It's hard to find a modern AAA superhero video game franchise better than Marvel's Spider-Man. The rights to such iconic characters as Spider-Man, Batman and Superman can be difficult to acquire and tricky to navigate, and audiences tend to have sky-high expectations. Basically, when Insomniac reveals that it will release a Spider-Man or Wolverine adaptation, the pressure for critical and commercial success is palpable.
But things used to be a little different. In the early days of the gaming medium, superhero video games were often inspired by arcades and eventually gravitated towards the trend of licensed films in the 21st century. This led to mixed results: for everyone Spider-Man 2 there were several lackluster or phoned-in projects, resulting in a worsening audience cynicism over the years. Now known for effectively leading the industry with superhero adaptations, Sony has dealt with these changing expectations and demands by creating new characters and lore. Inglorious franchises, games that are still far more unique and impressive than the games from Marvel's Spider-Man label, in many ways.
The first infamous introduced players to a whole new world
There's nothing quite like walking around New York and beating up bad guys like Spider-Man, but these gameplay elements can often feel more like emulation than completely original. There is a clear emphasis on cinematic or flashy gameplay combined with state-of-the-art visuals, rather than a desire to deliver deep and thoughtful gameplay. When adapting a character like Spider-Man or Batman, there are several factors that studios can influence, not the least of which is the established lore and tone.
But 2009 Inglorious had no such restrictions, giving Sucker Punch Productions considerable freedom to develop the game systems they adopted Sly Cooper series. Inglorious Set in Empire City, a fictional American metropolis that was clearly intended to represent New York City, this decision alone opened the door for more creativity. There was no chance that viewers would pick apart Empire City for its accuracy to reality, as there is no real-world counterpart to measure it against.
In addition to settings, IngloriousThe cast of characters and world building were freed from the rules and pedigree of the source material. Cole McGrath, the main character of the game, managed to have a unique and original story; his acquisition of lightning powers did not have to adhere to predetermined rules or precedents; the story's shocking villain didn't require an interesting comic book counterpart. This freedom set the stage IngloriousA story and gameplay that are both inventive and exciting even after all these years.
These originality points can also be used Prototypea quasi-superhero game from the same era.
The super-powered game Infamous is smart and exciting
I've always felt that Inglorious is a bit overlooked in the gaming department. It doesn't have to be as polished as something similar Batman: Arkham Asylumlet alone Marvel's Spider-Manbut it is far more creative. Cole gains lightning-based abilities at the start of the game, and his set of abilities becomes more and more varied and extensive as the game progresses. With his abilities built so specifically around electricity, Cole can eventually pull off all kinds of cool maneuvers, such as:
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“Grinding” on electric wires and train tracks
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Converting bodies of water into electric traps
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Summoning Pillars of Lightning from the Sky (Controlled by DualShock Gyroscope)
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Forming vanes from concentrated electrical energy
These powers would eventually expand to include other elements Inglorious' sequels like Smoke, Fire and Ice, but Cole's lightsaber powers remain the most concentrated rendition of the concept. Cole McGrath is naturally far from the first electricity-based superhero, with DC's Static Shock perhaps the closest parallel, but these characters have historically been underrepresented in games. Additionally, given the traditionally family orientation of superhero stories, such heroes would likely lack the narrative or mechanical complexity of Cole.
Infamous is darker than most superhero stories, and that's a good thing
The choice between good and evil is at the heart of the infamous experience
Cole McGrath may be the quintessential hero who helps people in need and saves the day without suffering mass casualties, but Inglorious breaks the superhero mold by giving the player the final say in the matter: you can play Inglorious as an evil, super-powered maniac if you so choose. Cole's moral alignment is determined by fairly predictable factors such as binary narratives or civilian casualties. For example, players can choose to sacrifice a character to complete a mission or use exclusively lethal combat methods when fighting enemies.
Making “bad” choices will change the appearance of Cole's character model and the lightning he's able to emit – blue lightning for good plays, red (and eventually black) lightning for bad plays. More significant are the abilities Cole gains based on his ethical orientation. Simply put, good practices will allow players to gain access to powers designed around accuracy and incapacitation, while bad practices will result in more destructive, indiscriminate AoE attacks. This morality system thus leads to significant replay value as it affects the gameplay as much as the story itself.
Infamous' Story Is Free from Marvel, DC Oversight
Something that always annoyed me Marvel's Spider-Man is her reluctance to embrace a darker narrative or a more mature tone. Characters are often strictly good or evil, clues are protected by the plot, and supposedly disturbing plotlines like a symbiote invasion are stripped of their impact, nastiness, and venom (no pun intended).
Without going into spoilers, Inglorious it's definitely not like that. If anything, it suffers a bit from edgy late 2000s trends, but even that is a nice change of pace from modern, over-sanitized superhero stories. There is a real sense of danger and stakes in the world Inglorious which, coupled with the freedom the game provides, adds more weight to the hero's burden. This in turn makes for a more interesting and compelling narrative that still feels like a superhero story even as it defies convention left and right.
