Infamous Second Son

"*Enjoy your powers.*"
―Tagline.

Boxart depicting protagonist Delsin Rowe manipulating his smoke superpowers against the backdrop of Seattle, the setting of the game

### Artist

Horia Dociu (art director)
Neal Hanson
Levi Hopkins
Susan Luo

### Composer(s)

Brain
Melissa
Nathan Johnson
Marc Canham

### Mode(s)

Single-player

***Infamous Second Son*** (stylized as ***InFamous Second Son***) is a 2014 action-adventure videogame developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 console. It is the sequel to 2011's *Infamous 2* and the third main installment in the *Infamous* series.

*Infamous Second Son* takes place seven years after the good ending of *Infamous 2* and is set in a world populated by Conduits, individuals who awakened superhuman abilities. The game's narrative follow the quest of Delsin Rowe, a Native American delinquent who discovers he is Conduit, to cure his people from injuries inflicted by the Department of Unified Protection, an organization targeting Conduits. The game is set in an open world map based on Seattle. As a Conduit, Delsin can utilize his superpowers for combat and traversal across the city; Delsin is a unique Conduit with the ability to absorb and acquire other Conduits' abilities; players obtain new superpowers such as neon light, video projection and concrete by progressing through the story. As with previous *Infamous* titles, Delsin's actions throughout the game are calculated as either heroic or villainous, and affect his personality, powers and reputation. Outside of story missions, players can freely roam through Seattle, complete side activities and collect Shards, collectibles that function as upgrade currency.

Early development for *Second Son* began in 2010, concurrently to *Infamous 2*; Sucker Punch showed interest in bringing the *Infamous* franchise to the then-unannounced PlayStation 4. Sucker Punch considered *Second Son* to be a fresh start for the series, and chose to set the game in their hometown of Seattle to draw inspirations from the team's personal lives. Delsin's powers were designed to take full advantage of the new graphical abilities of the PS4 and to be fluid and easy to control. It was originally slated to be a launch title for the PS4 before Sony delayed it to March 2014 for further polish.

*Infamous Second Son* received generally positive reviews upon release, with particular praise for its graphical advancements, soundtrack, dynamic combat and map design. Criticism focused on lack of innovation in regards to its open world and the series' Karma system. The story and writing received mixed reactions, with some critics finding *Second Son* to be an improvement over previous games, while others deemed the story and characters as inferior. The game was a commercial success, selling over six million copies by 2019. A standalone expansion, *Infamous First Light*, was released in August 2014.

## Gameplay

*Infamous Second Son* is an action-adventure video game set in an open world environment and is played from third-person perspective. Players control protagonist Delsin Rowe, a 24-year old delinquent.

## Reception

### Reviews

* MetaCritic: 80/100
* OpenCritic: 82/100
* Destructoid: 9.5/10
* Edge: 7/10
* Eurogamer: 7/10
* Game Informer: 8.5/10
* Game Revolution: 7/10
* GameSpot: 8/10
* GamesRadar: 3.5/5
* GameTrailers: 8.8/10
* Giant Bomb: 4/5
* Guardian: 3/5
* IGN: 8.7/10
* Joystiq: 4.5/5
* PlayStation LifeStyle: 8/10
* PlayStation Universe: 10/10
* Polygon: 8.5/10
* Push Square: 8/10
* VideoGamer: 7/10

*Infamous Second Son* received generally positive reviews. On MetaCritic, it holds a score of 80/100 based on 90 scored reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews" on the site. On OpenCritic, the game holds a score of 82/100.

Multiple critics acclaimed the visuals and graphical showcase of *Second Son*. Destructoid's Chris Carter noted that the game "[was] oozing style" and complimented the visual execution of Delsin's powers. Game Informer's Andrew Reiner praised it as a "showpiece of stunning details", while Push Square's Sammy Barker called the visuals "extraordinary". IGN's Vince Ingenito cited *Second Son* as a demonstration of the PlayStation 4's graphical power, signaling the game's "remarkable lighting", while Gamespot's Tom Mc Shea thought the game's visual design was "breathtaking".

### Accolades

*Infamous Second Son* was nominated for several awards and was given several recognitions. Push Square gave it its annual Gold Trophy Award, signifying it as the site's runner-up title for Game of the Year behind *Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor*. Eurogamer ranked it as the 21st best game of 2014 out of 50 titles as chosen by its readers.

* IGN - Best of 2014
	+ Best PS4 Game - Nominated
	+ Best Action-Adventure - Nominated
	+ Best Graphics: Technology - Nominated
	+ Best Performances - Nominated
* Game Informer - Game of the Year 2014
	+ Best PlayStation 4 Exclusive - Won
* PlayStation LifeStyle 2014 Game Awards
	+ Best PSN Game - Won (*Infamous First Light*)
	+ Best Visuals - Nominated
* Push Square Game of the Year 2014
	+ Game of the Year - Gold Trophy

## References

1. ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2014/12/game\_of\_the\_year\_best\_ps4\_games\_of\_2014
2. ↑ https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-01-02-readers-top-50-games-of-2014
3. ↑ https://www.ign.com/lists/best-of-games-platform/ps4
4. ↑ https://www.ign.com/lists/best-of-games-genre/action-adventure
5. ↑ https://www.ign.com/lists/best-of-games-achievement/technology
6. ↑ https://www.ign.com/lists/best-of-games-achievement/performances
7. ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/01/07/game-informer-best-of-2014-awards.aspx
8. ↑ https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2014/12/22/playstation-lifestyle-best-games-of-2014-awards-best-action-psn-soundtrack-and-jp-release/4/#/slide/1
9. ↑ https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2014/12/23/playstation-lifestyle-best-games-of-2014-awards-best-remaster-horror-dlc-sports-fighting-casual-games-visuals-named/7/?slideshow=649#/slide/3