Infamous Collection PS3 Review

I love the "Infamous" games (2009's "Infamous," 2011's "Infamous 2," and 2011's "Infamous: Festival of Blood) but the "Infamous Collection" stands out in comparison to the other recently-released Sony special editions for "God of War Saga," "Journey: Collector's Edition," and "Ratchet & Clank Collection." In those cases, the releases either include a larger number of games ("GoW" has five in one special edition), remastered versions of former console classics in the first three "Ratchet & Clank" games, or, in the case of "Journey," include unique special features like audio commentaries by the developers and mini-games. I think everyone should play "Infamous," "Infamous 2," and "Infamous: Festival of Blood," but it's the collection that you should pick up fourth in this quartet of Sony special editions.

• Publisher: Sony
  
• Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
  
• ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
  
• Genre: Action
  
• Pros: Great Storytelling, Stellar Voice Work, High-Powered Action
  
• Cons: Some Repetitive Missions, Less Value Than Other Recent Sony Special Editions

"Infamous" was released around the same time as "Prototype" and the similarities between the games -- both featured increasingly powerful protagonists who went from average guys to superheroes amid cities crumbling under enemy attack -- led the two titles to be lumped together for a lot of writers and gamers. In the end, "Infamous" was the much-more creatively vital experience (although "Prototype 2" did correct many of the errors of its predecessor) and Sucker Punch built on it two years later with the accomplished "Infamous 2," a title that beautifully built on what worked about the first game without feeling too much like a repeat. Both games and a voucher to download the stand-alone adventure "Infamous: Festival of Blood" are included in the "Infamous Collection" for a low purchase price.

In "Infamous," you will get to know and love Cole MacGrath, a bike courier who develops electricity-based superpowers after the package he's carrying turns out to be a device that forever changes his home of Empire City. The first "Infamous" worked remarkably because of a perfect blend of moral decisions on the player's part and a brilliantly designed difficulty curve when it comes to power. The best action games space out new powers, combo moves, etc. with an increase in difficulty in terms of enemy ability or A.I., so they don't get repetetive. "Infamous" does that remarkably. It utilizes a system that feels more designed around user choice and like confident storytelling of its very own. It's a great game, and introduced us to one of the best new IPs in the last half-decade.

"Infamous 2" took what worked so well about the first game and arguably did it even better. There is a bit of franchise fatigue in the first act, which feels somewhat like mere DLC for the first game, but that quickly dissipates as the more-impressive world of "Infamous 2," set in a New Orleans-esque town called New Marais, opens up to the player. It's one of the most interesting and well-designed video game settings of the last two years in gaming. The creative drive behind "Infamous 2" was clearly to take the tools of the first game and bring them to a new world. It was one of the best action games of 2011.

Late in 2011, to coincide with the Halloween season, Sucker Punch and Sony released a DLC adventure called "Infamous: Festival of Blood," a couple of hours of dark carnage that blended the world of "Infamous" with that of the world of vampires. Given the gothic setting of "Infamous 2," the choice seemd obvious but the gameplay and storytelling in "Festival of Blood" didn't quite live up to the other two games. Even the mechanics seem a bit faulty here such as when the slo-mo combat kicks into play and an enemy literally disappears into the wall. There were also more camera issues in "Festival" than the two standalone games.

The design "Infamous" and "Infamous 2" is so confident and engaging that it's one of the reasons that these games became the hits they were. From the city scape of Empire City to the variety of environments in New Marais, there are too few games in the last three years that can compete with the graphic design by Sucker Punch for these games. They're one of the reasons they work. The cities feel alive. And the voice work goes a long way to adding to the excitement, giving both games an added level of Hollywood production values that other developers take for granted.

Everyone with a PS3 should play and own "Infamous" and "Infamous 2." Having said that, it feels like the "Infamous Collection" is a less essential release than the others in this wave. It could be because there's a part of me that really feels like the world of "Infamous" is just getting started. Wait until there are two more games in it before you buy "Infamous Collection."

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.