All of a sudden I heard something give the lightshade above my head a good hit and I looked up straight away and saw it swaying back and forward and I'm like "Well that was really weird because there's nothing there". I expected to see something flying away from it but there was nothing there. There isn't any flying insects in the room let alone something big enough to make the whole thing move and I would of heard it fluttering around the place. If was something attracted to the light I would of seen it hanging around the lightbulb too but nope. I checked everywhere out of curiousty and it's a small enough room. The window wasn't open and the door was practically closed. There's literally nothing else in this room bar me. 

Maybe it was just hidding somewhere in your room you might ask? I would of noticed if there's things flying around in my room you'd have to be deaf and blind not to notice. I can't find any other explanition for what would of caused it but all I know is something gave it a good hit and it starting swaying and there's nothing in the room that's alive besides me to do that. It's just hanging there slap bang center of the room.

A few moments later my friend starts asking me what are those noises, your headset is making really weird noises ect and then all of a sudden my headphones just started going nuts with feedback, the whole thing just went beserk so I turned off the mic, turned it back on then pretty much everything went back to normal. 

One of those weird experiences, or maybe I'm just a total nut case who needs counselling haha.

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Masters of Reality: By Pierst178
Why Tomb Raider Failed as a Reboot: By biggest_looser
If the rumors are true: 5 reasons the next Xbox will fail: By -Saigo-
BioShock Infinite: Baptism of the Human Heart: By adusenbery
and  The Zone of Influence: How Paratext can change our experiences with games: By tom_cat_01

These are features that are picked no by community members, but by GameSpot staff, myself, and Carolyn Petit. 

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When Nintendo unveiled the Wii U, it came as little surprise it would continue the departure from traditional console gaming considering the steps taken with motion technology and a family friendly presentation that led to the original Wii's success. With the unveiling of the Xbox One and Microsoft's own apparent departure from a gaming focused system, it seems the console market is now undergoing a kind of de-evolution. It would be fair to say Microsoft and Nintendo believe themselves to represent the pinnacle of innovation and originality if their advertising campaigns and grandiose press conferences are any evidence. But does the Xbox One actually represent a step backwards as far as gamers are concerned?

Although Sony's original Playstation brought gaming into widespread public recognition by appealing to clubbing culture with trance like visuals and pumping soundtracks, it was the Xbox that pioneered online console gaming. With the introduction of Xbox Live spearheaded by the phenomenally successful Halo, Microsoft quickly and aggressively seized early control of the online market something both Sony and Nintendo have yet to match. The genius of Microsoft's approach was not simply to create a way for gamers to play online but to turn that interaction into an entire community. With the ability to compare statistics, achievements while forming and nurturing online friendships, the widespread popularity started by Sony ended up consolidated back into a culture especially for gamers - rather than club socialites seeking a way to impress their real life friends by showing interest in what they believed to be 'the next big thing'. Essentially, Microsoft gave gaming back to the gamers.

With this in mind, it came as something of a disappointment to learn that the Xbox One would apparently be undoing some of this by catering to a more general community beyond those who play games. The console was revealed to include a Blu-Ray player, Skype support and an evolved online marketplace for movies and music, not to mention integrated Kinect a feature that has never been truly accepted by gamers as a practical method of playing games. So the name Xbox One is something of a misnomer - 'One' meaning all forms of entertainment delivered by a sole system while simultaneously splintering off from a culture of gamers that had been so expertly set up with the previous two consoles. All of this combined with the lack of backwards compatibility and we have system that appears hell bent on erasing the established gaming history of so many who had finally found a devoted community to call home.

The decision to cater for a wider demographic could very well prove fatal for Microsoft considering it already faces competition from the Wii U and is set to face the Playstation 4 on release. It can be assumed the Playstation 3 was the least popular of the current generation systems. A rocky beginning and a severe loss of credibility for Sony after the Playstation Network was hacked in mid 2011 resulting in the compromise of millions of credit card numbers means its been a difficult road for Sony of late. However, it now has a chance at redemption and reclamation of its status as the most popular console developer as proven by the Playstation 2's record of the highest selling console of all time. If you consider the departures from traditional gaming being made by Nintendo and the now risky fracturing of gamer culture by Microsoft, it leaves Sony in an interesting position to take advantage of the Playstation 4 now being the only console to still offer a traditional and dedicated gaming experience.

