Just when the world needs a hero Cole MacGrath is back to either save or destroy the world only this time he is more powerful and more in control of his destiny. Empire City lays in ruin and you get blamed for it all, as the rest of the world comes under threat Cole makes his way down the cost in search of undiscovered powers capable of defeating the real cause of the disaster …the Beast.
The game opens in the last few moments of Empire City where Cole must face the Beast, ultimately he fails and has to flee to New Marais. Here he witnesses a lawless city torn apart from natural disaster ruled by a power hungry dictator and enforced by a ruthless gang of militia who are hell-bent on wiping him out.
This time around Cole and his powers are more focused and feel much more powerful, he uses his abilities to the maximum whether it be for good or for evil. Just like its predecessor part two lets you choose how you want to act, choices have consequences and its more than evident here. Treat people well and help out the citizens and they will respect you but destroying the world around them will cause them to despise you sometimes even throwing rocks or punches your way. Cole can handle whatever comes his way so it really doesn’t matter how you choose to play, but its worth playing through it twice with each karma option because the story changes drastically as do the missions.
The story like most aspects of the game has received a fresh coat of polish indeed the location itself seems more vivid and better built. Empire City was a great location it had a tremendously good sense of scale but this time around players are treated to a explore wider variety of urban wonder. If Empire City was based on New York City then New Marais is based on New Orleans, however it too has been ravaged by a disastrous flood so Cole has to literally watch his step. The buildings are beautifully rendered and though some are decrepit or run down they perfectly fit the world around you, along the way you unlock districts one of my favourite being an industrial area full of towers and structures to climb and leap from.
The first thing I noticed playing the game was Coles voice, its changed drastically but you quickly adjust and it doesn’t really become an issue anymore. The soundtrack too has been brought right up to scratch, its not intrusive as such indeed there are times it seems to vanish altogether but its there when you need it. The usual sounds of Coles powers cracking into life, crowds of people on the streets, cars passing, enemies firing or engaging you, in fact the whole package sounds expertly composed. The graphics have been overhauled and visually its stunning, its certainly a vast improvement over the first one in that Cole and the world around him looks and feels more realistic than ever. As the story progresses the weather and time of day change with it, its not a major feature of the game but it does add an even deeper sense of realism to the experience and ambience especially when a storm blows in and Cole utilizes it to really let his powers rip.
When it comes to powers Cole enjoys a new and more improved gauntlet of crushing electrically charged energies at his disposal only this time as the story progresses other elements can be added into the mix. In the first game I never really felt like Cole was all that because he just didn’t seem overly powerful, sure he could shoot lightning but he was still new to utilizing it. Cole can now use bigger and better powers to cripple his enemies, the older powers are still there but the new ones are more fun and much more useful especially since some of them make getting around the map easier. Included is his new handheld weapon known as the amp, think of an oversized cattle prod and you get the picture, combined with special takedowns the amp can be very useful against targets of all sizes.
There are plenty of opportunities for Cole to use his newfound powers and abilities, New Marais is not just overrun with corrupt and brutal militia its infested with monsters. The militia are easy enough to defeat and are a lot like the reapers in the first game, they carry assault rifles and some of them pack rocket launchers. Other enemies include a brethren of ex-mercenaries with the power to control ice, and a whole host of gruesome monsters. Taking out your foes is fun again and Cole employs a barrage of stunts and special take-downs. For fans of the original collectibles like shards and dead drops make a welcome return, however finding them this time seemed much easier than ever before. The side missions make a return too, they are simple enough and can be a bit repetitive but they can be fun and its the best way to earn experience points used to purchase newer powers which you will need to progress through the story. Other little missions pop up from time to time and usually involve disarming bombs, stopping muggers, basically helping out mankind …of course if you are playing evil you can deal with it differently and still get experience points.
A new addition to the game is the User Generated Content (UGC), it might sound technical but its basically a scaled down version of a level editor. UGC lets the player build and set their own unique missions, then upload them online so that others can play them. It might sound like a big leap in gameplay but its not really up to scratch and has a few issues, its a nice inclusion but I really didn’t see the need for it in fact most of the UGC mission I did try out online were either poorly made or just didn’t work. UGC does award experience points but its capped so you really only come away with 100 or 200 points, this is obviously to prevent players from farming or boosting points unfairly. In fairness I’m used to the level editing power of LittleBigPlanet 1 & 2 so naturally UGC would seem rather scaled down but I do think the game could stand up without it regardless of the extra lifespan.
So my final thoughts on the game are as follows. It is presented more vividly and has a more natural flow to the controls, it sounds better in almost every aspect, the enemies have a lot more thought put into them and react better especially the monsters, Cole moves better and utilizes his powers to their full potential, the karma system doesn’t seem like its been overhauled by too much but there are plenty of choices to be made, the inclusion of other elemental powers serves to really spice the game up. If you are recognizing a trend here its simply because the game meets all my expectations and more, its a perfect sequel which is very rare in games these days.
I played the game twice on both good and evil, the game did change and though it wasn’t drastic it did make an enjoyable change each time. For trophy hunters there are a huge number of fun and attainable awards up for grabs, I generally try to avoid hunting down a platinum but just like its predecessor 100% can be reached with a simple enough amount of dedication so I managed to get it on my second playthrough. If like many people you only recently played the first one because it was free on the PSN then I strongly recommend you part with your cash for this highly electrically charged follow up. I really loved the game when really I didn’t think it would improve too much on the original, it was fun all the way with lots to do whether you wanted to help preserve the fragile city of New Marais or completely raise it to the ground. I’m giving it a well deserved 9 out of 10, it loses one mark for the evil ending and for the lack of real control over the UGC – other than that its high powered platforming bliss where no building is off limits and the world truly is in your hands to do with as you please.
