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- Publisher: 2K Games
- Release Date: Mar 26, 2013
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 3
User Score
Generally favorable reviews- based on 1459 Ratings
User score distribution:
Positive: 1,255 out of 1459
Mixed: 75 out of 1459
Negative: 129 out of 1459
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Mar 30, 2013I loved the original Bioshock when it came out in 2007. That the pace of the plot evaporated after the twist mattered not one jot, the game delivered deep in something sadly missing from many games today atmosphere. Bioshock 2 I also enjoyed in 2010, with the way that it opened up more, and gave a spin on events in Rapture of its own accord, but it never stunned like the original. After seeing the first trailers for Bioshock Infinite 2 years ago, I was hoping for something that would deliver in all key areas of a great game i was not disappointed!! Presentation is generally excellent for the 360, the loads being minimal and fairly fast. The graphics are beautiful in the way that they are executed and the imagination behind them, and if there is the occasional pop-in of objects or textures, and an odd moment of frame rate stutter, it never affects the gameplay. Sound design is on another level though, completely the voice actors do a sterling job, the sound effects are eerie in their delivery, and coupled with the amazing soundtrack which at times evokes memories of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, amongst other things. The soundtrack is a loud, cluttered and often blustering bundle of objects that does what its supposed to it fills in the spaces that the graphics depend on to deliver the whole 'feel' so to speak. And so to the gameplay, which is where I have to state that this latest entry in the Bioshock series truly is the best so far. There are a handful of neat gimmicks put into the game at key points (the skyhooks, the tears in time), which when coupled with some familiar aspects (the vigors you may have seen before, and the weaponry), makes for some compulsive First-Person shooter gameplay however, the final ingredient, the one that makes this game truly great, and probably one of this years' best (and probably the decades I'm going to state right now!!) is the plot thundering through on some riffs from Alan Moore (think sparks of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Watchmen), and some very clear influences from Terry Gilliam (Brazil, 12 Monkeys), and many more I could mention, the whole thing moves from scene to scene, and never ever detaches the player from the game I've said this before, but if this were a book (the whole thing certainly feels like a graphic novel) you'd be up until 4 in the morning reading it!! The last time I played a game that truly made me want to get to the end, to see the whole thing, and know what was going on so much, was either Shadow of the Colossus or Half Life 2, so I think you can understand how highly I rate this game. i could write more, but alas, I'm on my second playthrough of the cursed game you see, and I want to get back to it, so I'll finish with this it is the best single-player campaign game I have played in years, it threatens to overflow with the wealth of ideas bursting forth, and even if you don't think you'll enjoy it, you have to give it at least a try. One utterly superb game.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013I would like to preface this by saying that while I did enjoy BioShock 1, I thought and still think it is massively overrated. From the "original" story (while expertly written and acted) which was actually an exact copy of the one found in System Shock 2 right down to the "unpredictable" twist, to the ridiculously binary "moral" choices, to the overly dumbed-down and easy gameplay, to the weak gunplay and contrived use of plasmids… It was, however, very much a game that was more than the sum of its parts, as the setting of Rapture was so unique and well-designed, and its inhabitants so interesting and deep, that I borderline ignored the game's numerous flaws to complete it three times since its release 5-and-a-half years ago. Needless to say, I was sceptical going into BioShock Infinite, as it was once again being highly praised and hyped by critics. Fool me twice, shame on me, right? Well, since my pre-order copy arrived three days before this game's release date, I can tell you as one of the first people on the planet outside of Irrational Games to have completed BioShock Infinite that it is, from start to finish, a bona fide masterpiece. I will not discuss the 12-15 hour story for fear of giving away spoilers, but know that it is one of the greatest and most thought-provoking tales in gaming history. It's worth noting that like System Shock 2 and BioShock 1, there is once again a twist ending, and the revelation is so mind-blowing that it literally makes you want to play the whole game over once you know it. The combat is the most improved aspect over BioShock 1, with numerous weapons that all feel powerful and are useful in different situations, eight dual-functional vigours which are a joy to use and alter your tactics, the superbly innovative ability to ride and fight from Sky-Lines adding verticality, and a wide assortment of enemy types often requiring different attack methods. Elizabeth is the greatest AI companion since Half-Life 2's Alyx Vance, as not only does she not require any protecting, she also helps you out by periodically giving you supplies or money, and has the ability to spawn objects from weaponry, to cover, to defensive robots, and much more. The city of Columbia itself is far more interesting than even Rapture, and that's saying something. It absolutely begs for every nook and cranny to be explored, and its Art Nouveau style is like nothing seen in gaming, or indeed film. It's also filled with civilians something Rapture unfortunately avoided. I could go on and on about why I think this is one of the greatest and most important games ever made, but I'll close with this: BioShock Infinite, unlike BioShock before it, deserves every bit of praise lavished upon it. Along with (arguably) Mass Effect 2 and (probably) Grand Theft Auto V, it is the game that is destined to be remembered for defining the heights of what the seventh gaming generation managed to achieve in terms of storytelling, artistry, and game design. Play it now.… Expand
Mar 27, 2013Bioshock Infinite feels like the 1st year sociology major that has decided to talk to you and you are sort of interested in what they are saying but they go on & on and you end up losing interest and then realise that they don't really understand what they are talking about and don't have a point but just enjoy hearing themselves talk about social theory and concepts ect. Also they are no fun. This is Bioshock Infinite, has a lot to say, starts off interesting but fails to maintain interest and ends up being a conversation that you are keen to finish. Infinite can be fun at times,I was very much looking forward to the sky hook tool, but the shooting is very clunky (probably more accurate with a mouse) and the sky hook, when you're allowed to use it, is just not as enjoyable as it should be. Draw distance is meh and the graphics overall do not compliment the sweeping vistas that are associated with a city in the clouds. The atmosphere of the first Bioshock is not apparent after the first hour of gameplay, the sense of wonder is lost and the "city in the sky" is merely a set of boxes in the sky connected by elevators and sometimes sky rails. Plasmids, or vigors, are noticibly less usefull than in previous games, markedly in the number available (8), and the types available. I loved the freezing, telekenisis and insect plasmids and they are now gone, replaced with mediocre ones which I didn't end up using or upgrading. Also the weapons do not physically change when upgraded, something I really enjoyed in the 1st game. There is an exact point when I realise I am not having fun playing a game when I open up the achievements menu and count how many chapters or special/ secret achievements I have to go until I finish the game and this happened about 4 hours into Infinite. I still finished it and the ending is interesting however nonsensical and the combat can be very fun at times. But the hacking, sense of exploration, creepyness, a great antagonist and well presented story is gone. Definitely worth a play and undoubtabley some people will LOVE the themes explored and the occasional fun combat and level design but my opinion is that it is a messy game without clear direction, ended up being a chore and the sky hook should have been awesome. 6/10. Also Elizabeth's ability to open time but ONLY at a certain place, and ONLY bringing in certain objects is rubbish compared to what was shown at E3.… Expand
Mar 27, 2013The beginning is great, and I was immediately blown away by the art design, but after a while, the constant checking every prop in the game, every crate, cabinet, and desk (God the desks, so many desks rooms filled with desks. Desks on top of desks...) looking for coins becomes... a... grind. You spend half the game pointing at every piece of furniture, and if it glows you press the x button. Woo-hoo! I think the game took me about ten hours. That's roughly five hours of looking and pointing at furniture. Bioshock? How about Interior Decorator shock? "Furniture: Infinity." But money is scarce, and upgrades are expensive, and the thought of screwing up and having to wade through another molasses paced in-game cutscene kept me motivated to always be checking for loose change. And there are so. many. desks. to check. If the intention was to force players to slow down and take in the incredible architecture/lighting/design, I confess it worked. At first. After awhile though, it had the opposite effect. I started just running past all the crates/cabinets/desks to get the checking done so I could get back to the fun stuff. But this gave me the worst possible vantage point to take in the scenery; just skimming, flush along the furniture, spamming the search button to grab loose change or sometimes cake or pineapple. Why so many decrepit desks seemed to have edible cake or pineapple in them was perhaps explained in an audio log I failed to listen to. Maybe that same audio log explained why I could eat fruit out of an old decrepit desk but often lost the ability to eat fruit that was sitting on a fruit stand. Anyway, yeah, I spent much of the game pressed up against stuff looking for change and fruit, and speeding past textures that probably look better a few steps back.
Here's the thing: when I started the game, I vowed to take it slow. I was gonna look at all the in-game movies and listen to all the audio logs. The movies were the first thing I gave up on. They were mostly redundant anyway. But eventually I stopped caring about the audio logs too. I had desks to check! I started to rationalize, "Let me get my desk checking done and I'll go back and listen to the logs", but nah, never got around to it. I never cared enough about the story. The best thing about the game is the concept, an alternate 1912, combined with genius art direction. The plot points and dialogue, in true video game fashion, were all kind of meh. Trite. Derivative. A medley of various cliches, except not done as well as the films and novels it borrows from. The best thing about the relationship of the two leads is that she throws you stuff during battle. It's a neat effect that never gets old. Everything else, her backstory, your backstory, the "emotional" stuff... as I said... meh. I never cared. But clearly the designers cared, because they slowed me down so I could listen to her wax on about her past and the mystery ahead. I hate games that do that one minute you're playing the game, the next, your character slows down like he's stuck in a tractor beam of boring exposition as an NPC fills you in on the "plot". If I were really part of the story my dialogue would have been, "Move! Can't you move! Why are you walking so slow?! I don't care about your relationship with your parents! I want to attack things with my magic birds but I'm stuck here listening to you! Do you have any idea how many desks need to be checked before I can get back to my birds?! Shut up already!"
A word about the sky-hook. I know people are saying it's the best thing in the game, so this might just be me, but, yeah, no. There were two kinds of sky-hook events: area travel, and arena fighting. During area travel, my sky-hook experience went like this, "Wait, am I going the right way? Should I stop? Did I pass it? I'm going the wrong way, aren't I? I should've stopped. I passed it." I did not enjoy sky-hook travel. During my arena fighting, my sky-hook went more like, "Wait, where is everybody? Where are the bad guys? Am I going the right way? There they are! I'm shooting, I'm shooting! Where'd they go? Wait, where is everybody?" The sky-hook had it's moments, but mostly it was frustrating, discombobulating, and not to my liking. Every once and a while I managed to time a button press that had me automatically hurl myself off the rail onto an enemy, but way more often I just sort of fell off onto a roof somewhere and tried to get my bearings and get back into the game.
I'm giving the game a five, because when I wasn't slogging through the boring parts the spells were fun, though fighting in general was less tactical than I expected. Should I use lightning or fire? Eh, either is fine. Should I have the girl warp in some cover or set up a turret? Eh, either. It all kinda plays out like a chaotic Borderlands 2 style mess. Which is fun I love that kind of thing. But at least Borderlands had the decency to leave out an additional five hours of furniture browsing.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013Extraordinarily poor shooting, an aggravatingly egotistical narrative, and a complete lack of player agency means this game's a real aaa stinker. I gave it a 3 though because I do like the music and some of the visuals are pretty good.
Apr 1, 2013The scores you are seeing are very inflated. This is not a bad game. But it's not a 10, it's not a 9, not an 8 or even a 7. It's a 6 at best, 4 at worst. The story is good. The game play is above average. The graphics are average. The game mechanics are below average.
I found myself laboring over finding loose change for half the game yet it didn't seem to matter much in the result. The vigors are a bit nerfed so, it's not like you have that fun superhuman feeling as in last games. The experience is less creepy than previous editions.
I did have fun blowing stuff up and sniping at times. But the enemies got repetitive, and the hook thing was less useful than I had hoped.
I can't for the life of me understand how many 10 reviews this game got here. It's worth playing, but the execution just didn't meat the lofty ideas behind it. It was a good game but underwhelming overall. I am convinced that many of these reviews are planted. There's NO WAY this is a potential game of the year, or a game changer, or historically significant. It's just another Bioshock with some changes. Some good and some bad.… Expand
Apr 2, 2013This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Yeah, we got it, the artistic content is good. But at what point did Bioshock become a solid shooter? This game required very little focus on the vigor abilities, and pretty much quickly devolved into a run-and-gun with some content such as flying across rails and what not. The vigor abilities were not as useful as previous Bioshocks, and the weapon customization was unimaginative at best. As for the plot, whoooo boy. The developers decided to do the "Inception" approach that basically just kept changing what was going on through the use of "tears". Do I like plot devices that are imaginative and lend themselves to games? Yes. Do I like games that have pretentious plot devices that insist upon themselves to make a completely innocuous ending? Hell to the no!… Expand
Mar 27, 2013Bioshock Infinite starts off pulling the player in by immersing them in a creative sky city, where buildings move and the town is filled with circus games and stores. The story is pretty good and the voice acting by the main characters is top notch. The random npcs can become a little stale because most look the same and act the same but that doesn't hinder the game really. The graphics on 360 are good, not great with barely any textures but the art style makes up for the lack of textures. The atmosphere and art style is what you would expect from a Bioshock game, but this time the setting is in a different location entirely. The gameplay as well is what you would expect as well but with a few changes such as the unique sky hook which makes action quicker and kills all the more satisfying. To me after a while the gameplay gets a little stale, and the shooting seems kind of dull but that is just my take on it. The game to me gets a little tedious at times when there are a lot of enemies, I prefer when there are less and you can explore more. The story has a good pace to it and will keep you interested the whole way through, with a pretty good ending. Besides the sky hook the game feels the same as previous Bioshocks which is good and bad I guess. I personally am getting a little tired of the same art style and atmosphere with the whole early 1900's but it feels modern. It seems like a lot of games use that theme now but Bioshock uses it better than anyone else. Overall I feel the game is very solid and interesting but gets a little boring from time to time for me. I almost feel as if it is a bit overrated cause I feel like the game is good but not great. I give it a 9/10 for story, 8/10 for graphics, 8/10 for gameplay. I would give this game an 8.5 overall but metacritic does not do decimals so I give it an 8.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013A masterpiece. It's Bioshock what did you expect? The game is like no other. Highly recommend to fans of any genre. Nothing in this game makes me want to stop playing, this is quality that we haven't seen in games lately.
Mar 26, 2013Haven't even finished playing yet but I love it, is is completely beautiful, and the combat is just as beautiful as the world your in, the characters so far as just as you would expect with any game by Ken Levine, my rating may be bias, because I freaking love the Bioshock series, but since I've already seen people give this game scores of 1... I have to be pro-active to the haters. Worth every penny, and possible game of the year.… Expand
Apr 2, 2013Did I miss something? Did Ken Levine on his extended promo tour utter the words, 'Would you kindly give my game an obscenely high score please Mr Reviewer?' Or could it be because the game actually offers us something thought provoking, even profound that screams I AM ART! I AM WORTHY! that reviewers everywhere have been blinded to the GAME'S shortcomings, or scared that they'l be seen as lobotomized COD fan-boys if they fail to gush over this work of art?