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When I played the Halo 4 campaign I had that feeling. Halo 4 has changed drastically from the Halo I grew up with. The campaign is eerily reminiscent of Call of Duty. The first in game breaks in which Master Chief pushes a button seem out of place. In a way its glorifying a lackluster action that can be overlooked. The sole purpose of the first person actions is to make it more cinematic and Call of Duty-like.

The Call of Duty theme comes up time and time again. Halo 4 sports the same interactive gameplay elements that Call of Duty made popular. Remember climbing the glacier in Modern Warfare 2? Youll see those elements here. While its not bad, it just doesnt feel like Halo. I feel like Im playing a Call of Duty spinoff. This feeling is worsened by a change in the Needler inflicts damage. Every time a needle hits you, there is virtually no damage inflicted. The damage is only inflicted after the needles explode. While this seems trivial, it drastically impacts gameplay. I dont always realize when Im getting shot with a Needler and die seemingly randomly.

The story behind Halo 4 would have had me in tears had my roommate not been breaking my immersion every three seconds. I think it might very well be the most emotional game Ive ever played, at least the most emotional Halo game. Cortana has gone rampant, and the interaction between Master Chief and Cortana is incredibly well done. My only gripe is that it was too short. I miss Halo 2s long campaign. I completed Halo 4 in only about six hours. There was so much missed potential between Chief and Cortana due to the campaigns brevity. I would have loved to see their interactions play out for a longer period of time before the credits role. 

The story also ties in perfectly to the Forward Unto Dawn short films. The new characters have unique personalities, although Master Chief doesnt have long lasting relationships akin to his relationship with the Arbiter or Johnson. The new faces fade as soon as they come. One of the most interesting characters is a female O.D.S.T. although she only appears in two or three scenes. Shes the perfect candidate for a series long partner. The story however is a solemn tale of the struggles between two close friends, so I can understand why they didnt introduce that many new characters. The narrative focuses beautifully on Cortana and Chief.

While it feels a lot more like Call of Duty than Halo, Halo 4 is still not to be missed for its narrative alone.

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Please just go away. Sorry, but I'd rather read about something else. Like your booger collection, or your unhealthy obsession with cheese, or whatever. Frickin' whatever. Have a Jessica gif because she never disappoints me.

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Site glitches aside, I thought I'd take a quick second to let you all know what's going to happen with me this year and how it'll affect my time on GS. Yeah yeah, I know I'm not on here a lot anymore as is, but I wanted to make a non-editorial blog for the first time in forever and thought this would be a good chance to speak from the...er, keyboard.

Some time 'round the start of September, I'm gonna be starting my Master's program for Library Sciences and, because a Master's degree is commonly known to sap one's social life (including the pretend ones) completely, I'll be even rarer than usual. Don't worry all about 10-ish of you regular readers, I'll be able to Soapbox whenever I feel like it because a fun fact is that a vast majority of my soapboxes are spontaneously written with no real editing or preparation to speak of (you probably noticed anyway maybe but whatever). To be frank, I treat them like writing exercises so I can keep myself from falling into dumbitude. But yeah, this is probably all just dumb stuff anyway.

On a side note: it's fun to look back on my first soapboxes from '08. Man, I was a TERRIBLE writer back then and if you call me a terrible writer now I swear to God I will cut you. Something else to note is that my entries from way back had over ten times the amount of commenters...maybe I should be dumb?

Also also, I looked at my earliest blog posts and holy hot poop, I want to punch myself. Yeesh.

Okay, I'm rambling now and this really isn't funny.

Guess I'll click that submit button now.

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In my 30 years of playing video games -- from the early 90's when I'd check newsstands daily to see if a new issue of EGM had come in yet to 2013, current day -- that was literally the most worthless, astonishingly boring, overly bloated, bat-sh** delusional, out-of-touch,  cynical, thoughtless mess of a major game console reveal I have ever seen, by a considerable margin.  Hands down.  And no, I'm not kidding.

Phil Harrison (Vice President of Microsoft( has recently, and concretely confirmed 2 things that matter (or SHOULD matter, if you have a brain cell in your head and care about your basic rights as a consumer)

1) The Xbox One will NOT PLAY USED GAMES.   You must purchase the FULL MSRP "validation code" to play any used game you buy.  So there is absolutely no point.   Say goodbye to lending your game to a friend, or your cousin, or your brother.

