Sony's E3 Press Conference: 10 Key Details And Games That Stood Out
4. Infamous: Second Son
The Infamous series is the brainchild of Sucker Punch, the minds behind another entertaining Sony franchise, the Sly Cooper series. Unlike the stealth-based platform game featuring the titular raccoon thief, Infamous is a Sandbox-style game that put you in the shoes of Cole McGrath, a man who was once an ordinary bike courier before a device called the Ray Sphere turned him into a Conduit - an individual who's body uses Ray Sphere radiation to obtain a variety of powers, depending on the subject. In Cole's case, he became electrokinetic (manipulation over electricity), the ability to manipulate electricity for potentially devastating, or constructive results.
After the complete destruction of Empire City (based on New York, where the first game took place), the sequel moved to New Marais (based on New Orleans, which fared better than New York), where the official canon of the story states that Cole sacrificed himself to save the world's "normal" population, using the energies of the Anti-Ray Sphere to sacrifice the world's Conduit population to preserve the majority of the world's population.
In Infamous: Second Son, we are seen in an urban location that seems to be based off Seattle, seven years after the conclusion of Infamous 2. The D.U.P. is a security organization that contains the quarantined city, monitoring the population for the presence of "bio-terrorists", a disguised term for Conduits, fearing the destructive reputation of Cole McGrath (which is rather unfair, considering his noble actions).
The new setting of Infamous. Graphically stunning, a testament to the PS4's capabilities.
The initial demo shows the new protagonist, Delsin Rowe, in conflict with the D.U.P. Sometime before this, he discovers that he has the ability to imitate the powers of other Conduits, as shown when he attempts to save people from a burning bus, adapting the power to manipulate smoke as a result. Now back to the present, Delsin is found by the D.U.P., but uses his new abilities to acrobatically defeat the security troopers, culminating in the destruction of an armored vehicle via a well-placed fireball. The demo ends as he picks up the helmet of a vanquished guard, looking into the camera on the helmet, as he speaks to a woman in charge who views the feed from a headquarters, and he says a simple phrase:
"You, are NOT in control."
A theme of anarchy and resistance is already clear here, and I can't wait to play the game when it's released in QI 2014. Sucker Punch always makes satisfying games, and I'd make a bet that this one will be no exception.