The game starts intriguingly and you'll be in awe the first time you enter Columbia and it's beautifully detailed environment. But once you realise the inhabitants are all a similar, barely functioning model and all your plans of freely soaring along the skylines to reach far off islands is not possible, the whole world is revealed as limited and lifeless as you obediently plod along linear paths with blurry floating boxes hanging teasingly in the distance. When they actually do appear, skylines are limited in their usefulness and just aren't as prevalent or as essential as they should have been. You can't carry any supplies and there is a stupid 2-gun limit which leads to infuriating uncertainty to which guns you should pick, and use your money to upgrade. While we're on the subject, if you want to upgrade these and get the more powerful evolutions of the vigors, be prepared to spend upwards of 40% of the game speed-humping tables, boxes and cupboards, spamming the 'a' button to collect loot between every.single.fight. This is made utterly infuriating in conjunction with one of the most obnoxious autosaves in living memory. There is no manual save and forget about being able to save when you want to quit to, y'know do life stuff. After a while the repetitive formula of fight, ransack, search for items, upgrade, fight, ransack.... becomes excruciating and to your regret you'll start whizzing past all the little details that you know you should be admiring.
The combat is relentlessly frantic, with uninspired enemies who all have 100% accuracy that mostly just brainless rush you which feels rather archaic. Vigors are fun powered up and when you have enough Salt to utilise them properly but there are few of them that have much effect on the Heavy-Hitters, who are very poor relations to the BIg Daddies of Bioshock.
The much-hyped Elizabeth is a mixed bag. She is amazingly alive and her facial expressions are great, as are the tears she creates for you in combat, even if again they are rather constrained. Her ability to not need protecting, not get in your way, and throw you much needed supplies during combat initially seems impressive...until you remember that in Bioshock it actually allowed you to carry stuff like health and Eve so you didn't need this artificial crutch. She is also by far the best,most well developed character in the game, constantly evolving like her moods. Refreshingly, she is never treated as a sex-object, and even when she does have a damsel moment, it is merely for you to unshackle her to allow her use her powers again. Even so, the players feels a huge sense of responsibility and protection towards her. However, talk of her as 'revolutionary' is pure hyperbole. The rest of the cast are underused and underdeveloped throughout, only Booker and Comstock receiving any kind of real explanation and satisfactory ending If I had to describe B.I. in one word it would be: limited. Everything in the previews promised genuine gaming evolution, creativity and freedom. Yet somewhere along the way everything seems to have been reined in. Was this down to the much documented troubles in development, this gen's aging hardware, or simply bad design choices. Who knows. What we've ended up with is Bioshock in the sky with some interesting but disappointingly underdeveloped new mechanics, playing second-fiddle to a genuinely profound story. A simultaneously good but hugely disappointing game that fails to live up to what it promised, and is the most critically overrated game since GTA4.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013FIRST IMPRESSIONS Full Review to follow:
Bioshock Infinite, despite it's lofty expectations and undeniably "sky high" promises from creative powerhouse Irrational Games, is an incredible achievement in interactive entertainment. From the incredible art style to the story, the well written script to Columbia itself, Bioshock Infinite is more than just a game on disc; it's an incredibly and thoughtfully created world quite unlike most games of today just waiting to be explored. Attention to detail is where it starts, and it only grows from there. The world feels alive, from the propaganda littering the streets to the way Elizabeth reacts to certain discoveries while you both slowly crawl around Columbia's cityscape. It's a game that doesn't hold your hand, freely allowing you to explore Columbia at your own pace. There's plenty off the beaten path, but it never forces the player to find it. You have to be invested, curious, and interested. Playing Bioshock just to get to the next shootout is not playing Bioshock Infinite at all. The gameplay, while I haven't had any major battles featuring the skylines, feels tighter and much more action packed, peppered by intense battles and a lethal arsenal. The level design is also incredibly unique, featuring some truly stunning moments even within the first few hours. Now, the game isn't without some faults. Flat textures abound on consoles, but it is a far from ugly game (far from it actually). Elizabeth also sometimes moves around way too much (I assume she is attempting to focus on the player's location, and the AI engine can't decide what to do), giving her a sense of a hyper curious person. It doesn't ruin the experience, but it is a little jarring as at certain points she is incredibly life like, and others feels like an NPC deciding where to stand. That being said, Elizabeth is impressive so far. Her animations are stupendous, facial animations are stunning, and the voice work (for everyone, at that) is spot on. I have yet to jump into the meat of the story, as I'm taking this game very slow, but so far the wait has been worth it. Well worth it.… Expand
Mar 29, 2013Honestly disappointed in this game. I was expecting alot more, but wasn't satisfied. While the story, graphics, music and voice acting is incredible, the gameplay seems to lag behind everything else. There are only 8 vigors, as opposed to the 11 plasmids from the first game, and only about 8 weapons, most of which are useless and boring to use. The hacking puzzles that I personally enjoyed are gone. Weapon upgrading is nowhere near as good as it was in the first two games, The Sky-Hook, though, was really awesome and cool. Landing those fatalities with the weapon was so satisfying. The last thing I'll say about this game is that the ending was a huge disappointment, and not rewarding at all. But hey, alot of people seem to be calling this game their GOTY contender, so keep playing. I still think it sucks, I still think it's stupid, but keep playing.… Expand
Mar 27, 2013It doesn't deserve any hype this game has gotten for the past 2 years.
The most overhyped game this year and not even close for game of the year category.
The only good thing in this game is music and graphics not worth the 60$
Mar 26, 2013Stellar graphics, gameplay, and storyline. The most fun I've had with a single player game in years and the ending alone is worth the full price. Don't expect a normal ending.
Mar 27, 2013"BIOSHOCK INFINITE is a brilliantly crafted experience from beginning to end that celebrates videogames as an art form. The flying city of Columbia is a marvel to behold & the gameplay is so fine tuned that at no point does the experience ever get stale.
The characters are fantastic, the powers are fun & the attention to detail is ridiculously well crafted. The best part of the package is the story, which will blow your mind. BIOSHOCK INFINITE is worth the wait since entering Rapture so many years ago."
Read my full SPOILER FREE review here: http://tmblr.co/ZOA6EyhFsjBr… Expand
Apr 9, 2013If the original Bioshock was an artistic and profoundly engaging story with decisions, atmosphere, and detailed design in a house-of-horrors-meets-jules-verne kind of way, Bioshock Infinite is a head-scratching, convoluted affair in the theme-park-design-meets-castle-wolfenstein-gameplay kind of way. It's quite clear that everything about Bioshock Infinite was "designed by committee". A roundtable of ego-centrics wanting to have their pet idea implanted in the game. Writers that practically vomit bucketloads of inane and lifted ideas on you from the beginning. Gone are the subtle undertones of ideology and dystopia. Replaced with in-your-face-eat-it dogma designed more for an audience of short-attention-span-can't-read-between-the-lines teenagers than mature audiences the title is labeled for. Much like the skylines that you simply sit-and-watch yourself zoom along like Sonic the Hedgehog (a good game), the entire game is mostly a watching event separated by periods of "find the fruit in the desk" and "dodge the angry citizen" minigames. The setting for this game is not well framed or introduced making it even more unbelievable than when you see it for the first time. Audacious and inconceivable in any alternate reality. The writers couldn't devise an acceptable set of premises to build their environment out of, so it was simply glossed over to be assumed by the player. Sorry, this is insufficient for me. One example is using your hook to jump around. No real reason how that should be physically possible. It could easily have been designed as a grappling hook or tether to root it in the realm of "possibility", but instead things just happen magically as there are no real laws of physics here. Whatever needs to happen, just does!… Expand
Apr 2, 2013I loved the first two Bioshock games. I have read everyone talking about the first Bioshock but I hope you all played Bioshock 2 as well. As far as Bioshock Infinite goes, I am still playing it. If i'm going to run out and spend $60 on a game, I'm going to take it slow and get my money's worth. To start off, this game's first impression was great graphics. I love the detail and the early century artwork. LOVE IT. So far the story seems ok. I am however disappointed.
I suppose from the end of Bioshock 2 you can't really continue the story line much, but you could always go back in time and explore the beginning of Rapture, maybe before everyone went nuts if you want a lighter story. I feel this would be a better story to carry the name Bioshock. I don't feel that this game really should be named Bioshock. It is similar, but about as similar as Rockstar games are to each other. This game is what L.A. Noire is to Grand Theft Auto.
To reiterate what another poster said, THE DESKS! Oh my god, the desks! ENOUGH WITH THE SAVAGING OF THE DESKS ALREADY. Another little thing that bothers me is the extras. They must have only had like 4 to choose from. Every male citizen you go up to looks like the same dude... and that dude looks like me... it's freaking me the hell out! Why waste so much effort in structural detail and design just to skimp on the characters living there?
As far as the weapons go, WEAK. If there were no prior games to compare this too, it wouldn't be so bad, but sorry, don't get lazy now guys. The "plasmids" are not nearly as fun or powerful. Plus the "Eve" seems to run out so much faster in this game. The new scale that your bars operate on to deplete and refill is also a little confusing. Two shots in the beginning and your out. The Gene Tonics have been replaced with articles of clothing, which to me seem confusing and offer too little. The gun handling is not what you would expect in a FPS either. It's very choppy and hard to aim accurately, quickly. I too dislike the weaponry, the inability to progressively modify your weapon. That was really cool in the past Bioshocks. That kind of makes a player a feel like he's earned something for his time. A little merit badge. A friend comes over and say's "Hey how did you get your shotgun to look so crazy?", and you get to show him the blisters on your fingers.
To sum it all up I guess I'd say this game would be great if it didn't carry the name Bioshock and along with it all the memories and expectations of the other games. It's misleading. This is not a Rapture story or anything like it. It is also less a FPS and more a First Person Scavenger and storybook. This is all fine, just not what I was expecting.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013I've been playing for awhile, and i'm having so much fun with this game. The story is great and the gameplay is amazing! The sky-hook is one of the most fun things I've ever been able to do in a game. There aren't very many bad things to say. However, if you have a good gaming PC I've heard Infinite has better textures and framerate so you should get it on PC. This is my GOTY so far.
Mar 27, 2013This game has one of the best stories that I have played in quite a while. I do not completely understand why people say it is anti-christian or anti-american. It is about a group of people who pretty much have their own religion and they have succeeded from the union. Then some people say it is not believable like bioshock one because of the skyhooks and it being a floating city. It's a work of fiction. This is a great game all around. If I had any complaints it would be that it was a little easy which made it a little short. I played my first play through on hard which made it much more difficult, but not nearly as difficult as most games on hard. Great music, great scenery, great story. I have not enjoyed a games story as much as this one in quite some time.… Expand
Mar 28, 2013So, after 4 years Levine came up with this? The game looks ugly on X360, textures and draw distance are terrible and gameplay is average at it's best. The story is excellent but that's not enough, there is no magical combination of various elements that made original Bioshock immortal, just mediocre FPS with good art direction, nothing revolutionary here.
Mar 27, 2013All I can say is listen to the 200 people that understand how truly amazing this game is and pay no mind to the 20 people who say its over hyped. this is one of the most truly brilliant games I have ever played its one of those games that cements video gamings status as an art form. I can see how some people might not think its as great as I do but based on all components its a 7.5-8 at the very worst. I give it a perfect 10 but the people who are giving it 1s or 0s are just haters who arent intelligent enough to appreciate it. AMAZING GAME 10/10 for me and the first bioshock 10/10 those who say its a game can go back to COD, have fun blasting hajis over and over with an AK i will be playing something truly original and different. peace… Expand
Apr 1, 2013This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What a Disappointment. On Xbox 360 Bioshock Infinite (BI) looks great from afar. Up close and personal it looks worse than any game in my recent memory. Textures, fonts, details, shapes of small objects all horrendous, poor, devoid of realism to a bizarre degree, lacking sharpness, depth. Please don't tell me that Xbox 360 isn't capable of showing good realistic textures. Yes, it's not a souped-up gamer PC, but I just played Dishonored, and it looked very good. I just finished Far Cry 3, it looked terrific, and you could walk from one end of the giant island to the other without loading anything.
The gameplay.. oh, where to begin.. this is supposed to be a Bioshock, a but a bigger better one, right So, at every turn I was forced to compare BI to the original game and the conclusion was quite disheartening. As many critics point out, BI gameplay is drastically dumbed down, simplified and stripped of most elements that made it exciting in the 1st game. Rapture was full of mad splicers who attacked you without regard for their own life, but in BI you fight police, soldiers or thugs who also lack any common sense, often attacking the grenade launcher wielding you with batons instead of having a second thought. Gun fights feel very subpar, partly due to very mediocre enemy AI, partly due to vast open areas that completely killed off any sense of frantic closed quarters combat. Weapons suck, they don't visually change with upgrades, some are quite similar, most' don't even sound believable or powerful. Vigors blow as well, there less of them than plasmids and in conjunction with almost non-existent security infrastructure and inability to combine vigors you pretty much find two that suit your gameplay and stick with them. I remember having a lot of fun in original Bioshock painting big daddies as enemy and watching how small flying turrets come from all directions and drain their life. Similar vigor in BI doesn't work as well, mainly because they don't trigger multiple elements of security system which is quite rudimentary compared to the original game. There's no equivalent of big daddies in BI, handymen don't count. Fighting a big daddy was one of the best parts of Bioshock, you could avoid him altogether, could hide from him, could jump to a side when he was charging at you, and big daddy had a reason to be in the game, a very important role to play. Handymen are inserted into BI only to provide a heavy enemy class, but they are poorly executed, too fast, have no depth to their character and fighting them is simply frustrating, and the fact that's there is only 4(!) of them in the entire game is both ridiculous and good. The Siren that was advertised as a separate enemy class is nothing of this sort, it's a level boss you have to fight 3 times in 3 locations but that's it, only one "siren" in the game, having many would be much more exciting. Boys of Silence is a total letdown. We were led to believe that these disturbing creatures will be another creepy enemy class, but it's only five of them, they don't fight you directly and you never even get to kill any of them and watch their metal head explode. Songbird The one creature that was endlessly showcased in every promotional video and was either supposed to be a boss that you absolutely have to fight or a big daddy- type monster Forget it. You two will never cross swords, and it's not even explained what or who this is. It has a purpose, but not the one I wanted or anticipated...