2) The Xbox One will require a CONSTANT Internet connection to function.   No, You CANNOT play single player games offline.   Microsoft has confirmed that the system will need to "auto-validate" an online connection ONCE per 24 hours in order to FUNCTION AT ALL, INCLUDING SINGLE PLAYER GAMES.

If you buy, or are considering buying this machine, you are a moron.

There's a reason Sony and Nintendo stocks SKYROCKETED after the Xbox One conference -- it's as anti-consumer as a product can get.   A machine that EMBODIES DRM.  

This news was so souring that I literally went online right afterward and pre-ordered a Playstation 4, AND I bought a Playstation Vita.   Seriously.  Sony deserves all of my money at this point.

Your thoughts?

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When Microsoft revealed the 21^st of May as their showcase for the future of the entertainment medium I was excited by the prospect. Having been disappointed by Sony's offerings of sequels and pseudo Frankenstein controllers, I was hoping MS would offer something more...much more. Well we all saw the console which is more than what Sony did, however upon feasting it's rather bland 1980's vhs player styled design should they have showed it at all? A small part of me thought it was deliberate in an attempt to make the console look similar to those of old, those from my generation. Maybe they wanted to grab the attention of the Space Invaders elite?

If that was the intention then they failed as the new Xbox One (it's now official name) looked more akin to a set top box than a console with the same features enjoyed by that said medium. As I sit here a cool breeze gusting through the balcony doors and a refreshing Orange juice greets my lips I wonder if this is the future of gaming? The Xbox One reveal seemed nothing more than MS wanting to get into a territory already frequented by other companies who quite frankly have much more experience with the subject matter. Has MS decided to put the other entertainment mediums first and games second? Such a prospect is so bizzarre and non coherent I dread to think it.

Then there is the rather more alarming concern of used game fee's and one user per console mentality. Do MS honestly expect a married couple to both buy the same version of the same game so both can enjoy it on the same console? In another world it would be comedy gold the kind of content that Laurel and Hardy would use to captivate audiences worldwide. The worrying feeling however is that this situation is no joke and it's a nightmare that we will never awake from. No matter how one looks at it the reveal raised more questions than eyebrows and alerted the gaming world to some very serious questions.

Please leave your thoughts on comments on the issue here and at my youtube channel found here: www.youtube.com/dragonps

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^This is Microsoft!

Seriously what is wrong with them? You have to report to them once a day to be able to play games , you can't play used games unless you pay a fee for the game you have ALREADY BOUGHT , you can't upgrade your hard drive and 70% of their presentation was about TV and how you don't have to work hard to click the buttons on your controller but you can instead use the ability of human speech! I hate when things are so mainstream and even though i love Sony I'm scared that it wont be long until Sony starts doing things like that.   Instead of embracing their customers MS treats them like terrorists. And not to mention that freakin Eye of Mordor that is the Kinect!! It's completely ridiculous , even a hardcore MS fanboy can see that.

The gaming world is under attack!

What do you guys think?

~Rein

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1. It doesn't look like the Xbox One is focused on gamers or developers at all. It took 30 minutes for Microsoft to talk about games.

2. When Microsoft finally started to talk about games, they only showcased two games: Forza Motorsport 5 and Quantum Break (a game we know nothing about besides a freight ship crashing into a bridge and a mother talking to her daughter). Now, both games do look interesting, but they were only showcases. No details, no developer explanation, and no gameplay.

3. Too much time was spent on non-exclusive games that will also be available on the PlayStation 4. Madden, NBA Live, FIFA, UFC, and Call of Duty have all been confirmed for PS4. I'm not trying to be a fanboy here, but wasn't the reveal supposed to be reasons why you should buy an Xbox One and not just a next generation console?

4. Is TV that important? 1/3 of the reveal was all about TV and how the Xbox One can serve as a TV service. Why should people step away from DirecTv, Dish, or Time Warner? Especially when we don't know if AMC, FX, MTV, Cartoon Network, etc. will be available. I also don't think people understand that this will cost money. It's not a free feature (even with Xbox Live) but presumably an app that will cost monthly fees. No word on DVR either.

