Many days passed without knowledge of what Sucker Punch, creators of the infamous Sly Cooper series, were working on for the PlayStation 3. At the Sony’s E3 press conference , Sucker Punch’s Infamous was truly a surprise. A deviation from the cel-shaded Sly Cooper series that helped put the studio on the map, the Washington-based developer underwent a serious change to a more stylistic and thematic gameplay. The teaser trailer for the game showed off the main antagonist, in the true glory of all his powers.
Having been in development for nearly eighteen months, Infamous is shaping up to be one of the top anticipated titles for the 2008 Sony PlayStation 3 line up, even though details of the game play remain scarce. There will be a primary story arc that will progress the player into the role of hero and anti hero, but how you play the missions as a good or bad hero will determine how the world reacts to you. The dynamic opesand-box environment coupled with a deep storyline consists of multiple endings as well, making sure that your bad actions don’t lead to the same ending as the good one’s.
The trailer begins with an interesting quote by Abraham Lincoln: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power." As the word’s fade, the power stands out to be the most apparent. In addition to the power’s shown in the trailer such as Telekensis, Super Jump, Electrical Conductivity, Flight, Strength, and Agilty, there is a myriad of more powers (above 20) yet to be revealed.
Luckily for all of you, PSU can reveal a bit more. For one, a new power that will be in the game, unsurprisingly, is the power of replication and polygamy. Or, replicating the look of another character for specific quests, etc. A more interesting revelation is that not only will there be many powers, but many ways to develop these powers. There will be many ways to contribute to the specific degree strength of certain powers—all up to the hands of the player.
Speaking of power in the game, GameSpot’s limited Q&A revealed that there is much power in the SPUs of the PlayStation 3, as only 30% of their power is being used for Infamous. Make no mistake, this in no way means 30% of the PlayStation 3’s power is being used. In essence, it’s hard for developers to specifically limit a console’s power to a specific percentage cap this early on. It all depends on time, and the rate of increase in the adaptation of new knowledge. Take this 30% SPU count with a grain of salt, as it’s impossible at this point to mark the SPUs or the system in general.
Being a developer myself, this is a common misconception that people fall ill to—the "percentage cap". The different programming possibilities, combinations, and direction of the specific developer, play a huge role in defining the unlimited possibilities of the PlayStation 3 at this point in time.
Infamous is shaping up to be the most anticipated title of 2008, and we here at PSU cannot wait to see more of it! Credits to our friends at Sucker Punch.