There is no hacking whatsoever, an element that was fun and could set off security system in the original game is completely removed from BI. No puzzles of any sort.No inventory which is just a travesty, you can't store anything or see it, can't use it the way you want, can't drop items, can't accumulate salts for refill during combat.. why, Irrational Games, why Are you that irrational nowadays Invisible walls is another thing that separates a good game designer from a bad one, yet BI team doesn't consider it worth the attention. Too many corners, piles of rubble, seemingly friendly structures were protected by ethereal force field. In promo videos Sky-line looked more intoxicating than I found it to be, it's not a game changer and didn't alter the combat in a great and useful way. Remember this http://kotaku.com/5951936/two-more-key-developers-leave-bioshock-infinite
This is why BI has sucky AI and combat dynamics. Yes, BI has a great story, but this is not a book with beautiful pictures, it's a game, gameplay here is paramount. I will always remember original Bioshock as one of the best games I ever played where the story was provocative and gameplay electrifying. Bioshock Infinite is a game with a great story and overall great art design ruined by hype, bad graphics (xbox/ps), uninspired combat, forgettable enemies and disregard for many key elements that made original Bioshock great. Dishonored, you win.… Expand
May 29, 2013One of the best games I have ever played. The story was amazing, well written. I loved the relationship between Elizabeth and Booker throughout the game. The city of Columbia is gorgeous. I like the 'tear' concept which Elizabeth can enter, take things from another dimensions. It surely helped me a lot during combats. For those of you who never played any Bioshock game, try Bioshock Infinite. It does not have any connection with previous two Bioshocks in terms of the story and setting. The ending will blow your mind. Trust me, this game worth every penny.… Expand
Mar 28, 2013As a fan of the franchise, I have been looking forward to BioShock: Infinite for a long time...and it was worth the wait. BioShock: Infinite is an absolutely beautiful and amazing instalment to the franchise that is both filled with breath-taking graphs and heart-pounding moments. The game's story is original and well-executed and in BioShock fashion, it takes you to place you'd never expect to go. In my opinion, this game is flawless and since being a huge fan, some moments nearly brought me to tears due to awe! This alongside the original is no doubt to best game ever and is like I said completely flawless. A ground-breaking work of art that will inspire many games in the future.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013It's not often I give a perfect score, but this game earns it. You're pulled into an atmospheric world that brims with life and festivities. Most everyone you encounter has something to say and has an aura to them. It's a game you need to take slow to enjoy every aspect of, there's beauty and depth throughout the entire game. The narrative is extraordinary, the character you play as (Booker DeWitt) story unfolds through the progression of the game, you always feel there's something more to him. But the character that you come to rescue (Elizabeth) drives the story more than anything and gains your affection and care. Comstock serves as a great villain and the world of Columbia is like none other. While Infinite undoubtedly feels like a Bioshock game, combat has been balanced and flows fluently through playtime. The most miraculous things in this game are just pit stops or novelties, discussions heard abroad or a barbershop quartet singing singing a Beach Boys song as they float aloft. Infinite flips between story, and action at a great rate and fuses the two well, for near perfect progression. The game is flawless and will stand as a marvel in video game history. The ending will be something discussed for a long time in the future, you're doing a disservice to yourself if you don't get this game, it's one of the best I've ever played.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013This game is amazing. It has great graphics, great gameplay, and great... well... everything... just buy this game and listen to what the critics are saying, they're right, this game is too good to be true.
Mar 27, 2013Bioshock Infinite is a tough game to give a proper score. On one hand, it's one of the most thought provoking games to ever hit store shelves. On the other hand, it presents a story that seems noticeably absent for at least half the game. None of it really culminates into anything meaningful until the last minutes of the game, arguably where the game is at it's best since the beginning stroll through Columbia. While most might think that it was the most boring part of the game, it did an absolutely brilliant job of presenting the setting of both this city in the clouds and life in 1912. However, as great as the beginning of the game is, the rest of the game feels like a step back from what we got from Bioshock 1 and even 2. Why were Bioshock 1 and 2 so entertaining? Was it because the setting was just THAT good? Was it because the characters were just so memorable? Was it because they didn't hold the player's hand and let you explore large levels that could take anywhere from 1-2 hours to finish everything? Yes, but the main reason we didn't get bored was the sense of progression. When those games began, we felt weak as a player. We felt vulnerable even against 1 or 2 splicers at a time, let alone a big daddy. As we found health, EVE, weapon, plasmid, and tonic upgrades, they felt valuable like we were lucky to even have them at all. We had to put in the effort of taking down a big daddy and dealing with little sisters. Bioshock Infinite removes all sense of progression by letting the player start out as a badass capable of killing 20 or so enemies at a time. I beat the game on "hard" difficulty and not once did i ever feel challenged. The culprit of this issue is *sigh* regenerating health... yep, in a Bioshock game. This turns the game into a pseudo cover shooter. The other half is spent bum-rushing 90% of enemies with your melee attack which is ridiculously overpowered and makes the game a cake walk. Even the big daddy equivalent of Infinite, the motorized patriot, is nothing more than a push-over when spamming him with an electric punch. Infinite sports 8 "vigors" this time around which is far less than what was available in Bioshock 2. the game also has replaced "tonics" with gifts of gear. However, unlike Bioshock 1 & 2 most of the gear is useless. You will likely find yourself sticking with the same 2 or 3 pieces for the entire game and there are no upgraded versions of this gear. You can upgrade "vigors' but upgrading them and weapons alike are all done with money. Money is quite scarce for the cost of these upgrades though, so you will find yourself not upgrading many of either. Speaking of weapons you can only use 2 at a time which also makes you resort to melee most of your enemies in fear of not having ammo when you'll really need it. Also gone is hacking. Anyone who has played either of the first two remember how often you'd find yourself hacking one thing or another. Now all you do is find a lockpick and let Elizabeth pick door locks how fun for ME THE PLAYER. why am i not the one doing these things and why is something that was so prevalent in the first two taken out completely? Remember that other element that added another layer to Bioshock 1 & 2's combat the research camera? It's gone now. Researching helped alleviate the difficulty in fighting certain types of splicers but now it's all about fighting more at once than fighting enemies that feel like they spliced themselves too to become stronger opponents. The level design leaves much to be desired. In the first 2 games, each level was large and took 1-2 hours to do everything. There were countless rooms and entire areas a player didn't have to see if they didn't want just because it was optional. Infinite's level design ranges from extremely linear to quite linear. there is no sense of exploration in the game. The only actual exploration comes from having Elizabeth pick a lock that leads to a room that was blocked off along the main level so you go in, do your search for items, and resume your mission. It gets old very fast. Among the linear level design was an absence of some of the best design choices in the game. The game was heavily advertised with the sky-hook, but these section are few and far between. Any time you can use them in a combat scenario is easily the most fun part in the game but its so underused that you feel the entire game is an average on foot shooter because of it.
Gone is inventing and gone are hypos and first aid kits. It's all been turned into an average shoot em' up where health is hardly lost and most damage is absorbed by a regenerating shield so damage against you has no real consequence. There isn't even an option to turn off being revived anymore making the game that much easier and lacks any tension. Although I pretty much ragged on this game I don't hate it. It's disappointing and as bare bones of a Bioshock game as it can get. As a Bioshock game it gets a 3, as an action game, an 8.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I should probably start out by saying that I am not a fan of the first two Bioshock games, I'm don't dislike them but I wouldn't consider myself a fan, however I decided to buy Bioshock Infinite on a whim, and am so glad that I did. The game is absolutely beautiful, yes it may lack the graphical power of games such as Crysis 3 but the world of Columbia looks absolutely amazing from an artistic point of view, the gameplay is solid but so far seems slightly too easy on medium difficulty I will be trying out 1999 mode on my 2nd playthrough.) The story in the game is one of the best I've seen in a while and I've barley scratched the surface of it, so far despite not much happening I am completely captivated by it. I also found the relationship between Booker and Elizabeth to be believable thanks to the amazing voice acting supplied by Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper. Speaking of Elizabeth, never before have I cared for a gaming character, but thanks to the amazing talent behind her (AI, Motion Capture, Voice, Model, Script etc...) I think I might actually care for the character. I don't know why but when I (Potential Spoilers) first killed a group of men in front of her and I saw that she was scared of me because of that I kind of felt bad because she'd gone from being really happy and ecstatic to scared and cold. (Spoilers End) I could keep writing about this game for a while, but I kind of want to get back to playing it, if you are unsure on whether to buy this game or not, I strongly recommend buying this full price, it's utterly amazing and almost (In my eyes at least) faultless. It's good to see that this console generation is ending on a high note with games such as this and Tomb Raider and hopefully more to come.… Expand
Mar 30, 2013One of the best or maybe the best fps i have ever played! A story and characters that will grab you from the start and combat that has the old bio-shock feel. And plot twist that will go WTF more then once, You need to do yourself a favor and get this game now
Mar 28, 2013Incredible game! The only medium that has aptly portrayed the other dimensions theory intelligently. The gameplay is quite fun and one of the best AI's for a npc and enemies alike. I am ecstatic there isn't a tacked on multiplayer trying to nickle and dime consumers. Atta boy.
Mar 28, 2013One of the most beautiful, polished, original, creative, and thought provoking games ever made. There's really no game like it on the market except for the original Bioshock. The game has a stunning beginning and a mind blowing conclusion that is actually only the beginning to understanding the story. Playing the game again brings about a totally new perspective on the game.
Mar 26, 2013Right away i was blown away and i keep being amazed by this game. Its surprises you all the time and makes your feelings swing, your happy and interested in everything then startled and frightened the next. The game play is phenomenal and entertaining, the audio/music is outstanding and the graphics are gorgeous. If you have every played a bioshock game before this then you will love this one possibly more than 1 & 2. If you haven't played bioshock before then you will still be able to get into this game and fall in love with bioshock.… Expand
Apr 1, 2013This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So bad it hurts.
Watch the last 30 minutes of The Lord Of The Rings where you think it finished about 18 times. That's how playing this game feels. I feel a deep sense of betrayal and confusion and disappointment after playing this
The story is weird and tries too hard to be way too intellectual.. Reading all the reviews, my jaw didn't drop once, Elizabet's head is too big for her body so she looks strange. The guy you're supposed to shoot in the heart is so fast and strong it's silly. So I ran into a sideroom on the airship and he lost sight of me and when I came out he was gone. So wth was that all about? And part of the story is Columbia attacking the USA? Then it's Cyndi Lauper in the future with "Columbia" (CBS) and Merry Melodies... Devine must of been on a heavy trip when he wrote this story, cause it's like he got a blender and filled it with religious and social stereotypes and cliches. And out spewed this mess. Oh and then it's Rapture. The only reason my jaw might have even twitched would have been at the absurdly predictable and bombastic self-congratulations this story kept piling upon itself. I was in disbelief at not how good it was, but how atrociously bad. Oh the stars are all doorways to different universes. Did Levine raid the bargain bin at Comicon?
Trying to access all the gear setups and vigor combinations is a joke. No presets can be saved and the Dpad with a bumper could have made it as easy as a keyboard. Bleh.
Released at about the same time, Tomb Raider is brilliant in comparison. I don't normally consider myself a knuckle-dragger, but I must be because the average review scores and comments seem like my case had the wrong disc in it. The fact that I bought the season pass makes me feel even more ill. The joke is definitely on me. :(
Feel free to respond.… Expand
Apr 10, 2013The story starts out promising and highbrow but it turns into a bad Star Trek episode. Too much time-travelling, alternate dimensions, and rape of the space-time continuum it was impossible to relate to and I just didn't care in the end.
Changes from previous Bioshock games to the weapons were idiotic: two-gun limit, no alternate ammunition, and weapons didn't look sexy anymore. In other words, they made it into a generic FPS (somehow, despite the great scenery, I felt like I had already played this game). I ended up only using only the shotgun and sniper. The Vigors were overpowered and yet I hardly ever needed to use them (but when I did, I only used Possession and Devil's Kiss). They also had the gall to take away telekinesis, contrary the trailers (the trailers depicted many things that didn't make it to the game). "Gears" were a limiting and forgettable substitute for tonics. There was a plethora of vending machines all over the place, making it too easy. The enemies as well were a joke, even in large numbers. Their AI was predictable and brainless, as they employed the "run up to the player and shoot him" strategy. Also, enemies were decapitated way too easily, either from melee or bullets. Kind of ridiculous.
The Handyman just seemed like a tougher, cyborg-version of the Brute Splicers from Bioshock 2. The motorized patriots just had more "hit points" then rest of the bad guys. The Crows were the new Houdini Splicers, but they weren't that scary, since you could always see where they were teleporting to. And the Boys of Silence were just the equivalent to security cameras from the first games (and easy as sin to get past). The Songbird, the big looming monster that keeps coming after you, was another let-down. I didn't find him very scary in the least. This game was all about big waves of enemies. Been there done that. I need something more from Irrational.
In Bioshock 1&2, it makes sense why the people around you are acting all crazy (constant use of plasmids plus the radical individualist, dog-eat-dog society of Rapture). In Infinite, it's never quite clear why people are so indescribably out of their minds. There isn't a chemical element to it this time just ideological reasons, and it's not quite believable. Furthermore, they never explain "Vigors," and it was unexplained why the enemies hardly ever used them, despite how Vigors seemed very accessible to the general Columbian populace (whereas, in Rapture, there was a greater sense of scarcity of Plasmids due to the economic conditions, so only those strong enough could get them).
You can get hints about the history of the city of Columbia from scattered "nickelodeons," but they're all annoying, tedious, and worthless. There are the traditional audio diaries too, but somehow they weren't very compelling either.
Where was that good old Bioshock horror? Nowhere to be seen. Not even a sense of acrophobia. It was incredibly hard to fall. And if you did, you are immediately "beamed back" onto a ledge for some cosmically anomalous reason. The Skylines were okay, but graphically quirky. Often, it seemed that Booker would magically pass through the rails of a Skyline in order to get in the right place to hook onto them. The player's character being a talkative type also made things less frightening. There was always a "music cue" in the soundtrack to tell you when all the enemies in the area are dead which ruined the suspense big time. Also, you would think that when they eliminated the ability for the player to save at any point in the game might have made things scarier but nope, it was just annoying.
Elizabeth was perhaps my least favorite part in the game. Her character made no sense. She was sheltered, yet confident and street smart. Booker is a former Pinkerton agent, so you'd think he'd know how to pick locks, but instead the sheltered, corset-wearing girl does. She was way too invincible in battle, so I essentially didn't care about her. The tears seemed extraneous and they looked ugly. Her supplying you with money and ammunition periodically made things too easy. And her head was too big.
I was looking forward to a new dramatic moral set of dilemmas that Bioshock is famous for. There were only a couple that had no impact on the story. The ending to the game, was long, boring, and completely disappointing mixed with imponderable, quasi-spiritual, sci-fi riddles that reminded one of the Matrix Revolutions.
I believe the first Bioshock was the best video game ever made. Bioshock 2 was pretty decent as well. Bioshock Infinite failed to deliver in just about every way. The gameplay was generic and easy. The storyline convoluted and unrewarding. There was no sense of horror, no sense of romance, and no sense that anything made sense.
Now, of course, this is just my opinion. I'm not criticizing anyone who enjoyed the game. Nay, I envy those people.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013BioShock Infinite is not only one of the best story-driven games, but it's one of the best games ever. With a fantastic chemistry between the game's two central characters, one of the most stunningly realised game worlds, some excellent game mechanics, incredible production values and a frankly genius story, it's a game that simply everyone and his dog must own.
