenly get praised as the GOTY. And seriously, these reviews aren't that bad.

/thread

It's a simple formula really. If you like inFamous (or think you might), you'll most likely like this game. If not, then don't bother.

 

[luknotluck]

I don't get why people have to start this whole flame war of which game is better and which console is better. If you prefer Titanfall and the Xbox One, cool man that's on you. You like shooters and big mechs that's awesome. If you prefer Infamous and its open world game with superpowers, that's great too. It doesn't matter which is better and honestly you can't compare the two games. They're two completely different games. You should be comparing COD to Titanfall or BF4. Plus, it doesn't matter which is better as long as you have fun. Whether you choose PS4 or the xbone, having fun is what matters.

 

[badgerfan20945]

Damn guys Titanfall is so good that people who enjoy it go into review threads for other games and talk about it. A game so good that praising it in a off topic thread is more fun then actually playing it. EA and Respawn you have a true hit on your hands!

On topic: I think the 80+ metacritic score for infamous is really good. Getting it digital day one on PSN. I want to see how it runs off my SSD hybrid.

 

[SniperHunter]

Reviews are dumb. I find they hold very little relevance. And I have no idea why people hold reviews to their heart. They're merely... opinions.

Resident Evil 5 was shat on. It's really not as bad as suggested.

GTA 4 is considered one of the greatest games ever. It's bloody awful.

Darksiders II is one of the best games I have played (currently playing the game, 23 hours in, no where near completion) and was only rated 80 or so on Metacritic. I'm amazed really; Darksiders II has incredible depth. It's an improvement over the previous game in every way possible. So many dungeons, brilliant combat, loot system, and RPG levelling up.

I imagine Infamous SS is likely to be a more enjoyable experience than perceived.

I've gotta be honest, I have began to enjoy games so much more once I stopped caring about reviews. I can't remember the last time I let a 'review' dictate my purchase or enjoyment of a game.

yup, I gave up on reviews long long time ago. Now I just buy a game if I know I will like it. I haven't bought a bad game in ages!

 

[Fantastapotamus]

I enjoyed reading how everybody was sure that Polygon would give the game an incredibly low score and now they are among the highest.

 

[BotoxAgent]

Um, I say a ton of 9s and 8s. Pretty damn good if u ask me.

 

[BeeDog]

Great reviews. Seems to follow the same formula as the previous games while improving the bits and pieces in an evolutionary manner instead of revolutionary. PERFECTLY FINE BY ME

 

[fluffydelusions]

Donkey Kong is sitting at an 83, and yet is still a game of a very high quality,

no problem with an 81 avg.

Yeah I don't see the problem either. Some people are mad it's not beating Titanfall I guess (86 meta)?

 

[Pound_lb003]

Honestly, by the sounds of it, people wanted something with more side-content (stuff I generally hate in open-world games) and a better story.

But it sounds as though it's been a pretty resounding success on the gameplay side - which is the whole reason I was excited anyway. These games play like a dream and I feel like exploring and open world and using some superpowers.

Good reviews in all!

 

[Majestad]

Man, it's reviewing better than I expected. I reckon I might crack and pick it up.


Not every system can be the Vita.

I assure you no system wants to be the Vita.

 

[Zephyrus]

Nope. Halo was a revolutionary game. Call of Duty 4 was a revolutionary game. They brought a new feel to their respective young generations, with various gameplay innovations that have defined the genre on their platforms for the entire generation.

They did?

Wierd. I seem to remember that Halo just being the first FPS on consoles to actually play great. Probably because of it's controller.

What else did it have that was so revolutionary? Auto regen HP? Because as I remember it, it's gameplay was "point and shoot". Exactly what I already had in Doom.

So we rule out Halo.

Let's move on to COD4. Now where was this one revolutionary? At all?
It was very satisfying to play. But I seem to remember it having the same gameplay as halo. Point and shoot. Same thing.

You do the same things in these game that you did 20 years ago. They just look better at it.

Want a revolutionary experience? Go play something on Rift. There's something new.

No matter what ANYONE tells you, you DO NOT HAVE new experiences without different peripherals.

 

[Minions]

Awesome. Other than Sesslers score they all seem to be around what I expected.

