Is it a must to have played the first 2 games before starting this one to get the characers and story?
BioShock Infinite Review
Game Emblems
The Good
Once again, you're going to an impossible city, beating overwhelming odds. And having loads of fun.
Not only one of the best games of the year, but also, of this generation.
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BioShock Infinite is a stupendous game, portraying a beautiful and broken city that will absorb your every waking thought.
The Good
- Columbia is an amazing place to be and explore
- Depicts uncomfortable, relevant themes in an effective way
- Vigors and skyline rails make for fluid, exciting action
- Upgrades make you feel increasingly powerful
- Mind-blowing ending that you won't soon forget.
The Bad
- Occasional quirks and contrivances disrupt the immersion.
What drives a man of God to wash away the sins of his past, only to blacken his heart with a multitude more? How far can a freedom fighter be pushed before virtue and righteousness are replaced by a lust for vengeance? What does a privileged society do when the foundation of its prosperity is shaken? BioShock Infinite dares to explore these heady themes and many more, giving you glimpses at just how the seemingly smallest of decisions can forever alter our realities, and our hearts. As an agent provocateur in the fantastical floating city of Columbia, your actions bring turmoil and strife to an ostensibly idyllic landscape. It's immensely fun to stir up trouble, and even more engaging to see how boldly BioShock Infinite portrays a society torn asunder. You'll be haunted by this thematically devastating adventure, and indeed, its phenomenal final minutes, which are bound to be discussed and dissected for some time to come.
It starts with a lighthouse. As former private investigator Booker DeWitt, you enter this lighthouse knowing that you have been hired to retrieve "the girl"--but who this girl is, and who hired Booker, remain a mystery, if not to Booker, than at least to you. At the top of that lighthouse is a chair, and once strapped into it, Booker is fired into the stratosphere, toward the city in the sky called Columbia. And what a fitting name for this hyper-American domain of 1912, which incorporates the classical architecture of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. The red, white, and blue Columbian flag flies from spires across the city, and statuaries and bas-relief panels immediately evoke the sense of old America.
The buildings of that 1893 exposition were part of an area known as The White City, and here, too, Columbia lives up to the name of its inspiration--not just in the whiteness of its buildings, but in the whiteness of its racial structure. At a key early moment, you confront the festering illness corrupting this porcelain-white culture, where anyone whose skin is not the ideal color is ostracized and enslaved. You also confront one of BioShock Infinite's many core mysteries: What is the nature of the brand on Booker's hand? In Columbia, the brand is a mark of the false shepherd, this culture's version of the Christian Antichrist and the 666 that marks him. Identified as a prophesied fiend, Booker has no choice but to run.
Columbia is a tremendous place to be, the all-American dream-turned-nightmare crossed with steampunk sensibilities. Nationalist propaganda is mixed with airships and mechanical combatants, and the moving picture machines you occasionally use elaborate on the history of Columbia, which seceded from an America that just wasn't American enough. The leader of this city is Father Comstock, a self-proclaimed prophet and religious zealot whose likeness and influence pervade the game. What Andrew Ryan was to Rapture, Comstock is to Columbia; he is a frightfully well-meaning man who believes so strongly in his own damaged philosophies that you can only fear him. His worshipers are just as fearsome in their blind willingness to follow their leader, even when the costs are high. In BioShock Infinite, religious and political fervor intertwine, much as they do in real life, and these similarities could fill you with dread and unease.
You eventually find "the girl." She is the supernaturally talented Elizabeth, locked in a floating tower and protected by a monstrous clockwork creature called Songbird. Your first confrontation with Songbird is one of many eye-opening scenes, and Elizabeth's relationship with her protector is a complicated one. So is her relationship with Booker, for that matter, though he is key to Elizabeth's escape from her solitary life, and to the city of her dreams: Paris.
And so the two go on the run, alternately exploring Columbia's private nooks and allying with a resistance force called the Vox Populi, not out of politics, but out of necessity. Columbia isn't as hushed and mysterious as Rapture, but exploring it is no less tense. You are a witness to (and a participant in) an imploding social order, and as the story darkens, so too do the places you investigate. Sunny blue skies and perfect manmade beaches give way to burning streets and ghostly memorials. When the narrative has you questioning the nature of reality, the surreality of the environments reflects your confusion. So, too, does the soundscape metamorphose. The concordant harmonies of a hymn of praise take a sour and ominous turn as the more disturbing qualities of Columbia's unerring faith emerge.
