Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced the North American release of Sucker Punch Productions' inFAMOUS today. inFAMOUS is the first superhero action-adventure game developed exclusively for Playstation 3 and was actually designed to play out like a superhero origin story (including vibrant 2-D graphic novel style cutscenes and comic book animation).

inFAMOUS follows the story of Cole McGrath, a simple bike messenger whose life is suddenly altered after a massive explosion rocks his city (Empire City). Instead of dying in the blast, Cole somehow survives and awakes from a coma to find that he has been imbued with superhuman abilities. He soon sees that his survival is both a blessing and a curse, as he becomes an outcast to his friends and the only one who can find out what caused the explosion. To make things worse, Empire City, which was once a thriving metropolis, has quickly crumbled into a world of crime, drugs and poverty.

The city's scattered drug dealers and street thugs have gathered together to become a massive crime syndicate, called The Reapers, that is trying to take over the city, and the population of homeless that survived the blast have organized themselves into a group called The Dust Men, and they're hellbent on getting “theirs” by any means. It's now up to Cole to find out what happened to Empire City. He's the only one who can uncover the secrets to the blast that transformed him and take back the city so he can try to regain some semblance of a normal life. Or he could choose to destroy it all.

The gameplay in inFAMOUS features a six-level “karma system”, which tracks Cole's moves from moment to moment. Pivotal “karma moments” appear throughout the storyline and affect the progression of Cole's powers, and whether his powers are used for good or evil. “We’re all huge comic and graphic novel fans at Sucker Punch, and our goal with inFAMOUS was to create a superhero game where the story was shaped through the hands of the player,” said Nate Fox, Game Director for Sucker Punch Productions. “The gameplay was designed so that the player has substantial choices, and these choices in turn influence what happens within the game. We’re anxious to see how players will take to the challenge of whether to mold Cole into the greatest hero or anti-hero of all time.”

Your choices aren't just limited to Cole's behaviour through. He can also take many different turns during his journey during his search for the truth through Empire City. You could choose to explore what's left of the city streets or scale the tall buildings, run across rooftops or slide across telephone lines or electrical wires. The story also has multiple twists and turns, as you will be faced with a number of primary and, optional, side missions. While side missions aren't integral to you completing the game, they will help you regain back parts of the city from various gangs and, more importantly, further unravel the storyline. Playing through the side missions will also open up valuable experience points.

inFAMOUS is available now for $59.99 USD/$69.99 CAD, exclusively for Playstation 3 and is rated T for Teen. Also, if you're planning on picking up a copy of inFAMOUS, don't forget about the cross-promotion for the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves beta, which was announced late last month.