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GDC: How Sucker Punch built inFamous' big city with a small team
Last year's shockingly awesome superhero title inFamous boasted a massive sandbox world known as Empire City -- a playground full of climbable, grindable, shootable objects. It was an impressive environment, made all the more impressive by a startling piece of information revealed by Sucker Punch's Nate Fox during a recent GDC panel: The whole city was created by a team of just 12 artists. Fox explained that this feat was accomplished with the liberal reusing of the game's catalog of environmental assets. For example, there were only two types of cars in the game, differentiated by hue shifts and decals. The map was partitioned into a hexagonal grid -- the inspiration for which came from the popular board game Carcassonne, Fox explained. Edges of each hex were designed to effortlessly fit together, allowing designers to make minor changes to each compartment, and paste the location into another chunk of the city. This might sound like a cheap tactic for a developer to employ, but Fox explained that a developer's time and resources are limited. By swiftly executing the creation of a game's setting, the developers are given more of an opportunity to focus on designing "evil lairs" and other memorable landmarks. Oh, and according to Fox, the industry term for these outstanding structures is "Weenies." Yes, for that reason. Yes, that is wonderful. %Gallery-26262%
inFamous is temporarily inExpensive, $27 on Amazon
Did you miss out on Sucker Punch's shockingly awesome superhero simulator, inFamous? Today's the perfect day to rectify your oversight -- Amazon's offering the title for just $26.99 until the end of the day. If you're wondering whether or not it's worth this price, we'd remind you that this is a game where you can electrocute large groups of innocent civilians with a single, errant bolt, provided they're standing in a large enough puddle. Of course it's worth it.
PTOM rumor: inFamous 2 coming in 2010
The latest issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine (detailing Crysis 2) has a seemingly innocent feature called "Second to None" in its news section. Promising "the scoop on three hugely anticipated sequels slated for 2010," the magazine details Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, and inFamous 2. Wait, what? If you didn't notice, one of these three games hasn't been officially announced. The magazine speculates that inFamous 2 will "[pick] up a significant time after the first game, offering a reshaped metropolis." A Sony representative shot down the magazine's report though, stating, "we do not comment on rumor or speculation." While Sony remains hush about an inFamous sequel, it seems reasonable to assume that it's only a matter of time before the game comes to fruition. However, the 2010 date pegged by the magazine is likely speculation: The sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, while announced, hasn't been dated for a release this year. Would both Rocksteady and Sucker Punch be able to turn over sequels to their summer blockbusters just one year after they release? And most importantly, would gamers even want that?
Joystiq's Top 10 of 2009: inFamous
The likelihood that any of us will walk outside one day and -- BAM! -- suddenly have superpowers bestowed upon us is -- let's face it -- pretty much nil. (We say "pretty much," since, well, you never know.) Thankfully, in the realm of video games, such a scenario is commonplace. For the most part, we only ever get to watch as a game's lead character becomes a superhero in a cutscene, or, most commonly, the game is based on a long-established character from another medium, mainly comic books. There are a lot of reasons behind our enjoyment of InFamous, but the fact that the game let us play as an everyman while he gradually became a superhero (or supervilain) gave us a rare chance to fulfill that "what if?" fantasy in the role of a total unknown, much as we'd be. Of course, if the game only let us experience what it would be like to be a guy who could only, oh, levitate paperclips and small rocks, what'd be the point? So InFamous gradually doles out power after power, all based around electricity (with a clever mechanic for recharging oneself), the most basic of which is firing lighting from your hands. The powers not only increase in oomph -- they significantly change how the fictional open-world Empire City, with its distinct districts and demilitarized zone atmosphere, is navigated by players. Cole McGrath boasts parkour and climbing skills that put Assassin Creed II's protagonist Ezio to shame ... and that's before he can electro-grind around the city's railways or, oh, fly. While the game is great at conveying how considerable having such powers in the real world would be -- use too much force and you'll send cars flying into a crowd of innocent bystanders -- it also changes to reflect whether you're choosing to use the powers for good or evil. (Maybe you meant to toss that four-door into the crosswalk.) This introduces some twists in the fairly uneven plot, but, more importantly, changes the powers you command and the way the city's inhabitants react to you. Travel too far down one path and there's no going back. Superhero games that aren't based on comics, movies or TV shows are rare, and we can't imagine another topping this electrifying experience anytime soon. %Gallery-26262% << Back(6) | Comment | 4. Here, there be excellent games >>
inFamous becomes almost-Greatest Hits game, drops to $40
Click to read the inFamous comic. Sucker Punch's superpower game has sold 1.2 million copies, according to a recent update by the PlayStation.Blog. According to Sony's rules, that's enough to make the game a certifiable "Greatest Hits" title. However, a game can't don the ugly budget box art until ten months after the game's original ship date. Until then, inFamous will get an almost-Greatest Hits price for its almost-Greatest Hits status: $39.99, effective immediately. Also, the former GameStop-exclusive power-up Gigawatt Blades will be available for all as a free PSN download, starting December 10 -- a nice freebie for latecomers to the game. Considering Black Friday has already passed, it seems like Sony may have missed the best opportunity to announce a price drop on inFamous. Of course, there might be another motive behind this move: to keep this game on the mind of video game editors (and fans) readying their GOTY lists.
