Infamous (series)

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Infamous
Infamous Logo.png
Logo used for the first two games
Developer(s) Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s) PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
First release Infamous
May 26, 2009
Latest release Infamous First Light
August 26, 2014

Infamous (stylized as inFAMOUS) is a series of video games developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. The series follows the adventures of Cole MacGrath, Delsin Rowe and Abigail "Fetch" Walker, super-powered "Conduits" who must decide their own destinies of becoming either good or evil.

Contents

The series consists of three main games: Infamous , Infamous 2 and Infamous Second Son , alongside expansion titles Infamous: Festival of Blood and Infamous First Light. A comic book series of the same name was published by DC Comics.

Plot

The series takes place in the present-day United States with real and alternate versions of real cities, such as the setting of Infamous , Empire City, which resembles New York City; and the setting of Infamous 2 , New Marais, which resembles New Orleans (Infamous: Festival of Blood also takes place in this city). Washington, D.C. is occasionally mentioned, and Infamous Second Son takes place in Seattle. It features American government agencies such as the FBI, NSA and DARPA, [1] along with agencies fabricated for the series, such as the Department of Unified Protection (DUP), an agency with the sole purpose of stopping conduits, now labeled "bio-terrorists", from causing mass destruction similar to what was caused by Cole MacGrath.

Gameplay

In the first two games, the player controls Cole MacGrath; in the third game, the player controls Delsin Rowe; in the standalone expansion First Light, they control Fetch. The player freely roams around the city, while fighting crime or creating havoc along the way. Cole and Delsin can use their parkour skills to jump and climb buildings throughout the city, along with their powers to help them fight enemies. Their powers come from a gauge which depletes whenever they uses various attacks, and refills when they absorb electricity, smoke, neon, video or concrete from nearby sources.

Morality, or "Karma", is a major factor in the gameplay and storyline. The player is able to control the course of the game by having Cole and Delsin use their powers for good or evil. The choice allows the player to have a different mixture of abilities, as both good and evil have their own set of powers. The game also uses a Karma meter which changes based on the main character's actions throughout the game and determines whether he eventually becomes a good or evil character. [2]

Games

Release timeline
2009 Infamous
Infamous: Precinct Assault
2010
2011 Infamous 2
Infamous: Anarchy
Infamous: Festival of Blood
2012 Infamous Collection
2013
2014 Infamous Second Son
Infamous First Light
Aggregate review scores
Game Metacritic
Infamous 85/100 [3]
Infamous 2 83/100 [4]
Infamous: Festival of Blood 78/100 [5]
Infamous Second Son 80/100 [6]
Infamous First Light 73/100 [7]

Main games

Web browser games

Infamous Collection

The Infamous Collection is a collection of Infamous, Infamous 2, and Infamous: Festival of Blood, bundled together as part of Sony's line of PlayStation Collections for PlayStation 3. The collection, along with the God of War Saga and the Ratchet & Clank Collection , were the first releases in Sony's line, being released on August 28, 2012, in North America. The games feature the same features as their original releases. In addition to the games, the collection features bonus content, including extra missions, and additional character costumes, power ups and weapon styles. [12] [13]

Other appearances

Cole appears a playable character in the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Street Fighter X Tekken , and as both his good and evil forms in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale . [14] [15] The series is also referenced in the PlayStation 5 game Astro's Playroom with one of the game's robots dressed as Cole, mimicking his Induction Grind ability. [16]

Other media

Comics

The Infamous comic is a one-part comic, released in March 2011, and was published by DC Comics, in association with Sucker Punch, to coincide with the release of the second game in 2011. The comics take place in between the events of the first and the second game, showing how Cole escapes from Empire City to New Marais. The comic series was written by William Harms and drawn by Eric Nguyen, and also includes covers drawn by Doug Mahnke. [17] A graphic novel titled Infamous: Post Blast was released on IGN, depicting the events that lead up to the events of Infamous. There currently are four comics, each focusing on both Cole MacGrath and John White. The story of the comics takes place between the Introduction and First Glimpse.

Film

In 2009, Sony had chosen screenwriter Sheldon Turner to adapt Infamous into a feature film in a seven figure deal. Brothers Ari and Avi Arad were hired to produce, and Sony executives Matt Tolmach and Jonathan Kadin as handlers for the studio. [18] Turner told The Hollywood Reporter he was excited that the game had a "big idea and a character arc", which he believed was "the future of gaming". [18] He believed the game was essentially "a love ballad to the underachiever". As of 2024, no updates on the film adaptation have been made.

