David-D--NelsonEnjoying inFamous: Second Son ? I am.
I was hoping for some bigger overall upgrades this generation but that core inFamous power-crazy action is intact and ready for all to enjoy. It's a good thing that the gameplay is the star too because there is disagreement over the viability of the main character.
There is always bound to be such a thing but without a proper trilogy for Cole MacGrath, fans like myself thought perhaps it wasn't time to move on yet. We have moved on though, or Sucker Punch has anyway, to Delsin Rowe. He's a young 1990's style Seattle punk packing spray paint and rockin' a Coldplay knit hat.
In Ben's review he mentions (though places little importance on) his distaste for this new main character. I agree with him. I was hoping to think of him like DmC 's New Dante, who turned out to be a well-rounded and witty personage typical of Ninja Theory's great character creation. Young Mr. Rowe didn't quite live up to those hopes. He behaves and speaks generally as I did in junior high, which seemed lame and a missed opportunity to explore how superpowers can be more than a purely juvenile entertainment.
I found Cole quite different, he was more of the “regular guy gets superpowers” story that Sucker Punch keeps talking about. A gritty, drop-out bike messenger with a small circle of friends, Cole truly held the right qualities to either turn good or break bad. He was an every day badass (parkour and urban exploration expert) who did what it took and laid down the truth with some great narration. Delsin is less a regular guy and more a ready-made “fight the power” PG-13 movie hero in my opinion. I'd be fine if he doesn't even get his own sequel and the series moves on yet again.
Overall I feel like Cole was graphic novel inFamous and Delsin is comic book inFamous . Granted, I've got plenty of room to grow to like Delsin as there is a lot of game left in which to do it, but right now I'm planting myself firmly in Camp Cole. I'm not saying the old games are better than the new one, or that my opinions are gospel, just that I prefer the previous protagonist.
Agree? Disagree? Time for the fans to weigh in and tell us why you are in Camp Cole or Camp Delsin.
I like them both. I think Cole is very typical of a hero stereotype though and maybe that's why I really enjoyed the change of pace with Delsin. Plus – Troy Baker did an amazing job with Delsin, IMO.
I don't want to have to pick a camp. I DO like ISS the best of all the games though – so good and sooooo much polish! PURDY.
Baker does do well as usual, but with some extra irky dialogue imo.
Camp Cole, definitely.
I think your dislike of Delsin, especially calling him annoying in your synopsis, is the only part of your review of inFamous: SS that I outright didn't agree with. He has his moments, as do probably all of us, where he's annoying, but he's not annoying in general.
Anyway, that's all opinion; it doesn't lend credibility to being as unbiased as possible in a critic's capacity.
He's not annoying, his attitude is. The entire time, I'm just rolling my eyes, going- "OMG, grow the fu** UP."
His personality fits the theme of the game perfectly, which I feel as though a lot of journalists overlooked.
He grew up in a world that was corrupted by both the government and the people, so it only makes sense to have a darker sarcastic side to his personality. While some of the lines are certainly cheesy, they can also be looked at as being witty and full of dark humor. Delsin is also a rebel, but a warmhearted one. He reminds me of a skateboarder in his early and mid teens. That sense of freedom you have when you defy the law around you.
Honestly, I feel as though Delsin is one of the best protagonists in any game, ever. While he isn't a traditional character with a normal personality, he also doesn't exactly live within a normal world. Sarcasm and dark humor is all you have in a world like that.
Delsin doesn't say one witty thing in the entire adventure. I'm sorry but I see nothing besides adolescent angst, which is just plain boring.
Camp Delsin, by FAR.
Cole essentially ruined Infamous 2 for me. Couldn't enjoy the game anymore.
I hear you on Cole — I lost interest in Infamous 1 because I really couldn't get into Cole at all. The game makers tried to hard to make him serious and dark and tortured, IMO.
I like Cole and Delsin. I'm in camp inFamous. We all killed Cole. at least most of us did. Sucker Punch explained that based on gamers decision to sacrifice Cole in inFamous2, he is gone for good. I'm okay with that and the story continues with Delsin or any conduit they choose for the future of the franchise.
I like the way inFamous seems to be heading in a direction similar to The Crow, except in The Crow once you got revenge you couldn't be the next one. SP has the option to keep Delsin or move on to a new character.
