Infamous moved up to May 26

Last month, Sony Computer Entertainment America announced that Infamous would ship exclusively for the PlayStation 3 in June. Today, though, the publisher announced that the open-world action game from Sly Cooper developer Sucker Punch would be launching on May 26, weeks earlier than expected.

Along with attaching an official date to the full retail release of Infamous, Sony also said today that a demo for the game will be available through the PlayStation Network beginning on May 21. Alternately, fans who preorder the game through participating retailers will be able to download the free trial beginning on May 7.

In addition to early access to Infamous' beta, preorderers will receive the exclusive Gigawatt Blades superpower. Billed as the most potent melee weapon in the game, the Gigawatt Blades also consume a substantial amount of energy. Those who commit to buying the game before its release will also receive a limited-edition costume for use in the PS3's online virtual hub, Home.

An open-world action adventure, Infamous presents the story of Cole, a normal guy turned electricity-wielding mutant who must reconcile the responsibility of doing good with the sheer enjoyment of being evil. That choice, of course, will be left for the individual to make; Infamous' open-world nature lets gamers either save the fictional Empire City's denizens or whimsically wreak wanton carnage.

For more on Infamous, check out GameSpot's previous coverage, as well as the below gameplay footage shown during this year's Game Developers Conference.