 

[codhand]

I don't get why people have to start this whole flame war of which game is better and which console is better. If you prefer Titanfall and the Xbox One, cool man that's on you. You like shooters and big mechs that's awesome. If you prefer Infamous and its open world game with superpowers, that's great too. It doesn't matter which is better and honestly you can't compare the two games. They're two completely different games. You should be comparing COD to Titanfall or BF4. Plus, it doesn't matter which is better as long as you have fun. Whether you choose PS4 or the xbone, having fun is what matters.

but arguing in review threads IS fun

 

[Owzers]

Infamous has always been a 7 or 8 franchise for me, good but flawed, like most open world games. I hope in this game drug addicts aren't shooting at me from rooftops with pinpoint accuracy.

 

[RetroStu]

Honestly I'm floored by the work Vigil have done with Darksiders II. The level design is PURE genius. This game should be rated 90 minimum.

Its very hard to get a 90 or above on sites like Meta and Gamerankings etc because it uses an average of a load of reviews and no matter how good a game is, there will always be a handful of reviews that give the game a low score either because they want clicks on their site or because they simply didn't like the game and those low scores bring down the average score quite a lot.

Really i think anything above and 80 on Meta/gamerankings should be classed as a great game becuase of that. In my opinion anyway.

 

[Basileus777]

It's a little surprising some people are putting down GTA V to prop up Infamous. Infamous could learn a thing or two from Rockstar. GTA V was a master class in open world design, and the standard to which all other open world games will be judged.

A masterclass in how to create a padded out and poorly paced game full of filler and boring busy work. GTAV was hardly a masterclass in open world gameplay design.

 

[scitek]

Kind of surprised still at the KZ reviews. Having finished the campaign last month, I enjoyed the switch from intense warfare combat to a more half-life inspired variation of exploration and light puzzles. The feel was a bit off and many disliked the story, but the core game was gorgeous and each level offered something entirely new, a nice change from the shooting gallery of the older games(and I enjoyed KZ2/3 a lot). Did miss the 'heft' of gunplay though and enemies died too quickly outside of a few lategame heavies. Not nearly as awful as I was led to believe.

Playing through the campaign now, I don't get the hate, either. I'm only through chapter 5, though, so maybe it really shits things up later.

 

[Dunlop]

Damn guys Titanfall is so good that people who enjoy it go into review threads for other games and talk about it. A game so good that praising it in a off topic thread is more fun then actually playing it. EA and Respawn you have a true hit on your hands!

On topic: I think the 80+ metacritic score for infamous is really good. Getting it digital day one on PSN. I want to see how it runs off my SSD hybrid.

To put it in perspective, when Titanfall review thread opened, there was positive reviews and yet a negative sentence from the Giant Bomb review (which was overall positive) about the framerate issue spawned a 20+ page thread

Idiocy is in all the console camps

 

[Scully Scully Scoo]

lol at people who put any stock in reviews. look at gameplay footage and decide for yourself if u think its worth playing or not.

gta 4/halo reach/halo 4/gears 2 all got great reviews and i found them to be complete trash where as splinter conviction got average/bad reviews and its one of my fav game of last gen. review is just an opinion

 

[BruiserBear]

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.

I liked the first Infamous, but I never played the second because so many people here were down on it when it came out.

Can you cite recent games you have played that define nxt generation gameplay, though? Because reviewers cannot.

Yes, quite honestly, this question couldn't be any easier. Titanfall to me is a true rethinking of the modern FPS, and I think it's a brilliant game. It genuinely makes other FPS feel kinda boring when I think about them, and I've been a huge COD guys for years now. I'll probably still play COD going foward, but Titanfall has definitely reset my expectations for how interesting the gameplay can be.

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?

Two things:

1) Games like GTA and Uncharted are doing some exceptional things. GTA does open world cities like no other game. It does incredible characters, and crazy vast gameplay possibilities, with all the vehicles it offers, etc. Uncharted does cut scenes, voice acting, and story telling on an exceptional level. It also has incredible graphics and very good gameplay IMO. So you can do more of the same when the entire package is exceptional, even still, quite a few people complained after Uncharted 3 that the formula was wearing a little thin. Now we've got a third Infamous game, and that's from a franchise that hasn't really hit the high points that Uncharted has.