Same here. I think at the end of the day Cole and Delsin are an afterthought to me. But it's only cause I enjoy the gameplay and control in inFAMOUS so much that when I'm finished playing, I don't even care about the story.
And that's the bottom line. I like Delsin a lot, but for these sorts of games, characters take a back seat to the world and superpowers. Turning into a frigging neon phantom light and sprinting up the side of a skyscraper would be a blast no matter who I was playing as 🙂
Cole was o.k. but I like Delsin better. Not only do I like the character better but also his superpowers. I've been having a blast playing ISS.
One thing I would like to be able to do is change the look of the character though. I really enjoyed having different costumes to choose from in Tomb Raider Definitive Edition.
I wish I could do that to Delsin, at least let me choose different hat types.
And changing what's on the back of his vest is not enough, need different attire all-together.
Come oooooooon, guys.
Seriously, though, Delsin all day long.
Liked Cole more.
Camp Delsin for me. The guy is just too cool. Mind you Cole had his moments, but well Delsin rocks his powers.
He's just so HAPPY to use his super powers, which is how I feel playing the game. It's a much more natural fit for me! When Delsin shoots lasers or turns himself into a giant bomb or whatever, it's an absolute blast — I love the "here comes trouble" grin he gives the camera on the way down with that sweet bomb attack. So fun!!!
I like them both. I don't need to choose a team or camp. Delsin is cooler and accepts his powers more readily. Cole is more stereotypical and serves the hero position better.
The voice acting for Delsin is better, which is why I might give him the edge. But I have a lot of nostalgia for good ol' Cole where the franchise began.
Digital Foundry gave Delsin the edge in an Infamous face off. 😉
We should bear in mind Cole himself had a major identity change at one point. Cole in 1 and Cole in 2 are a bit different.
You speak of juvenile talk from delsin and mention DmC Dante? Sorry I can't take this rant seriously. That Dante has to be the worst rendition of Dante, even more juvenile than the originals. Saying curse words does not equal "adult". Delsin is a better written character than Dante and on even ground to cole.
New Dante acts like he has legitimate angst, his cursing and joking aren't on that same juvenile level. And by the end we get to know who he really is behind that particular mask.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 3/27/2014 8:31:43 AM
Infamous 2 was a great game but let's not pretend like Cole slaw was some great character , he was kinda boring story wise
LOL Cole Slaw 🙂
He was cooler though, it's cool versus spaz.
Maybe Delsin can "grow up" for the sequel and be a different type of character, possibly more like Cole or how about like his brother the Cop?
It's that smirk he makes when he does that smoke bomb drop that's rubbing some people the wrong way isn't it?
Last edited by Xombito on 3/27/2014 2:03:57 AM
Give Delsin a chance. I'm sure his character will grow in the next Infamous game
I will give him more of a chance while I continue to play, but there's no way I'll be able to embody him as I could with Cole.
I got a feeling that the question depends on what your own age is.
That or your mental age 🙂
Yeah well… What other age is there? 🙂
Personally I really seriously hate it when I feel too old for a game. I don't want to be a teenager, not in real life and not in a game.
Sadly that's how I feel in this new inFamous, too old to play as Delsin. Cole I could play in a movie in a heartbeat with just a head shave.
That is what I fear for me too. And since I usually need to feel some kind of connection to the character I am playing, I'm worried that this will annoy me in a major fashion.
Yeah, you're probably right.
That's probably why I'm firmly in the Cole camp as well. I can relate to Cole allot more than Delsin.
So wait, if you are younger you will like Deslin. If you are old you like Cole.
ahahahaha. That kind of speaks to the mentality of old people. So serious and boring 😛
I live in Seattle and video games are supposed to be a diversion from reality. As d-baggy as Delsin is, it's like I'm forced to be one of the d-bag punks around here I despise being near. I think apathetic is the best many of those types are capable of being, so I guess playing Delsin as good IS an escape from reality…oh, and the superpowers! 😉
as a good guy i dont mind him, i actually like the restrained nature.
the new DMC dante was a little too crude and over the top, just got a little childish and silly at times.
i quite like delsins humor, especially the scene where you find fetchs hideout, yup those are definitely girls boots.
has a good sense of humor, like dante, but does not take it too far to turn it childish.
evil though it just does not suit him, he talks the talk but does not act or walk the walk.
even at the start when hes talking to betty i was just shaking my head and going oh come on he would not say that that line totally does not fit his character!
even the end credits, he does all that for his tribe, than goes and does that?
for what?
as if, come on thats not even .0000000000000001% believeable!
and that highlights perfectly whats destroyed the game, everything feels rushed and half done.
the good side lines suit him well and hes characters personalities ok, but its like when it came to do the casting for the bad lines oops we didnt leave ourselves enough time.
