S&S Review: inFamous Second Son

Title: inFamous Second Son
Format: PS4
Release Date: March 21, 2014
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Sucker Punch
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: T

inFamous: Second Son is the third entry into the inFamous series, and it's also the first major PS4 exclusive to release this year, but how does it live up to the high expectations?
Story and Presentation:
Just to clarify, you don't have to have played inFamous 1 or 2 to understand what's going on in Second Son.  You play as Delsin, a much more immature protagonist than Cole McGrath.  Delsin acquires his power through peculiar events that I won't spoil here, and that's where the story takes off.    It's hard to discuss any elements of the story without spoiling anything, but you don't have to worry about a lackluster story.  Second Son differentiates itself from the previous games in the series with a much more realistic visual style.  inFamous 1 and 2 had a much more comic book like style to it, and although Second Son still has a few comic book style cinematics, it's a lot less prevalent this time around.  As a person that really liked those cinematics in the first couple of games, I found the lack of comic book sequences a bit disappointing.  This game is a flat out showpiece for the PS4, not only with the drastic environmental upgrades, but the facial animations are a sight to see.  Thanks to the added horsepower, Sucker Punch was able to capture all the little nuances the actors were able to portray into their characters.  Troy Baker, Travis Willingham, and Laura Bailey are just a few of the lead actors that add a lot of depth into their characters.  I don't think I've ever been fascinated with a 3D character model in a game chewing gum before, but I was, and I was surprised at how realistic it looked.
The city of Seattle in Second Son is beautiful,  and I that's really all I could say about it.  The lighting for one is phenomenal, with changing weather and day/night cycles occurring as the story progresses, the lighting always appears perfect.  The game runs smooth, even during the more chaotic battles with dozens of enemies and allies doing battle on screen.  The soundtrack is the only weak component in the presentation package here.  There were a few good tracks, but in the end, most of the music was just forgettable.  This was pretty disappointing, especially seeing how good the soundtrack in inFamous 2 was.
Core Gameplay:The core gameplay felt familiar, but the gameplay has been great refined this time around.  Sucker Punch changed the control scheme from the previous titles, but they changed it for the better.  The game just feels a lot better, with most of the credit obviously going to the improvements made to the Dualshock 4.  The touchpad is used a lot in the game, mostly for interacting with objects and recharging your powers.  This works great, and it shows you that you are able to use the touchpad without making it feel gimmicky.  The motion in the Dualshock 4 is used to complete the Spray Painting mini game, and it doesn't work well at all.  It feels awkward to use, and I found myself contorting my arm just to finish some of the Stencil Art.  As you play through the game, you'll gain new powers and be faced with multiple morality choices.  This is the traditional inFamous mission structure from the previous games.  Where the game takes a step back is the moral dilemmas you face.  In inFamous 1 and 2, the moral choices were a lot more dire and they were honestly tough choices to make that drastically changed your experience.  Second Son has moral choices, there's just not that many of em to make.  You're not choosing the lives of hundreds of pedestrians or the life of your love like you did in the first game.   Second Son feels a bit more toned down.  inFamous 2 was a lot darker, and that's what made the ending so spectacular in my eyes.  Even with that said, everything in Second Son feels better, shooting, platforming, and just using your wide array of powers is a blast.  There are a number of side missions to complete, and other than the stencil art missions, the side missions never really got old.  If you want the most out of the game, you'll have the opportunity to clear out every sector and finish off each side mission for maximum playtime.
Final Thoughts:
inFamous: Second Son has elements that take a step back when you compare it to inFamous 1 and 2, but this is ultimately the best game out of the series.  The visuals are a technical showpiece, and when you couple that with some of the best open world gameplay around, this a must have for every PS4 owner.
S&S Rating: 8.5/10 @whatsPlay