2) There are rarely true "revolutions" in gaming. But sometimes you do see games like Titanfall doing something really new in a genre. That game does FPS player movement, mech movement, and game design exceptionally well.

 

[T.O.P]

Damn guys Titanfall is so good that people who enjoy it go into review threads for other games and talk about it. A game so good that praising it in a off topic thread is more fun then actually playing it. EA and Respawn you have a true hit on your hands!

You might wanna check who are the people who brought up Titanfall before posting

 

[GobFather]

None. I'm not posting "infamous" comments in threads that have absolutely nothing to do about it, as opossed to the people who insist in dropping Titanfall's name here.

That wasn't what I asked.

 

[-COOLIO-]

You know. Rather than a bad thing, I see this as a sign of games improving.

And the fact is even most games rated 6, actually have more than a dose of good fun involved. And most games aren't released if they're broken, and I can't see a 1 being a justified score unless a game was broken and actively unenjoyable.

I am not saying it's entirely balanced, maybe a bit more spread to take into account the times, but I think by marking something a 6 or 7, it's saying "this isn't a waste of money, it's just not as honed as most AAA games".

i think that's true, but then it's time to finally readjust the scale.

 

[luknotluck]

but arguing in review threads IS fun

It not fun for some people. Look at all the hate in this board. Makes me feel like I'm on GameFaqs or IGN comments or something. That's how bad it is.

 

[malboroking]

Yeah I don't see the problem either. Some people are mad it's not beating Titanfall I guess (86 meta)?

Thats absolutely ridiculous. When I saw a 36 page review thread pop up over night I figured the game was getting bad scores. Then I saw the reviews. What the hell is everybody up in arms about? The game is getting great reviews!

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Don't worry, I'm sure when Uncharted comes out with prettier version of the same 9 hours of decent TPShooting, challenge-free ledge grabbing/"platforming", puzzles that solve themselves, and a plot that's clearly written around the set pieces and not the other way around, the claims of "not next-gen enough" will disperse.

 

[phanphare]

so what's the big deal with Sessler's review? is it just the score? I just watched the whole thing and it seems perfectly reasonable. it's not like he called the game shit or anything, he even makes it a point at the end to say that his expectations may have had a part in how he viewed the game

this thread is why console wars are stupid

 

[T.O.P]

Don't worry, I'm sure when Uncharted comes out with prettier version of the same 9 hours of decent TPShooting, challenge-free ledge grabbing/"platforming", puzzles that solve themselves, and a plot that's clearly written around the set pieces and not the other way around, the claims of "not next-gen enough" will disperse.

ViewtifulJC
shots fired? we run!
(Today, 05:43 PM)

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

Kotaku states:

Second Son provides a great example of how to transition a series to a new generation of dedicated hardware with a tangible sense of evolution in almost every aspect.

Second Son doesn't just do shinier versions of the things previous Infamous games did. It multiplies and extrapolates on those things, letting them intertwine in really satisfying ways.

IGN deducts points for plot and morality issues (no mention of "next-gen gameplay"), but does note that

Not only does this variety (of powers and power branches) keep combat fresh, but it creates a strong incentive to replay and experiment with different combinations.

Destructoid opens up with

inFamous: Second Son takes everything that the series has done right, puts it in a blender, and delivers what is easily the strongest entry yet

... follows up with:

He can also move through vents with the power of smoke, and eventually fly, which makes traversing the city more fun than ever before.

... and

And that's what really matters to me -- more emphasis has been put on enjoying yourself.

Joystiq has this to say

Infamous: Second Son emphasizes the series' strengths in its debut appearance on the PlayStation 4, easily trumping previous Infamous games while showcasing the power of Sony's latest console. In the process, it drastically overhauls the series' defining elements, stripping away the weaker parts and focusing on what works best. If you found previous Infamous games more frustrating than fun, Second Son's gleefully destructive superheroics will win you over as a fan.

and yet there are people crying about the game not meeting some (non-existent at worst; vague at best) metric known as "next-gen gameplay." Please. Next-gen gameplay is a farce. I know I'm going to enjoy the game because A) It's more inFamous! B) It's gorgeous C) The controls are reportedly responsive and tight, making skillshots a breeze.

I can't wait to play it. Metacritic be damned.