Mar 27, 2013When you fire up this game, you can tell immediately that a lot of money, thought, and time has been put into this game, There are many things that stand out or are innovative. What stands out the most to me? i would say the backdrops and scenery. These are the most detailed surroundings in a game I have ever seen. The graphics are very well done and the game controls are very well done, although aiming is similar to Bioshock 1, and so it still feels rather imprecise. So why only a 7? You might be surprised, but it is the story that is a letdown. It is the same, tired themes, straight out of evry college and university classroom across America. "America is evil", "the founding fathers were corrupt men", and the super-played out "religion can go too far and is dangerous, especially Christianity"......those narratives are not taking a risk, they are now MAINSTREAM. If you want to be innovative and unique in storytelling, you can spew the same stuff we could easily see or hear on MSNBC, or the BBC, or any college classroom, or Assassins Creed, or movies, or almost any tv series or drama being broadcast today. We have ALREADY seen societies without God or organized religion. The Soviet Union and China in the 1900's? 100 MILLION PEOPLE DEAD.......THOSE ARE THE FALSE UTOPIAS......but sadly, Ken Levine must remind us and drone on about the evils of Christian fundamentalists and so on......what a non risk this is. So tired, so lame, so done a million times before, so false, so silly, so egotistical, an so the easy choice. This isnt new, this isnt being daring....IT IS MAINSTREAM and it has been for years. Remember when young people would rebel against mainstream thought and chose to be different? Young people are not like this anymore. Every college kid thinks the same way now, and they all drink the same kool-aid dished out by their professors, and it seems Ken Levine is no different. Way to be on the cutting edge there Ken.… Expand
Apr 2, 2013Bioshock infinite is a good game. It is not great but it is good. The game had beautiful visuals and a unique art style. Game play wise, the game was OK. It is like a normal FPS shooter which has a cool new feature with sky lines that you can travel through the battlefield quickly. Story wise the game is great. The end actually makes you think and actually feel some emotion for some of the characters. The reason I gave this game a seven is because I felt like it was a bait in switch from the E3 demo. The demo showed a very expansive environment that you can traverse and it made it seem like the game was sort of open world. The enemies also introduced at the E3 demo don't play a big role. The boys of silence and the siren are just bosses that appear once in a specific stage. I also got very annoyed when the game recycled the same boss three times to explain some backstory to the player. You only see the handyman four times. In my opinion the game is worth playing for story but not for gameplay.… Expand
Apr 3, 2013To start, I'm a big fan of the Bioshock series. Well I should say a big fan of Bioshock and while Bioshock 2 wasn't the best it was still a good game. While Infinite isn't a horrible game it is really a 5 or 6 at best. I just had to rate it lower to make a meager attempt to reduce some of what I hope are shills just rating it highly for the compay. The graphics were dated, no challange on the hard difficulty, all weapons and abilities were mediocre at best, storyline was a so-so and there was absolutely no ingenuity. If it hadn't been named Bioshock Infinite, reviewers would have called it a poorly done weak imitation of Bioshock 1 too many years to late and frankly i still think thats what people should say. Dishonored was 100 times the game this one was. Its worth renting if you have a day to kill but that is about it. I started to play the 1999 mode and while that is at least a little challenging, the thought or playing through with the current game mechanics and graphics another time left me too nauseous to continue. I figured it may have gotten a 7 or 8 on the boards, but I can't believe the overall praise its received. Maby the other reviewers didn't really play it or they smoked and drank too much.… Expand
Apr 23, 2013Really? Why is this game so highly rated? It's nowhere near the calibre of Bioshock 1 or Bioshock 2. This shouldn't even be called Bioshock at all. It's something completely different. The atmosphere that Rapture provided...non existent. The suspense that was Rapture...gone! Columbia felt like just another setting. Exploration is basic at best with no surprises or significant side stories to find.
By the upteenth hour I just wanted this game to end. B1 and B2, I played several times over. I feel bad for all you gamers who rated this high. If this is what excites you in gaming then youre just as much a sucker as I am for letting myself be hyped up over this. All I could think about while playing was starting another playthrough of Bioshock 2...
Gone are all the elements that made Bioshock grand! And what is with all the Critic reviews? 10/10 all over the place. Huh? What?! Even the Man Jim Sterling gave it a 10. I don't get it.
Okay, it does have some great things about it. The Tears were great. The story was good. Gameplay was alright. All I found myself doing was stripping the areas down for resources. Other than that...what was there to explore?
I don't know.... I was very dissapointed as a Bioshock fan. You should be too...… Expand
Apr 1, 2013Its good but not a classic like BioShock 1 or System Shock 2 are. Truth is the game has been streamlined to such an extent that it doesn't really live up to the legacy of the 'Shock' series…
- GAMEPLAY It kind of feels just like every other game out there the way it has been stripped out of all its complex mechanics. The U-Invent crafting machines have gone, the researching to improve abilities, there's no map screen, the Vigors and Gear feel extremely shallow compared to the Plasmids and Tonics, the focus on emergent gameplay doesn't seem to have been a focus this time. Dynamic gameplay were all the systems interact with each other is much less present than previous games. Also there are no alternate ammo types, only two weapons at a time, no visual weapon upgrades, the weapons themselves are rather generic (nothing exotic or unique), levels feel much less detailed and a lot more linear, straightforward and less fun to explore, the looting has been simplified to just cash and ammo, with a couple health, shield upgrades, a few pieces of gear too. There is no stealth support what so ever, so those gamers looking to play cautiously like they did in previous games are outta luck (very sad about that). There are no patrolling enemies were the player could observe them from a distance and then strategically plan when and where battle will occur, enemies are more like obstacles that you HAVE to fight on the spot, you often can't return to previously explored areas, the hacking system is completely removed; no hacking of security bots to make allies, no hacking cameras to turn them on your side, no hacking vending machines or health dispenser (I miss poisoning splicers), no security cameras to avoid alerting. You can't take medkits and Eve (Salts) hypnos with you to use on the fly, which causes a lot of backtracking to previously explored areas just looking for un-looted health/salts. Very few meaningful interesting morality or story decisions to be made. Nothing like the harvesting little sisters from BS.
Don't get me wrong, they did instead bring in the skyrails and Elizabeth as a companion, but as innovative as those mechanics are, they don't make up for all the things that were stripped away, and only Liz is present for the majority of the game, the skyrails are often hard to come by. They also added a shield regeneration mechanics just like Halo's, which imho really doesn't belong in a game like this.
- STORY As for the story, its not bad, but its not great either. It becomes very muddled and messy, and takes forever to really get going. There are a lot of "save the princess" moments which seem a bit forced in to add length to the narrative. One twist right at the end in particular is hard to swallow IMO. The narrative also seems full of plotholes that don't really make sense. There is a huge information dump at the end during an overly long and extremely linear piece of scripted handholding. The delivery is a lot more overt and spoon fed this time. Control is snatched away far to regularly for first person cutscenes, or 'look' only scripted scenes to throw narrative our way. Overall it felt like one of those games that wanted to be a movie, rather than a video game that wanted to be an immersive and dynamic video game. Not at all how story was delivered in previous shock games. CHARACTERS Good, but not as interesting as those seen and heard in BioShock 1 and 2. Only Lutece comes to mind as memorable. No Sander Cohen's, Tenebaum's or Andrew Ryan's, and certainly no arch nemesis on the awesome and terrifying scale as Shodan from SS2 or Atlas from BS1. The enemy too lack imagination, they are not scary at all like the messed up Splicers were from BS or the Machines and Many were from SS2. They're just people, which kinda makes it feel odd when you are slaughtering them by the dozens. Also Liz's A.I really contrasts how poor their NPC's A.I is. They just seem to stand around looking off into space. You cant interact with them and they don't give the feeling like Skyrim or GTA that they have lives.
- FINAL VERDICT I didn't expect a BioShock 1 remake, but like System Shock 2 to BioShock, I did expect all of the cool things to return in new guises of one form or another, but that just didn't happen. I don't hate the game, its by Irrational and its still a GOOD game, but its just a lot less than I expected it to be.
Compared to BS 1 and System Shock 2, which in my opinion are two of the greatest games ever made, it was just too hard to follow, which in turns makes me appreciate what 2K Marin pulled off in BioShock 2 a lot more.
- SCORE I gave BioShock 1 and System Shock 2 a 10/10 on metacritic, and BS2 a 9/10. I am sad to say that Infinite will only be getting a 8/10. Its good game, as good as most everything else that is out right now, but it is also far away from the deep and meaningful game that I expected. So good, but not a classic.… Expand
Mar 27, 2013As far as a shooter goes, Infinite is fast and generally gives you something pretty to look at, but if you're looking for a "fresh" experience. I'm not sure this is one.
Mar 28, 2013Simply the best game I've ever bought! (I own just about every 1st/3rd person shooter on the market). There really isn't anything to compare with it except maybe Half-Life 2 or the previous Bioshock games. It keeps the fun 2 handed fighting of the original bioshocks (ie. plasma's or vigors as they are now called in the left hand). It lets you fight with the weapons you like best, upgrading them throughout the game. I downloaded the main song since it's the 2nd best theme track I've also ever heard (Battlefield: Bad Company being the best.) I already know that once I've finished the game, I'll be playing it again. (I'm only about 1/3 way through so far and like a great movie, you want to watch it again and again to enjoy all the details you may have missed the first time.) It's a game that I'll remember for a long time since there are so many awe-shocking scenes. I bought the Turtle Beach PX51 headset just for this game and the sounds/creepy music simply blow me away. I would recommend buying the $20 guide book which is impressive in itself. I can truly say that this game was well worth the $60. If you're not a Bioshock fan, you'll still enjoy the variety of characters, weapons, and outlandlish story with this game. It's an adventure/world that you'll remember for a long, long, long time regardless of how many games you've played. There simply isn't anything like it. I'm not sure if it has any multi-player capabilities yet but I really don't care. This is a game that is best enjoyed by playing the single-player (just you and Elizabeth). Seriously, get this game!!… Expand
Apr 2, 2013This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I will go middle road on this game. Mainly due to being hugely impressed by story, graphics and concepts. Although these don't make a good game, it is the game play. This game really didn't have much game play. The story was so short, the campaign lasting as little as 6 hours max 10 hours in 2 playthrough's. The AI was no existent committing suicide, getting stuck, or running away. While your guns and a lot of the vigor's were for the most part the same or very similar. Ammo, health, salt were in huge abundance, making this game so easy. While you had those massive I win buttons, through gear and vigor killing all enemy very easily. Upon death if you where very unlucky, enemies retained the same loss of health and any killed remained so most oftenly. Lack of any real in game choices apart, from the rpg element of leveling vigor and guns. Nothing in the story line apart from flip a coin and choice of pendant. Which you had to play a certain way always going forward rarely returning to the same area's once progressing. For the most part it was a crime that this games, game play, played like poo. Away from these very bad elements the game had some favourable points. It was a lot of fun, this came from collecting all the collectibles which each had there own story. Exploring each location to find all of the collectibles. While playing a very engaging thought provoking story. Using vigor and Skyrail system was also very fun. Having Elizabeth as support again was great. Great graphics, humour, and concepts. Although ultimately what a complete and utter rip off that really should be avoided. It is so criminal to support a game that has a very small story and where the AI is practically non-existent and also the game play is far to easy. At least wait until all content is available while the game is at hugely discounted price. Undoubtedly a DLC will arrive later with a mass effect 3 scenario. Freaking rip off lame. Do the critic's even play these games?… Expand
Mar 27, 2013First game I have given a perfect 10 (reviewed on hard dif). SCORE! RECOMEND**(changing controler to MARKSMAN at begining, makes controls like most FPS)*If you are easly or even mildly offended with racial overtunes and undertunes do not get this game. It is littlerly 1912, your charecter is caucasion, so you will expereince all the begatry that your peers openly express. The ignorance of that era, on this matter, in my opinion, is both sad and funny. PRESENTATION: This is BioShock weather you are new to the series or not. its not the same BioShock rewraped, but if it didn't have the BioShock name you would tell yourself this is just like BioShock. GAMEPLAY:Skyhooking is fun, and I find alot more manageable then the ziplining in FarCry3(not sure why I tried comparing those two, skyhooking blows that away, like comparing pickles and oranges.) its like riding a roller coaster you can jump off of and back on at many points. combat is thrilling and very responsive. GRAPHICS: Jaw dropping, inbetween a beautiful painting and a popup book. GOT TO GO THROW SOME CROW! Have fun hope this review helps in your decision. WHAAAAA!… Expand
Mar 27, 2013A truly wonderful, amazing and unforgettable experience. No other game in recent memory comes close to achieving what Infinite does. From the first moment you are drawn into the world of Columbia and quite frankly I never want to leave. Just go out and buy it.
Mar 27, 2013The graphics are a small improvement on the last two in the series but nothing too impressive. I was more impressed by Crysis 3 and its graphics. Bioshock Infinite is somewhat of a let down, the gameplay and combat isn't too innovative from the others besides some new powers and a new story and the story falls flat on its face a few times. It takes too long to get u interested in playing it. Still its somewhat decent when u want to kill some time but if u want an innovatie shooter then go pick up titles like Crysis 3, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel or wait until Defiance comes out because its looking pretty good. But Bioshock Infinite might be a pass for the price of 65 dollars and the other editions u can get aren't worth the 80-150 dollars for the items that come bundled with it… Expand
Mar 26, 2013Bioshock Infinite has great potential, but somehow disappointing at the same time. For me, it a very awesome game, however after you played it, you just feel that something has gone very wrong about the game. The E3 footage has absolutely gone, they weren't in the game. Because if they are, the game might become so much better in presentation because those footage has so much potential. What the E3 has shown us is so different than the final presentation of the whole game. For me, I think the original sound effect are awesome, they don't need to change it. The reason is because the sound effect that they are finally using is the same sound effect we have heard over in many games. The E3 Demo shows a store, has gone. I'm so excited to see that store to be honest, but now nothing left. And the postman scene, has also gone as well which disappointed the heck out of me.
The story is a twist, which we will expect from many games especially in the Bioshock series. To be honest I think that the story is nearly perfect if you are looking at it as a whole. The story has twisted a lot especially in the middle of the game. To be honest, the presentation of the story is a bit bad because most of the time, you are trying to fight to a place to get what you want, then run off. I still remember the level when you go into the Hall of Heros I think, to get a electric virgor which is basically lighting bolt. After the level where to take the Virgor, you found that in the next level, a bunch of them appears in front of you. A Box full of the same virgor showed up in front of you and was just there, like an accident. When I see this I was immediately like WHAT IN THE HECK. And the worst thing is that many things that we used to like about the series has gone. Hacking system has gone and replaced with a virgor which you will get in the very first level. This made me feel that the entire game is missing something very important. The game feel shallowed and empty without these great features that we used to like. And seriously, the gear system is aweful, you are allowed to wear 4 gears, but these gears are quite over powered. Unlike in Bioshock 2, you are allowed to have tons of them but its a headache to choose between them. In this case, Bioshock 2 actually has greater potential and setting systems allowing players to interact with. I found a lot more fun with bioshock 2 than in Bioshock infinite. The thing that I absolutely do not buy about the game is the representation of the storyline. The storyline is fine but the presentation just doesn't feel right. Most of the time you are going to pull, or punch, or what so ever the button, lever. And thats basically all. Oh yeah, and open doors. The voxophones aren't very interesting now, because there were absolutely not much of them. Instead they have view point which is basically a machine that you turn the thingy on the side to see an animation goes. Those aren't very interesting and it just feel like it doesn't make sense at all. Level design is not expressive like before no more, the developer focused too much in combat this time, seriously too much. The game now feels like a Call of Duty campaign. That is not Bioshock. Bioshock should have more expressive scenaries. Where are they?? The sky-lines are disappointing as well because most of the time you are just going around in circles. Picklocks are downright annoying because pick locks are hard to find out-through the world. And the ending, is just.... well... no comment.