Your confusion is appeased by audio recordings you discover called voxophones, which serve as personal diaries to past events. There are clues here to the nature of Elizabeth's gift: her ability to open tears in spacetime and peer into…the future? The past? Other dimensions? Voxophones also elaborate on Columbia's most important citizens, such as Comstock's troubled, martyred wife, whose story illuminates the desperate lengths to which her husband stooped to ensure that his message might be heard in perpetuum. They even provide a few touches of humor, as do other atmospheric audio audio details; alternate versions of well-known tunes could have you grinning once you pick your jaw up off the floor.
BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter, but you aren't armed just with machine guns, pistols, shotguns, and the like; you also have vigors. Vigors, like the original BioShock's plasmids, are seemingly magical powers that you can fling at your enemies. Thus, you can weaken your enemies by zapping them with a bolt of electricity or by charging into them at impossible speed. Try distracting them with a murder of crows before gunning them down with your carbine, or flinging them over the edge of a walkway with a shock wave and watching them plummet to their deaths. You may even combine these powers, perhaps setting a foe on fire and then charging into him for an explosive finish.
By
Kevin VanOrd, Senior Editor
Kevin VanOrd is a lifelong RPG lover and violin player. When he isn't busy building PCs and composing symphonies, he watches American Dad reruns with his fat cat, Ollie.
82 comments
I beat the game today after finally getting it on Monday. I say BioShock Infinite is the best first person shooter I've played since Half-Life 2. I'm not saying it's better than Half-Life 2, but damn it, it is just as good.
1 Like I've just finished the game and while I agree that this is a far better game than the soulless jumble of FPS games that the industry constantly spews at us, I must say that it is a little over-hyped and over-scored. It was rather enjoyable and interesting but nothing truly groundbreaking or unique and it does have its fair share of flaws.
Although it felt old-school in combat and exploration (which is nothing bad I must say!), it was also gorgeous, laid with beautiful visuals, music and voice acting. The downside was its somewhat boring and repetitive level design, especially in the second half of the game. Also the ending was slightly predictable, a little stupid, apathetic and needlessly confusing. My only technical nag about Bioshock Infinite, is the lack of a "New Game Plus" feature. You cannot start a new game with all your money, lock picks, powers and upgrades intact and continue to improve them, you must simply start over from scratch and that killed any sort of replay value, at least for me.
Overall, it certainly is a game of high standards and although as I said earlier, a bit over-hyped and over scored, I'd recommend it anyway.
I just finished it yesterday and it's a god game.If Spec ops the Line did not do it already it would be quite original but it deserves it's hype.Mostly because of Elizabeth IMO the most iconic game character in this generation.My only critic of the game would be the frantic and clumsy combat mechanics.It is a great achievement and one of the few FPS games worth a look these days.
1 Like Finished Bio Shock in two days. Bio Shock Infinite isn't as atmospheric as it's predecessors. Basically it's a first person shooter thats feels really limiting. There's only a small handful of enemy types, the fighting mechanics are novice, enemies spot you from beyond the horizon and hit with accuracy regardless of weapon type. The game feels very linear and makes you track back and forth from places recently visited. I personally find it difficult to see how Bio Shock Infinite rated a 9.0. The game also has little to no replay value.
I did enjoy the utopian scenery though. I read the review here and made the purchase. Maybe it's just me but I found this game a disappointing purchase good luck.
Good review. Bought the game today. Only played two hours so far, but I liked it, once I got past the slightly boring and ling- winded beginning. Very curious about the ending now, so I guess I'll switch to "addicion" mode starting monday.
unfortunately game is too easy boys. girl always throwing you health, ammo ... and its not neccesary to walk around and explore somthings like old games. its little trendy game. too much talking too much scream too much explode too much hollywood.
i dont say game is bad but it doesnt follow the previous games. so what i mean bioshock is not all about shoot people.
bioshock is about loneliness , exploring , fear , claustrophobic....
i couldnt find these in bioshock infinty
@supermarioooooo what is wrong with you? you definitely picked the easy or normal mode... and now complaining about it... if you want a challenge then pick the 1999 mode(it will be harder than you can handle). It is just sad that the game developers take the effort of making the game easy or challenging for both types of player but a lot of them just select the wrong difficulty mode and bitch about it.
Give me System Shock and we'll talk.
Hated 1 & 2, and here we have Bioshock:Steampunk edition.... No. Just no
... I honestly feel kind of sad when I think about the fact that I still haven't played this game.
Check out my user review of Bioshock Infinite. Was it a godly success or a satanic failure?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfB5i4F5W6Q
There is a lot of hype about this particular game. It is an interactive game not just a shooter game that some of the others are. With characters that seem lifelike, this particular game is one that anyone can play. The graphics are incredible. I had no idea that a game could look so real. However, that said, this game is best enjoyed on the pc due to the detail on the graphics. Although it is available in all of the standard gaming formats. There is a download version of Bioshock Infinite available below.
