• Review: inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood (PSN)

    by
    Chris "WildCardCorsair" Garcia
    Published on 05-07-2012 10:00 AM
    0 Comments Comments


    inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood

    Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
    Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
    Platform: PlayStation 3 (PSN)
    Genre: Action-Adventure, Open World
    Rating: Teen
    Release Date: October 25th, 2011

    Sucker Punch gives inFAMOUS fans another reason to jump into the shoes of Cole MacGrath with inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood on the PlayStation Network. As a non-cannon addition to the franchise, Festival of Blood adds new powers, story, and even some features that carry over into inFAMOUS 2. Will Festival of Blood be something to sink your teeth into or will the $10 price scare buyers away?

    Presentation
    In a lonely bar somewhere in New Marais, Zeke Dunbar sits alone drinking by himself while reading a comic book. When a very lovely woman walks into the bar Zeke offers to buy her a drink, only to get shot down for reading a comic about vampires. When he mentions that the comic saved the life of his best friend Cole MacGrath, her interest piques, so Zeke begins to tell her the story...

    Pyre Night in New Marais is a holiday steeped in Creole tradition. Meant to be the celebration of the town's victory over the powerful vampire "Bloody Mary" generations ago, the streets fill with revelers as they burn an effigy of the vampire. All is going well until there is a collapse in the catacombs underneath the city. Cole rushes in to help and finds himself attacked by one of the collapse’s supposed victims. He awakens staring at a shriveled and withered corpse. His captors surround him and one cuts him, allowing the blood to fall into the corpse's mouth. Slowly he watches in horror as the corpse becomes a beautiful woman. She bites Cole and as he tries to retaliate, finds that she is completely immune to his electricity. She tells him that he will be her servant once the sun rises, yet another vampire under her control. Cole flees and with Zeke's help he must find a way to subvert the vampire plot, kill Bloody Mary, and lift the curse before the entire city is lost to the vampire menace, all before the sun rises in eight short hours!

    Graphics
    inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood runs off a modified engine created for inFAMOUS 2, so players can expect the same graphical quality and feel as that game. Of course to match the Halloween lover's dream theme setting, some great changes can be seen in the familiar setting of New Marais. The game takes place entirely at night for one, and the sconces and fires light an entertaining show of dancing shadows wherever you look. This was a very welcomed effect and really helped set the mood for me. The vampires themselves have a very classic vampire feel, with nosferatu style faces and white skin. The "First born" are even more frightening being large humanoid bats that hide in human form. Old locales are redecorated to suit Pyre Night as well. An outdoor stage in the center of the southern section of the city is decorated with fake flames and images of vampires and other ghouls. Even Pyre Night posters can be seen around town, and any who stop to look around will notice the attention to atmosphere Sucker Punch took careful consideration to include. TV's feature Pyre Night ads that are hilarious, and even the town's theatre marquis advertises "horror-ified" titles based on PlayStation 3 games. You can't help but admire the details in Festival of Blood.

    One thing that was noticeably absent is an abundance of blood. It sounds strange to say but many times you would expect blood to play a prominent visual role, it does not. Cole can drink the blood of any passerby on the street, but doing so somehow leaves no mess whatsoever. It seems as if much of the games blood effects were dropped from the games initial announcement trailer to the final product to be able to avoid a Mature ESRB rating. There are blood effects in the game, but they come from the vampires, not the humans, so players expecting buckets of the stuff might feel a little left out.

    Sound/Music
    Festival of Blood's soundtrack features many Cajun style melodies that have a sinister edge to them, much like inFAMOUS 2's Red Soundtrack. The difference is the horror feel of the game finds its way more into the themes in this soundtrack than ever before. I found myself wishing that many of these original songs were available for download, as they would make an excellent addition to the other inFAMOUS soundtracks I have. The mood-setting sounds don't end there as many new voices were recorded for Cole's enemies as well. Vampires can be heard hissing or taunting you, "newborn" being a favorite insult. When you stake them they sing a slightly different tune, some cursing you, others begging for mercy. Bloody Mary herself talks to you often as well; her voice is done by April Stewart and is strangely suited to a sinister vampire of distinguished disposition. Of course the voice actors for Cole and Zeke return from inFAMOUS 2 and both are fully voiced outside of UGC missions.

    Gameplay
    Originally Festival of Blood was announced as a DLC, when in fact that couldn't be further from the truth. Not only do you not need a copy of either inFAMOUS or inFAMOUS 2 to play Festival of Blood, but the game tells its own story as well. Many of the basic gameplay mechanics are hold overs from inFAMOUS 2, but there are as many new ones created specifically for Festival of Blood. You of course play as the electrifying, high flying hero Cole MacGrath. Early on your Amp is replaced with a cross-adorned stake which works the exact same way for melee attacks. You can even still unleash powerful melee moves with the "triangle" button as you charge the stake. As a conduit, your lightning bolt, electro grenades, shockwave (blast), thunder drop, megawatt hammer (rockets), static thrusters, and electric drain powers are available to you. These can be upgraded by completing certain requirements or side quests, but the ability to choose powers to equip is gone and you are limited to these. Instead you get access to a few new abilities from your newfound vampire powers. Vampire Sense, Shadow Swarm, and staking enemies are wholly new to this experience. Once upgraded, each of these gets a little better as well, such as flying as a swarm of bats into a vampire enemy will instantly kill them as you land with your stake in their chest. While they aren't many, these new vampire abilities will be the focal point of gameplay as you begin to acquire them. Players will no doubt have a blast using them too, as the flying takes a bit of getting used to at first but it quickly becomes an extremely fun method of travel.

