"Infamous"ly similar but still worth it
The introduction and the symbiotic-like abilities were a good snag and the initial game play was a blast as you get to try out a sample of the abilities within the game. Graphics were impressive enough, not like a FFXIII sequence with Sephiroth and Bahamut in the middle of it or anything that might've suggested the second coming, but its an action game, and the red tinge to everything in a city of infected blood zombie-ish things set a good background while you rip and slaughter everything in front of you.
Story sequences have epileptic flashes of real life photos with voice over which makes for an interesting dynamic that you and the main character have no clue of whats really going on other than the vague company with its own vague military extension have "done you wrong" and you're so full of gory angst you seem rather intent on killing all of them for doing whatever they seem to have done to you.
There were points that given the amnesia, you wonder if this guy could've had it all wrong, like there was some mistake or another, and you're just killing all the wrong people. Of course, this isn't the case, but I laughed all the same.
Anyways, graphics were acceptable, no major flaws. The mechanics of the game: the fighting and action are dynamic enough that even though some of the missions can be repetitive I've found them still intriguing as I'm always waiting to see if I can find the next guy in the web of intrigue. The abilities and switching through them during combat can be a bit clunky at first and you just wish time would stop so that you wouldn't struggle to pick the next weapon transformation while a Hunter is ravaging your bum.
The free roam is nice and not necessarily anything new beyond the running and soaring he does in comparison to skating on rail road tracks or web swinging across town. The small missions can be fun as there are the typical races and checkpoint missions and then...
The shape shifting. Probably, this factor is what sells this game over any comparison it might have to inFamous really. The shape shifting is not only innovative but incredibly enjoyable. The missions that involve shape shifting are probably one of my most favorite parts of this game and the degree of integration in the full story make it that much more enjoyable. It adds the dynamic that I believe makes up for a lack of any kind of significant alignment system as you can run an entire game during free roam and never get caught while being stealthy.
Also, this leads me into the environment. The environment changes and progressively gets worse as time goes on as the rate of infected population goes up. I think its an excellent show of progress within the disaster and cannot find much to complain about it other than maybe the small complaint that the difference between a military base and a hive in appearance is the trade out of personnel and the fact that a military base has spot lights on it and the hive has blistering zits that vomit out roided out zombies. Other than that, I can't complain much more. ;p
I recommend this game for anybody who loves an anti-hero who can not only slaughter an army and come out without any blood on his jacket but can become the enemy and have a good time with the lot of it.