We are just twelve short weeks away from the much anticipated release of Playstation 4 Exclusive Infamous: Second Son. In this game you play as a new conduit by the name of Delsin Rowe; a 24 year old graffiti artist going no where. That is until he discovers that he too is a Conduit during a certain incident, but how does Rowe stand as a protagonist compared to Cole MacGrath, his predecessor? We take a special compare and contrast look at both of the Infamous heroes.

Morales and Delimas:

COLE MACGRATH

Cole was a simple bike messenger who one day ended up delivering the wrong package (situation wise of course), this package would change both his live and the lives of those around him for the worst. Cole was forced to make some of the most difficult and heartbreaking decisions of his life including one that involved the death of his girlfriend Trish.

DELSIN ROWE:

Delsin Rowe, like Cole was a normal young man who got thrown into the mysterious world of Conduits through some incident that awakened his powers. Though judging from what has been said about his character, it’s possible that Delsin may have been born a conduit, or at the very least had his powers laying dormant inside at a very young age. Unlike Cole who struggled to decide between right and wrong, Delsin instantly decides to take action for his mistakes, looking to correct. The central moral/choice theme Infamous is known for will return in Second Son, but it looks as though Delsin is more one sided on things than Cole.

Enemies & Protagonist:

COLE MACGRATH

Cole MacGrath had to deal with a number of enemies including murderous thugs, his future self and Aiden. These people are responsible for many of the difficult situations Cole had to make and deal with up until his sacrificial death. He even had to face another female conduit he was found of in order to stop the death of potentially hundreds of conduits.

DELSIN ROWE

Infamous: Second Son, Delsin Rowe will have to deal with a number of enemies, including the merciless D.U.P., humans, other forms of law enforcement, and maybe even his brother Reggie and other conduits.

Powers & Abilities:

COLE MACGRATH

Throughout Infamous 1 & 2 Cole MacGrath gained the ability of electrokenesis, which was his main weapon throughout most of the franchise, however in Infamous 2, Cole gains the ability to control either fire or ice. This is thanks in part to the conduits Lucy Kuo and Nix whom of which gave him his new powers. Cole also excels in the art of parkour.

DELSIN ROWE

In Second Son, Delsin Rowe’s main ability is the power of mimicry, he has the ability to absorb and mimic the abilities of other conduits. This in part gives him the ability of Neon manipulation after he absorbs the powers of Abigail “Fetch” Walker who is the conduit that has this ability. Delsin will also have the power to control and transform his body into smoke. Like Cole he too excels in the art of parkour.

Friends & Allies:

COLE MACGRATH

At his side throughout most of the game, Cole had his best friend Zeke, although the two had a bit of a hiccup by the end of Infamous 1, there friendship slowly rekindled as they dealt with new enemies and new conduits. The aforementioned Lucy and Nix had much of the affect on Cole’s decision making in Infamous 2, while Trish; Cole’s deceased girlfriend usually tried to keep him on a single path.

DELSIN ROWE:

Delsin Rowe, has his law enforcing older brother Reggie coming to his aid most of the time during his disputes with the D.U.P. However their difference in opinion on conduits will get in the way of their brotherly relationship. Meanwhile Fetch will likely act as a love interest/questioning influence on Delsin’s decisions about the D.U.P and other things.

OVERALL CONCLUSION:

While we still know very little about Delsin, and will continue to do so until the next 12 weeks or so, judging by what we’ve seen thus far Delsin may have Cole in the morals and powers department. He has a straightforward decision on what to do about helping people or going on about his own selfish needs, unlike Cole who had many people pulling his strings from the start of Infamous 1. Delsin’s ability to control smoke, mimicry, and neon manipulation is something that hasn’t quite been seen in video games (well maybe not mimicry). Cole however from what we know looks to have the stronger allies, Zeke alone makes for a wonderful support character to Cole. Around the time Infamous: Second Son rolls out we may revisit this comparison as we will have known just as much about Delsin as we do Cole by then.