I have details regarding characters, shooting, levels and more here.
the game looks good I've never played a boishock game but this one im gonna buy after my GOW bundle then Grand theft after that my love of my life BF4!!!
Yeah this is one SP game even though its kind of short I bought at near full price. Its not super long but what is here is quality not just filler.
Elizabeth is the first npc character I think I actually tried to guard instead of trying to shoot her
"If you adhere to religious faith . . . this game may invite introspection or even anger." Actually, it was such a bizarre offshoot of Christianity it didn't bother me until the little backhand slap in the ending, and that wasn't even the thing that bothered me most about the ending.
3 Like This game is near to perfect !! the developers has done justice to the game.
the role is Elizabeth is simply stunning throughout the game.the programming behind Elizabeth is an example of artificial intelligence.
superb game, stunning combo and lovely support by Elizabeth throughout the game !!
so, what are you waiting for guys, just grab your copy today..
"Hats Off" for 2k developers.
they really deserve it.
and guys, please do buy an original copy of each and every game..these people work hard day and night just to entertain us. i don't want any other gaming company to have financial problem which was faced by THQ last year and this resulted to downfall of thq along with games like darksiders =__=
so please guys, it's a personal appeal to all gamer to support the company. buy original DVDs , BluRays :)
i don't want another thq to happen in future.
All shooters are linear. But a great game...... I'm not fanboy (I hated Bioshock 1 and 2... boring drivel that I couldn't play more than an hour or two). This game sucked me in. The ending was fantastic. Unfortunately, it's one of those games you can only play once because it was be as epic the second time around.
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3 Like @mr_azim Are you retarded or something???
comments section are no place to put spoilers, just because you have played it doesn't mean everyone has played it.
3 Like Unfortunately I got sucked in by the great reviews...this is one of the most linear, predictable games I've played in the last 2 decades. On the other hand, yes the graphics are awesome...but I'd rather have a good game than good graphics.
The guy who is upset because you cant hack, your the reason online gamming turns out to be a horrible experience why do you want to hack. alot of us just done get it, why. you have no real skills maybe/ . This game is great. better than a 1 on 1 bang bang your dead. or a crowd of hackers. with no skill all joining together. to lesson your expperience. becaue they want to be on top of the leader board. really. how old are you guys 12.Try using or better yet getting some real skills.As for the Game. i havent played the other Bioshocks but i thought this was lets say very good, maybe not great, but i liked it anyway, worth 60.00 hmmm not really.
I feel so cheated...where is the graphics quality and narrative from the previous "gameplay trailers"
: /
Irrational helped start the generation great! and now its ending off even better Gotta respect Irrational' s gangster lml
Is there any way to turn off the hitmarkers in this game? it's really annoying and the game looses it's immersion seeing a dumb X show up everytime I shoot an enemy. i am not dumb, I can see when I shot an enemy. Bioshock 1 and 2 were fine with just blood and wounds showing up on enemy bodies as hitmarkers. It was bad enough seeing hitmarkers in the COD black ops 2 campaign, now this???
@Optimizm324 @Dredcrumb9 you think or you know? Do you have the game? lol I may not buy this game if I have to see an X show up everytime I make a hit.
F..K JUST went to the retailer and told me i have to wait till 6 oclock. S..t man cant wait any longer
1 Like @chris120379 This was 23 hours ago! Don't leave us hanging! Did you get it?? Someone check his house!
@Lord_Tigger @chris120379 i fu..... dii dude¡ awesome game man it is incredible...thinking probably get me one of those ps move controllers...has anyone checked if it works properly with the PS move??????
1 Like @Ronin893 My wife will have nothing to do with my gaming hobby. You're one lucky dude.
9 Like @Ronin893 As a gamer who plays since the NES era, working 50 hours/week, with a wife and a small boy, trying to play Tomb Raider, God Of War Ascension and Bioshock Infinite at the same time is an Herculean effort, particularly since my wife hates that I play videogames, and I can only do that in my virtually absent free time...
So a wife that sits with you while you play Bioshock? Consider yourself a really lucky guy, give her flowers everyday, she deserves it!!
4 Like @marcsmashing @Ronin893 dont give her flowers, maybe a brand new ps3 or 360 with games that she would actually like...shes a keeper
6 Like @marcsmashing @Ronin893 Thanks man and good luck. and yes she does deserve it. i try not to forget it.
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BioShock Infinite
Not Following
- Publisher(s): 2K Games
- Developer(s): Irrational Games
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- ESRB: M
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