28.3.2013

Bioshock Infinite is an astounding creation - one that hits on levels (primarily narrative and story driven ones) that, for the most part, haven't been seen often enough in gaming. It is one of the crowning achievements in narrative storytelling throughout gaming history. While the gameplay is hit or miss and ultimately hinders Infinite's ability to hit on all levels, I am sure it will be hotly debated in terms of its merit, artistic value, and substance as a game for a long time to come. There are three primary reasons why:1.) Its story, which by the end totally and absolutely casts a largely brilliant, beautiful shadow over everything you've encountered and explored through the game.2.)Its themes and atmosphere, which I believe will be the most debated aspects of this game.3.) Its gameplay, which I've listed lastly for a reason.Let's start with the STORY:Bioshock Infinite begins much the same way that Bioshock 1 does. You enter a lighthouse and discover an incredible new city in the clouds called Columbia. The only thing your character Booker DeWitt knows is that he must find the girl to "repay a debt." Briefly after your adventure begins, you meet the girl named Elizabeth and fly around the sky lines, listen to audio logs, and try to repay your debt (not monetarily, but via "returning the girl").But as I played, I couldn't help but notice something...In more ways than one, Bioshock Infinite mirrors but expands on the formula of Bioshock 1's story. For some, this will be seen as a turn off. Let me be absolutely clear - DO NOT let that impact your purchase decision ONE BIT when it comes to this game. Infinite's Columbia seems to be the "tails" to the "heads" of Bioshock 1's Rapture, but this is done for many reasons.The game's story juggles multiple themes in arguably one of the most complex, well woven narratives we've ever seen in gaming. It takes its time. It gives you morsels throughout the game, and saves the feast until the very, very end. I knew when I was approaching the end and I still felt I hadn't gotten that "Bioshock moment" - well, be patient. Listen carefully, too. Because at the end you're going to experience a true achievement in storytelling. The ending is perhaps the best I've experienced in gaming, and one of the more mind blowing endings I've seen in any creative work. Period.A huge risk with a huge payoff shows in the form of Elizabeth, your companion for a good 85%+ of this game. She is animated to perfection, and despite spending so much time with her, I only wish that we could've had even a few more personal moments to connect with her character. But rest assured that she is a believable character, and plays masterfully into Infinite's story. My only complaint with the protagonist-Elizabeth relationship is that it would've been nice to see Booker a bit more expressive himself. Not overly so, just a little bit more. But that is a very, very minor issue.2.) Another high point is Infinite's willingness to take on MULTIPLE THEMES. Because the game is slower paced and takes its time, the developers managed to fit more themes into this game. You come to really know Columbia and its inhabitants. Such themes include: nationalism, racism, revolution, idealism, player agency, gaming, religion (Christianity is used here, but truly is replaceable with any major religion), and interestingly enough it takes its time to explore the "revolution" side of things in a less positive light than you'd think. I give Infinite major credit for doing that in particular - too many games have given the rebels a perfect image. Infinite makes sure to muddy up both sides.The most impressive thing is that Infinite manages to present these themes seamlessly to you, but wraps them **ALL** up in such a genius, high intensity moment that you're left wondering how these guys could've been so clever to juggle so much and resolve things so effortlessly and perfectly.One last note here - Although this has little to do with themes, one complaint I had with Columbia is that its citizens reuse many of the same character models. While Elizabeth is fantastically made and realized, many of the NPCs are the same few models in different clothes.3.) The reason I listed GAMEPLAY last is because it is perhaps the weakest part of this game. This is the one area where Infinite's slower pacing comes back to bite its own hand.At the beginning of the game, you'll feel exhilarated as you fly around sky lines, get into gun battles, and explore crannies for goodies. But by a certain point, which for me well preceded the actual ending, you'll find yourself using the same few very useful power(s) (especially on Hard mode or 1999 mode). I also found that cash, despite being everywhere, is not as valuable as it appears to be. I hardly managed to upgrade many of my powers and only got a few gun upgrades despite being the type who goes through every area methodically.Gear is also included in the game, and while it is a nice addition it is not anything innately cool or resonating. I think one of the biggest mistakes Infinite made is that it provides a beautiful world, an even better story, and yet it misses out on basic gameplay fundamentals when it really shouldn't. Not when a team is this talented. The story makes you ask, "How could they get THAT so right when it's so difficult, but mess up on the gameplay like THAT?"Do not get me wrong. The game is fun to play. The controls are easy to learn. The sky lines are incredibly well made and very easy and fun to use. It's just the sheer lack of imagination in the combat prevents me from saying that Infinite is indisputably an all time great game. even with Elizabeth's time "tears" to get goodies in battle, and her helpful aid when strapped for ammo/health, I found that the game suffered dearly from a few too many encounters, baffling decisions (there is, in particular, a 3-part boss battle in the falling action of the game that stands out as being incredibly uncreative and the lowest point of the game), and a lack of consistency.Remember how Bioshock 1's gun upgrades and plasmid upgrades actually showed? Your guns started to glow and look very cool. Your plasmids fired differently. Infinite's guns never change their appearance and you have a limit of two to use at any time. The vigors (plasmids) in Infinite are less cool than 1's were, and I think less numerous to boot. I pretty much stuck with Bucking Bronco and upgrade it to hold enemies for longer and it was just about all I used on hard mode since it was so useful. Instead of the fun I got from Bioshock 1 setting up traps for big daddies with my crossbow, electrocuting water, fireballing oil, etc. I had to make due with "OK" vigors.I believe that they worked so hard on the story, sky line system, and encounters that it figured in to the creativity surrounding the vigors and guns. While the sky lines seem very complicated and advanced in programming, the guns truly aren't.So, I just did a whole lot of complaining about the gameplay. Fear not. The game is, as my score indicates, still a 4 out of 5 in "fun" factor and most definitely a 5 out of 5 overall. The only major complaint I have with this game is that its bread and butter - the gameplay - fails to live up to the world it builds and the story that is near perfectly told. The gameplay seems to indicate a lack of self confidence - from the occasional backtracking, to padding the middle of the game in order to try and feel "substantial/long enough" for the gamer. That was totally unnecessary.You should go in expecting a mostly fun, if padded, gameplay experience that will leave you wanting just a bit more creativity to match Infinite's absolutely sublime, brilliant, gaming-as-a-whole impacting main story. The one thing about Bioshock as a series, though, is that it seems to almost be afraid or incapable of taking that last plunge. Letting go, and being able to fully, unequivocally get to that level of greatness that it's clearly aiming for (and barely missing). I believe that the next frontier for Irrational Games is to revolutionize the gameplay, and perhaps devise a new world on par with the sheer awe we all experienced when first descending into Rapture.OVERALL SCORE: 9.3/10