Its not all that bad, apparently the graphics are good, for me I think its still great in the x-box which I played on. Environment is insanely beautiful and it caught my breathe all the time. The design of places are amazing. Somehow weird if you ask me but I love it. The thing that I loved most about the game is the use of language and the propaganda art which we can find them all over the places.They are stunning and very creative. While talking about creativity, Bioshock Infinite has the most creativity that I have seen in all my gaming years. Everything are just so creative, its addicting to look at what the designer's creaivity. Voice acting are great and inspring. Its not a bad game but the developer really have to think about why people play Bioshock. The game feel like a COD campaign, not much different than it because it focuses on combat most of the time. We don't expect that. We expect Bioshock to have great atmosphere and realistic events happening throughout the game, it doesn't have many of those which can be a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT for Bioshock fans. I hope that the developers can rethink about their changes. If the game follows the footage we saw from the E3, the game might have greater value and will at least have its potential, finally feel like a Bioshock game. Thing that doesn't need to improve, has improve. (Combat) The one it needs to improve, doesn't. And there is no fresh idea either. Which is why this game is disappointing.… Expand
Apr 3, 2013Ok, we've been had. Irrational Games lied to us for several years, feeding us pre-release "actual gameplay" videos that show abilities, powers, main (You+Elizabeth) and NPC character interaction, scale and dynamics of gameplay and maps that were great except it turns out none of that has anything to do with the game we received. Bioshock Infinite managed to receive 80 awards based on pre-release footage which is the largest rip-off in the gaming history. In addition to that actual game has horrible textures and detail level, gameplay is dumbed down, no hacking, no puzzles, it's short. As a gamer i'm insulted by what Irrational Games did and by what most critics did. Please read this, it describes in detail how we've been had:
:(((((… Expand
Jun 27, 2013So, every now and again a game comes along which brakes down barriers. We've seen what the likes of Mario, Resident Evil, Gears of War, GTA and Zelda have done to gaming. All these games defined eras and sent us in to a new generation. Bioshock Infinite does that with this generation, giving us the ultimate bow out so we can go in to this new generation of gaming with a sweet taste of victory in our mouth from playing such a momentous game. The game play is incredibly smart and tactical, it suits your needs. If you're a fan of long range combat, it will adapt to how you like to play. If you like to mix it up like me, that's okay too. The customizable and interchangeable weapon and powers system is incredibly smart and well thought out for every breed of gamer. The character and story development is as good as anything I've ever seen. Most Hollywood blockbusters don't have the power like this game had. It truly had me emotionally invested and thinking about the game for weeks if not months after playing it. Still to this day I think about the outstanding feats of the game, and how it delivered on every level. I truly feel Bioshock Infinite got everything right, it was a masterclass in production, gameplay, acting, design, art, story, character and everything you need or want to make a perfect game. I honestly feel this is probably the greatest game of all time.… Expand
Jul 6, 2013This game was an extreme disappointment. I pre-ordered the game with tons of hype ready for it to come out, only to be greeted by mediocre combat, an uninteresting story, and unlikable characters. After the first hour of combat, I quickly realized that this is all that the combat was. Just shooting mindless grunts in the face, just with different weapons sometimes. I figured it would get better with the new Vigors. I was wrong. After collecting all 8, which is an extremely disappointing number, I was in disbelief about how useless the majority of them were. There were only about 3 Vigors that were worth upgrading, and that left me struggling to use the useless ones just to make an attempt to make the game more interesting. This game gets an extremely low score from me for not being one of the most overrated and over-hyped games of 2013 so far, but also one of the worst.… Expand
Mar 28, 2013Awesome game. Good to see that some studios are still investing in a good story and it shows. Graphics are okay; the music is very good. Is it better than the other stealth game Dishonoured? I think so yes. Bioware should take notes....the ending is very well done.
This review contains spoilers. Bioshock Infinite was a HUGE disappointment. One of the most overrated games ever. Here's why:
The weapon/ammo system was FAR less engaging than in the previous Bioshock. I was bored to death with Infinite's extremely limited combat mechanics.
Sadly, there was none of the cool gadget-type stuff that helped make the previous game so much fun: no hacking, no trap ammo, etc. I wanted to be using all kinds of different ammo, setting traps with my weapons (trap rivets, spear traps, etc.), hacking lots of machines to fly around and help me out…. but none of that was in this game. I couldn't believe it.
The powers/perks system was pretty boring this time around too. No ice power so you could freeze enemies? WTF?
The enemies themselves were also boring as hell. There was nowhere near the variety of interesting splicers and whatnot from the previous game. Most of the time it seemed like you just fought regular-type dudes, and every once in a while you'd fight a robot patriot guy. YAAAAAAWN. The enemy selection for Infinite was downright awful.
No Big Daddies/Little Sisters? That is a Bioshock trademark, and yet they took that out and replaced it with really lackluster enemies. Unbelievable.
Lastly, Elizabeth was there to do the rogue-ish stuff (i.e. pick locks), but a huge flaw was that she didn't really contribute much to the actual fighting. She should have been able to use her powers to damage/confuse enemies, but instead she just threw you ammo every once in a while and allowed you to open "tears" which weren't very interesting.
Overall, the story/characters/graphics were very good, but the gameplay was downright TERRIBLE. Bioshock Infinite just wasn't fun at all.… Collapse
Apr 4, 2013As a preface, I will say that I haven't finished the game yet. Although, I feel what I've seen thus far (about 50% or so) is enough for me to give my overall impressions and still have some weight behind them.
GRAPHICS On a technical level they are actually pretty bad and it pains me to say that. Textures are muddy all over the place. In places it honestly looks like a late-gen original Xbox game, no joke. Moreover, I have experienced numerous graphical aberrations with water and lighting effects. I just wasn't expecting this poor quality considering the first Bioshock still looks really good and that was released in 2007. Some games hold up even as you inspect closer; not this one unfortunately. From an artistic standpoint though things improve, so I applaud the development team in that regard at least.
SOUND Good voice acting, nothing groundbreaking though. The songs are pretty cool. Standard FPS effects. They use some similar cues from the original Bioshock which are nice.
STORY It's probably unfair for me to rate this since I haven't finished it. So far, I can appreciate the ties into American history and the religious overtones. It seems pretty far out there but I have purposely shied away from any spoilers so far. I'm not feeling a strong sense of player agency though, as others have mentioned. Levine might have bitten off more than even he can chew here. We'll see.
GAMEPLAY Obviously the most important aspect of any game and this bring my biggest complaints to this title. I can easily encapsulate my feelings here: I'm not dying to pick up the controller and play this again. There is hardly anything here that I haven't done a thousand times in other games. Basically run around looking in trash cans and looting from dead bodies, madly pressing the X button. That is in no way FUN. Then stopping for a pretty standard gun/tonic battle against some mediocre intelligence level bad guys who seldom have any charisma or stand out personality traits. The fact that the levels are floating in the sky doesn't really do anything for me. If the developers were trying to create a sense of wonder and suspense from this, then they failed in my mind. Case in point, if you accidentally or even on purpose jump or fall over an edge you just magically teleport right back to safety. That just kills so much of the world for me right there. And yeah I was expecting the same kind of thing when you died, you just get placed in an area a little bit back from where you died and lose some cash. But it's just jarring when you die like 8 times in the span of one firefight and you see the exact same sequence with Elizabeth every time. I could go on about other specific ways I think the gameplay is stale, just as a FPS/adventure game in general and also compared with the original Bioshock, but I won't.
In summation, I'm pretty disappointed with this game. It feels tedious rather than fun to play in and explore the world. In my time with it so far there have been a few moments that were neat and made me smile, but few are far between. It offers maybe one new gameplay mechanic (sky hooks). The tears are not very original as a mechanic. No inventory, limited choices in how you manage things, unoriginal upgrades and weapons. I'd rather go back and play Tomb Raider again 9 times out of 10. That's just my two or three cents.… Expand
May 9, 2013This game was an incredible experience for me, start to finish. The art design and characters were great, and the story made me want to keep playing until I had beaten the whole game. I had a blast with the skyhook. In my opinion, this game surpassed the original Bioshock.
Apr 1, 2013I cannot give this game anything less than 10, I am not going to repeat the reasons already described ad nauseum in the 10 reviews below, but I thought It was worth it mention this I have seen some reviews in the list below that mentioned "clunky controls" (I have played on the Xbox 360), I have changed the default layout control in the options menu to the one that uses the LT button for aim zoom instead of the default layout that uses the right stick (button 3), that has facilitated the gameplay a lot to me.… Expand
Mar 30, 2013This is what I call a masterpiece, the best since Half-Life 2. A great story, good looking visuals, and a great sound. Gameplay is awesome, faster than in the other 2 Bioshock games. You will feel like you are inside Columbie, like you are Booker. Also, Elisabeth is a great character, you will WANT to help her, even If you don't need to. For me, she's even better than Alyx. It has one of the best videogame endings, but it's a little strange.
Also the story is long, and if you are masochist, or really good, you can try the "1999 mode" in wich you start the whole story again each time you die.
9'8 out of 10, so a 10.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013Tight game play, great story with a great cast of believable characters. A few frame rate hiccups here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary. I'd recommend this game to the fullest degree. 10/10.
Mar 31, 2013Bioshock Infinite is a Bioshock game, period. I know it looks different and may seem different, but a lot of the things from Bioshock are in Bioshock Infinite. While Infinite has its own look and everything, which makes it feel new and fresh, this is a Shock game through and through, so you have a mix of the familiar with something entirely new. The combat is very similar to the first game, but guns have more of a kick this time around. Plasmids also make a comeback in the form of Vigors, which allow for a lot of variation and experimentation in combat. There's also the inclusion of sky-lines, which make some fights really exciting and frantic. I'd say the combat scenarios are an improvement from the first Bioshock. You'll also be looting the environment and corpses for money, food, salt (for Vigors), etc.
Bioshock's art direction is simply stunning. It takes a very talented art team to pull off something like Infinite, and the team at Irrational was definitely up to the task. The amount of detail in each and every environment is staggering. You'll definitely understand why this game was such an undertaking and took so many years to create when you see it in action. Then you have Elizabeth, which is one of the most realized characters in all of gaming. Elizabeth's animations and interactions are one of Infinite's many highlights.
But Bioshock Infinite is ultimately all about the narrative, which it delivers on from beginning to end. This game's story is hands down one of the best in the business, even going as far as surpassing the original Bioshock. While Bioshock was a masterpiece, its ending left a little something to be desired. But this isn't the case with Bioshock Infinite. This game has an ending that'll blow you away.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013This game is extraordinary and really does deserve all the praise. It has a solid story-line and has smooth controls that work well. Bioshock Infinite captures all the fun things we love in a shooter, well balanced action and lots of ways to kill (especially the vigors)
Mar 29, 2013Just finished it. I'm at a loss for words, so deeply affecting is this game. I can only describe it as a masterpiece. It transcends the genre and can be held up against any contemporary medium. Also, It shows a glaring light on the state of the games industry, this game is possible, yet what we so often get is marginalized and made stupid and any weed of intellect and art must be removed. It shows the industry is a sham.… Expand
Mar 28, 2013From the instant that you open the doors into Columbia you are hit with detail, fine detail. Bioshock Infinite is a refreshing game to this years and last years drag of FPS shooters, showing off its world, characters and storyline in a spectacular way. Living up to the original game, Bioshock Infinite delivers what you expect from Irrational Games and more; starting off with the characters: you are playing through the eyes of Booker Dewitt, a guy who has a debt to clear, comparing Booker to Jack from the original Bioshock is very easy, Booker speaks....Jack does not, this gives Booker the interactivity to the world around him,. Elizabeth the games fierce heroine is not a heroine you expect; there is no "Save me Booker" or soppy crap. Elizabeth can take care of herself in battle which gives you the freedom of fighting without worrying about your A.I friend. Elizabeth can rip holes or tears into different dimensions, thus helping you in battle, from weapons to health and even turrets.
Gameplay: Bioshock Infinite's Gameplay is also a nod to the original, the easy handling of the weapons now with the added looking down the iron sights; the weapons that you given to kill each have there own kick, you get the feel of the weight this giving you easy use. The plasmid like drinks you take like the original Bioshock have the ease of firing but now with an alt-fire for devastation to your arsenal.
The ending: I will not give any spoilers away, but I a true hats off to Irrational Games to create an epic storyline with a truly mind blowing ending of which I'm still getting my head around.
Now with the added 1999 mode of which I'm about to play I'm sure I'll find more hidden secrets that will stagger me even more.… Expand
Apr 8, 2013This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Why is their less power-up (Vigors) options than Bioshock 2 and also less freedom to choose which gear you want compared to the tonics in Bioshock 2? I also found the story rather overly complicated and full of cliches. The guns were really nothing new and the levels were mostly empty and dead feeling. I liked the Handyman, Patriot, Fireman and Crow's from a conceptual standpoint but found the AI lacking. Also Hacking mini-game's have been completely abandoned and the sky rail system was very contrived and boring. I loved Bioshock 1 and 2 but this is a very watered down hybrid of both games set in a unique environment. The whole "religious" concept was barely explored and most of the focus quickly shifted to quantum physics and time travel which was unnecessary and over done. 1999 mode was challenging but unrewarding: no alternative ending? There were in fact NO alternative endings, another way in which the prequels were superior. after defeating 1999 mode which was basically pointless I had no other reason to play it again as the "secrets" were mostly in plain view and very uninteresting. Good luck on part 4.… Expand
Apr 20, 2013BioShock 1 and 2 were awesome, but BioShock Infinite is AMAZING. Great gameplay, memorable characters, a huge story, and quite possibly the BEST ending to a video game i have EVER seen! I LOVE this game!
May 27, 2013I am very disappointed. There are many thing I hate about this game. It was like a Call of Duty. I hate shooting enemies by scope. Enemies are too far, and they have rifles. I loved previous Bioshock, it didn't need to use scope, I like to shoot enemies from close range. I loved the maniac enemies who come to kill with knifes or sticks. I loved the dark, creepiness. BioShock Infinite, too many guns, bombs flying around, places are too bright. The worst thing about this game brought the story about slavery, racist, that just made the game too serious and real.
I love shooting enemies from close range, but not zombie games, there are too many zombie games and movies. I like enemies who are maniac humans or monsters. Aliens vs. Predator 2010 was like that, but it was a bad game, too many xenomorph,they were too annoying, a player had to run away and shoot to stay alive. And I don't like xenomorph. Metro 2033 was a perfect.… Expand
May 29, 2013This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. i'm happy to say that bioshock infinite is one of my favourite games of 2013 so far it deeply involves u in the story and the good gameplay makes it even more fun but compare it to the original bioshock infinite surpasses it in everyway with great voice acting good enemy and companion AI and amazing graphics once u get to the city of columbia the graphics in bioshock infinite will blow u away as ur treated to a great setting with a beautiful view of the sky and great parts in columbia the characters were acted and voiced very well probabley the best voice acting i'v heard since telltales the walking dead one of the best addtions of infinite is 1999 mode which increases the challange of the game makes enemies alot tougher and you retrieve less ammo and costs you more money when you die trust me its not for the average gamers if anyone beats 1999 mode like i have then you deserve a reward another positive is that the setting of columbia was done so well that in my opinion it surpasses the setting of the first 2 bioshock games the story has a few twists and turns which will probabley shock you in an awesome way once you get to the end of the game in terms of complaints they're only minor complaints but sometimes the combat can get a bit repetitive once your halfway through the game but one thing i really hated about infinite was near the end where your doing one of those defend the generator with its own health bar thing it's quite frustrating yes especially on 1999 mode but you'll be glad to get it over and done with overall bioshock infinite is defo the best fps (first person shooter) i'v played in years if you truly love first person shooter games defo pick up bioshock infinite you'll defo enjoy yourself… Expand
Jul 10, 2013The Good: Fantastic and intriguing story, two protagonists are likable and relatable, great art direction, skylines are awesome
The Bad: Gamers who don't usually explore will miss out on a ton of the plot, shooting is pretty generic, a little bit on the easy side, too much hand-holding, no stealth elements, violence a little out of place, some side-characters are underdeveloped
Bioshshock Infinite is the kind of game you want all of your friends to play even though it doesn't have multiplayer so you can discuss and debate about it. The ending was already (sort of) spoiled to me but nevertheless it still shocked me as everything unraveled. This game is of perfect length but at the same time you don't want it to end because the story and characters are very fantastic.