    Festival of Blood is a third-person open-world game that lets you tour the southernmost section of New Marais's swampland setting. In between missions that advance the story, there are plenty of things to do. Random vampire packs can be located via the minimap and thwarted from draining innocent victims dry. A little later on when you acquire Vampire Sense, glyphs only visible to vampire eyes can point the way to human harvesting sites, Bloody Mary's teachings, or canopic jars filled with blood that increase your capacity for blood storage. Tracking these down is not as hard as it sounds once you upgrade your Vampire Sense, and those seeking trophies will no doubt be glad for this as they hunt down all the jars and teachings.

    Though you are limited to one section of New Marais, the catacombs open us to a new area to explore. You can even venture in them while no missions are active, though you will most likely get your fill of them in the several missions that do take you there. Thankfully all the charm of the city is still here with many of the wires and poles for Induction Grinds and Induction Launches are still accessible. Since travel has always been a key part to the inFAMOUS experience, Sucker Punch definitely kept the "city as your playground" feel from other games intact. The controls even feel as if they've been improved on a bit, allowing for tighter turning on static thrusters, easier ledge grabbing, and easier dropping off ledges.

    Lasting Appeal
    Right off the bat (har har!) you are getting a decent 3-4 hours worth of gameplay in Festival of Blood. Not bad for a $10 PSN game. It doesn't end there however. Once completed, you are allowed to go back to midnight to hunt down any jars, teachings, or upgrades you may have missed the first time around for those collection based trophies. On top of that you get access to the UGC search function to be able to find and finish other player's original mission content. Players of inFAMOUS 2 will be familiar how this works. Those who aren't will be able to experience the nearly endless supply of additional content the UGC system can provide, and in time even make some of their own!

    This game also comes with some very cool additions for owners of inFAMOUS 2. Festival of Blood allows access to a new comic panel creator for use with UGC in inFAMOUS 2. This allows you spice up any UGC in both games with better story presentation! The last carry over bonus into inFAMOUS 2 comes in the form of PlayStation Move support. I personally do not own a Move but from what I can gather the update allows inFAMOUS 2 players to use move for all of Cole's actions.

    Conclusion
    There is hardly anything to complain about with inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood because it delivers at every turn. With more than enough gameplay to extend easily past 6 hours, UGC and PlayStation Move additions to inFAMOUS 2, and just plain fun, Festival of Blood is a truly unique PSN title and well worth the $10 price tag. The fact that this title requires no previous knowledge from the series, or even any of the previous games to play, means no one should have an excuse for missing out on this game. In fact, I think more developers should employ the use of this unique DLC/stand alone game format. As quenching as Festival of Blood is, I still find myself yearning for more super hero antics from our pal Cole MacGrath. Make it happen, Sucker Punch!

    Score:
    8.5/10

  • Review Scale

    Score 10- Flawless Victory: A score not handed out to every game. Games earning this rare score sit at the very pinnacle of excellence. These games act as the examples for which all others should be measured with. They are instant classics from the beginning. These games not only deliver what was expected of it, but also exceed the player’s expectations. The game’s features are innovative and original. No game is without its absolute flaws, but the finished product you bring home surpasses the anticipation the game has formed. A day one buy is a must. The game you hold in your hands with this score is a video game jackpot.

    Score 9 - 9.5- Outstanding: Games earning scores such as these absolutely must be played. Games that achieve this high ranking do so because they define the genres that they are in. Flaws are few and barely noticeable. Features seen in the game have been renovated to provide something new and fresh. The story, gameplay, graphics, and lasting appeal are all fantastic and is reason enough to bring the game home and to enjoy with family and friends. Every penny you spend on the game is so worth it.

    Score 8 - 8.5- Great: Any flaw the game may possess is overshadowed by its fun factor. These games would be great for gamers to play. These great games appeal to gamers more and more outside its normal player base because of what it brings to the table.

    Score 7 - 7.5- Good: Flaws do exist in these games, but the positive features of the game can counterbalance the flaws. Additionally, players who are predisposed to liking a game of a particular series or genre with this score should enjoy the game. These are in no way bad games, and much fun can be had with them. An overall good game is worth taking a look at, whether you are willing to buy the game or rent it first. That or you can also wait for the game to reach a good price.

    Score 6 - 6.5- Decent: Games falling into this category may suffer from numerous flaws (for example, graphics or gameplay), but are still worth playing. Granted, the player should be aware that a game with these scores may not guarantee them full satisfaction.

    Score 5 - 5.5- Average: An average game is one in which a game’s features are neither good nor completely terrible. Instead, the finished product is manageable. Little has been done to hold the player’s interest. If anything, rent this game before you consider buying it so that you can at least get a feel for the game’s overall experience.

    Score 4 - 4.5- Poor: Games falling into this category may only keep gamers entertained for a short while. While the game may seem enjoyable for moments at a time, it can quickly grow old and may never be revisited again. The game’s overall function is lacking in quality and may not hold the player’s attention for long. The game leaves little or nothing else to return back to.

    Score 3 - 3.5- Bad: If any positive qualities about a game in this category exist, it is not enough to redeem the game for its shortcomings. Sure you may find yourself playing it, but for how long? You will wind up not giving the game a second glance.

    Score 2 - 2.5- Horrible: Games such as these may not be totally unplayable, they nearly are. Additionally, they may lack, or greatly suffer in, the fundamental functionality of the software as a whole. The game simply does not come close to meeting industry standards at the time of its release.

    Score 1 - 1.5- Appalling: Gamers should avoid this game at all costs. The game was clearly not ready to make its way to store shelves in its status. Save your money and find something else. See it in the bargain bin? No! Stay away! Keep moving and look for something else.

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