28.8.2013

Two Days! This is how long it took me to finish Bioshock Infinite. Not to say it's a very short game (it is a bit short) but I just couldn't stop playing it. I had played at least half this game already though, when I couldn't afford it I happened to be around a friends who kindly sat there watching me play her copy, I think she plays through a game without searching for stuff so watching me go through amazed her because of all the items she realised she missed. When I finally did get this game I knew at least 50% of what to expect.I did love Bioshock it was so original at the time and 2 was very much of the same apart from you controlled a Big Daddy but was essentially the same game world.The best thing about the first two games was the story and if you're really dive deep into it, it really does go into a lot more detail then the surface suggests. My advice if anyone wants a freshen up on the story line of the two previous games, go to youtube and search for user "xZeroTolerence55x" he breaks the whole storyline down and even the DLC and what happens in-between games 1 & 2 and the lead up to Infinite. There was a lot of stuff I missed out on so I found it a fascinating story.Bioshock Infinite moves away from the underwater world of Rapture to the sky world of Columbia. You control a character called Booker De-Witt who enters Columbia through a lighthouse, something that may seem familiar to players of the original games. Booker has been given a task to travel to Columbia and rescue a girl (Elizabeth) and bring her back in exchange to wipe away his debt "bring us the girl and wipe away the debt" something you will hear a lot of during the game. This is essentially the whole plot line however like most great stories there is a lot more going on than initially suggested.I don't really dive too much into the story of games in my reviews in fear of accidentally blurting out any spoilers so at this point I'll move on. Graphically the game is stunning, especially the start. As you enter the town of Columbia some kind of festival is taking place, the streets are filled with the hustle and bustle of people everywhere, there are stalls which offer mini games that will give you a chance to play around with the games controls and it's a nice way to ease you in especially new comers to the series.You are however restricted to only carry two weapons throughout the story but when you do swap a weapon you still hold onto the ammo so I'd suggest swapping weapons often and allow the ammo build up. Like previous games there are vending machines everywhere, one will sell power up's for magic abilities, another to level up weapons and the last allows you to buy ammo and health. I really didn't see a point in this one as anyone exploring and searching every trash can and box will come across lots of health, salts and ammo as they progress and should never need to spend any money that could be used to power up abilities and weapons. The funny thing is if you did happen to die you really aren't punished for it, you may lose a little cash but you re-spawn a little way from where you were and just pick up where you left off.Searching for ammo and health can become repetitive and boring but for players like myself who like exploration to find everything in a game as they can it really won't bother this type of gamer. As it happens I was also trying to find the other two collectables which were view finders (play a short silent film about the history of Columbia which I ended up missing one!) and audio diaries which are featured in previous games.Unfortunately combat is the same as before, nothing really progressed with time, even some of the magic is the same although you can now hold down and create traps. The game is very shoot and move on and I didn't really find the normal setting much of a challenge so those who are used to FPS may wish up the difficulty. The Sky rail system is a nice addition however you quickly lose interest with it and for me it looked far more interesting in the preview trailer. Elizabeth can create tears in reality bringing guns, items and cover from other dimensions into your time to help you out.The game play is pretty standard all the way through; there is a section which I hated where the game forces you to retrace your steps! Why would anyone want to do this is beyond me!One thing for certain and that's Elizabeth is a pleasure to have around! For an AI character, she provides support in battle and finds money for you while you are doing anything else. She is also a very well-designed and likable character with the added bonus that she's a help and not a hindrance.The biggest thing that drives Infinite is the story. The story in my opinion makes this game and keeps the player intrigued and interested from start to finish and leaves people discussing plot lines and their take on what's happening. Let's face if gamers are talking about games to each other its great publicity for the developer.In summery you are playing an average dated story driven shooter that is yet somehow still fun and exciting to play. I'm sure there will be a time where I will go through and play this again if only to see if I have missed anything or maybe pick up on things I now know.Any game that has an air of suspense and curiosity in my opinion will keep a player interested until the end. But that's coming from a guy who loves Story based games!To add something else I'd just like to add that I loved the twins, I thought there characters where well written acted and I always wanted to know more about them.

