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InFamous: Second Son hit 1 million sales in 9 days
InFamous: Second Son has exceeded a million sales, which includes both the physical retail copies and those sold on the PlayStation Network store. Sony made the announcement this morning on the PlayStation Blog, noting this makes Second Son the fastest selling game in the franchise to date. In our review we said the PlayStation 4 exclusive "establishes a high standard" for the new console.
Infamous: Second Son updates due out in two weeks, tentatively
Sucker Punch Productions has a few updates due out "in the weeks to come" for Infamous: Second Son, including an option to change the time of day, studio co-founder Brian Fleming writes on the PlayStation Blog. Infamous: Second Son has rich day, evening and night environments, as we discussed in the Super Joystiq Podcast last week, and soon players will be able to change the position of the sun and moon at will. The option to alter time will appear in the options menu after beating the game. Also on the update list: An option to turn the HUD off, and the ability to cap the frame rate at 30FPS. "Time-wise, the earliest we could have the patch and new features ready is about two weeks from now, so stay tuned for another update - we'll let you know as soon as they're ready to go live," Fleming writes. [Image: Sony]
Joystiq Streams Special: Infamous: Second Son, new powers, and you [It's over!]
Hello, young conduit! With Infamous: Second Son out now, you may be noticing some changes in your body. Hair may sprout from unexpected places, your voice may change, and you may suddenly find yourself draining the fluorescence out of neon lights and shooting it at masked aggressors. Joystiq Streams wants to assure you that all of these changes are natural. Every young hero is confused when they suddenly turn into a terrifying smoke cloud. Just remember, you're not alone! Join Joystiq Streams as we explore these confusing changes together on the Joystiq Twitch channel at 4PM EST. Anthony John Agnello, who has never played Infamous: Second Son, will dive into the game. Susan Arendt will be joining him in the chat, feeding your questions to him as the game unfolds. Let's discover our hero selves together, shall we? Joystiq Streams regularly broadcasts at 4PM EST every Tuesday and Thursday on the Joystiq Twitch channel. [Images: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Report: PS4 UK sales jump 106 percent after Infamous: Second Son
Sucker Punch's open-world action game, Infamous: Second Son, contributed to a 106 percent increase in PlayStation 4 hardware sales in the UK this week, MCV reports. Second Son claimed top honors in the GfK Chart-Track UK software sales rankings earlier today, beating out high-profile recent releases like Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes and Dark Souls 2. Titanfall's recent release triggered a similar sales spike for the Xbox One last week, leading to a 96 percent boost in UK sales for Microsoft's console. [Image: Sucker Punch]
Infamous: Second Son beats Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes to UK No. 1
Infamous: Second Son racked up the second-best first week for a PS4 game in the UK, only placing behind launch title Killzone Shadow Fall. Those sales were enough to ensure the system exclusive took the UK No. 1 ahead of Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes this week, with last week's leader Titanfall titanfalling to third. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster was the other big new release of the week and the re-polished PS3 and Vita game took fourth. February and March's swathe of big-name games has finally given the UK charts a more current feel: Eight of this week's top ten were released in 2014, and most of those only in the last few weeks. The two lingerers from last year? Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition and, no surprises, FIFA 14. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Joystiq Weekly: GDC 2014, Infamous, Metal Gear Solid and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. We saw many great games and met with many great people during this year's Game Developers Conference in sunny San Francisco. Or did we? One of the biggest announcements of the show was undoubtedly Project Morpheus, the upcoming virtual reality headset from Sony, and during our hands-on demo, we felt pretty darn virtual. So now the question is: What if we didn't really attend GDC 2014? What if it was all virtual reality? Whoa, dude. Sony also gained news traction this week thanks to the release of PS4-exclusive, Infamous: Second Son. Meanwhile, Snake/Jack Bauer has come out of retirement (again) to save the world in Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, and a new cyborg ninja came to town with the release of Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. You can read all about these games and more of the week's biggest and best after the break. [Image: Joystiq]
Infamous: Second Son ships with major day-one patch
Sucker Punch's PlayStation 4-exclusive action game Infamous: Second Son will serve up a day-one patch when players pop the disc in for the first time, bolstering the game's simulated Seattle with a number of added features and balance tweaks. Second Son's post-release patch introduces support for the Cole's Legacy pre-order content pack and the ARG-like Paper Trail missions, which add an estimated five hours of campaign playtime over six weeks of planned content updates. Paper Trail challenges players to seek out clues released online to continue a 19-mission side-story within Second Son that supplements the core campaign. Version 1.01 of Second Son also tweaks in-game difficulty, making Normal mode slightly more challenging while fine-tuning boss fights and pedestrian behavior. After applying the patch, players who complete Second Son's campaign will also have new post-game content available in the form of expanded Karma progression and continued enemy presence. The patch was available for Joystiq's review of Second Son, ensuring that the version we played offers the same experience players will see at launch. [Image: Sony]
Report: PS4 teases impatient players with game preloading in April
Come April, PlayStation fans can enjoy the same masochistic waiting game as Steam users when preloading comes to PS4. Sony itself has yet to confirm the feature but Sucker Punch, the studio behind Infamous: Second Son, said on Twitter that it's on the way this spring. "No preload until April," said Sucker Punch, responding to Twitter users anxious to play the new Infamous. "[And] for North America, the PS Store will update at midnight PST, so 3AM EST." Even when pre-ordering a digital copy of PlayStation 4, PS3 or PS Vita games through PSN, users still need to wait for games to actually hit their release dates to download them. Steam and Origin PC users can often download game files ahead of release so they can play the very second a game is officially available. Unfortunately would-be PS4 superheroes will still have to wait a few minutes to scratch their Infamous itch. [Images: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Metareview: Infamous: Second Son
Is Infamous: Second Son gaming Nirvana? Our four-and-a-half star review said that the game "represents a great leap forward both in terms of gameplay and in graphical fidelity, and establishes a high standard for what players can expect from the PlayStation 4," so even if it's not perfect, it's worth making room in your heart-shaped box for Delsin and company. But we're not the only tourists to developer Sucker Punch's vision of Seattle. Read past the break to see what others think of the Infamous series' PS4 debut.