5. It didn't do anything to appeal to kids. No kid-friendly games at all. That's a huge market to avoid completely.

6. The console looks ugly. Not that it really matters but wow, how uninspired and ugly can a console design get? Many were quick to point out that it looks like a VCR to a point where "VCR" was trending on Twitter.

7. Xbox "One"? Did Microsoft pay any attention to Nintendo and the Wii "U"? While marketing might inform more people that the Xbox One is a brand new console rather than an upgrade, it will no doubt cause confusion. Microsoft wanted to avoid the cheesy "Xbox 720" and they did. But at what cost?

8. The fact that is very hidden under the hype at the moment is how Xbox One will charge a fee if you play a used game. It's unknown exacly how the fee will be incorporated, but it is a fee nonetheless. Is the Xbox One going to be that big for customers to give up Gamestop?

9. No free internet access. I've talked to a lot of people who said that if the next Xbox charges a fee for online access that they would jump ship to PlayStation's free online access. I think that this will be a big deal if people come to their senses and realize that they've paid over $300 for Xbox Live if they purchased a 360 at launch with a subscription.

10. I think that the voice controls could lead to disaster. I'm not sure how Kinect functions (I've never cared to try it out), but voice activation is surely not advanced enough to avoid potential bugs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-GKVyBb-KI

11. How corny was it to see celebrities like Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams, Roger Goodell, Bill Gates, Robert Griffin III, and Roger Goodell (all of whom probably have zero experience with the console) say how great the Xbox One is...

12. No pizza apps?

Overall, I can't see how anyone could have been even remotely excited from the Xbox One reveal. I think that Microsoft completely dropped the ball and that they are heading in the wrong direction. People buy a video game console to play video games.

The sad thing is, I think that the XBOX name is too powerfull at this point that their usual customers will flock to the Xbox One no matter what. Microsoft knows that, that's why they are making millions off of Xbox Live subscriptions. But if Sony markets the PlayStation 4 strongly with game-centered promotion and a competitive price, they could dominate the next generation.

I watched the Xbox reveal as a loyal, lifelong PlayStation and Nintendo owner. I already knew that I was purchasing a PS4 at launch (and a Wii U at some point) before the reveal livestream. But I was worried however that the next Xbox could have some features that could potentially knock the PS4 out of the ring and bury the Wii U even further into the ground. Fortunatly, that is not the case with the Xbox One.

No one console is in the lead, no one console is dead last. But given how the Wii U, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One are all running in completely directions, there will be clear-cut winners and losers by the time the next, next generation of consoles is being talked about.

------------------------------------

Again, I've always been a loyal PlayStation and Nintendo owner. Call me a fanboy all you want, but I've made my points (both by fact and opinion) and I'll stick to them until E3. Thanks for reading and please comment with your thoughts on the Xbox One reveal

- Dylan

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I'll be forced to buy a Kinect that I have no interest in using if I want the new Xbox. Great.

Am I seriously supposed to be excited about the ability to watch TV on my TV?

For the small portion of the show devoted to video games, they announced that we'll be able to play Forza and Call of Duty on the Xbox One. Whoopty freaking doo.

If that's the best Microsoft can do to get me interested in their next console, I'll be playing all my next gen games on a PS4.

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http://www.laserlemming.com/2013/05/20/resident-evil-revelations-review/

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I haven't gotten very far in, I'm trying to understand the map and have resorted to stealing cars for the car challenge while I try to figure out whats going on.  I've also stumbled across a few collectibles too, you know the ones.

I can't say my impressions are too detailed at this point.  The controls for driving are more intuitive than I expected and the shooting mechanics are good as well.  The story hasn't drawn me in just yet, so I may go for the main story mission and try to understand what I'm seeing on the map.  I'm treating this like a GTA game and I probably shouldn't.  I've always found collecting all the extras first gets you started better.  I haven't figured out how to clear the shields and I'm not sure what the pink stars are.  Considering I have the guide, this is just me not bothering to flip through it at this point.  I do like the customisation for the character, but I might change it already.

