inFAMOUS : Festival of Blood (2011)

Genre: Action / Adventure | Players: 1 | Developer: Sucker Punch

Gameplay:
A standalone expansion that doesn't require either of the previous games to work. Basic gameplay is unchanged: you parkour through a city while collecting stuff and kicking bad guys off buildings, all while in a third person perspective.

There are new powers, most of which are dull except for the turning into a colony/flock/swarm(?) of bats and flying until your meter runs out. Once empty it can be refilled by stalking women, jumping them in an alley and draining them of blood… or pick one of the guys in a crowd, but that’s less fun, right?

The game engine is solid; I didn't hit a single glitch. It’s not a huge area, it’s one part of New Marais (from infamous 2), but it’s big enough for a PSN game and is well-populated with costumed yokels, all of which can be bitten.

UGC can be played both during and after the main story is finished. As you’d expect, some of what’s available is interesting and some is awful.

Controls:
Bald hero can jump, glide and climb; a combination of the shoulder button and one other makes him aim and shoot. New moves include the aforementioned bite and fly techniques. There’s nothing too taxing. There was no tutorial, so it assumes you’re already familiar with the controls from the main games.

Sound: 
There’s a wonderful use of rousing music that drops in and out when you turn on certain powers. (I left that bit out before, I don’t want to spill all the secrets.) The citizens of generic town don’t have much to say for themselves, though.

Graphics:
It’s a PSN game, so don’t expect to see all the hairs on bald hero’s head in high def, but it really does look good despite that. It takes place at night, so it’s dark and neon much of the time.

Story:
It’s the same Cole character as before. I forget his surname; it really doesn't matter, he’s a personality void. The fool has got himself bitten by a female vampire called Bloody Mary. He needs to find the bitch in a timely manner and stick his wood in her before the sun comes up. Hurrah.

Buyer's Guide:
It can only be bought from PSN as a digital D/L. It’s currently on sale for half price, but will go back to full price at the end of Januaury 2012. It’s worth the lower price, but not the higher unless you've money to burn.

2½ bald guys get all the women out of 5