Infamous: Second Son review: Thank you for smoking
There's a stark duality at the heart of the Infamous series. The original Infamous was built on a solid foundation, putting players in the role of a modern-day superhero with a repertoire that expanded gameplay in satisfying, meaningful ways throughout its campaign. Its sequel boasted a number of improvements, but its mechanics weren't always explored to their fullest potential. Playing through InFamous 2 recently reminded me of the series' darker half. Though its upgradable superpowers were impressive and its parkour mechanics were fun, its story missions frequently came up short. Throughout the campaign, protagonist Cole MacGrath was too often saddled with repetitive arena fights and escort missions -- a poor fit for a man who can shoot lightning from his fingertips. Infamous: Second Son emphasizes the series' strengths in its debut appearance on the PlayStation 4, easily trumping previous Infamous games while showcasing the power of Sony's latest console. In the process, it drastically overhauls the series' defining elements, stripping away the weaker parts and focusing on what works best. If you found previous Infamous games more frustrating than fun, Second Son's gleefully destructive superheroics will win you over as a fan.
God of War 3 director, Infamous: Second Son lead designer leave Sony [Update]
God of War 3 creative director Stig Asmussen is no longer at Sony Santa Monica, following the recent round of layoffs at the studio and the purported cancellation of his new project. IGN confirmed Asmussen's departure with Sony this week, although it's not known if the 11-year veteran of the studio left of his own accord or not. Asmussen joined Sony Santa Monica from Midway in 2003, serving as a lead environment artist on the first God of War and art director on God of War 2. He stepped up to creative director on God of War 3, and it's speculated he then began work on a new, unannounced AAA project with a sci-fi theme. According to ex-lead level designer Jonathan Hawkins, who lost his job in the layoffs, that project is now canceled after several years of development. Asmussen isn't Sony's only high-profile departure of the week, after Infamous: Second Son lead designer Jaime Griesemer revealed he's no longer working for Sucker Punch. He joined the Seattle-based studio back in 2011, having previously worked at Bungie for twelve years where he was involved with all the Halo games, and served as a lead game designer on Destiny between 2008 and 2010. Griesemer didn't give any reasons for the move, simply tweeting he's "Not really talking about it yet, tho." Update: Griesemer provided Joystiq with a statement regarding his leaving Sucker Punch, assuring fans the timing is not a "cause for concern" about Infamous: Second Son. The full statement follows: "I appreciate all the well-wishes on the news that I am leaving Sucker Punch, but please don't take the timing as cause for concern about Second Son – it's a great game that I am proud to have on my resume and I can't wait for everyone to play it – or Sucker Punch – a studio on the rise with a bright future – or Sony – a great organization with some of the savviest, most pro-gamer executives in the business. And while I am honored to be mentioned in the same articles as legendary designers like Amy Hennig and Stig Asmussen, please don't look too hard for some sinister pattern. The truth is that any creative, vibrant industry is necessarily volatile; the only sure bet is that the next few years will not look the same as the last. Change is part of the job, but along with the upheaval and uncertainty, there's opportunity and new challenges. It's an exciting time to be a free agent and I'm going to go see what's out there. Simple as that..." [Image: Sony]
Watch nine minutes of Infamous: Second Son beatdowns in glorious neoncolor
Infamous: Second Son hero Delsin Rowe boasts neon, smoke, and other superpowers he acquires by defeating fellow conduits. Sure, the smoke powers are cool, but neon is fun to watch because it's deadly and pretty, like a daffodil wielding a morning star - a daffodil that was somehow capable of using a morning star. You get the point. Sucker Punch's open-world superhero game trips the light fantastic on PS4 next week, when it hits retail shelves worldwide on March 21. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Infamous: Second Son live-action trailer shows a misunderstood artist
While this live-action ad for Infamous: Second Son is pretty cool, we think there may be a secret reveal going on here. Does Delsin have superhuman graffiti skills? How else do you explain spraying up a whole base of SWAT-like guys with armored vehicles? Wake up, America! [Image: Sony]
Infamous gets a series sale on PSN Europe ahead of Second Son