Bioshock Infinite has one of the most brilliant openings in gaming history, and while some games start off great but gradually get worse the story of Bioshock Infinite is constantly twisting and turning that you'll never get bored. Just a warning though: if you're the kind of person who only likes fast paced shooters where the goal is to shoot everything in sight, like Call of Duty, than you will not enjoy this game. A lot of the story won't make sense to you unless you walk around listening to audio diaries of different characters. so you need to be a patient gamer.
The core gameplay of this game kind of sucks. While it is promising at first, it quickly becomes "run away from your enemies before they shoot you" or shoot, possess, and electrocute everything in sight. It's not very difficult or punishing, and while this may bother some people for me this was good because it meant I could skim through these action moments to get to the story.
It's not fair to say that the combat is entirely bad however. Guns feel great to use (even though the controls for them are quite stiff), jumping off a sky-line to kill an enemy is awesome and you do get to destroy propaganda-spitting robotic George Washingtons (come on, doesn't that sound awesome?). I just wished that there was a little more to it, specifically in the stealth department (there is basically no way to sneak around your enemies). Maybe my hopes were just set too high by Dishonored's brilliant stealth sections.
The true star of this game is Elizabeth, your companion. You play as Booker Dewitt, a man who is brought to Columbia (the flying city in which the game takes place) in 1912 to find and bring a girl back to America to pay off his gambling debts. The game tackles lots of mature issues such as racism and religion and the world is disturbingly racist yet completely beautiful at the same time. While Elizabeth is helpful in shooting sequences, the real reason you'll like her is because she is so kind and naive, yet still mature. She is flawed and perfect in her very own way at the same time. She feels real in the same way Clementine from The Walking Dead by Telltale felt real.
Booker is also a great character. His past is mysterious- even to him, and while he's done some really bad things in his life which haunt him, he isn't necessarily a bad guy. Unfortunately, it's a shame that only Booker, Elizabeth, and Comstock (the antagonist of the game who rules Columbia) are fully realized characters. There is a character I really liked in the game named Daisy Fitzroy (who leads the rebel group known as the Vox in Columbia) who is constantly described as being "no better than Comstock" which is never actually shown until one particular moment in the game which feels out of place and against her personality.
All in all, Bioshock Infinite is an amazing game. My nitpicks may seem numerous, but they are very minor compared to the game as a whole. You'd do yourself a disservice to not play this game because "it's shooting isn't the best" or because there is no multiplayer. This is the sort of game which will be discussed and analyzed for years to come.
Full Score: 9.5/10
You can also check out my review at: http://binarymessiah.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/bioshock-infinite/… Expand
Jul 31, 2013This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The bioshock franchise has been blinded and overpraised by this new trend that "Videogames are art". Looking at this game gameplay-wise makes it a very average game and a disgrace for a series so praised as bioshsock. I don't have any problems with the change of genre but why this particular game doesn't get the same flame as many other games saying they are flooding the market with FPS and CoD rip-offs,and this game had no reason to change from a vintage health bar to a cover and wait shield; there is no point on changing. It also changes to a two weapon mechaninc... sounds familiar. But if the gameplay is different it should be better right? But all the strategy and real challenge the previous games had were torn appart into a dumbed down shoot-run-hide CoD ripoff. The weapons you use change because you become tired of using one and you want to change to another and there is no real point on thinking what weapon you should use in these particular scenario, given that all "battles" are virtualy the same being as I said shoot-run-hide-repeat. The weapons aren't memorable and you just stop using some of them to use just, well, better weapons. The same happens witht he vigoors, until you get a particular vigoor, you only need one permanet which is the mind control one and the other slot you can use whichever you feel like it. I know there are some enemies that have a weakness to a specific vigoor but you can still use the bronco one and pass the game as a breeze. And the upgrade path has been also dumbed down into a three way no brainer and upgrading your weapons and vigoors have no strategy whatsoever specially the vigoors as the traps have no purpose in a battle heavy FPS. Also, you don't get the option to unlock the poorly excuse of a vita chamber here so dying is only an issue in 1999 mode which gets me to my other point. There were claims that the 1999 mode was going to bring challenge again to the gamers but it just lets you die like a normal game and it offends the name challenge by making the enemies bullet sponges and with an unhuman acuracy. In bioshock 1 and 2 it made sense that the splicers have this king of acuracy and resistance given that they augmented their body to the point they went mad. So if you are going to change the whole mechanics of the game, you should also change the AI of the enemies for a fair challenge. It is still the easiest of the franchise but also the most frustrating. You can tell they didn't change the AI because the frikin policemen attack you the same way a splicer would; rushing in and shouting like a mad men without thinking a bit. So like many reviews had said the thing that stands the most are the skylines but it doens' change the fact that the gameplay was butcherd then grouped around some CoD and then pasted again with our next topic which is the fake gold or pyrite which is the artistic design. of the game. In every review I had heard of this game, half of it is about the plot and character design. Which people praise for reasons I can't explain. The plot is transdimencional that just explains EVERYTHING with multiple unvierses and isn't interesting at all. Also at the middle of the game all you have done to get somewhere is trowned to the trash and just go to another universe that changes everything which is just dumb. And remember, when I say everything is explained with multiple universes, I MEAN EVERYTHING even stupid things like ghosts. And compared to the depth and scientific acuracy of what was bioshock 1 and 2 this one has some serious problems and inacuracies for me, a 17 year old guy who just happens to love physics and know about some topics. It just says quantum particles which stay at a fixed height and doesn't go into depth to what it does or how it is powered. There is also NO explanation for the vigoors. Seriously, non, go and try to find out. And now with the characters, they are simply generic characters that doesn't compare a little to the characters of bioshock. I don't want to go in depth with all as I would never finish so lets go with the most overrated character of the game if not a contender for gordon freeman and master chief, Elizabeth. She is a one-dimensional generic women that does what all animes do, generate a waifu. A bland character based on millions behind her which can be or very over the top or a quiet character. Elizabeth isn't either as she is not Japanese, but her character is a copy paste from the most one dimensional characters that this world could ever imagine, a disney princess. This is not just the obvious, not, there are intreviews where they say their character is based on Bella of Beauty and the Beast. So, NO, Elizabeth is as bland as princess Toadstool. And finally, the "super deep satire and criticism of the US". I will wrap it up saying that thisdoesn't complement the plot. At theend it is just "look we're racis"t without a point just squashed into it.But the graphics are good meh ugly faces… Expand
Sep 4, 2013Game sucks. Generic gameplay, boring, monotonous, pretentious... it's just all around stupid. The original Bioshock also sucked, so I guess it doesn't fail to be a proper sequel.
Apr 3, 2013The story is quite extraordinary, and that's what carries the entire game but the frustrating game mechanics and shooting is below par to give this any higher of a score. I recommend this game as a rental, or buying it half-priced. It takes about 15 hours to play (I died a lot on normal setting), which is better than the average first person shooter, but its ending is such that you'll never want to play it again. The first person camera frame is too narrow to get an appreciation of your surroundings when you are being attacked from all directions. I haven't seen a camera frame this narrow since Dead Island.. The floating islands of the city are quite spectacular, but your path through it is linear. The populace in the city are all the same and non-interactive. The bottom line is the story is great but is it a fun game to play? No, not really.… Expand
Apr 8, 2013Just a beautiful game and a joy to play. The first 2 bioshock games made me want to explore the whole world and this does likewise. Im so sad that its finished. Iv picked up Far Cry 3 again but its a poor subsitute for bioshock infinite.
Its an 8 though cause i agree with some of the critics in relation to the difficulty and weapons. Im not a good gamer but I seemed to coast this game. There is tons of ammo and weapons lying around and the upgrades are unexciting. I barely spent a penny on upgrades. Likewise with the vigors. In bioshock the plasmids were central as to how rapture fell into chaos. Vigors in Columbia simply exist but the average joe doesnt seem to have access to them. So story falls down here and so does the difficulty as the soldiers arent powered up and hence the difficulty level is significantly lower than either of the previous bioshock games.
The ending is superb and provokes debate and thought and is a far more satisfying ending than what you get with most games nowadays.
The story is engaging as are the characters and finding and listening to voxophones is an essential and satisfying endeavour. playing the game without listening to the voxophones seems almost pointless.
Admittedly, the baddies are nowhere near as intimidating as that first ever big daddy encounter on bioshock. But I do not think this game was meant to replicate the originals, its a standout on its own and is miles better than other recent big releases.… Expand
Apr 6, 2013Very few games will ever be able to compete with the opening to the original Bioshock as you enter the underwater city of Rapture and, while Columbia is certainly spectacular, it just doesn't inspire the same sense of awe.
Where Infinite does better its predecessors however is in its story and gameplay. The combat is not all that different with the weapons mapped to the right trigger and the powers (plasmids in all but name) mapped to the left they can, as before, be combined in all manner of ways during combat. The two big additions to this formula are the skyhooks that can be used to zip around the environment, helping to attack or escape foes, and the 'tears in reality' that can be opened by companion Elizabeth to allow access to weapons, ammo, cover etc. Both are arguably not used to their full potential but between them certainly bring a new dimension to the combat.
As for the story, I won't go into any ruinous detail but suffice to say it is one of the best in gaming despite the sometimes rather clumsy approach to topics such as racism on occasions. Importantly however it is told completely without cut-scenes meaning for the first time in a while I was actually interested in what was happening as I didn't have to sit a watch endless non-interactive sections. In the end it doesn't compete with the best the movie and TV industry can offer of course but I can't think of many other games in which I felt the need to look on online forums to see other people's thoughts.
Summary: Many reviews may lead people to believe that Bioshock Infinite will change gaming but it is too many obvious faults for that. What we do have though is a very good game indeed.… Expand
Mar 31, 2013Excellent game, a great adventure from start to finish. There are negatives to be found, mostly in the form of occasional low-res textures when you get up really close to some objects. Pretty much everything else was fantastic. The story is just as good as the previous Bioshock games, with twists in the plot that you will likely not be expecting. Gameplay is excellent, and I spent around 25 hours (I explore everything very thoroughly) in total on Hard mode, but have yet to try my hand at 1999 mode. If you like something a little different than the traditional shooter (i.e. more story-driven), this is the game for you.… Expand
Apr 2, 2013If you are a Bioshock fan, you will LOVE this game. This is everything I have waited patiently for all these years. I hope the DLC is just as good as the campaign.
Mar 28, 2013Words can not describe the absolutely thrilling experience that is BioShock Infinite. From start to finish, Infinite boasts gorgeous visuals, a beautiful soundtrack and very customizable gameplay. Not to mention that the story is extremely original. The ending kept me up at night after beating it and that alone makes it a game worth playing. If I do have any gripes, it's that the game does stutter at times, but that is a problem with the 360's aging hardware. If you can play it on PC, I'd recommend it, but the Xbox version is great too.… Expand
Apr 4, 2013As this generation of console is coming to a close, gamers are spoiled for choice in terms of quality games to buy. This generation is also recognized as a proof that Western Developers are eclipsing their Japanese counterparts. Sure, many of their outputs are low brow, violent, military shooters, a trend that seems to sell games by the millions. Nevertheless, western games 'auteurs'? Well, they are not as 'prevalent' as in Japan, but with Bioshock Infinite, we can finally say that Ken Levine is indeed one of such type of game developers, standing along legendary game makers such as Hideo Kojima and Shigeru Miyamoto. Infinite is an incredibly beautiful game, pushing current hardware to the max. It's a FPS at heart, but it contains a narrative drive and worldview that is truly great. Surprisingly poignant storyline is coupled with jaw dropping set pieces. It has a great AI partner that really helps you in a bind, but at the same time really forms the core of the story. The world of Columbia is so detailed, 'Miyazaki'-eqsue at times, and its immersive nature is done without a nary of cut scenes in sight. Is Infinite one of the best game of this generation? Yes it is. And along with other great games coming in the last two months, such as Tomb Raider and MG Rising, will definitely leave a mark on your finances!… Expand
Apr 7, 2013Few games totally upended genres as effectively as the original Bioshock. The weird amalgamation of shooter and sorcery-style gameplay, the settings, the story writing...all of it was fresh, original, and thoroughly unexpected at every turn. Bioshock 2 tried to keep up with that legacy, although didn't quite have the steam (seriously, no pun). So how did Infinite do in keeping up the Bioshock mantle? In short, it did pretty well. Make no mistake: Infinite is a radical departure from the games that have come before. For a change, you are not in the decaying and (mostly, not quite enough) abandoned city of Rapture, but rather the vibrant and very much alive...and flying, did they mention the flying part?...city of Columbia. Columbia is sort of the mirror-universe evil twin of the America we know and love: it's a place of racial segregation, theocracy, and mindless fervor based on a cult of personality built around a "prophet" whose bolts aren't just loose, they're missing. The other quirk the game design has, and this one is unique among all the games I've seen, is that nearly the entire game is an escort mission, but escorting someone fully capable of handling problems. That someone is Elizabeth, a character so well-designed and well-written that the folks on Irrational's "Liz Squad," the tiger team put together to make sure she was a good addition to the game, clearly all deserve major congratulations and probably a raise. (Read some of the development information to learn more about them.) Let me say this: I hate, capital HATE, escort missions. They annoy me. It's constantly trying to save a brainless AI from itself. I almost decided against Infinite because of Elizabeth, but got it anyway. Glad I did, because Elizabeth isn't your usual escortee. She's tough, very helpful, and never a hindrance. Environments are well-built, thematic, and engaging, not to mention unbelievably creative. So that's a lot of praise...why a 7? A few reasons. One, where environmental graphics are good, the people inhabiting this world are not well rendered; they all have a china doll appearance which is very unsettling. Texture resolutions are generally good, but some of the level decor does suffer from decreased resolution. Interactivity with the world is variable and, while occasionally quite good, does sometimes leave the player wondering why something has no interactions. But perhaps most frustrating is the total lack of directional input on character development. You are locked into the script as it was developed by writers and have no opportunity to make choices...and, frankly, the player's character is really rather a jerk, and that didn't resonate with me at all. Finally, Infinite does follow the Bioshock 2 approach of segmented world progression, meaning that when you leave a sector, there's typically no returning. That's a departure that started with Bioshock 2 and one of my least favorite things about the game. So, points off for poor NPC graphics resolution, the inability to change your character's insufferably-bad attitude, and lack of open worldness (or even its emulation). Still, don't misunderstand: 7 is a good score, and Infinite is well worth your time. It is a true piece of originality in an ocean of the mundane and the ONLY heavy-hitter release in the last three months that didn't leave me severely disappointed (I'm looking at YOU, Colonial Marines). A good and well-earned 7 for Bioshock Infinite, the year's first actual "you really should play this" game.… Expand
Mar 30, 2013First off, I am admittedly a Bioshock fan. The first game, and even the second, demonstrated and combined unparalled narrative and brilliant gameplay. So, while I am a gamer, this is only the second game I have ever preordered. While I had my doubts that it would live up to the first game, I did assume that on some level it would be at least a fun experience with an interesting story. Oh my, how it absolutely blew away my expectations. FYI, this review is spoiler free.