I also added another review, in case anyone saw the free app of the week last week at Starbucks, it was Where's Perry.  A fun game, and since it was free, that much more enjoyable.  My sister leaves for Bosnia today (she works for the State department).  I can't say I'll miss her as much as I'll miss my neice, who invites her 2 yr old self into my room and claims all things in it are 'mine.'  It is adorable as all get out, until she touches the charmander.  I bought her a charmander and flew it out to AZ when they lived there.  They stuffed him in a box and sent him to Bosnia.  Anyway, /ramble.

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When I was 22 I worked as a disc jockey at a radio station. I was winding down my post-college career, rooming with a childhood buddy and entertaining a litany of girls streaming in and out of our "crib." Seems like the life, right? It was- for a while. Eventually it became stale. Repetitive. Finally, it became annoying. Too much money spent on good times, not enough money going to bills. No thoughts given on the future, only the now (it's really not a good way to live life, don't believe the carp  diem folks).

So, I met somebody older than myself; more mature probably. More stable and settled down. Quickly I figured out "Yeah, this is where I want to be at this point in my life."

Granted, I understand that's not for everybody, but for me at that particular point...I guess it's just what I was ready for.

I'm going to be 36 in a little over a month.

In the last five years, I've drastically redesigned my life once again. The only mainstay throughout those transformations in Who I Am has been a video game (of some sorts). I've engrossed my spare time into teaching the pole vault- my girl is ranked #1 in the state this year- and I've enjoyed it. I weigh 177 lbs. now. I can do 15 pull-ups and I generally feel good about myself.

The only problem I have is that issue with gaming. Is it my re-assessment of life again? Have I grown out of games? Has the gaming industry not lived up to the standards of innovation I'm used to? Was there a golden age that I was privy to in the 80's and 90's that can't possibly be surmounted or even equaled? The sequels? The glass ceiling of ingenuity? My economic stability? Getting old?

Likely a combination of all of those factors in varying degrees. Whatever the case may be, gaming as a form of my own personal entertainment is dying a slow death. I cannot get excited to go into a video game store. I don't get a giddy anticipation over a new release.

The odd thing is, I want the excitement back. I want to be invigorated by the idea of a game. My best memories are there. Sadly, when I sit in front of a television and pick up a controller (or a monitor and keyboard)...it just doesn't click. Invariably I'd rather just go walk outside or something. Go on a trip somewhere. I don't know.

I cannot figure out if I lost gaming along the way, or if gaming lost me. This is the crux of my problem. As I look back through my backlog of blatherings, I think it's more me than the gaming. Some sort of personality shift. I remember old GS friends saying "Don't worry, it'll come back. We all go through the gaming doldrums."

Well, we're a few years down the road, and it hasn't come back. I'd rather just sit down and bust in an old game from 15 years ago, and that's only to get an injection of feel-good nostalgia.

Crap, I'm just getting old.

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Not too many updates really.Far Cry and Crysis 3 are both yet to fall beneath me(not something I'm very proud of).School work's been a real mother lately, haven't even had a chance to peep Iron Man 3 (the reviews it's getting aren't helping much either) 

So that's me back..maybe some reviews if I get round to it.

IMPORTANT!:Keep mashing those buttons!

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Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Still, it must be said that the fact that Infinite even partly accomplishes any of the tasks that it sets out for itself is hugely impressive. Considering many games have difficulties spicing up even the most rote shooting mechanics, unleash a deluge of cutscenes and quicktime events on players at every possible opportunity, and often struggle to not, themselves, be racist, BioShock Infinite stands out as an important step forward for big budget games that strive for serious artistry and drama. Irrational's latest isn't the gaming medium's magnum opus of cultural expression that one might expect given the game's self-serious artistic posturing, and huge critical acclaim, but it's still an utterly important release, and a damn good one too.

This is because there are plenty of things that Infinite gets totally right. The game's astounding audiovisual presentation is perhaps the foremost place to start. The game doesn't overtly flex any technical wizardry in the way an id or Crytek release might, but its sheer artistic splendor makes it one of the very best looking games of this console generation. At the root of this is no doubt the game's stellar environment, which ranks among the pantheon of gaming's greatest settings. 

In the game's opening hour, players are slowly, calmly introduced to the seeming utopia of Columbia, an opulent, sun-drenched city above the clouds defined by exaggerated American expressions. Bright, idyllic gardens surround grand Palladian building; a peaceful stillness remains pervasive even through bustling storefronts and chatting citizens, only to occasionally be interrupted by enticing music selections (seriously, pay attention to this game's soundtrack), or - as players will encounter soon after arrival - a gleeful carnival complete with silly games and booming fireworks.