1.5.2013

A very tricky one to review, this.Let me say right from the off that this IS a good game, and I do recommend it. It certainly makes you want to keep on playing. If you've never played a Bioshock game before, go out and give this is a try. It'll be different and well-worth playing.However, if you're already familiar with Bioshock, this is where it gets a bit tricky...(A quick disclaimer though: I haven't finished this game yet. I'm about two thirds through, so this is subject to an update. Also the following isn't a rant; it's just trying to illustrate a point...)Bioshock Infinite is the gloriously sculpted, shiny chassis of a Ferrari Enzo bolted onto the misfiring engine of a mid-90s Fiat that's stuck in second gear.It is not anywhere near as good as it thinks it is - or at least, wanted to be.OK, it has a beautiful new setting in Columbia. Yes, it has a not-annoying AI partner in Elizabeth and yes, it has a couple of nice new touches in the Skyrail system and the `tears' idea. As I say, it IS a good game. But if you look underneath the bonnet...The Unreal Engine in BI is very dated. It cannot handle the scope of the game and you can see visually and mechanically that the Skyrail system is nowhere near as complex and intertwining as it was intended to be (they are essentially glorified staircases). The character designs (and textures) are not sufficient enough to convey the emotional axis that is supposed to be the beating heart of the story. It's functional, but not brilliant. For any normal game this would be fine, but for BI (or what Ken Levine envisioned it as), it is not up to scratch.The gameplay structure is very dated. It worked in Bioshock 1 because of the awe-inducing environments. But here, battling your way through to the destination (door) only to be told you need to spend 1-2 hours re-tracing your steps (across naturally linear platforms - they are floating buildings) to find a `key' to open it (and then repeat) is not fun. If you wanted to be really cynical; it's tedious.Mechanically, you can no longer hold things in an inventory, which essentially means that you have to investigate and search every `trash' can you come across in a system that is essentially `scrounge-and-pound' rather than `get-lost-in and admire' (a brilliant city).There are other points too, which I won't go into in detail. But suffice to say the AI, Vigors (Plasmids), upgrades, Voxophones (Audio Diaries), map (there isn't one!) and even the menu systems are all far inferior to the original's versions.Now, some might say that it has been streamlined into a more focused, combat-orientated shooter that is much more fast-paced, intense and in some places breathtaking. Valid point. Others might say the organic multi-layered choice of exploration-led gameplay has been completely removed in favour of `shoot and move and shoot and move and...' on a floating city. Valid point.I'm not `taking sides', but for me Bioshock has gone from a perfectly-paced story-led adventure that used FPS as its delivery medium; to a blatantly stripped-bare shooter that has had a story of such weight lumped on top of it that it's actually broken the pillars the series was built on in the first place.I won't comment on the full story yet as I haven't finished it, but so-far I think it is too brash. It is so apparent and so overtly oppressed onto you right from the start that `all is not what it seems', that you actually are expecting a twist or three, which completely defies the point of having a twist. I hope my opinion on this will change by the end, as many people are championing the story and the ending, so I look forward to that.There is another valid point too which could be the crux of the whole thing/not important at all depending on your point of view, which I may put in the comments section later, but that is not within the scope of a review.Now, I'm not trying to dissuade people from the game here. I'm in no way saying it's bad. It does have the `magic' that makes you want to keep playing. But ... I can't help but feel a little disappointed by Infinite. It feels ... hollow.That said, the variety of enemies is much improved; the `Houdini Splicer' equivalent is a swine to kill and will cause you problems. And the robotised Patriot is a marvel. Praise should go to Irrational for giving us a game with balls - this is not easy and you'll have to think about what you're doing, which is an all-but-lost aspect of modern games.But, it seems to me that no matter how many good things BI does or tries to do - and there are plenty - it's as if Ken Levine's original vision has just been bottlenecked into whatever the PS3 (or perhaps more specifically, the 360) is capable of outputting.I know that all and sundry and saying it's the best thing ever and the `official' reviews are falling over each other to kneel at its feet, but any gamer worth their salt(s) can see that this game is compromised.Ultimately, though, Bioshock Infinite is a good game whichever way you slice it, and please don't let the tone of this review put you off - that is not my intention. As I say, I am enjoying it, and you will enjoy playing it too. Just be prepared to not love it.7.5/10.

