I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't anything new on inFamous, Sucker Punch's sandbox-style super hero game, at Leipzig. However, the live demo at Penny Arcade Expo this weekend didn't disappoint.

inFamous is set in the fictional Empire City. A massive explosion destroys several city blocks and Cole, a messenger, is the only survivor. After emerging from a coma, he finds that he's now able to control electricity. Gangs now battle openly with each other and police on the streets of Empire City, and a quarantine is in effect after a deadly plague outbreak. Will you help restore order to the chaotic Empire City, or will you use the powers solely for your own benefit?

The demo began with the trailer you've probably seen before. The actual gameplay starts about two and a half minutes in, with Cole surfing on top of a subway (apparently his preferred method of travel). He eventually rides past a rooftop with gang members, who open fire on him. The bulk of the demo is Cole getting all Ernest Goes to Jail on criminals. His basic attack (i.e. the thing you'll be spamming the most throughout the game) is a simple lightning bolt.

However, Cole's powers can be used in a variety of other ways. The demo announcer mentions he can ball up electricity in a sort of grenade and toss it, which he does here to blow up a car. He can also suck energy from electrical devices, such as phone booths, to boost the strength of his lightning. An innocent bystander is injured during a melee between Cole and a gang, and Cole resuscitates her with a quick jolt of electricity. That would've probably been the highlight of the video, but then our hero gets into a tussle with another character with super powers and kills them by unleashing a massive barrage of lightning.

Inevitably, people will compare the game to Crackdown, the 2007 game that put you in control of a law enforcement agent with super powers. Both are sand-box games that allow you to roam the city and fight various gangs. However, inFamous does seem to spend more time on developing the story and main character while Crackdown was a lot more loose. Crackdown created a cool world and great gameplay mechanics but didn't really create a compelling campaign out of those components - perhaps inFamous will be able to do that. inFamous will arrive in stores sometime in Spring 2009 for PS3.