I've been playing a lot of inFamous lately. I have to say it is really a fantastic game, easily one of my favorites for this year so far. I can't remember a sandbox game that I've ever enjoyed so much, -though GTA IV comes close- it's simply the kind of game that doesn't get old.

Well, the heroic side of it any ways. As most of you probably know by now, one of inFamous many selling points is its inclusion of a morality system that allows you to use your superpowers either for good or evil. The effects of your decisions are demonstrated most visibly in the way the citizenry of Empire City acts toward you. Be good they'll laud you as a hero, be evil and they'll huck rocks at you and run away from you screaming.

I usually opt to be evil first, but this time around I chose to break my trend and worked on being a true blue hero. Having completed that I looked forward to restarting as a power hungry douche bag. Having journeyed through most of the game as an agent of evil however, I can't help but feel like the game, despite the inclusion of evil decisions was more tailored toward being good. I've felt a nagging sense of disappointment throughout my evil experience.

Take the story for instance. Despite the fact that if you choose to be a hero the game basically paints you as the flawless offspring of Jesus and Superman, little in the narrative changes depending on whether or not you're evil. The only real discernable difference is in the dialogue between your character and Trish. The ending changes as well, but besides that the other differences are minor. Even when you spend your time stomping people into nothingness, Cole mosey's around town acting as if he's in fact a nice guy. Besides what the player tells him to do, Cole attitude never changes to reflect that he is in fact a prick.

Almost as frustrating to me are inFamous' side missions. Now, there are side missions specifically tailored to your moral choices (fifteen for both good and evil) but for the most part the game's side missions fall along "neutral" lines. You may encounter some moral choices along the way but the missions themselves are not supposed to swing either way. The thing is, if you really look at them almost every single neutral mission in the game is based around helping someone with a problem. If Cole is evil why should he care that there are surveillance devices on your building? Why would he give two craps that your brother was kidnapped by the dust men? Why are civilians even approaching him for help if he's earned a reputation as a selfish, sadistic a-hole?

Furthemore, early on in the game after completing each mission your in game buddy Zeke phones you to congratulate you on your efforts to "clean up" the city. Granted, a few of them are tailored toward the evil side of the game, but most of them fall along the lines of "the place has never been safer" and "people are hanging up posters of you."

Overall, playing through the evil side of things it feels to me like the developers didn't put nearly as much effort into the evil side of the game as they did into the good side. You, the player can play as a villain, but the game never really represents these decisions as fully as it does if you decide to be a good guy. The game is great as it is, easily a 9/10 but honestly I think it could have been damn near perfect if the developers had taken more time to flesh out the darker side of the game. For instance, depending on if you're playing evil, more unique plot points would have been a plus. I understand that incorporating that could be difficult, especially with the possibility of your reputation bouncing back and forth on the moral compass throughout the game, but nonetheless, as it is being a villain just feels a bit half-hearted.