1.4.2013

I have been playing video games for more than half my life and have played all sorts: first-person shooters, fantasy, role-playing, and third-person action. I have owned most video-game systems made, most recently the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Although I have not had the opportunity to play as much as I wanted lately due to family and work obligations, I made time to play this game.I was impressed with the first Bioshock. It was riveting and had a unique story. The voice acting and plot were particularly impressive. I found myself enmeshed in the game and unable to put it down. Unfortunately, Bioshock 2 was the opposite: poor acting, confusing plot, and poor overall design. With that iteration,I had lost hope for the series.Then Bioshock Infinite hit the scene and changed everything, the least of which my mind. I purchased this game on release day and started playing it the following day. Several days later, I have beaten the game. In the process, I certainly have my thoughts that I'd like to share.GRAPHICSThe graphics were simply breathtaking. The plot happens in Columbia, a city that floats in the sky, connected by rails. Looking up into the sky, the clouds looked realistic. Birds flew around randomly. The sun beat down on the ground and reflected off other characters realistically. Non-playable characters moved independently but believably. The inside of buildings were dark and foreboding, and the lighting truly captured that feeling.This game is a first-person shooter, so you really don't have the opportunity to see the main character, but the other characters in the game were well-designed and realistic looking. Their clothes matched the time period they lived in. When it was windy, the clothes moved with the blowing of the wind. Hair from certain characters moved as the characters moved about. All items in the game looked real, and interactions with them seemed authentic and natural.Something has to be said for the railing system, which the lead character can ride throughout the game. Anything can happen while riding these rails. You can fight enemies, land and drop-kick an unwitting enemy, turn on a dime, and soar as high as you want. It really reminded me of a roller coaster. This was probably the most impressive aspect of the game. It definitely was unique.PLOTI won't spoil it here, but I will say that the plot has minimal connections with the previous Bioshock games. This plot is intense and complicated but never convoluted. For me, I didn't quite understand what was happening much of the time, but I never felt confused. I felt intrigued and wanted to continue to play to see if I could gain some clarity.It could be argued that, at its core, the plot is the same as most other video games: The masculine, strong-willed guy comes to save the poor, weak damsel in distress. That's about as hackneyed as it gets, though. The rest of the plot takes a life of its own, and I never got the sense that anything was pre-planned. It seemed like events were unfolding in a random, realistic fashion. I always felt that any action that I took could actually affect any number of other aspects of game. While some games provide a pre-defined path that the player knows to take, that was not the case with this game.The story is extensive, so this isn't a three-hour game. You can expect several days' worth of playing to get to the end. And there are side missions that can be done, which would extend the game play for several hours. The ending was particularly impressive and well-thought-out. It answered many of the questions in the game, but a few were still left unanswered. The game begs another iteration.VOICE ACTINGAdmittedly, I had seen some videos several months back about the voice actors, so I saw the effort put into recording of the lines. However, I didn't pay any more attention to it--until the game came out. I can say with certainty that the actors are skilled; they turned in a credible performance for the characters. When the lead was scared, the cracks in the voice matched. When the antagonist was angry, I felt in his tone. The lead characters bantered realistically. When they were running, you could hear that they were out of breath. The only part that seemed canned was when one of the characters had to pick locks; she would say the same thing most of the time.SUMMARYThis was a stellar game, and it restored confidence in the series for me. I would recommend anyone who is a fan of the series to go out to buy it. Unlike some other games, this one was worth every bit of the $60 I spent. (Spending another $20 for downloadable content, however, won't happen for me. That's ridiculous.) You'll be caught up in the experience and won't want to put down your controller until you're finished. And even then, you'll want to replay to see what changes. This game has indubitably set the bar for first-person shooters of this type in the future. Mass Effect turned in an awesome performance, but Bioshock Infinite surpassed that.

16.4.2013

Story:BioShock Infinite is best described as the lovechild of Myst and Medal of Honor. It's a first-person shooter, but you'll do more exploring than shooting. You play as Booker DeWitt, a rough-and-tumble man on a mission to rescue a fair maiden from her tower on Columbia, an idyllic, turn-of-the-century, steampunky flying city. However, you don't exactly care about the young lady, Elizabeth, at first; she's simply your ticket to "wipe away the [gambling] debt" that you've accrued. Your mission is to find Elizabeth and hand her over to a mysterious man who will then grant you financial security. Simple, and that's good enough for you since you're the kind of guy that doesn't ask many questions.This is about all the story I can give without ruining the fun, but know that you're in for a trip full of U.S. history, religious fervor, racism, class issues, and... quantum physics.Gameplay:You'll be exploring Columbia on foot and on rail. The rail system is a ton of fun and one of the few things, next to attention to detail (just check out all the propaganda scattered throughout the game) and story, that truly elevates the game. Essentially, you have a magnetic hook that attaches to rails scattered throughout the city and allows you to travel quickly between areas. Riding this contraption looks like you're on a roller coaster, so beware if you get motion sickness! You can jump between rails, change direction, speed up, slow down, fire your weapons, and leap off landing on enemies to deal massive melee damage.You can equip three types of items: vigors, weapons, and gear. Vigors are Alice-in-Wonderland-styled drinks that give you short-lasting special powers, such as the ability to knock enemies back or make them fight for you. Vigor activation requires salt (one of the three gauges you have, along with health and shields), and salt, money, and health-healing food/medkits are strewn about the levels. There are about 14 weapons you can find throughout the game, and, aside from your grappling hook (which doubles as a melee weapon), you can only carry 2 weapons at a time. There are many gear items to be found that boost things such as weapon damage, movement speed, and ammo capacity, and you can equip 4 at once (hat, shirt, pants, shoes). I don't believe the items change your appearance. Vigor and weapon upgrades are available to purchase at vending machines with money that's really hard to amass. You'll also collect Voxophones, which are like recorded diary entries that slowly reveal bits of the story.The game plays like a typical first-person shooter, one where your shield regenerates but your health does not (until you pick up a health kit). There are checkpoints where the game autosaves, so if you exit the game before you hit a checkpoint, you may have to retrace your steps for a bit or fight a battle that you already fought.Graphics:I'm really torn here. Some of the objects are gorgeous to look at, while others are heavily pixelated and look like they came from 1999! It's a really weird dichotomy, and I can only try to explain it by saying that this game has been in development for years and was rushed toward the end, so some of the older tech possibly stuck or was glossed over in favor of more important design elements.Music/Atmosphere:This game was very clearly lovingly crafted. It has a very distinct style (even enemies reek of patriotism), it uses period music or rearranges modern music to sound like it came from the early 20th century, sound effects are spot on, and voice acting is superb. The colors and lighting effects are intense, and Columbia, which exhibits a weird mix of nationalism, Christian fundamentalism, and technology, is fascinating to explore.Shortcomings:Aside from occasional graphical oddities and menu lag, this game is disappointing for it's lack of choice. The gameplay is very linear, and the few decisions you are forced to make have almost no bearing on the outcome of the story. I can only think of one decision that alters the story, but it's a really unimportant detail. The story itself is interesting, and I certainly enjoyed uncovering more of it through Voxophones and exploration, but by the end of the game I felt like there were some gaping holes in my knowledge of DeWitt and Columbia. While I understood the ending, I didn't truly appreciate it until I read a wiki that detailed a more complete picture of the characters' back stories. With the exception of the rail system, which is very well done, there is nothing novel about the gameplay. This game may be good for a second playthrough to catch what parts of the story you missed the first time, but it's relatively short (maybe 20 hours if you do a lot of exploring) and offers little other incentive to play again. *SPOILER* Yes, you can unlock one difficulty mode by beating the game, but the only reason to play that mode is to get two Xbox achievements, which are not really worth another, more difficult playthrough for most people.

