The team behind the awesome adventures of Sly Cooper and his pals have finally taken off the mask to fully reveal their next endeavor. Departing from the cartoon cunning of a raccoon, inFamous embarks on a much darker, supercharged journey that combines the freedom of a sandbox city with the excitement of a superhero action game. Characterized by an ambitious design, our hands-on with inFamous has us anticipating a compelling addition to the PlayStation 3 line of exclusive coming early next year.

inFamous opens with an explosion in the heart of Empire City that infuses an ordinary man with electrical powers. The man, named Dylan, finds himself at the epicenter of the blast, not knowing that he just became the recipient of these new powers. Making a quick escape out of the city center as it crumbles in the aftermath of the explosion, Dylan ends up collapsing into a deep sleep. Fifteen days later he wakes up to discover that he's been blamed for the destructive blast that has all but obliterated six blocks of the city; moreover, the electric currents flowing through his body are beginning to manifest in the form of unwanted powers.

But it gets worse. Citizens are falling ill to a mysterious plague that has triggered a citywide lock down and a dangerous gang known as the Reapers have seized control of the town's Neon District. In short, Empire City has gone to crap in the span of two weeks. Wielding Dylan's new powers, you're able to confront members of the gang in a slow, but steady campaign to loosen their grip on the neighborhood. Shooting bolts of lightning from Dylan's hands is a quick way to kill weaker foes, whereas repelling enemies with an electrical field takes a more defensive approach to combat. One of the cooler abilities we saw had Dylan conjuring a sticky ball of electricity that attached to whatever it was thrown at and then exploded for damage. As you work through the game, these powers evolve and grow more powerful. For example, instead of being able to zap an enemy with a single bolt of lightning, you may acquire the ability to unleashed a torrent of bolts.

Joining Dylan's superpower is an affinity for parkour, also known as free running. A natural athlete, he's able to climb buildings, scale walls, and navigate through all kinds of spaces across the dense city. Being able to scale the heights of the city opens a wide range of defensive options. If you're caught in an overwhelming fight, it's possible to skirt away to the rooftops to stay alive. Although his physical abilities aren't at all exaggerated or tied to his electrical powers, they do factor into how you approach combat.