 

[Devilinthiscity]

Reviews are decent. I've always had fun playing the inFAMOUS games so it doesn't bother me that it didn't get a 9.5 - 10 across the board, which is what I feel most people got upset over. Review scores for first party current gen titles on both systems have been pretty underwhelming though, which is a bummer.

 

[RetroStu]

They did?

Wierd. I seem to remember that Halo just being the first FPS on consoles to actually play great. Probably because of it's controller.

What else did it have that was so revolutionary? Auto regen HP? Because as I remember it, it's gameplay was "point and shoot". Exactly what I already had in Doom.

So we rule out Halo.

Regenerating health is something that we still have in most games today because of Halo, if that wasn't revolutionary then what is?.
Halo also destroyed PC fps games at the time in almost every way including graphics.

 

[Impeccable]

Yes, quite honestly, this question couldn't be any easier. Titanfall to me is a true rethinking of the modern FPS, and I think it's a brilliant game. It genuinely makes other FPS feel kinda boring when I think about them, and I've been a huge COD guys for years now. I'll probably still play COD going foward, but Titanfall has definitely reset my expectations for how interesting the gameplay can...

Yeah but it is available on a previous generation console... and almost everything has been done before gameplay wise.

I don't know what I expected.

 

[Violater]

I think this is it:

I wish reviewers would say what they wished the game did differently.
Even cite examples so I can see if I really agree with them.

 

[immortal-joe]

There are two ends of the spectrum that bug me in review threads:

- People who fail to understand that reviews are opinions, and suddenly decide not to look into buying a game that they (claim to) have been planning to buy based on footage seen up to this point. Hint: maybe youhave an opinion of your own?

- People who fail to understand that you cannot attack / defend reviews by stating an opinion as a fact? "Of course it got points docked for gameplay, it was boring". Boring by what metric? By yourmetric, the one that's probably different from mine, and many others.

I'll take my leave now.

 

[Muffdraul]

Again Halo did nothing that other games in the genre didn't already do. It just came out at a time when gaming was really blowing up and becoming mainstream. the same can be said of COD. They just do those things at a time when people are starting to take notice.

This was ignorant tripe when people said it 10+ years ago and it's still ignorant tripe now. I've playing video games since the 70s, I was playing proto-"first person shooters" before Wolfenstein 3D and Doom kicked off the contemporary genre as we know it, and I played every FPS that came down the pike in their wake. And there had never been an FPS that had Halo's epic level design, dynamic AI, razor sharp arsenal balance, and so on. True that it didn't re-invent the fucking wheel. But it was Bungie's 4th FPS, not their first. They'd been making their own FPSes since before Doom existed. Halo was the culmination of everything they'd learned over a decade of game development. It's way more than you think it is.

And yeah, I was never all that excited about Infamous SS. I thought the first two were decent at best, nothing to write home about. I figured SS would be pretty much the same, just prettier. Then a couple days ago I heard Griesmer was the lead designer, and that's when I suddenly couldn't wait for Friday.

 

[Maxim726X]

Donkey Kong is sitting at an 83, and yet is still a game of a very high quality,

no problem with an 81 avg.

Right... Anything over an 80 is great, especially if you're into the genre or you've been jonesing for that type of game.

The Rottentomatoes system, basically- If I'm remotely interested in seeing a movie, I will go see it if it gets an 80 or above. Has only let me down a few times.

 

[thiscoldblack]

Wow, great scores all around! Congratulations to Sucker Punch. Looking forward to get my hands on the game.

 

[Tabasco]

This is definitely a flagship title for the PS4, regardless if the reviews are great or not.

 

[Latvian Hitman]

Ps4 major exclusives:

Infamous second son: 81
Killzone: shadow fall : 73
Knack: 54

XB1 major exclusives:

Forza Motorsport 5: 80
Dead Rising 3: 78
Ryse: Son of Rome: 60

It's almost enough to make you think that launch window games tend not to be the stuff of legend...

Most personal accounts I've seen/heard regarding games like Forza, DR3 and KZ:SF are pretty positive, though. Sales #'s would seem to back that up. I'm sure Infamous: SS will be no different. But, yes- let's all jump off of a cliff because the Metacritic index is an 81 instead of an 88. This obviously will have a direct impact on our quality of life.