The game is wise to devote such a long period of time to simply navigating and luxuriating in its enticing environment, as Columbia is a true marvel that demonstrates the fact that Infinite's surely ungodly budget was put to good use - Irrational's hugely talented art team seems to have been truly unleashed. And though the game reserves for itself a few more simple moments of quietude, players will also soon discover their chief motivation for the rip-roaring action that consumes the vast majority of Infinite's running time. 

Lead by the self-righteous and disturbed Father Comstock, most of Columbia's denizens have adopted a worldview that takes notions of American Exceptionalism to ridiculous but no less frightening extremes. Here, other religions have been extinguished in favor of a faith that idealizes America's founding fathers, as well as Comstock and his family, and all but the Anglo-Saxon adherents to this dogma are marginalized, reviled and exploited. This, as you might imagine, is causing some problems within the floating city, and tensions continually escalate from the moment you arrive.

But don't ready your spinning skyhook just yet, as there's quite a bit to dissect with this hefty plot setup. As mentioned before, Infinite has no qualms about diving headfirst into seemingly risky storytelling territory. But, much like the original BioShock's awkward and contradictory critique of Randian Objectivism, Infinite handles its set of sociopolitical critiques in a rather bumbling, heavy-handed, and ultimately ineffective way. For most of the game, these heavy themes of discrimination are mostly shock with little substance. Early on, for example, players will find themselves in the headquarters of The Fraternal Order of the Raven, an environment whose every last bit of iconography - including statues of John Wilkes Boothe, and enemies garbed in darkened Klu Klux Klan robes - spews bigoted filth. Troubling, to be sure, but this environment is never explored to a satisfactory degree in a narrative context. We are never told what drove the Order's members to this disgusting mindset, or what function it plays in Columbian society as a whole; instead we're instructed to simply tear through the environment, dismembering every racist we can find. Indeed, almost every one of the game's on-the-nose explorations of racism and jingoism seems to exist as more out of a desire to simply justify Infinite's absurd level of bombastic violence than a willingness to earnestly and cerebrally comment on these weighty issues. 

It's a true shame, but again, the fact that the game is willing to go to these dark places in an upfront and confrontational manner when most games dodge around similar issues or make heavy use of metaphor and allegory in order to indirectly speak on them is commendable, even if it keeps Infinite's apparent daring from being something to truly celebrate.

But there is a second major component of Infinite's ideological critique, one that is much more subtly woven throughout the game, and one that ultimately cuts much deeper. Forgiveness and rebirth, in regards to its inherent inclusion in many major religions, is relentlessly examined and scrutinized over the course of the campaign in some truly unsettling ways. This side of the game's narrative might be so uncomfortable, in fact, as to offend adherents to the faiths that Infinite draws some heavily parallels to with its own disturbing belief system. The fact, however, that these themes aren't merely dabbled in, as are the game's superficial commentaries discrimination, but rather made absolutely integral to the core narrative and explored fully and fearlessly leads Infinite, in this instance, to fully live up to its grandiose goals. This is the moment where Infinite's narrative triumphs, and I can only hope that more games follow in its footsteps in bringing to light serious thematic content in a more direct manner, as can be seen so often in other media yet so rarely within video games.

Alright, here's where you can start revving up your skyhook. As he progresses through the carnival that greets him as he first steps foot in Columbia, Booker DeWitt, the game's playable and decidedly not-mute protagonist, begins to fully unravel the noxious worldview of Columbia's inhabitants. On his way towards a strange raffle that serves as the fair's main event, Comstock's voice booms over a loudspeaker, warning the citizens of Columbia about the arrival of the False Prophet, a man who has the letters "AD" burned into his right hand. Sure enough, our anti-hero holds his hand up to reveal that exact marking. And sure enough, during this eerie raffle event, the Columbians take notice of the mark, and Booker DeWitt swiftly digs a spinning hookblade into the skull of the first police officer that attempts to apprehend him.

