By: @DemonofEmpireYT
When people think of poorly optimized games nowadays, they think of games like Cyberpunk 2077. The PC version of Batman Arkham Knight was poorly optimized too when it first launched alongside the console versions. inFAMOUS CLASSIC was also poorly optimized, and many of its technical problems never got fixed. Even so, inFAMOUS is still a very playable game, assuming you’re okay with unstable frame rates and poor graphic quality. So how does a poorly optimized game with subpar graphics and performance turn out to be one of Playstation’s Most Beloved Exclusives?
Released in 2009, inFAMOUS CLASSIC was panned for its poor graphic quality and performance, yet somehow or other it still managed to rake in sales for Sony. Why? When you take away all the technical problems with the game itself, inFAMOUS CLASSIC has a lot going for it. This includes an epic soundtrack created using urban ambient sound effects, which fit well with the game’s entirely urban setting. More importantly; the game also has good acting, great storytelling, and a morality system that’s vaguely similar to that of the Mass Effect Trilogy.
As far as Super Hero games go, inFAMOUS CLASSIC is unconventional. Unlike most Super Hero games out there like Batman Arkham and Marvel Spiderman; the inFAMOUS franchise has a Morality System, or Karma System, in which the player has to make various binary decisions that push the main protagonist into being more heroic or conversely eviler. Depending on which route the player wants to take, good and evil decisions help to unlock certain abilities that are exclusive to both the good and evil routes respectively. They also affect NPC reactions to the protagonist, his appearance, as well as certain minor aspects of the story.
As the game progresses, the main protagonist acquires new abilities as well as new ways to increase their Karma Ranking one way or the other. In inFAMOUS CLASSIC, game progression also affects the environment. As more of Empire City is cleared of enemies, in-game clutter is steadily reduced. This is partly responsible for the game’s unstable frame rates. In the case of inFAMOUS CLASSIC; the technical issues with the game are greatly outweighed by its awesome soundtrack, brilliant acting, gameplay mechanics, and story-telling. This is why the graphics don’t matter.