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<i>Infamous</i> (video game) 2009 PlayStation 3 action-adventure game

Infamous is an action-adventure video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3. The game was released in May 2009. In Infamous, the player controls the protagonist Cole MacGrath, a bike messenger caught in the center of an explosion that devastates several city blocks of the fictional Empire City. The explosion sends the city into chaos while Cole finds himself with new electricity-based super powers. Though the game's story follows Cole using his new abilities to restore some semblance of order to Empire City, the player is given several opportunities to use these powers for good or evil purposes in the game's Karma system. These choices ultimately affect character growth, the reaction of the city's populace towards Cole, and finer elements of gameplay and the story.

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<i>Infamous 2</i> 2011 action-adventure video game

Infamous 2 is an action-adventure video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3 video game console. It is a sequel to the 2009 video game Infamous. Announced on June 4, 2010, the game was released on June 7, 2011.

<i>Infamous</i> (comics)

Infamous is a 2011 superhero comic book series based on the video game of the same name published by DC Comics in association with Sucker Punch Productions. The comic book followed the adventure of superhero, Cole MacGrath, and takes place in between the events of Infamous and Infamous 2. The comic primarily depicts Cole's escape from Empire City in the first game to New Marais in the second game. The comic features illustrations by Eric Nguyen as well as a cover art by Doug Mahnke with the story written by William Harms. The first issue of the six-part comic series was released in March 2011.

<i>Infamous: Festival of Blood</i> 2011 video game

Infamous: Festival of Blood is an action-adventure standalone downloadable content video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the PlayStation 3 video game console. Festival of Blood is an expansion in the Infamous series based on the Infamous 2 engine and map, but does not require a copy of Infamous 2 in order to play.

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<i>Infamous Second Son</i> 2014 video game

Infamous Second Son is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The standalone sequel to 2011's Infamous 2 and the third installment in the Infamous series, the game was released for the PlayStation 4 on March 21, 2014. The player-controlled protagonist possesses superpower abilities that players use in combat and when traveling across the city. The story follows protagonist Delsin Rowe fighting the Department of Unified Protection (D.U.P.) in a fictionalized Seattle. Over the course of the game, Delsin acquires new powers and becomes either good or evil as player choices influence his morality.

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<i>Infamous First Light</i> 2014 video game

Infamous First Light is an action-adventure video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 4. The game was announced at the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo and was released digitally in August 2014, with a physical release of the game only being released in Europe, Asia and Australia in September 2014. The game is a standalone companion to Infamous Second Son and serves as a prequel.

Fetch (<i>Infamous</i>) Fictional character

Abigail "Fetch" Walker is a character from the Infamous video game series developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. She first appears in 2014's Infamous Second Son as a supporting character, before appearing in the standalone prequel Infamous First Light released later that same year. Voiced by Laura Bailey, she is the third playable protagonist in the Infamous series, following Cole MacGrath and Delsin Rowe. She received mostly positive reviews from critics, with some expressing an opinion that her character is an improvement over Delsin.

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References

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  2. "inFamous: Something Stirring". Game Informer . GameStop. July 2008. pp. 40–49.
  3. "Infamous Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  4. "Infamous 2 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  5. "Infamous: Festival of Blood Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  6. "Infamous Second Son Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  7. "Infamous First Light Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  8. "inFAMOUS Acclaim". Metacritic. p. 1. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  9. Sucker Punch Productions (May 26, 2010). Infamous (PlayStation 3). Sony Computer Entertainment.
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  11. "inFAMOUS: Precinct Assault". MobyGames. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  12. Cardona, Christian (August 6, 2012). "Never Stop Playing With PlayStation Collections". PlayStation.Blog . Sony Computer Entertainment America. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  13. Cardona, Cristian (August 28, 2012). "PlayStation Collections Available at Retail Today: God of War, inFAMOUS, Ratchet & Clank". PlayStation.Blog . Sony Computer Entertainment America. Archived from the original on December 18, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  14. Fahey, Mike (June 7, 2011). "Street Fighter X Tekken Comes to the PlayStation Vita with an Infamous Addition". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
  15. Phillips, Tom (July 30, 2012). "PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale leak outs characters, stages". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
  16. "Every cameraman reference in Astro's Playroom". Gamepur. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  17. Mike Fahey (December 20, 2010). "inFamous Gets The Comic Book Series It So Richly Deserves". Kotaku . Gawker Media . Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  18. 1 2 Fernandez, Jay A. (July 29, 2009). "Scribe takes ride with 'inFAMOUS'". The Hollywood Reporter. pp. 1, 10. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2013.