Sucker Punch hiring network programmer, adding online support to next game
Normally, we wouldn't write a story simply stating that a developer's next, unannounced title will include some form of online multiplayer support -- however, based on the cliffhanger ending from InFamous (and the apparent re-casting of Cole MacGrath's voice actor) it would be completely logical to assume that Sucker Punch is working on a sequel to its electrified superhero sim. Therefore, one might also assume that the company's recently posted job listing, which requests the services of a network programmer who has "experience building on-line components of video games," means InFamous 2 will have some form of online mode. We know, we know -- that's a whole lot of assumptions. Still, we're sticking to the old adage of "when you assume, you make an ass of you and me, but sometimes, you can totally predict things before they happen by simply making an educated guess." We'll contact someone over at Sucker Punch to try and help our chances. [Via CVG]
Actor's Twitter hints at inFamous lead recasting
Before a game is really, totally announced, you've got to keep an eye out for little hints that it may be on the way. Take, for instance, the sequel to inFamous that may or may not exist. We already knew developer Sucker Punch was looking to add an artist familiar with the "urban style" that figured prominently in the first inFamous game. Now, actor David Sullivan has tweeted (as spotted by G4) that he's being considered for the role of Cole, which he says is being recast for a sequel. You may know Sullivan from the indie hit Primer, or as the subject of actor Jason Cottle's forthcoming book, Job Stealers I Totally Hate.
What's in a Name: Sucker Punch
We loved inFamous despite its unfortunate capitalization decisions, but since it's considered rude to ask about that sort of thing, we instead grilled the folks at Sucker Punch on how they came up with their studio's name: "The other company founders and I had worked at Microsoft for a decade or so before starting our new company. Having chafed under corporate policies about what constituted an acceptable project code name, we were looking forward to giving the company a name we'd never ever get away with at Microsoft. "We came up with a list of ten or so names, and eventually my lovely and talented wife saw the list. She said (and I quote), 'I don't care what you call the company -- as long as it isn't Sucker Punch.' We figured that the best way to choose a name a 14-year-old boy would think was cool was to choose a name that a lovely and talented 38-year-old woman thought was unacceptable ... so 'Sucker Punch' it was! "After twelve years, I believe I've been forgiven." - Chris Zimmerman, Sucker Punch co-founder and development director Liked this story? Be sure to check out the What's In A Name archives.
inFamous costume hitting LittleBigPlanet on August 6
inFamous may be two months old at this point, but it's never too late to reignite the flame with some LittleBigPlanet downloadable content. That's exactly what you'll be seeing next week, August 6, when two new costumes will be made available on the PSN store. Both of the costumes allow you to recreate the likeness of inFamous' Cole MacGrath though, just like in the game, you'll be able to decide whether your Sackboy will be good or evil. You can check out the good costume after the break. With this DLC already having been pushed back, it doesn't look like we'll be getting any new LBP content this week. There's also no pricing info for this inFamous costume, but we're expecting it to cost as much as other similar packs.
inFamous Home space encourages vandalism, electrocution
PlayStation Home is becoming, well, home to a number of new game-specific spaces, the latest of which -- devoted to inFamous -- has been revealed by Sony. Set to be added to the virtual world on Thursday, July 2 (hey, that's tomorrow!), the themed location ("The Abandoned Docks of Empire City") will feature a couple of interactive goodies, including the ability for users to create graffiti designs using Sony's tool set (to prevent any naughtiness, we suppose) which can be seen -- and voted on -- by other Homers. Much more exciting, though, is a shooting gallery minigame where (after waiting in line for, like, forever, spamming the X button) Cole-esque electric bolts are used to knock down targets fashioned after Reapers, Dustmen and the like. We were hoping for a corresponding announcement of a new "Zeke's Rooftop" private space, but, alas, it's seemingly not to be, at least for now. Check out a video tour of the new inFamous space after the break, along with high-res screens below. %Gallery-67194%
inFamous space coming to PlayStation Home
In a recent post on the PlayStation.Blog, SCEA's Katie Reid revealed a few random inFamous facts. According to the post, the inFamous demo is the fastest demo ever to reach 1,000,000 downloads. Will those demo downloads all turn into purchases? The biggest news hidden in the post must be the revelation of an inFamous space for Home. No other details (or images) were revealed, but we're sure it will let you walk around in a small section of Empire City. Odds are low that you'll get magical electricity superpowers when entering.
