When Sucker Punch Productions decided to set Infamous: Second Son in their home town of Seattle, the studio intended to do their city justice. Instead of just adding the Space Needle and calling it a day, they wanted to include all the aspects that make Seattle so unique. The end result features many famous, and not-so-famous, landmarks that'll either make your proud to be a Seattleite or make you want to visit.
But how do these landmarks compare to the real thing?
I've paired screenshots from the game with actual photos of the places that inspired them to see just how true to the Emerald City Second Son's Seattle really is.
Pike Place Market
Remember the opening credits of The Real World: Seattle? That flying fish came from this market. From the sign's neon lights and type choice, it's pretty clear that this is the place that inspired Second Son's Seattle Fish Market. The real Pike Place Market sells much more than just fish though and also homes the original Starbucks. Pike Place Roast, anyone?
The Crocodile
Formerly known as the Crocodile Cafe, this famous Seattle music venue has hosted everyone from Nirvana to Yoko Ono to Death Cab for Cutie. The original Crocodile Cafe closed in 2007 but reopened two years later under the new name. Second Son's Crocodile is a pretty exaggerated version of the real one, but the logo and signature color scheme are the same.
Sonic Boom Records
Los Angeles has Amoeba, Seattle has Sonic Boom. A huge record store located in Ballard, Sonic Boom has pretty much every record you could think of and hosts a number of in-store performances. The Sonic Boom of the Infamous universe is almost identical to the real thing - right down the the address and open sign.
Elephant Car Wash
Seeing pink elephants? Elephant Car Wash has been a part of Seattle since the 1950's and their signs have become somewhat of a landmark themselves. Neon pink elephants can be found all over Seattle, but the version featured in Infamous: Second Son is most likely inspired by their Downtown location.
Post Alley Gum Wall
Located in Post Alley, the gum wall is, well...a wall covered in gum. It might sound icky but it's actually pretty awesome. The fact the Sucker Punch took the time to recreate thousands of pieces of chewed bubble gum to simulate a believable Seattle experience is also pretty awesome. You can find this sticky landmark in the game's version of Post Alley: Port Alley.
Lincoln's Toe Truck
One of the more unique Seattle icons to be featured in Infamous: Second Son is Lincoln's Toe Truck. There's actually more than one of these pink, Monty Python-esque vehicles around Seattle but the truck featured in the game is modeled after the one that stood outside of the Lincoln Towing yard for so many years.
The Space Needle
It wouldn't be Seattle without the Space Needle, and Infamous: Second Son features all 605 feet of it. The Needle in the game is almost an exact replica of the real thing, but with a few add-ons thanks to the D.U.P. According to Wikipedia, it takes about 41 seconds for visitors using the elevators to get to the top but I bet Delsin could get there faster.