28.2.2014

“Bioshock: Infinite” is both a masterpiece and a game that fails to reach its potential. The game world is awe inspiring, the product of the minds of the amazingly creative artists at “Irrational”. The game has magnificent graphics, tremendous attention to detail and some of the most beautiful moments ever seen in video games. This truly is one of the best games ever made and should be played by anyone with an interest in this “medium”. Its quite simply a visual work of art.The game does have its problems though. For all the creativity and thought provoking elements in the story, the game can sometimes feel somewhat pedantic or a bit pretentious, to be honest.As a player you get the feeling the game thinks its far more clever than it actually is. The story is over complicated, even convoluted and sometimes it seems it suffers from being a bit of a “show-off”, trying too hard to look “smart”. I must admit that the plot and all its elements are remarkably interesting and that the ending ties things up rather nicely but I still thought there were plots and characters highly underdeveloped in favor of a more “cryptic” and overly tortuous approach to story telling. The game also felt far too desperate for me to “like” and feel an attachment to “Elizabeth”. It partly succeeded, although never taking the “player character”'s relationship with her beyond a simple friendship that at times seemed to occur more because the game and the plot “said so” than because the characters, and me, as the player, connected. Fortunately the voice acting is absolutely sublime and really makes the characters and script come to life!The game seems intent on exploring some deep issues, regarding racism and religion, early on but suddenly, about a third in, seems to “forget” both subjects in favor of a bit of “sci-fi” and quantum physics, all very interesting but not very “grounded” or to be taken all that serious.The gameplay is intense, with huge firefights, “Vigors”, which are sort of super-powers and very fun to use, and your character “flying” around the area in “sky-lines”, shooting people, jumping on their heads and basically killing hundreds during the game. While the story is serious and “heavy” I found the gameplay and actual shooting quite cartoonish. The art-style is quite cheery and bright and the game is surprisingly, “over the top” violent with “first person” bloody executions with the “sky-hook”, people's heads being blown off and plenty more carnage. The game ends up being a little goofy in that regard and losing some impact. There is a lot and I mean a lot of shooting. Although the game is not extremely hard it can be frustrating in parts, with some very tiresome boss battles and many, many waves of enemies to slaughter. I felt the last third of the game dragged a bit and that even in the beginning, it did not take long for the action to become repetitive. There are lots of different areas you have fights in, the game is always pushing you forward into new locations but the core action soon turns familiar and sometimes even tedious. I found that the game was both more fun and designed for you to play aggressively and some moments are chaotic, with you possessing enemies, charging others, shocking or burning them but the weapons lack some “punch” and the shooting is not very rewarding, merely competent.The game is also completely linear and outside of shooting and killing, the player has no control at all in how the plot plays through. There are no decisions, no different paths to take, nothing you do in the game matters story wise. You simply follow the “plan” which is ironic considering the story in the game. Nothing will change in a second playthrough and that seriously hurts the game's replay value. Sure, there is a rudimentary upgrade system for your “vigors” and weapons, and as such you focus on a few as you play. If you really want, I suppose you could try upgrading different vigors or another weapon but the gameplay in my opinion is not strong enough to carry the game alone and once you “know” the story... there isn't much left is there?Still, even with a few “problems”, this is a game that deserves playing. It has a story with depth, a beautiful, fascinating world, intense if unremarkable action and a satisfying and thought provoking ending. Its an ambitious game, trying to be “more” and almost succeeding. In a world, where most games are close to being mindless, “Bioshock Infinite” deserves every praise.So long Ken Levine, and thank you!