The inFamous comic comes to an end
Chances are you've already beaten inFamous by now -- and boy, what an ending! (No spoilers in the comments, please.) We're proud to present you the last half of the inFamous comic, which chronicles events that occur before the game's main adventure. Get insight into John's investigation of the Cole and the Reapers. You'll even find out why there are so many manikins on Zeke's roof. Start from the beginning, or jump to the new content: Issue One Issue Two Issue Three Issue Four
Canadian Best Buy offers $30 inFamous, $10 Patapon 2
According to Best Buy's "Summer of Savings" flier, Canadian gamers are getting some seriously discounted games. PSP owners can pick up Resistance Retribution ($15) and Patapon 2 ($10), while PS3 owners will be able to get this summer's big PS3 blockbuster, inFamous, for only $30. Once again, these deals are Canada only -- our American readers can finally be jealous of our mounty-lovin' friends up north. [Thanks, Bryan!]
Interview: Sucker Punch's Nate Fox on inFamous and inSpiration
If you've been spending a lot of time enjoying the electro-shockery featured in inFamous, you've got the guy pictured above -- and the other 50-odd members of Sucker Punch Productions -- to thank. His name is Nate Fox, game director for inFamous and a writer/designer who has a decade of tenure with the studio. We had a chance to sit down with Nate at E3 to get a post-mortem look at the high voltage superhero sim, and to finally inquire what lies within protagonist Cole's mysterious backpack. So, Nate Fox, how long have you been at Sucker Punch? Nate Fox: I've been at Sucker Punch for over 10 years. When I started, I had a full head of hair. That is not a lie.
Metareview: inFamous (PS3)
We're not going to say inFamous' quality is a big surprise (this is Sucker Punch after all) but it's nice to see someone getting the superhero genre so right. Everyone (including us) has been piling the love on it, and we've taken the liberty of providing with just a slice of the love fest below: 1UP (A-): "It's how InFamous blends all of this -- the platforming, the combat, the powers, the missions, and the Karma -- that makes it an eminently playable and enjoyable experience for me. It's why I've been staying up so late for the past few days." D+PAD (4.5/5): "Yet remarkably, inFamous - as a whole - feels entirely unique. It's perhaps largely due to Sucker Punch's ability in creating an outstanding animation system that subtly adapts to the environment, but also because of the game's suitably atmospheric setting." GamePro (90/100): "Great game, minor faults, a lot of fun to be had, terrible story but the gameplay holds up despite it. Maybe this "sleeping on it" thing has some merit, after all." NZGamer (9.5/10): "Any other games vying for the crown of Game of the Year 2009 pay attention - there's a new kid in town and he means business."
2 Player Productions' inside look at Sucker Punch raises dev diary bar
Here's a fun, recently discovered fact -- people who make video games are ... people! We know, we know. Stop the presses! This fact came to our attention in the form of 2 Player Productions' recent three-part developer diary for inFamous -- though, really, inFamous isn't the centerpiece of their work. It's about the minds behind the game: The charismatic, hard-working folks from Sucker Punch Productions. It's a great piece of work -- the diary and the game are, that is -- and we've posted it after the break for your perusal and enjoyment. So ... peruse! Enjoy!
inFamous commercial lights up your TV
Shock! It looks as if Sony is actually going through with inFamous' promised multi-million dollar marketing campaign. This TV spot was found by a tipster, haran_elessar. The 30 second promo highlights Cole's electrifying powers, and hints at the morality system central to the game's plot. You'll be able to play the game for yourself this week, but if you want another tease, check out GameTrailers' exclusive release trailer after the break.
Amazon UK reveals inFamous PS3 bundle
Images of a supposed 80GB PS3 + inFamous bundle have been circulating the video game blogosphere for the past few weeks. Sony has been hesitant to comment on the package, but a recent online retail listing cleared up the confusion -- the bundle is real, and coming to Amazon UK on May 29. Those interested in simultaneously acquiring the shockingly good superhero title and the system on which it runs can grab both for £279.99. We've contacted SCEA to find out if this deal is coming stateside. Consider our fingers crossed.
Play the inFamous Flash game to electrify your work day
Bored at work right now? Don't worry! The long weekend is almost here. You can pass the time by playing this brand new inFamous Flash game. The 2D side-scroller has you jumping and using electric powers -- just like in the PS3 game -- choosing between acts of good or evil. We're guessing this'll tend to evil if you're still at work. It may not be the deepest of games, but it'll certainly pass the time before the full game comes out. To give the inFamous Flash game a whirl, you can check out Agame.com.
More inFamous comic pages available to read now
The inFamous comic continues today with another seven pages, which we've added to our gallery below. You can either start reading the comic from the beginning or start directly from the new pages. We've put them in the correct order in our gallery, so just click through and enjoy. If the comic's story and gorgeous art style -- which mirrors inFamous' in-game cutscenes -- hasn't persuaded you to grab this game when it comes out next week, be sure to check out our review. There's also a behind-the-scenes video to watch after the break. %Gallery-63066%