Not sure which I prefer. I like them both. Although I'd say Delsin edges out a bit more for me, just because he enjoys his powers more and I enjoy his personality slightly more – sarcasm and dark humour is a plus for me.
I will admit that I find it hard to stomach the idea that you think Ninja Theory's Dante is anything close to a well-written character. If anything, he's much more juvenile than Delsin at most points in his development. The infamous "swear-off" with the Succubus springs to mind….*shudder*
I'm glad you wrote this David, since I was just too busy yesterday to weigh in in the review's comments…
I actually really, really like the Delsin character: I think the blatant nods to the almost 25 year old grunge scene — the clothes, turns of phrase that sound like they were pulled straight out of Wayne's World — is a playful wink to guys like me who remember that era with a grin (and a bit of embarrassment!) Unlike Cole, he's not the least bit conflicted about his powers. He loves 'em! I think that's the modus operandi for the game, too: though it touches on some serious issues, it's overall tone is playful and doesn't take itself too seriously. I find that tone so refreshing: in an era when the biggest developers strive toward ever-more-realistic war simulators, and "mature" gaming seems to only ever be synonymous with darkness, a little light goes a long way.
In fact, I honestly didn't love Cole's character for that reason. The gravelly voice was over the top, the "tortured and reluctant hero" thing is so played out in games, and frankly I thought the game took itself too seriously. It's a superhero "simulator", y'know? I think it's ok to lighten up a bit 🙂 I think the shift in tone in Second Son is a great one.
Bottom line, loving the game (though those morality choices were pretty lame five years ago, they REALLY feel outdated now, I just ignore them and always do good) and I think Delsin serves as a really fun avatar for the player.
I do like the call backs to the grunge scene.
I liked the dynamic between Delsin and Reggie.
I really wanted them to explore that more, like how Reggie hate's conduits and isn't really dealing with the fact that his brother is a conduit. He NEVER really deals with it actually. Just tries to ignore it, always thinks he can "cure" him like it is some illness.
I wanted to see a reconciliation with that, where Reggie accepts that not all conduits are evil.
As of now, I'm a part of Camp Cole. Perhaps Delsin will grow on me but, for now, I'm not all that keen with him.
I liked Delsin, the story moved too quickly and did not give much time to show all of him (sucker Punch always drops the ball in this department). Losing his brother might force him to grow up and mature in future installments. This is the classic case of great actor, horrible script.
I think sucker Punch should lend out the ip to naughty dog.
Last edited by karneli lll on 3/27/2014 1:16:25 PM
World, I'm a little confused by the new Dante being better developed. If anything he's just more foul mouthed. But to the question, I can't say Cole or Delsin. Reason being is that the original Cole and the Cole from inFamous 2 have very didn't personalities. Deslin fits second son thus far. Haven't beaten the game yet but I don't see anything wrong with him
Did you play all through DmC? Or any Ninja Theory game? They do characters quite well, it's nuanced, but it's well done. Having some swear words come from this character doesn't do him any disservice, he is defined by using his powers to do what is morally right in his fight in contrast to his brother who does whatever is necessary to win that fight. Dante is shown to be a sleazy foul mouthed boozer who, when pushed into action, shows his true nature while protecting Kat (the only human) from both the antagonist and increasingly the madness of his own brother.
@ World, 'cept for the fact that Dante was an already established character that Ninja Theory quickly changed up. Delsin rocks, he's a new character and if they use him again I'm sure they can do more with him. As for Dante, well let that new DMC thing fade away. Dante was cool before DMC Dante existed.
Yeah I've completed DmC about a week or so ago. I can't really say the new Dante is better developed. There wasn't any real character development needed. They took what they knew about previous entries and simply put their own spin on it. I mean seriously the dialogue was of poor choice. I mean seriously we had to experience a moment where Dante and the Succubus shout F you back and forth. At the end of the say all they did was change his look, added unneeded cussing dialogue, and provided a story that could be followed but was pretty weak. Now the gameplay was awesome, but no way can i say new Dante was better developed..
Camp Jacob. Duh.