3.4.2013

I'm a huge fan of BioShock 1 (2 not so much, it was too samey), so I've been waiting on this game for ages now. I'd actually forgotten about it's release until a friend mentioned it. I promptly headed out to pick it up.I guess what I liked about this game is that it's not BioShock 1. But it is. When you arrive in Columbia, it's beautiful, peaceful, idealistic, but under the surface you just know something's not right. Rapture was falling apart from the start, Columbia isn't. The intro was also completely unexpected. Not the ascention to the heavens, but the way it was done and the use of choral music. It was striking. I just stared at the screen for a bit and listend to the music....Anyway,I've read quite a few of the reviews on here and some are complaining that this game is too hard. If it's too hard, adjust the settings! I don't play a huge amount of first person shooters and managed to complete the game on normal without being tested too often. The game's not impossible, it just takes a bit of strategy.They've done away with Adam and Eve in this game and instead you unlock Vigours which are powered by Salts. It's pretty much the same thing though. Some of the Vigours are the similar to what you had in BioShock 1 (Devil's Kiss is flame, Shock Jockey is electricity etc), but you've also got some different ones as well as having the option to upgrade and use them as combination Vigours. Imagine sending a group of flesh-eating crows after someone... now imagine setting those flesh eating crows on fire before you send them after someone. I found the Vigours to be satisfactory and I'm glad that Irrational changed it a little from Adam and Eve. Because there's no Splicers in this game. Your enemies are living humans. There's no Little Sisters draining corpses.The variety of enemies you're faced with isn't too bad. I've seen worse (*cough* Fable 3 *cough*), but they can get a bit monotonous. From memory, I battled only 3 Handymen in this game so don't see them as BioShock 3's answer to the Big Daddy. However, I battled countless Patriots. Once you've sussed out the best strategy for dealing with them they're no real problem to wipe out quickly. Alongside this, you have plenty of gun turrets to destory.Unfortunately, BioShock 3 has removed the hacking part of this game. Locks are now picked by Elizabeth with a trophy being unlocked after about 30 locks. It kinda felt like a trophy for nothing, because she has to pick some of the locks to progress the game so it wasn't much of an achievement. Equally, forget hacking gun turrets; you can't. Instead you have a Vigour called possession which will ally an enemy to you for a short while at least.Weapons wise, you're now restricted to carrying only 2. Initially this annoyed me a little as I loved the variety of BioShock 1 but after a little while I was used to it. It forced me to be a lot more tactical. You have no real inventory though so if your salts and health are full you can't collect any excess ones lying around to store for when they're needed. Again, a little frustrating but I had to adapt.Elizabeth is one of the few AI characters I've encountered that hasn't annoyed me too much. She's good for scouring the battle scene for health, ammo and salts and will throw you them when you're low on them (and only if she can find some), she picks locks and offers a companion but does not engage in battle (or ever seem to be targeted by the enemy). Having said that you don't need to worry about keeping her safe. She won't take damage at any point.The sky-rail system was pretty cool although I found it very difficult to use and didn't even attempt to engage in combat from the sky-rail. It can be quite disorientating but is really useful if you incorporate it into movements. Sky-rail gun battlers were just a no-no for me, I was awful at it!The plot was engaging and thought-provoking. I can see why some people didn't like it, but having thought about it for a little bit, I thought it was well done (not saying any more as I really don't want to do a spoiler!).Yes, I'd say in a way BioShock 3 is dumbed down a bit but I think it works It didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of the game and it forced me to play a little less gung-ho than I normally do. Visually stunning, music was brilliant, and leaves you with a lot of think about.

9.2.2015

Bioshock Infinite is really a game of two halves. On the one hand you have a game that is very well presented with an interesting story and interesting characters, and on the other you have a game where the actual mechanics aren't all that interesting or engaging to actually play with, which leaves it in a weird spot.To start with, the game is gorgeous. Columbia is very well designed and the atmosphere that is set is very impressive indeed. The world is colourful and lively but also does a good job of making you feel uneasy since it's very openly racist and bigoted against anyone who isn't of their particular stock, ranging anywhere from black people to Chinese or even Irish immigrants.The story does a well at touching on themes like racism, religious extremism and nationalism and is at its very best when you're simply walking around and taking in the atmosphere. Finding collectible items like "voxophones" (audio logs) along the way also really helps in setting the tone and giving you different viewpoints from various characters on a whole host of things.The music is also fitting and appropriate give the year the game is based in (1912) and the choices of both Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper as the voices for Booker and Elizabeth are fantastic. You control Booker throughout and the relationship that he develops with the computer-controlled Elizabeth throughout the game is very compelling. Along the way you also meet a smorgasbord of different characters who each add their own unique twists along the way. In general it's also quite nice to have a game where the story doesn't treat you like an idiot and one which has quite a bit of nuance to it instead of just spoon feeding you the plot.Alas, this is where the positives end, for Infinite isn't all that fun to actually play. For example, although Elizabeth works as an interesting ally during the battles she also has a tendency to interrupt. If she finds something like ammo or health then the game gives you a few seconds to essentially pause the fight where you press the square button to collect the item, which also gives you invulnerability for the duration of that mini cutscene. That help makes sense since she's an ally but the actual implementation of that in particular is just bizarre and feels disjointed.Similarly the weapons themselves aren't all that fun to use. You get given a whole host of choices but in the end I stuck with the machine gun + rifle combination for most of the game since those were by far the most effective and least annoying to use. Oh, and yes, for some reason the game only limits you to holding two guns at a time.You also get to use "vigours" which essentially give you magic-like powers that allow you to do things like harness electricity or crack open a shield that absorbs bullets. These were fun to use from time to time although they did seem overpowered from time to time.The biggest problem with the gameplay, however, is that there are far too many times where playing it feels tedious. Depending on the mission you're on there is a lot of time spent simply fetching something for someone or looking for some particular item, with you often times needing to backtrack and go through the exact same levels. These things can be fine, but since there's zero variation in gameplay between these instances it felt a lot more boring than it needed to be. Go over here, shoot these people, pick up the thing, go over there, shoot some other people, pull the thing, go over to that place, shoot these new people, walk through the thing. Between these instances the gameplay itself isn't mixed up at very much at all so it feels like you're doing the same thing ad nauseum, which gets tiring quite quickly.Don't get me wrong, the gameplay itself isn't what I would call "bad", it's just very mediocre and it lets down a game with an otherwise brilliant story. Overall it's simply a game with a five star plot but with three star gameplay to accompany it. On balance I would still recommend Bioshock Infinite to most people since the narrative alone makes it worthy of your time, with the only exceptions being for gameplay purists who should probably stay away from it.