With this, BioShock Infinite reveals its heavy emphasis on twitchy shooter gameplay and ridiculous amounts of gore. Engaging in the game's slick shooting mechanics feels no different than it might in the latest Call of Duty game; guns have a fantastic sense of weight to them and the responsiveness and ingenuity of the game's heads-up display ensures steady environmental awareness despite the over-the-top freneticism of many of the game's combat sequences. But where Infinite's combat truly shines is in its surprising mechanical density. Vigors that grant Booker special powers like the ability to shoot electricity from his fingertips or absorb bullets and toss them right back at foes serve as the first extra layering. For those familiar with the series, these powers might seem quite like the Plasmids introduced in the first BioShock, and though they do perform the same function, they're implemented in a far more balanced way in Infinite than they are in its predecessors; they're powerful and readily available but must be dealt out conservatively, as the mana pool they run on is rather restrictive.

But as gleefully destructive as they can be, Vigors are decidedly uninteresting in the face of Infinite's more inspired new mechanics. Booker's ability to latch onto the aerial Skylines running throughout Columbia is perhaps the most mind-blowing gameplay feature of them all. Though the mechanic seemed rather unbelievable during its first E3 showing a couple years ago, it speaks to the ingenuity of the game's level design that fluidly navigating Skylines that weave throughout many of the game's rather conspicuous battle arenas while taking shots at enemies, a potentially disorienting feat, becomes effortless after only a few encounters. The verticality and freedom of movement this system grants the game is awe-inspiring, and almost attaches a sense of childlike wonder to the act of mass-murdering racists.

For the first few hours of gameplay, these are the mechanics that Booker is limited to. It's during this time that he seeks to accomplish a seemingly simple direction mandated by a mysterious client: "Give us the girl, and wipe away the debt." Though this phrase ends up holding more significance than an uninitiated player could possibly know, it nonetheless serves as the impetus for finding Elizabeth, a young woman whose power to tear holes in the space-time continuum has, perhaps expectedly, lead her to be sequestered on the looming, Statue of Liberty-esque research facility, Monument Island.

So, as one might expect, this ability of hers adds more than a few layers of complexity to what might've otherwise been a rather straightforward plot. As the extent of her powers is gradually revealed, a suitably mind-bending narrative begins to form that comments, among other things, on the frail nature of identity and the profound ways in which a single choice can influence personhood, for better or worse. Though the introduction of converging space-time might seem to risk devolving the story into an Inception-esque exercise in overly complex authorial self-indulgence, BioShock Infinite uses this storytelling conceit to build a truly tragedian narrative.

But Elizabeth isn't merely a means for crafting a brain-melting metaphysical storyline. Nor is Booker DeWitt a stupefied on-looker who hails from the same lineage of horribly flat shooter protagonists as Gordon Freeman, or Corvo Attano. They are both memorable characters whose defined personalities infuse the plot's affecting tragedy with a true sense of humanity. Elizabeth, on one hand, starts out as a surprisingly cultured and self-aware inversion of the classic damsel-in-distress trope, and her evolution over the course of the game's ten- to twelve-hour campaign is astonishingly well-paced and believable. Her exaggerated features and expressive animations that pay homage to the distinctive style Grim Natwick invented for Disney solidify her as one of the most memorable and empathetic characters in gaming. DeWitt, by contrast, is predominately a closed-book, limiting himself to practical, yet charismatic antics strongly reminiscent of classic swashbucklers like Han Solo until his dark past is fully revealed during the final act. When that happens, he extends far beyond his narrative role as a foil to Elizabeth, and the resulting revelations cut to the bone. Major compliments are due to Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper, who faultlessly brings this odd couple to life even through all the mind-blowing turns the story takes.

The duo also serve as a great team during Infinite's huge combat sequences. Though Booker, as mentioned before, is in charge of most of the direct combat, Elizabeth is a key ingredient in what makes the game's massive shootouts so dazzling. Most significantly, she uses her ability to alter time and space to bring objects into the battlefields that didn't previously exist. Asking for a wall of cover to hide behind when a dozen enemies are facing you down, or perhaps a Skyhook that lets you access a sniper perch adds an exciting tactical dynamism to combat that feels especially important considering the sheer number of foes the game throws at you. Since you can only select one object to tear in at a time, more heated battles require a constant mindfulness and economization of Elizabeth's power that is as exhilaratingly strategic as the best of tactical shooters.

