inFAMOUS PlayStation 3

Released on 29/05/2009

• Infamous getting a sequel?

  VG247 is reporting that Sucker Punch's excellent lightning-powered superhero game Infamous is getting a sequel.

  That's certainly according to a domain registration, which suggests that Sony has purchased infamous2thegame.com.

  It's hardly surprising, seeing as the PS3's brilliant open-world action game was both a critical and commercial hit, wowing reviewers and audiences alike with its mix of parkour platforming and electrically-charged brawling.

  Playing as Cole, a bike courier struggling to control his newfound super powers, Infamous is set in a city ravaged by a recent terrorist explosion. Cut off from the mainland, the population is fighting over resources, and being terrorised by a mysterious gang known as the Reapers. The first game gave you three huge islands to play about in, and featured some of the best skyscraper climbing action seen since Crackdown, married to light RPG elements as you upgrade your electrical fighting powers, unlocking new moves and learning new combos.

  While there are no concrete details regarding the sequel at this point, the first game's plot left things tantalisingly open for a follow-up. We'll get you more information on this one as soon as we have it.

• Sony Officially Announces inFamous 2

  June 2009 was a good time for grungy superpowered fables, with both Activision Prototype and Sony inFamous offering up openworld anti-hero action. Striking while the iron is still smouldering, Sony has announced that inFamous 2 is on the way, courtesy of original developer Sucker Punch.

  In the first game, Cole MacGrath was a bike messenger who found himself blessed (or cursed) with electrical superpowers after a giant explosion ripped through Empire City. The sequel picks up where the first game finished, with Cole comfortable in his newfound superhero status. He doesn't stay comfortable for long, as something called The Beast turns up in town and promptly beats the snot out of Cole. Well, with a name like that, what did you expect it to do?

  Cole retreats to New Marais, a new city loosely based on New Orleans, where he tries to restore his powers and get himself back to fighting fitness before The Beast tracks him down for round two. Also thrown into the mix are swamp mutants and bigoted humans who are none too pleased with Cole extraordinary evolution. Cole will gain new powers, while everything from combat to climbing has apparently been tweaked and improved.

  Sony is talking up the sequel as the sort of leap in quality that led from Uncharted to Uncharted 2, which is enough to make our mouths water. There are also whispers of multiplayer flitting around the infosphere, so hopefully Sony will spill all their beans at E3 this week.

• Sucker Punch giving "Serious thought" given to inFamous 3

  Though it's still hard at work on inFamous 2, the sequel to Sony's shockingly good superhero smash, Washington-based developer Sucker Punch Productions claims it would give "serious thought" to making a third game in the series.

  Speaking to Eurogamer, the company's co-founder Bruce Oberg claimed that the developer would "see where we want to go next", but hinted that Sony's platform was the most likely home for its next game. "We have a great relationship with them. We love the PlayStation platform" Oberg admitted. Asked whether that meant a follow-up to the second game, Oberg said "we would give it serious, serious thought".

  Oberg also praised Sony for allowing it to create "original IP", claiming that "the number of studios creating original IP is few and far between".

  inFamous 2 is due out in 2011, and will continue to follow hero Cole McGrath, who will continue his fight with the mysterious Beast, but this time in the city of New Marais, loosely based on New Orleans. After a wave of fan feedback, the developer has decided to keep the character design similar to that of the original, although this time Cole will be played by a brand new voice actor. Players will also be able to use the element of ice as well as electricity in combat.
  

• inFamous 2 gets creative with new mission-builder

  Cross open-world action-adventure inFamous with LittleBigPlanet and what do you get? A hefty slice of user-generated content for Sucker Punch's superhero sequel, that's what.

  Yes, the follow-up to the 2009 PlayStation 3 hit will come with a feature that allows players to build their own missions, which can be uploaded for other users to share. As with Media Molecule's game, inFamous 2 will offer users the exact same tools for creating levels as the developers themselves. And Sucker Punch will be keeping a close eye on those whose missions are the most highly-rated by other users.

  "There really aren't a lot of limits to the sorts of missions you can build," said Sucker Punch's Chris Zimmerman, writing on the official PlayStation blog. "If you want to bend the rules [ to create new kinds of missions, you can do that too. Wish inFamous 2 had pure stealth missions? No problem."

  Best of all, it seems you can take electrifying revenge on Cole's obnoxious sidekick. "How about a mission where Zeke just tells you bad jokes until you shoot him? Um, yeah, you can do that, too," explains Zimmerman.

  inFamous 2 is set for release this summer, and is exclusive to PS3.

• InFamous developer hard at work on a new game

  inFAMOUS 2 is probably still snug in PlayStation 3 ownersdisc trays the Sony exclusive open-world game came out this month and has torn up the charts but Sucker Punch, the team behind the magic is already getting itself together for a follow-up.

  That according to the Sucker Punch website, anyway, which, as Eurogamer has spotted, is advertising for staff to work on a new PlayStation 3 game.

  But what is it? Another inFAMOUS sequel or something new?

  A year back, the developer told Eurogamer that it would give erious thoughtto making InFamous 3 if Sony was interested. "We'll see where we want to go next," said the studio co-founder Bruce Oberg. "That could be with Sony. We have a great relationship with them. We love the PlayStation platform. The support and marketing, and also their approach to us, to let us make the game we want to make, is really incredible. Our relationship with Sony has been just incredible, all through the Sly series and all through InFamous."

  A sequel would certainly be very welcome, but when youe talking about the team behind InFamous and the Sly Cooper PS2 games, anything they put their minds to is okay with us!

• Capcom launches $25,000 Street Fighter x Tekken reality show

  If it's good enough for Jordan, it's good enough for Ryu. Capcom has revealed that its upcoming fighting game crossover, Street Fighter x Tekken, will be preceded by an online reality show in which two teams of players, each representing either Street Fighter or Tekken, will take part in an intensive week-long tournament.

  Two teams of five will take part in the show, called Cross Assault, with "two legendary players from the fighting game scene" taking the role of leader. Everything from practice sessions to player interviews will be streamed live online, with a $25,000 prize awaiting the eventual winner.

  In other Street Fighter x Tekken news, producer Yoshinori Ono has confirmed that the Xbox 360 version of the game narrowly missed out on having Master Chief and Gear of War's Marcus Fenix as playable characters. "We were in discussions with [Microsoft] for which character to put in as an exclusive," he told Xbox 360 Achievements.org, "But we weren't able to decide on a character because of differences in timing and things like that." The PlayStation 3 version features Cole from inFamous and Japanese PlayStation mascots Kuro and Toro.

  Street Fighter x Tekken is lined up for a March 9th release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
  

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