The Story: Absolutely amazing. If you enjoy stories of any kind this is a story that could not be told in other medium. Think Twilight Zone at its best. The enviroments create layers upon layers of pull narrative, which is there if you want to experience it but it won't get in the way. It's not heavy handed at all and there are a ton of lodd ittle moments that stand out but totally make sense later on, or if you pay attention to certain details.
Graphics: The best of this generation in my opinion. The lighting and enviroments are incredible. The character models are full of style and life; a mix of realism and cartoonish aesthetics. It is unique to Bioshock and works really well. The art desgin really stands out as well.
Gameplay: Shooters are a dime a dozen, but what makes Bioshock unique is the abilities given to the player. Infinite does this well, and the combat is really enjoyable. The weapon are varied as well. I often had issue with being forced to carry ony two weapons, but half way through the game it became quite apparent there was always another weapon lying around if you needed to rely on it. My biggest gripe is the AI often seems stupid. It's not too noticible in the midst of a fire fight, but occassinal the AI will not even notice your presence which takes away from the experience. Overall, the combat is a blast. The sky rails really are awesome and add an extra element t the fast paced combat. The other addition is Elizabeth's ability to bring in objects from other realities which can aid you, this adds to the overall strategy of combat and a welcome addition. She is also helpful and getting you items when you're in need.
As I've stated, this game is nothing short of a masterpiece that will be talked about for ages, even moreso than the first I think. It is baffling to see the odd user review call it overrated, but I think that comes down to what you enjoy in a game. This game is an experience, but if you're looking for a straight up shooter this might not be for you. There are periods of time without any combat at all, you're just taking in the world. I really think this is the game to show what is possible with stories and videogames. The ending does not dissapoint.… Expand
Mar 29, 2013*9.9* The biggest issue in Bioshock Infinite is that not only does it beg to be explored, it is necessary to fully understand and appreciate the game.
May 13, 2013Alright, so the first Bioshock has been out since 2007 and was a jaw dropping theme then, what with the game changing art style, revolutionary gameplay, it really was a spectacle to see be released on the 360. Then it came to Bioshock 2, and as far as it goes to say, it was a good reason to hop back on the bathysphere to explore more that the city of Rapture had to offer. But now, with a step out of the water to take a breath of fresh air in a city up in the clouds, Columbia. As soon as you get shot up into this unbelievable town. Where as it doesn't start the action right away, this is actually a good thing because it gives you a chance to take everything in, really take in all the sights of this game Irrational Games has been on for years. Since I was already a big fan of the other two, you bet I had my copy pre-ordered and I awaited til midnight to get my chance to play this magnificent game, and definitely was not disappointed. Among other things, you will notice right away that it feels kind of different from the past two games, but still the same similarity. The combat in this game is where it really takes the cake, it's like they had finally read the complaints about the other games in the means of combat and DID something about it, and that is why I see this gaming company going farther with a series like this, which I hope they really do, even though the ending in this game, leaves you with a mind enough as it is. What I really love about this game, is that the protagonist Booker DeWitt, actually has a voice to be heard, and an opinion around every corner, so that you can really grow closer to how Booker feels and thinks about most things, building a connection. The sky-lines are a cool aspect in this game, although not really used as much as I thought they would be, being a major way to travel around the city and around combat, however, I suppose it actually is a good thing that it is not revolved around such an aspect, since it could get old pretty fast, leaving the sequences still to be looked forward to when they happen. Kind of like the ordeals with Songbird when Elizabeth's guardian shows up to do its job, these are really fun sequences that just don't happen that often. Now, they do have many options to choose in this game, where you might think it could make a huge difference in the gameplay later or change how the game plays, this is not really the case however, feel free to make choices without much penalty to the outlook of the story. All in all, this game lives up from its predecessors, and keeps the Bioshock name awesome as ever. If you're considering about trying this game, you're overthinking the answer will always be yes, even if you weren't a big fan of the first one, the ending of this game is completely mind-bottling and changes how you could look at things. This is definitely the kind of ending, when you finish it, you will want to find a friend who's finished it as well and have a long, deep conversation with them about what they thought it all meant over a cup of tea. I give Bioshock Infinite, 10/10… Expand
May 1, 2013Initially, Bioshock Infinite caught my eye in a passing manner. I was certainly interested, but didn't really anticipate it like some prior releases. As soon as I picked it up, though, it was immediately clear this game went above and beyond the expectations set forth by the current generation of FPS games. I admit, I was a fan of the first Bioshock. The tone and atmosphere were great, and the concept captured my imagination. Though I had some minor gripes with some gameplay mechanics, and polish issues, it was and still is a great game. Bioshock infinite on the other hand, blew me away with its great storytelling and fluid gameplay.
First off, the look of the game. Its certainly not as gritty and textured as some games, but I really don't feel that is the point. Its stylized, and for a purpose. To encapsulate the bright and floaty feel the city should take, and to emphasize the time period. From the characters, to the city, to the machines; it all fits within the confines of the look and feels natural. Though it initially starts off bright and scenic, the colors dampen and darken as you turn the stones to reveal the dark underbelly of the cities politics.
The story and setting are amazing. The city is a wonder, and its great to explore. It is filled with voxophones (audio diaries) and other historical items to expand upon the universe, but even when I had collected all of them I wanted to learn more. The story, without any real spoilers, isn't limited to the fantastical and faces very real issues of the time. From religious fanaticism to racism, the human element is very prevalent. But it is all centered around the main character, Booker Dewitt. A veteran and former Pinkerton, who is hired to bring a girl to New York in exchange for wiping clean his gambling (and other) debts. And from the girl, Elizabeth, to the prophet Comstock, to the rebellion leader Fitzroy, everyone has a part in the story, and everyone is as colorful and thought out as the next.
Game-play, I found, was very fluid and in my experiences cinematic. If you have played the first Bioshock at all you would know that tandem use of plasmids (known as Vigors in Infinite) and guns were difficult and unwieldy. You had to either equip weaponry OR plasmid. In Infinite, thankfully they are more seamlessly combined. Though a similar layout is used (left trigger vigor, right trigger gun), you can now keep your weapon equipped and use left trigger to instantly blast out a vigor. Weapons themselves are your standard affair: pistol, machine gun, shotgun, etc. But the vigors are the standouts. This time around, vigors are a bit more refined, as Bioshock had many great vigors, they were too varied and too specialized. The creators have now smartly combined traps and instant use as a secondary and primary fire, and thus vigors can be used several ways each. Lastly, the sky lines. These things are GREAT. Not only for travel, which is fun to zip through areas anyway, but in combat it is awesome to lunge onto one to get a birds eye view of the battle or to buy some time and heal up.
I could go on for MUCH MUCH longer about the companion aspect with Elizabeth, which Infinite may be credited with being the first game to get it right, to Songbird, the Infinite Big Daddy equivalent, to the thought provoking story-line, but I have limited words on this tiny box. One thing I can say is, PLAY THIS GAME! You wont regret this purchase!… Expand
Apr 8, 2013Looking at Bioshock Infinite as a game, its not very good. Shooting mechanics are poor and the constant looting is boring. Why loot if you don't have a proper inventory system? Looking at Bioshock Infinite as a interactive story, it pretty much hits the nail on the head. I loved the story but found the game play elements got in the way of the story. It was a drag through the game to get to the next part of the story. Visually, it's impressive and the sound design is one of the best. I'll give this an 8 for story but if i was scoring it as a game it would be a 5.… Expand
Apr 13, 2013Better get this out of the way early, I like the Bioshock franchise, hell I love it to bits but there is liking a game and then understanding that a game was overrated and liked for the wrong reasons (glaring over at Bioshock 1). Bioshock 1 was System Shock 2 (the developer, Irrational Games, previous title) to a T, hell it even ripped half the name off it. System Shock 2 was a game that had been made nearly 10 years earlier and for quite a lot of people did the job a damn lot better than Bioshock did. Anyway I digress, on with Bioshock Infinite.
You are Booker DeWitt, a man sent to pay off a debt by capturing a girl named Elizabeth from the flying city of Columbia and bringing her back to New York. However soon after arriving on Columbia you are marked out as the Antichrist that will destroy Columbia. Eventually you find Elizabeth and begin your journey to New York (or as she is lead to believe, Paris) but are stopped time and time again by dark secrets about Columbia, Elizabeth and yourself as well as a majority of the supporting cast. The story gets pretty out of control rather quickly from then on and is probably better left to first hand experience but make sure you bring some migraine tablets and someone with a Masters Degree in Quantum Mechanics otherwise you'll have no clue what on Earth has happened by the end of the game (and the funny part is you think I'm joking about the Quantum Physicist).
The game plays like the past 2 Bioshock games but with a faster pace, better shooting mechanics and half a ton less ammo (which is a bit odd considering the amount of weapons there are just laying around) Plasmids are back but they are Vigour's now and you can also use a special tonic thing to upgrade your health, shield and Salt (the substitute for Eve) but unfortunately these are rather scarce and make the feature near pointless. Also the audio logs are back and this makes the story even harder to understand when you miss one of the bastards because they are so well hidden.
The game looks pretty gorgeous but the console versions suffer from muddy textures, slow frame rates and the lack of mouse & Keyboard controls making the PC version much superior but its nothing that shouldn't be expected from the ageing consoles this late into their lifespan.
In short Bioshock Infinite is the best Bioshock game yet, probably one of the best games of the year but its still early days (It is only March after all) but it is still getting too much hype for it shouldn't be taking credit for, plus what's with the love of steampunk since Bioshock 1 landed? Its like people treat it as though its a new thing.… Expand
May 17, 2013I started playing today and found the ambiance of the game very weak. Once it reaches Columbia we see a very rich scenario and many people talking, but it is not possible to interact with any of them Even the kid who is selling newspapers. Several games do it why can't I talk to nobody happens here?? I got the feeling that my character was an invisible ghost. Soon after, at the racism rock scene we have to make a choice but no matter the choice the result will be the same and the city immediately turns into a ghost place where there are only policemen appearing one after another, CoD style, without any trace of virtual intelligence; on these aspects Dihonored is infinitely better and more developed.… Expand
Mar 27, 2013--Read the last paragraph for a quick summary.--
I started this game slowly because the amazing graphics had me in awe. I walked around just looking and exploring what Columbia was. Then I got into the game I got my feet wet in the plot and combat.
This game is simply amazing. Combat is great fast paced but strategic and the incorporation of Elizabeth is outstanding. The can toss you ammo at the perfect moment to help you out, but it doesn't ruin your current combat. It is so quick and in no way takes you out of the moment. You also don't need to worry about protecting her, since she will take cover and handle herself. The different powers and weapons can be combined very strategically, and the limited ammo can force the trigger-happy players to swap in new guns. The hook-claw works well for opening up an entire combat scenario, and Elizabeth's tears can morph the battlefield in various ways. This gameplay is like good ol' Bioshock, but with a more fast-paced, strategic, open environment.
Then there's the plot. Without giving away any spoilers, this plot is amazing. If you know the first installment of the series (Bioshock) and the "would you kindly" twist, you know you are in for a treat. This one has multiple plots Columbia vs. the Vox, Booker & Elizabeth trying to escape, then the idea of what is Elizabeth and the mystery of her powers, and the equally-interesting exploration of Booker DeWitt, the protagonist. The exploration of Columbia and its internal conflicts poses an interesting idea similar to the Atlas vs. Ryan conflict of Bioshock's Rapture. You have two forces competing for control of the city with opposing ideologies. Your typical rebellion/revolution scenario. This is simply a scenario that allows us to explore Columbia as a culture and city.
Next you have Booker's mission find the girl and wipe away the debt. Booker is trying to take Elizabeth to New York to pay off a debt. This girl is too valuable for the city to give up she is their "lamb" and prophesied to do great things. Comstock, the prophet and leader of Columbia, will do anything to keep her in the city, and uses the flying Songbird to ensure such. The greatest part of this is that you see Booker and Elizabeth grow together. You see Elizabeth grow as a character and gain her confidence. The relationship is just all too great.
The exploration of Elizabeth and her powers is interesting. She is puzzled by them and is trying to find meaning in all of it. As she explores the use of her powers, she begins to learn the consequences of her actions. Her powers come into effect in combat, as I said before, but they are really more key to the story. As you witness her powers grow, you begin to fear her potential.
Booker DeWitt is the protagonist of Bioshock: Infinite. Booker is sent to Columbia with one mission in mind: bring the girl to New York, wipe away the dept. He is haunted by his past, and has trouble living with the things he has done. I will let you see for yourself, but I will say that no game has ever connected me to a character as well as this. I felt with Booker, I shared his pain and sorrow, his determination and anger. While playing, I WAS Booker DeWitt.
All in all, this game was outstanding. The world, the character, the gameplay, the plot--all made for one of the greatest games out there. This is not Rapture, but it is certainly still the excellence we have come to expect with Bioshock. I would strongly recommend this game to anyone and everyone, even at the $60 starting price (which I never do).… Expand
Jun 27, 2013Artistic and action-packed throughout. It diverges from the original Bioshock formula, but still makes it somewhat familiar. Couple that with an amazing story. What else do you want?
Jul 10, 2013An incredibly overrated game. It absolutely baffles me why this title has received so much praise. I am a huge fan of Irrational Games having only just played through the fantastic System Shock 2 on PC for the first time. That game was released in 1999 and absolutely stomps all over this mediocrity.
I found the combat dull, the RPG elements non-existent, the looting unsatisfying, and the story where this game seems to get all the pretentious reviewers in a dizzy spin exceptionally boring. It contains the usual modern FPS flaws a slow running speed, an ability to only hold 2 weapons, a recharging shield (making the game incredibly easy), and tedious forced cutscenes where you have to listen to the unlikable characters waffling on and on, blocking your path.
I was completely unimpressed with this game and have put it on Ebay and (begrudgingly) completing it. The game has zero replayability and I will never give it another go.. which cannot be said for far far superior games such as Half-Life 2, Dishonored, System Shock 2 and Deus EX.
