I don’t think I’ve been more excited for the minutiae in a game than I am currently for the stuff in inFamous: Second Son.
I’m not getting it for the plot, though I know some enjoy that bit. I’m not getting it for the gameplay, though I’m hoping it excels on that front of course. I’m definitely not getting it for Delsin Rowe, the new main character for the game.
Instead, I’m pumped for inFamous: Second Son because of its graphics. I’m not that guy, normally. I’m not the kind of gamer who loses his mind over graphics and polygon count. I don’t find those things incredibly interesting.
With Second Son, though? Look at this.
That whopping 28MB GIF is exactly why I’m jazzed about this game. It looks fantastic. The subtle environmental details, the particle effects that surround Delsin and the crazy powers he controls and the great use of interesting colors are all huge reasons why this game is important to me. If that doesn’t do it for you, this 8-minutes of gameplay footage might.
Really, aside from perhaps Killzone: Shadow Fall, inFamous: Second Son is the first big chance for the PlayStation 4 to really flex its muscles. Seeing what a console can really do in its first year or so on the market is a rarity, most developers simply aren’t in tune with the hardware and software enough to make the most of the new machine.
Sucker Punch, the developers of inFamous, see like they’re nearing a good use of this console’s power.
Have another big GIF.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to be a superhero-like character rampaging my way through Seattle. That sounds great. But, catching a glimpse of what the PlayStation 4 can do sounds fantastic.
Consider the games that launched on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, for instance. They look miles worse than the games we got at the end of the consoles’ life cycles. Kameo: Elements of Power and Gears of War 3, for instance, look like they were made on completely different machines.
The same goes for the PlayStation 4 and Uncharted vs. Uncharted 3. Developers get better with hardware, and seeing a genuinely great looking game early on is exciting.
That’s inFamous: Second Son for me; a brief glimpse into the near future. I can’t wait.