 

[GobFather]

I liked the first Infamous, but I never played the second because so many people here were down on it when it came out.



Yes, quite honestly, this question couldn't be any easier. Titanfall to me is a true rethinking of the modern FPS, and I think it's a brilliant game. It genuinely makes other FPS feel kinda boring when I think about them, and I've been a huge COD guys for years now. I'll probably still play COD going foward, but Titanfall has definitely reset my expectations for how interesting the gameplay can be.



Two things:

1) Games like GTA and Uncharted are doing some exceptional things. GTA does open world cities like no other game. It does incredible characters, and crazy vast gameplay possibilities, with all the vehicles it offers, etc. Uncharted does cut scenes, voice acting, and story telling on an exceptional level. It also has incredible graphics and very good gameplay IMO. So you can do more of the same when the entire package is exceptional, even still, quite a few people complained after Uncharted 3 that the formula was wearing a little thin. Now we've got a third Infamous game, and that's from a franchise that hasn't really hit the high points that Uncharted has.

2) There are rarely true "revolutions" in gaming. But sometimes you do see games like Titanfall doing something really new in a genre. That game does FPS player movement, mech movement, and game design exceptionally well.

But Titanfall is a new IP, do you think Titanfall2, will have more new gen gameplay from titan fall1?

 

[RetroStu]

Damn guys Titanfall is so good that people who enjoy it go into review threads for other games and talk about it. A game so good that praising it in a off topic thread is more fun then actually playing it. EA and Respawn you have a true hit on your hands!

Most of the people mentioning Titanfall are its haters who are saying that Infamous should of scored higher becuase its better looking and Titanfall is shite meaning that reviewers are biased blah blah.
You should read the thread before you expose your true feelings.

 

[BigDug13]

Yeah I don't see the problem either. Some people are mad it's not beating Titanfall I guess (86 meta)?

And all the gamers that are saying this is by far the best infamous of the 3 and it has the lowest review scores of the entire series. People scratch their heads.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

Nice scores. On the mark with my prediction

Were people expecting this game to get 10s and 9s across the board? I enjoyed Infamous 1 and 2, but they definitely had their flaws and were somewhat derivative. Everything we've seen of Infamous: SS makes it look like it will have the same gameplay with a new coat of paint. If you liked 1 and 2, then go buy this one, but don't expect a game with the same formula of games that averaged an 8/10 to suddenly get praised as the GOTY. And seriously, these reviews aren't that bad.

I think a lot of this overreaction is based on Sony fans putting all their hopes on this game being the first system seller for the PS4. But really, does it need one? The console is selling in record amounts, and you really shouldn't get worked up over whether or not more people will buy a product that you have no investment in. I'll never get the obsession with review scores. Just buy the fucking game and enjoy it.

Nothing wrong with higher expectations, especially for a game whose impressions were damn good once it was in the hands of gamers.

Good scores nonetheless and pretty much in line with what I saw a lot of people saying in the OT.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

Empty, lifeless city. Boring missions. Generic characters with bad voice acting. Awful graphics and ever worse frame rate.

So there you have it. What good games are supposed to have, this game has not.

Great game, great enemies, amazing villains, great voice acting, and great story. All of that makes it a great game. And you are still missing numbers to reach to a billion. And btw those are not objective measures at all, except the frame rate. It has everything that makes it a great game, not just a good game.

 

[codhand]

Wow, great scores all around! Congratulations to Sucker Punch. Looking forward to get my hands on the game.

this is no place for upbeat reasonableness!!

 

[SSReborn]

Man I just read a spoiler in this thread sigh.

..but w.e it was heavily alluded too.

 

[Raven77]

Do we know if the review copies had all the extra content, graphical updates, 5 hours of story missions, etc that was just announced in the day 1 patch?

 

[Loudninja]

Do we know if the review copies had all the extra content, graphical updates, 5 hours of story missions, etc that was just announced in the day 1 patch?

Most did I think some didn't.

 

[GoodCoffeeJoey]

 

[SmokyDave]

And all the gamers that are saying this is by far the best infamous of the 3 and it has the lowest review scores of the entire series. People scratch their heads.

Eh, that's not all that unusual for any series.