3.4.2013

This is a strange hybrid - the game engine, the feel of the combat, the big budget production feel like a really cutting edge modern video game - but the gameplay sometimes feels like it's from the era of Doom.The opening hour is stunning - one of the most artistically impressive openings to a game I've ever seen.The world of Columbia is beautiful, the music and voice acting and game engine are outstanding.It just starts to go slightly downhill a few hours in - when you are faced with the fact that the combat belongs in a game more than a decade ago.It's not bad - it's just simplistic and shallow.Imagine Doom - in ultra HD, with iron sights....and you're not a million miles away from the combat in this.Now Doom in ultra HD with iron sights...would be fun. And this is fun. But by the time you are 10 hours into the game... you are really feeling the limitations of how shallow the combat is.There is a lot of combat to get through. And it wears thin.I tend to play games on the hardest difficulty setting I can reasonably manage - I like it to be a bit challenging.This is one of the few games where I eventually decided to go to the easiest setting - not because it was too hard, but because it was just getting boring.I came to this after playing Dishonored and the Tomb Raider reboot. After those 2, this was a shock - going from the elegant stealth and free-choice of tactics in Dishonored, or the polished fluent combat of Tomb Raider - this was like a journey back in time - combat basically tends to work like this - enter a room/arena/area with boundaries - enemies attack you (no chance to do stealth) - you shoot them.....you can't sneak or run past and avoid them (doors magically seal shut, messages pop up saying "cannot use door while in combat" etc - and you are artificially kept in the sealed area while you wipe out the fairly dumb AI cannon fodder, or the boring bullet-sponge bigger enemies.Your companion offers you a few extra items via tears in the fabric of the world - but this is very unimaginatively done - it's pretty much just a free weapon, automated turret, pile of health kits or a piece of cover.Many of the more interesting things shown in pre-release footage, were cut from the final game.The vigours are much like the plasmids from previous Bioshock games, but feel less imaginative, and make very little sense in the world of Columbia. In Rapture, it felt vaguely plausible to have the gene-splicing population to have all these genetically enhanced powers - but in Columbia, it's never really clear why there are bottles of liquid lying around that let you fire lightening bolts from your fingertips, or role they are supposed to play in the world before you arrived.It is pretty good fun - but you can't deny that it's incredibly primitive gameplay-wise compared to what other games manage to do with their combat. And it's hard not to get bored by the combat by the end of the game.Storywise - if you compare this to other games... it's pretty good. Gets a bit convoluted, but it's a solid story by game standards.Compared to a good novel.. it's weak.It throws in potentially interesting themes... has all the ingredients for a biting social satire... but doesn't do anything much with them, apart from tell a mildly interesting sci-fi-esque story.And parts of the writing here and there, are very weak.The idea of Fink, the factory owner trying to brainwash his workers into knowing their place via propaganda - is good.But the execution - his voice booming over loud speakers to his opressed workers, that it's better to be an ox than a lion - after all, who wants all the responsibility of power? - is' just ... laughable.Much the same with the prophet Comstock - giving a laughably transparent web of lies to his followers - and yet apparently the majority of the population of Columbia are stupid enough to fall for the most transparently flimsy propaganda and lies without question.Overall - if you can live with combat that is fun but very shallow and simplistic by modern standards, and some hiccups in the writing of a story well above average video-game standards - it's a beautiful world to explore.

27.3.2013

Bioshock Infinite is just about everything I've spent the last three years or so dreaming it would be. Many of the more cynical folks out there seem to be annoyed by all of the glowing praise this game is getting. Personally, I can understand how this game could drive even a professional critic to embarrassing hyperbole. Bioshock was always in a 3-way tie with Dead Space and Assassin's Creed as my #1 favorite new franchise that started this console gen. The shoddy and bug-ridden AC3 late last year pretty much knocked it out of the running. I really enjoyed Dead Space 3 last month, in spite of some changes I didn't agree with. This game puts Bioshock way, way out in front.I definitely have a clear winner in mind now.What I *really* want to comment on is how much of a shame it is that last week's exclusive IGN review poisoned the waters for those who will play the console versions of this game. Their reviewer went out of his way to point out that the Xbox and PS3 versions are not as graphically impressive as the PC version (gee thanks for the news, Capt. Obvious) and he accused them of having "sub-par lo-res textures, even for consoles" or something along those lines. As soon as that review went up, the disappointment spread like wildfire. Gaming forums all across the internet were awash in the blood and tears of console owners who were devastated to hear that Bioshock Infinite was disappointingly not up to snuff.Well, I'm happy to tell you that, thankfully, it's a big load of b.s. As far as 360 games go, Bioshock Infinite looks absolutely fantastic. It compares with games like Gears of War Judgement and Halo 4 in virtually the same way that Bioshock 1 compared with Gears 1 and Halo 3. Like any 360 game, including Halo 4, if you go looking for blurry textures you will find them. Some textures are not meant to be viewed up close, jackass.Bottom line, this game is beautiful, even on the 360. If you haven't played the PC version, you should have no cause for disappointment. And y'know, even if the graphics did suck, the awesome game play would make up for it. This is way more of a robust shooter than either Bioshock 1 or 2 ever were. And don't get me started on the sound. I just bought a set of Astro A40 headphones w/ mixamp last week, and using them while playing this game is proof enough that they were worth every penny.I admit I did see one flaw in this game: They dropped the "save anywhere" system (which I always abused and will not apologize for that) and converted to a typical checkpoint/auto-save. In a lot of games, this wouldn't bother me at all. But in Bioshock, where you spend so much of your time roaming around huge areas scrounging for resources in every nook and cranny you can find, this is a big mistake. It really sucks when you get killed and have to back and re-scrounge everything you'd spent the last 10 minutes gathering. Also, I felt some mild disappointment when I realized that some of the cooler/weirder new game play features shown in demos back in 2010 and 2011 ended up on the cutting room floor. But all in all, this doesn't even put a dent in the overall quality. Nothing worth removing a star over.EDIT Oct 2016: A Bioshock Remaster Collection was recently released and I picked up the PS4 version. I played through Bioshock 1 and loved it as much as I ever did, but when I tried to play the Bioshock Inifinite remaster, I just couldn't stick with it. I loved it when it came out in early 2013, but it just doesn't stand the test of time.

