I've always considered myself a pretty nice guy, someone who chooses to do the right thing instead of wrong. But as I was playing "inFAMOUS," the latest release from "Sly Cooper" developer Sucker Punch, I found myself drawn to the dark side.

Oh sure, I could have helped that undermanned police force defeat that gang of criminals, but by letting the two sides shoot it out I had a much easier time eliminating the last survivors and draining their energy. And yeah, I could have shared those supplies with the needy citizens of Empire City, but is it so wrong to want to keep them all for myself?

Major karma-defining moments like these abound in "inFamous," but just walking down the street presents gamers with the chance to show how good -- or bad -- they truly are as you have the power to either heal injured civilians or finish them off and drain their electrical energy. (I don't think I need to tell you which of those choices is the evil one.)

How you chose to respond to these situations not only affects the game's ending, but also alters your appearance, your powers and the way the citizens of Empire City react to you. And having the freedom to play the game as either a good guy, bad guy or someone who falls in between is what makes "inFAMOUS" one of the year's most enjoyable and engaging titles to date.

"inFAMOUS" begins with a bang, literally, as an explosion rips through the heart of Empire City, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Gangs have taken control of the three sections of the city and innocent people are dying in the streets. You play as Cole McGrath, a messenger who happens to be at the center of the blast when the package he's been tasked with delivering goes "Boom!" Cole somehow survives the explosion and finds himself endowed with the power to control and manipulate electricity. It is with these powers that you'll unravel the mysteries behind the explosion and attempt to restore some order to the city.

You can shoot lightning bolts from your hands, throw glowing balls of energy like grenades and push enemies off of the top of buildings with a shockwave. As you gain experience, you can power-up your basic moves and unlock new ones. Your karma affects not only what moves become available, but how these moves look. Follow the righteous path and your energy glows blue. Chose the evil path and your lightning bolts become red (which looks really, really cool).

Navigating the open world of Empire City is awesome. Cole can climb buildings, skate on electrical wires and survive unbelievable falls with nary a scratch. In fact, it's almost too easy to maneuver around the city as Cole is magically drawn to ledges and other objects. While this makes it less challenging to reach the highest points on the map, it also takes away some of the feeling of accomplishment that accompanies such feats.

Your primary task in "inFAMOUS" is to restore power to the three islands that make up Empire City and eliminate the gangs that control each area. Key plot moments, which I won't discuss here, are revealed in amazing comic-book style storyboard drawings. But there are a number of side missions scattered throughout the city to keep you busy, though these become repetitive after a while. In addition, there are blast shards to collect and "dead drops" -- audio clips that add to the backstory -- to find. Locating all of the hidden items and playing through as both a good and evil character will easily net you 20-plus hours of game play.

I've always considered myself a pretty nice guy, someone who chooses to do the right thing instead of wrong. But as I was playing "inFAMOUS," the latest release from "Sly Cooper" developer Sucker Punch, I found myself drawn to the dark side.

Oh sure, I could have helped that undermanned police force defeat that gang of criminals, but by letting the two sides shoot it out I had a much easier time eliminating the last survivors and draining their energy. And yeah, I could have shared those supplies with the needy citizens of Empire City, but is it so wrong to want to keep them all for myself?

Major karma-defining moments like these abound in "inFamous," but just walking down the street presents gamers with the chance to show how good -- or bad -- they truly are as you have the power to either heal injured civilians or finish them off and drain their electrical energy. (I don't think I need to tell you which of those choices is the evil one.)

How you chose to respond to these situations not only affects the game's ending, but also alters your appearance, your powers and the way the citizens of Empire City react to you. And having the freedom to play the game as either a good guy, bad guy or someone who falls in between is what makes "inFAMOUS" one of the year's most enjoyable and engaging titles to date.

"inFAMOUS" begins with a bang, literally, as an explosion rips through the heart of Empire City, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Gangs have taken control of the three sections of the city and innocent people are dying in the streets. You play as Cole McGrath, a messenger who happens to be at the center of the blast when the package he's been tasked with delivering goes "Boom!" Cole somehow survives the explosion and finds himself endowed with the power to control and manipulate electricity. It is with these powers that you'll unravel the mysteries behind the explosion and attempt to restore some order to the city.

You can shoot lightning bolts from your hands, throw glowing balls of energy like grenades and push enemies off of the top of buildings with a shockwave. As you gain experience, you can power-up your basic moves and unlock new ones. Your karma affects not only what moves become available, but how these moves look. Follow the righteous path and your energy glows blue. Chose the evil path and your lightning bolts become red (which looks really, really cool).

Navigating the open world of Empire City is awesome. Cole can climb buildings, skate on electrical wires and survive unbelievable falls with nary a scratch. In fact, it's almost too easy to maneuver around the city as Cole is magically drawn to ledges and other objects. While this makes it less challenging to reach the highest points on the map, it also takes away some of the feeling of accomplishment that accompanies such feats.

Your primary task in "inFAMOUS" is to restore power to the three islands that make up Empire City and eliminate the gangs that control each area. Key plot moments, which I won't discuss here, are revealed in amazing comic-book style storyboard drawings. But there are a number of side missions scattered throughout the city to keep you busy, though these become repetitive after a while. In addition, there are blast shards to collect and "dead drops" -- audio clips that add to the backstory -- to find. Locating all of the hidden items and playing through as both a good and evil character will easily net you 20-plus hours of game play.

Open-world action games continue to grow in popularity, but few are able to match "inFAMOUS" for sheer fun. Not only is it a blast to play as Cole with his superpowers, but it's the freedom to play as you want and seeing the consequences of your actions that set "inFAMOUS" apart. This is easily one of the best games of the year thus far and among the finest ever on the PS3. Don't let this one pass you by.

"inFAMOUS"

Developer: Sucker Punch

Publisher: SCEA

Available for: PlayStation 3 ($59.99)

Rating: M for mature

Score: 8.9/10