Bioshock infinite provides both a great first person shooter and a thought provoking and powerful narrative.

User Rating: 9 | BioShock Infinite PS3
Bioshock Infinite is the third game in the Bioshock franchise but chronologically it comes first, set in 1912 compared to the 1950s/60s setting of the first two games. It also swaps the underwater city of Rapture for the sky city of Columbia. Like Rapture, Columbia is the realisation of one man's vision for his ideal society. On this occasion that man is Father Comstock who has founded Columbia on the principles of religion and American exceptionalism. Bioshock Infinite is also a highly accomplished game in its own right.

Infinite retains the series theme of a being a 'thinking man's first person shooter' with intellectual themes and thought provoking ideas. Columbia is ostensibly a beautiful city and religious utopia but this facade hides racism, class divide and a controlling ruling authority. These themes are well handed and not made light of. Rather than being thrust in your face they are undertones to the larger narrative, only occasionally coming to the fore and only when it is appropriate that they do. The story is supported well by them and it is actually the overtone of American exceptionalism and religious control that if anything falls a little flat as there is little sign of churches and it is made clear that Columbia has seceded from the United States. These are many issues though and overall the themes of the game do a good job of supporting and enhancing the main story.

That story, casts you as Booker Dewitt, a former Pinkerton agent who has been sent to Columbia to rescue Elizabeth who is imprisoned their and return her to New York in order to pay off a debt. Of course, being a Bioshock game there is a lot more to it than that but I won't spoil any of the twists here. Elizabeth is trapped in Monument Tower by Comstock and has never seen life outside it. Early in the game, you rescue her and at first she revels in her new freedom as you explore Columbia looking for a way to leave. However over time her mood darkens and she matures as she realises the reality of Columbia and her situation. This character evolution is one of Bioshock Infinite's strengths and it is also seen to a lesser extent in Booker. Both Elizabeth and Booker are interesting protagonists with well defined personalities. Elizabeth is the true star though and shines brightly throughout as an example of how to create a realistic and strong female character in a game without resorting to stereotypes. You play as Booker but the story is as much about Elizabeth as it is him, perhaps more so. The only element that is missing is a truly menacing or compelling villain as Comstock falls short in this regard. His motives and influences are never made entirely clear and he is not given enough development or exposition to justify his actions. On the flipside this enables more time for Elizabeth and Booker to develop though. In sum, the narrative and characters are generally well written and developed and provide a strong backbone to the game.

Being a first person shooter, what really matters though is the gameplay and specifically the shooting. Thankfully this is of a high standard too. Shooting is tight and responsive and there are a variety of weapons to keep things interesting. This includes staples such as pistols, shotguns and machine guns to more exotic weaponry such as the heater and volley gun. No weapon stands out from the rest though and they are well balanced with their own strengths and weaknesses. Ammunition is plentiful and I only found myself running out during one section of the game. You can only hold two weapons at a time, akin to Halo and this forces you to decide which you feel will be most useful at the time which adds a little thought to proceedings. As well as guns you also have a series of abilities called Vigors. These are collected throughout the game and enable Booker to throw fireballs, shoot electricity, control enemies and more. They are powerful moves but need salts to be used. Salts are not rare but the game is not overflowing with them either so vigors must be used carefully to ensure they will be available when you need them most. This is not much of an issue though as the game is on the easy side. On the normal difficulty level you will not have too much trouble fighting your way through the variety of enemies. Even the brutish Handymen do not cause too much trouble. The low difficulty is not helped by the fact that if you die, you are immediately revived near to where you fell and lose only a little money whilst any enemies that were still alive regain a little health. It would have been better if this feature were not in the game as it makes death seem almost inconsequential so that you can blast your way though enemies and then not fear dying at all. This is not to say the game is a breeze though as it is not but seasoned gamers will not find it particularly taxing.

Elizabeth also has her own abilities with which to support you in combat. She is invulnerable during battle which prevents the game descending into excruciating instances of failing because you could not protect her. She will however find ammo, salts and health and throw them to you. These can provide an important boost if you are running low. She is also able to open 'tears'. These are holes in reality that enable you to pull in health, ammo, cover and more from another dimension. This is a useful feature and it also ties into the game story as Elizabeth's abilities in this regard are central to the plot. Infinite's developers have made the sensible choice of making Elizabeth a help and not a hindrance in combat.

Graphically, Infinite is also impressive. Its art style is colourful and lovely to look at but at the same time creates a feeling of menace. Columbia is a beautifully realised and a treat for the eyes. The games sound is also pleasing to the senses, with high quality voice acting and a considered use of music. The chances in pace of the music during combat that signal when all enemies have been killed particularly stands out. Voice recordings called voxophones are also scattered throughout Columbia and these along with silent black and white kinetescope videos to watch help to flesh out the world of Bioshock Infinite. The combined excellence of the graphics and audio supported by the collectibles make Columbia a fleshed out and superbly realised world.

Few games even attempt what Bioshock Infinite has managed to pull off so well. It successfully combines solid first person shooter mechanics with an engaging and thought provoking story and a wonderfully realised game world. It tackles themes most games would not go near and includes them in a careful and thought provoking manner. Almost everything it attempts is carried off with aplomb and despite a few minor issues it is hugely enjoyable both as a shooter and as an intellectual thought provoking experience.