Infamous: Second Son is one of the first major PS4 exclusives to come to the console since it launched some three months ago, so it's kind of a big deal for Sony. That's why its Euro branch is chucking an Infamous sale at PSN users ahead of the game's launch next month. If you're totally new to Sucker Punch's elemental open-world action series, but you do want in on the whole caboodle, then the Infamous Collection offers the best value. It includes all three Infa-games - that's Infamous, Infamous 2, and the vampiric standalone expansion Festival of Blood - and it's down by just under half to £15.38/18.89 euros/AU$28.05. If you'd prefer, the three games are all on sale individually, and there's a 10 percent discount on all the purchases for PS Plus members. Check out the full list of discounts on the PS Blog. That trilogy of games features electric hero/anti-hero Cole McGrath, but Second Son introduces a new, smokier star in Delsin Rowe. As for whether the game is as smoking as its new protagonist, we'll find out when it hits PS4 in a month's time on March 21. [Image: Sony]
Infamous: Second Son takes to the wet streets of Seattle
"Oh, man – rain." That's the first thing people say when asked to picture Seattle, Infamous: Second Son Director Nate Fox says. In creating a digitized Seattle for PS4, Sucker Punch plays with light flares on wet streets, low cloud cover, fog and the physics of exploding liquor stores.
Infamous: Second Son launching March 21, 2014
br>Infamous: Second Son's launch date was revealed tonight during Spike's PS4 launch special.
Infamous: Second Son Collector's Edition is fashionable and available for pre-order
Sony has revealed the pre-order bonuses for inFamous: Second Son, as well as the contents of an inFamous: Second Son Collector's Edition package. The Collector's Edition will cost $79.99 and come in a case with special artwork, and will add another vest to protagonist Delsin Rowe's already-impressive collection. Pre-ordering a regular version of the game will upgrade you to a Limited Edition copy with a unique foil cover. Pre-ordering either version gets you access to the Cole's Legacy DLC, which bridges the gap between inFamous 2 and Second Son. Completing the Cole's Legacy missions will unlock Cole's jacket for Delsin to wear, and according to the PlayStation Blog, will only be available to those who pre-order. "[Cole's Legacy] won't be available for purchase when inFamous: Second Son launches. It's only available through these offers here," the website states. The Collector's Edition of the game also comes with some physical goodies, including pins (that sounds familiar), a patch, vinyl decals and a replica of Delsin's beanie. Coupled with Aiden Pearce's vigilante mask from the Watch Dogs Limited Edition, you should be able to stay plenty warm next year.
Infamous: Second Son pre-orders get some pretty vests
Sony has teamed up with select artists to offer some exclusive vests for Infamous: Second Son protagonist Delsin Rowe. All those who pre-order the game through select retailers will get four vests in total, each designed by Penny Arcade, iam8bit, San Diego street artist Exist 1981 and artist and designer, Jos. Watch the video above for a closer look at each vest. Infamous: Second Son, set seven years after the events of Infamous 2, takes place in Seattle, Washington. The open-world superhero game from Sucker Punch launches for PS4 early next year.
Rumor: Infamous coming to Vita
A single sentence uttered by a developer in a recent Q&A has spawned the rumor that Sucker Punch Productions' Infamous series will be making an appearance on Sony's Vita handheld. At the 5:45 mark of the DualShockers interview above you can hear Infamous: Second Son director Nate Fox obliquely reference a potential Vita entry in the Infamous franchise when asked point-blank about its existence after misinterpreting a question regarding Vita-related functionality for Second Son. "Right now we're only talking about the PS4 game," states Fox. "I would love to talk to you about any Vita-related titles when, or if the time comes." Was this a casual slip of the tongue or something more meaningful? VGLeaks sees the quote as evidence of an upcoming Infamous game in development for the Vita. "This statement sounds like Sucker Punch has been working on Infamous for PS Vita, however it could be just a project in an early stage, a test for that hardware," said the site. The next entry in the franchise, Infamous: Second Son, is currently slated for exclusive release on the PlayStation 4 in Q1 2014. We've reached out to both Sony and Sucker Punch for more information. Update: This article's sourcing has been updated based on new information.
Infamous: Second Son trailer features gameplay, onomatopoeia
The best part of this Infamous: Second Son trailer is how it starts with developers at Sucker Punch using their words and showing off animations, but then descends into boys just making sounds. It finishes strong with a nice close-up of a dive-bomb mechanic.
