InFamous

InFamous is the game that clinched my desire to buy a PS3. It was the second game I beat before I owned the system, and the additional proof I needed that Sony’s console would continue to have great exclusives. And while I think the start is a little slow, the game truly succeeds by steadily giving Cole more and more powers, therefore never letting the experience feel stale.

The additional benefit to this is that Cole becomes more and more of a definitive badass. By the end – depending on if you play the good or evil route – he’ll be speeding down powerlines and train tracks, sniping enemies with electric bolts, gliding through the air, and even chucking grenades created from his own mysterious powers. It’s cool to be able to jump off buildings without getting hurt at the start, but by the end of the experience, you’ll feel like you’re a big enough badass to either save or destroy the world.

I know that Nathan Fucking Drake is the most badass badass that ever badassed, but he doesn’t shoot electricity from his fingertips. Sorry Nate, Cole takes this award.

Runner Up: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves