Infamous 2

GAME OF THE WEEK:16 cert, Sony/Sucker Punch, PS3 ****

Ah to be a superhero... fighting crime, exploiting your powers, winning the warmth of the people. Well, for Cole MacGrath, a superhuman former bike courier, the public’s affection always seems just out of reach.

Despite saving countless lives, he still remains a pariah. In Infamous 2, you're fighting not only for lives, but for hearts and minds.

Told in a open-world scenario reminiscent of Grand Theft Autoand Assassin's Creed, your mission is to improve your powers to equip you for an incoming monster attack, and to confront the militia that has taken over a city. Just like the last time, Cole has the power to fire electricity from his hands, but there are new powers and upgrades available. He can harness electricity, but is not impervious to bullets and blows, and the variety of villains ensures that it never gets too easy.

Infamous 2also has two features that, encouragingly, have become common in games: moral complexity and user-generated content. Throughout, you have the option to perform heroically or selfishly. It's fun to be bad, but I prefer the challenge of winning people over.

User-generated content takes the form of little side-missions, which you can upload, rate and even remix – making for virtually infinite expansion possibilities.

The difficulty level is pitched just right, and the story works well. There’s also a hint of subtext, with little references to the war on terror and racism. Superhero mythology is rife with metaphors, and the most prominent analogy here is with Jesus. Cole has the power to heal, he tries to gain followers, one character even wonders aloud if he can walk on water (he can’t).

It makes for a rich, complex experience. But more than anything else, Infamous 2works as a lively action game. The fight scenes reward tactical nous and nimble fingers. Of all the superlatives one can use to describe Infamous 2, perhaps the most apt is... super!