A smaller, but no less genius touch is the fact that Elizabeth tosses you mana and ammo when it feels clutch. Even when it becomes obvious that she's scripted to do so whenever your resources are running low, the notion that an AI is looking out for you is relentlessly fulfilling, especially in a game that constructs a scenario that might've so easily fallen into the dreaded escort-mission trap. Indeed, going back to other first-person shooters has become tough, as Elizabeth is not just a delightful companion in a narrative sense, but she's also integral to the satisfaction of Infinite's moment-to-moment combat proceedings.

Each of the augments to the core shooting experience are satisfying in their own right, but once they all start working in tandem, Infinite's combat scenarios reach the upper-echelon of FPS sublimation. Not since Half-Life 2 has a shooter married pulse-pounding twitch thrills to a deeply strategic core so seamlessly, and while leaving so much room for experimentation. The gritty sound design that punctuates the action is equally superb; a combination of abrasive string stabs, impactful weapon sound effects and some truly horrifying enemy damage reactions unfailingly sell you on the weighty ferocity of the mayhem you cause.

All this, of course, sounds amazing, and on some level it truly is. But consider this: for all its fast-paced entertainment, Infinite's combat never fully works. In a mechanical sense, it's pretty much as polished as can be, but the game's massive amount of carnage doesn't quite work within the context of the story. In fact, story and gameplay don't feel merged at all. While there's a fair amount of narrative justification for the heavy degree of violence, the fact that shooting people and ripping their heads of with a spinning hook is pretty much Booker's only way of interacting with the world undercuts much of the arresting emotionality of Infinite's narrative.

Highlighting this problem is the fact that many of the game's most powerful moments either preclude player input, or limit interactivity to the push of a single button. Elizabeth's ability to tear holes in the space-time continuum, for example, may have been the basis for some ingenious puzzle solving and narrative interaction, but players are instead left to simply push a button to demand entry into a new reality where they can proceed to shoot more people in the face. Again, this feels like BioShock Infinite going only halfway in bringing its many fantastic ideas to life; some truly inventive mechanical structures may have been borne out of the game's central narrative conceits, but Irrational has disappointingly opted to instead rely on more comfortable and pre-established action gameplay. 

This disconnect is furthered by the game's odd focus on scavenging between each firefight. While the opportunity to really dig into and appreciate each environment, as well as get a break from the nearly nonstop action is welcome, the context of the narrative doesn't really support these detours either. Booker's mission is given an impactful sense of urgency, so the fact that the game encourages you to stop down for long stretches of time to eat random food items littered about and try to uncover Columbia's many secrets is rather off-putting. Early on, for instance, Elizabeth finds herself in immediate danger. An objective indicator flashes on-screen telling you to go rescue her, yet you find yourself surrounded by lootable objects designated by a pulsating golden glow. Of all the moments to try and fish pieces of cake out of a trashcan, this may be the least opportune, but Infinite's structure, which evidently values narrative over gameplay in terms of pacing and logic, continues to tempt you astray regardless. This might all seem a bit nitpicky, but considering the fact that Infinite is so intent on being treated as a significant work of art, these small annoyances can't be ignored, as they gradually undermine the meaning the game tries so hard to construct for itself.

BioShock Infinite is a game worth any mature player's while, but it has come at an unfortunate time. Within the past year alone, the industry has been treated to games like Spec Ops: The Line, The Walking Dead, and Hotline Miami, just a few titles that are capable of eloquently and expertly exploring dark themes while being cognizant of their respective mechanics' impact on the narratives they try to weave, making a game like Infinite - one that never fully accounts for the ways in which its gameplay influences the meaning and effectiveness of its story - seem a bit clumsy by comparison. David Jaffe, the brilliant designer behind games like God of War and Twisted Metal once deemed the relationship between gameplay and narrative as being like the combination of "chocolate and tunafish." I would argue that this claim isn't necessarily true, and games like Spec Ops are perfect demonstrations as to why that is. In the case of Infinite, however, Jaffe's argument has a haunting validity. But take heart, the chocolate that is BioShock Infinite's gameplay and the tunafish that is its story are pretty much premium grade when enjoyed separately. Just accept the fact that the combination is going to taste a little odd and find something to savor within it.

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