30.3.2013

Straight off the bat, Bioshock Infinite is a great game. However, I'm not judging it by the usual standards. The original Bioshock set the bar so ludicrously high that expectations demand an out of this world experience, and the truth is that Bioshock Infinite inevitably falls short. In fact, the original Bioshock remains superior in story, characterization, setting and tone.Bioshock Infinite's main failing is that the storyline goes down the parallel universe alley. By going all Stephen Hawking on us, it loses sight of the basics of storytelling. It takes over the narrative and convolutes it. Yes, there is a twist at the end,but I just scratched my head.Here are a few examples of where I think it veers off course:The charactersThey are nowhere near as memorable as Bioshock's. There is no-one comparable to Sander Cohen or Dr. Steinman, and Comstock is certainly no Andrew Ryan. He comes across as a Christian Ayatollah who I didn't believe had the capacity to create a city as glorious as Columbia.The songbird character is woefully underdeveloped. He is a giant bird that is Elizabeth's keeper, but you never get the sense that he's constantly on your tail and tormenting you. He just shows up sporadically at cut scenes. They apparently have a special relationship but it's never elaborated upon.Elizabeth has special powers to rip into other dimensions. But why she has them is never explained.GameplayIt's fine. It does the job. But coming off the back of Dishonored and Far Cry 3, it wasn't in their league. It lacked their subtleties, variety and choice. The weapons are nothing you haven't seen before and the vigors/plasmids are more aperitifs than main course. For a game that tackles so many high concepts, you play it like an autistic Rambo.PlotIt's hard to talk about it without giving it away, but there are various occasions where it doesn't make any sense.When Elizabeth and Booker choose to go into another dimension, it is a solution to a problem whose equivalent is taking a bazooka to a fly.Rebel leader Daisy Fitzroy turning into black Stalin was unconvincingElizabeth's dead mother turns into a ghost and starts attacking you. Really.There is no explanation for the vigors in Columbia. At least in Bioshock there's a reason for the plasmids - the discovery of the special sea slug.Ultimately, I'm being harsh on Bioshock Infinite. There's a lot that's brilliant. The George Washington clockwork Gatling wielding terminators, riding on a skyline, the government propaganda. Columbia is a lush, fantastical and vile city. It's joyous to wonder around this floating metropolis, unearthing its stories and gazing over its beautiful vistas. But not as much as the original Bioshock. That's the key.For all Bioshock Infinite's intelligence, its head was up in the clouds. I never got why Booker and Elizabeth just didn't don parachutes and jump the hell out of there.

3.7.2013

I usually stay far away from FPS games. I'm not good at the controls, the perspective throws me off, and it's hard for me to get into the games in general. I only picked this up because what I heard of the plot seemed interesting and everybody on the internet was talking about how great it was.They were right.The 'easy' difficulty was actually easy enough for me to be able to play the game to the end the first time round and I'm replaying on higher difficulties now. The controls were simple, but easily given interest with Vigours and different weapons. New enemies were introduced at just the right points, and gave the game added difficulty and interest without making it impossible.

31.3.2013

I have just finished the first play through, and I have enjoyed it greatly, however there are a few things which I found... lacking.I will start by saying that this is the first Bioshock I have played, as the previous did not really inspire me to play it, I will now because of the enjoyment received from playing Infinite.I could say all the things which makes this a great game, but every other reviewer out there has already said them, so I will summaries. It is good. it looks nice, plays well and does what it needs to very well (I will say I love the city, think it is a fantastic setting for a game)and Elizabeth is the best secondary character in a game, she is helpful.

10.2.2016

I got the special edition game for Christmas and just finished it tonight. I haven't played the other Bioshock games but I was informed you didn't need to as the story isn't a continuation but I may play them one day. I enjoyed this game a lot, it definitely kept me intrigued to keep playing and find out more about Elizabeth (or Belle as I called her, very Disney like) and why things were the way they were with her. She is an amazing character and along with Ellie in The Last of Us she's probably one of my favourite sidekicks.The game play took a bit of time to get used to but once I did I enjoyed it immensely.

8.4.2013

I am a big fan of both BioShock 1 and 2 and Infinite is a remarkable new entry into the series. The graphics are incredibly clear and the environment is so very different from the original duet, set in a lofty Quantum Mechanics driven city in the skies against the original Libertarian underwater refuge. The enemies as well as the weapons are original and distinctive in many regards, from the mechanical Patriot robot warriors and "Handymen" to the variety of magical tonic driven powers reminiscent, while not mere repetition, of the original games. One of the most defining features of this game is that it is not simply combat driven as most games are today; the story and the atmosphere equally play into the motivations for playing it.

BioShock: Infinite - Reviews

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