Rubbish and extremely over rated. I can only imagine that 'professional reviewers' feel obliged to give the games high ratings as they are given free, early copies to playtest. Either that or they are being paid, or are easily impressed.… Expand
May 13, 2013Bioshock Infinite has the pleasure of being an incredibly good looking game with interesting movement mechanics (skyhooks) and a relatively likable support character (no small feat for a video game). However, it has the misfortune of having some of the most shallow gunplay this year, complete with two-weapon slots and a pointless upgrade system. The voice acting is a particular low-point, since Troy Baker's impression of a gruff detective needs to have dull, blasé responses for everything, his ennui neatly mirroring my own. The story has a habit of being on-off. When the story is its strongest, we fight to rescue Elizabeth. At its worst, the game pushes half-assed agendas that wouldn't be subtle to even the CoD-playing, lowest common denominator of gamer. These types of "grandiose" ideas take you out of the story, since it no longer focuses on the survival and dependency of two decent characters in gaming. All in all, Infinite is decent but lazy; since most of the time is spent on combat (acceptable FPS combat, in all fairness), the lame political dialog often feels jarring and is painful to have to sit through.… Expand
Mar 29, 2013Bioshock Infinite is, simply put, a masterpiece. The original Bioshock was good, but this game is a truly great. I was a little hesitant to say so at first, because saying that would put it up there with the likes of Red Dead Redemption and others. But, after finishing it, I can say without pause that Bioshock Infinite is everything Irrational set out to do in more. The story is probably what most will come to the game for, and rightfully so. While the gameplay of Infinite is incredibly fun and addicting, it must be said that it doesn't quite live up to the story. This is acceptable though, because the story told by Ken Levine in this game is right up there with some of the best stories ever told in the video game universe. Before playing the original Bioshock, I had no clue that a video game could actually make me think. But, alas, they can. Then, last year, a video game made me cry. The Walking Dead probably did that for many. And this year, Bioshock Infinite does all of that and more. My only advice to people who have picked up this game or plan to is this: TAKE YOUR TIME! Do not rush through this game. Explore and absorb everything Columbia has to offer. If you are still on the fence over whether or not this game is worth $60, IT IS! Call of Duty and Halo are the Sirloin steaks of gaming. Bioshock Infinite is the Filet Mignon.… Expand
Apr 2, 2013This is a game that I wish I could rate higher, as it has soooooo much potential, that it just barely scratches in order not to confuse its general gaming public.
First the good: (1) Absolutely fantastic art direction, concept design and execution of almost all of the vistas and locations are utterly breathtaking, particularly in the opening act that just explodes with detail. (2) Elizabeth is just one of the best design characters I've ever seen in a game. Such a wonderful personality and she really does feel like a real person at times. (3) Booker may come across a bit flat at first, but he really grows and develops into an extremely deep character. (4) Music was also pretty good, although I never was a big fan of the music of that era, still, I can appreciate that it was well done and fit the game perfectly (in fact one or two of the songs seemed oddly familiar and for most of the game that did bug me until the reveal about Albert Fink's "inspiration." Clever!) (5) Combat is fun and engaging for the most part, particularly the Handymen. (6) The Songbird is such an eerie character and does a superb job at creating a tense and even scary atmosphere whenever it appears. (7) The Lettuce twins are a riot and the banter just charming as hell. I would love to see more characters like them in games in general. (8) This game has big balls! Racism, sexism, preaching religion, and they really didn't ease up on it either. This is really unique as most movies/games tend to water it down, nice to see they were trying to keep it as realistic as possible to the way the world was back then.
Now the bad: (1) While I said the backgrounds looked good, character models seem a little poorly done at times (aside from Booker, Elizabeth and the Songbird.) Enemies and lesser character just seem completely lifeless and completely artificial if you look to closely. (2) Aside from the main characters (Booker, Elizabeth, Comstock, Lettuce twins) NONE of the other side character get much depth, or enough that you would care. All the side characters' character development was either non-existent or rushed (I know the Voxophones act as filler, but they alone are not enough.) (3) Vigors feel mostly useless most of the time. While they are fun to use, I found myself mostly ignoring them (aside from Possession, which was generally useful.) (4) Two weapon system: This was REALLY annoying! While I do get why they did it, there is a fine line on just how realistic you want to make a game. (5) Lack of variety in enemy types the Vox and Patriot troops more or less were the same, just reskinned (kind of funny considering the racist undertones of the game.) (6) No real boss fights, aside from the Comstock Bank "boss" but that kind of is up to debate on whether that can be considered a boss battle. (7) Aside from the last area of the game, the rest of the game is more or less linear giving you a semi-scripted path to follow. While it does flow naturally, it would have been nice to have a bit more of an open and larger world to discover, the Skyline system shows that this is possible. (8) None of the "choices" you make in the game matter. There is only one ending, one outcome. While I get this is kind of the point, as stated in the ending, it still feels a little cheap considering the previous games did feature this.
Side Notes: (1) While not a bad or good thing I found Elizabeth a bit too similar to Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, especially in the beginning. Half the time I expected her to burst into song. (2) The ending: It is good, but not as brilliant as many reviewers think. In fact it could have been brilliant, had they actually gone into the subject with a bit more depth as it is a really interesting topic they touched upon. Sadly they dumbed it down for the masses to be able to understand. A pity. So yes I liked the ending, but they could have done more with it.
Overall: Bioshock Infinite fills me with really mixed feelings. I want to look at it as the perfection that it could have been. I'm sure many who barely understand it think it is, but I fully grasps the subject and wish it could have done more as I can see that it easily could. The foundation is there, why they stopped building is beyond me, but I do get they want everyone to understand, not just me. So yes, Bioshock Infinite is an excellent game worthy of anyone's collection. Just for me a bit of a missed opportunity.… Expand
Apr 6, 2013The Original BioShock is one of the best games of this generation of consoles, and it has been proven. Here's Why: No game makes you feel scared though connected with a deep, sort of moral storyline you actually have to build yourself. BioShock had one of the best ambiance and story in video games, and BioShock Infinite follows the step of its predecessor in a similar, only less creepy way.
The story starts as simple as it can be: You are Booker DeWitt, private investigator, who owes money to some mysterious man. To clean his debt, he must go to the flying city of Columbia and bring a girl called Elizabeth back to New York. As he does this, he will discover that Columbia is a city at war between the religious, rich side of the town that are followers of prophet and founder Zachary Comstock, and the poor, less privileged side of the town that are the rebels also known as the Vox Populi. But this that I've just told you means nothing at the end of BioShock Infinite, which has one of the most twisted and confusing endings in video game, that will leave us thinking for a long time. Not gonna post Spoilers, but boy, it will get you. BioShock Infinite is also great by its visual spectacle. The original BioShock with its overwhelming art design and "art deco" architecture was already mind blowing. The Sky city of Columbia is even more impressive. As I played it on Xbox 360, I wasn't lucky enough to have the high resolution textures from the PC. ANYWAY, the game still looks amazing. Sometimes, breathtaking moments will push us to enjoy the sights the game offers.
Storywise, we've already told you the game is good, but even though it is confusing as hell, still BioShock Infinite has its plot holes, some of them really important, not to understand the story but to get some things cleared out. One obvious is how the hell Elizabeth (Your companion AI) got those powers. You will ask yourself that more in the ending that in the middle of the game.
Talking about Gameplay, BioShock Infinite is mostly successful. You have a pretty wide variety of guns, and vigors. You will need Ammo for the weapons, and salts for the vigors, really similar to the original game's functionality. If you are in a tight situation, Elizabeth will stock you with Ammo, Salts, Health or Money. But there are some annoying aspects such as not changing the vigors: The game lets you have two vigors, but if you drink one more, one of them is replaced FOREVER. That is really bad as one of my favourite vigors, Possession, could only been used for the first quarter of the game before being replaced with some useless ones. Also, you have upgrade stations, although still it does not seem to have much effect when you are playing. They are small flaws to how fun and awesome you feel once you kill the really, REALLY hard bosses, or when you make your enemies float and shoot them one by one with the shotgun.
There is no multiplayer or Co-op. That is not bad, but it is when the game has little replayability. It is a consistent game, about 10 hours long if you play it in a medium difficulty. Still, there is no much reason to take the ride again, only if you want to clear your mind again. BUT this game encourages you to play something else again: The original BioShock. Yes Infinite is a prequel, one hard to get in that sense, but a successful one.
Overall, BioShock Infinite is as good as the same one. Yes, I missed the creepy ambiance of the first one, but not the story, as BioShock Infinite has that and more.… Expand
Mar 26, 2013This is great stuff. Imaginative. Creative. Textures tend to be muddled, but the art direction is inspired and beautiful. Ditto for the sound design; the Beach Boy's "God Only Knows" is turned into a haunting, Sinatra-esque mantra. Absolutely fun. Absolutely worth the simoleons, imo. Ken Levine is a blessed genius. This game does not exploit multiplayer, which is a minus in my book. A game this great should have comparably singular multiplayer. Still, worthy, and quite the experience.… Expand
Aug 16, 2013Bioshock Infinite has an interesting concept, but it seems the game focuses too much on storytelling instead of engaging gameplay (a story which, overall, isn't very impressive). Despite its weaknesses, Bioshock Infinite is most definitely the most beautiful game I've ever played, with the best atmosphere of any shooter to date.
Mar 27, 2013Not a fan of Bioshock 1 or 2, bought them well after release and still haven't finished either of them. So was a little apprehensive at preodering Bioshock Inifinite, but fancied the city in the clouds experience. I have to say straight from the off, perhaps the more open setting or the sky hook, it just grabbed me. I like the fact it doesn't push you into a stupid movement tutorial or hold your hand at the start. It's a much more vibrant setting than the previous games which I prefer. Has a lot more going on because at the start this place isn't in chaos. I had fun playing the shooting games at the fair for example and just wandering around. When the action did get going it seemed pretty solid. Overall it's early days but I am looking forward to finishing this one.… Expand
Apr 5, 2013this game is epic. i love the bioshock series and this one is no doubt the best one. the setting columbia is beautiful and breathtaking, the vigors are powerful and fun to use, the gunplay is vastly improved over the other games and elizabeth is the best videogame companion in recent memory! The story is well told and will definitely you. the skyhook is fun as well. everything about this game is fantastic which is expected of the bioshock series. It definitely deserves to be a part of any gamers collection...its just that damn good! so do yourself a favor and buy this masterpiece and enjoy adventuring with elizabeth in columbia.… Expand
Aug 15, 2013Let's get this out of the way.
I'm quite disappointed with Bioshock Infinite.
I was looking forward to a big world to explore with interesting characters, a great story, and of course some satisfying action to spice things up.
What we get with Infinite however, is a game of missed opportunities.
Unlike the original Bioshock the beautiful world of Columbia feels more like walking through Madame Tussauds than a city. Sure people are doing things, but they all have the feeling of waxworks that you can't interact with in any way other than listen to their conversations, or, when the action picks up, shoot them in the face.
A big drawing point of the original Bioshock was the story, which fit perfectly with the setting and the action. In Infinite everything feels a bit disjointed. The idea of the vigors is basically a crossover of the plasmids from the original, which caused the fall of Rapture and so played a part in the original story, but in Infinite they are like most other things in Columbia, just sort of there.
These vigors are the source of your special powers, but these powers are strangely useless. It doesn't feel like the action was designed around them as the original was. They feel like something that is there simply because they were in the original, which makes them rather inconsequential. As a matter of fact you can go through the game without using them.
Then there's the story. On the surface you get a very humane story of redemption and the frailty of men and human ambitions (along with political commentary), with some very emotional and well voice acted scenes, but the minute you walk through your first tear in time and space is when the story starts to fall apart, and from tear to tear in the fabric of reality, the story opens one problem after another ending in a rather contrived mess.
Then we have Elisabeth. Now, Elisabeth is largely a well realized character (though there are some serious problems with her in regard to the story), but her presence is both a welcomed addition, because she's a likeable and interesting character, and a major problem in terms of gameplay. She basically acts as a default lifesaver. You run low on health, she magically finds health. Run low on vigor, she finds salts. Out of ammo, she supplies. Leave a vending machine without buying anything, a lot of coins magically appear at her feet. (For some inexplicable reason she can't seem to pick up lockpicks even though one of her main abilities is picking locks.) This makes the game a lot easier than it needed to be and removes tension from the fights. Then there's her ability to apparently render herself invisible to enemies. Considering that your character is there to free her, protect her, and bring her back to New York, it feels very contrived that she's only in any danger in cutscenes where the player has absolutely no control. During fire fights, where bullets and grenades are flying all over the place, she's in no danger what so ever. Again this simply removes tension from the fights and undermines the whole idea of you protecting her.
So what we are left with is basically the FPS which is the main element of the game, and it unfortunately feels a little sluggish. Now, even in the original the FPS elements were not the best parts of the game, but since everything else worked so well, I sort of forgave it its shortcomings in that area. In Infinite it stands out as it's the only thing that's actually left for you to do. That is such a shame considering the obvious amount of work and love which went into the realization of the city in the skies and the presentation of the game as a whole. It's not that the shooting is bad, it's just not as good as seen in other more "focused" games.
Now, this may sound extremely negative, but despite its shortcomings I actually enjoyed Infinite.
It's a good game!
It's a very beautiful, well presented shooter, but it could and should have been so much more.
I still recommend it, but just realize that behind the beautiful facade there really is nothing much to uncover, and that's a shame.… Expand
Mar 27, 2013This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This does contain spoilers folks. I got the game at it's midnight release, and the ONLY REASON it has a 9 in place of the 10 was the campaign took all of about 10-11 hours (that was with me milling through everything) and once you're done, you're done. (Unless you're up for the more difficult 1999 mode) So let's get into the game, from the moment you land in the church, the music was (In my opinion) mastered to the place. You get that feeling of a child when he's first taken to an amusement park, my eyes were lit up when you step out of the church doors and that wonderful view of Colombia in the skyline. Going through the game, shooting was great, considering this IS NOT A FULL BLOWN SHOOTER, you cannot expect it to be like one and still have all the other mechanics. My favorite thing? The connection with Elizabeth, (I was personally hoping they'd fall in love, BAD IDEA considering the end) but the connection they have established was phenomenal, definitely one that is seldom experienced. When you go to rescue her a second time, you only want to inflict as much pain as possible once you see the first chair and hear her screaming, the blood on the floor and all the tools to leave to your imagination what was happening to her, and when you do save her, and you pull that giant needle out of her spine, I personally was tearing up a bit. Overall, easily the best game I've ever played. Story has great twists, and I have concluded that hell hath no fury like an un-siphoned Elizabeth. Semper Fidelis everyone!… Expand
Mar 27, 2013This game was exactly what I've been waiting for since it was 3 years ago. All of the push backs were well received so that this game could be perfected. The gameplay is smooth, every combat scenario felt exciting and exhilarating. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, the city of Columbia is a delicacy on the eyes and the character models are outstanding. My only problem is that some textures are muddy up close but they are miner to notice. The story is fantastic, i never predicted any of it, and every plot twist kept me on the edge of my seat. The score is great, the music that is heard through Columbia makes you feel like you're in 1912. Overall a fantastic, well-developed game by Irrational and 2k games. Well Done!!!… Expand
Mar 28, 2013Yes, this game isn't the original Bioshock, yes it doesn't have the same setting nor does it feature any characters from the original, or the second, but ultimately, does it matter? Infinite in my books is the best game I've played in a long time and it deserves every piece of hype it's been given. The story is brilliantly portrayed as is the environment and voice acting. The soundtrack is perfectly suited for the situations in the game, and everything matches up nicely. The only thing wrong with Bioshock Infinite? It's that it ended.… Expand
Mar 28, 2013I've been a gamer for over 20 years, and during that time I have played some pretty ground breaking games. However, none of them (including Half Life) have come close the the impact Bioshock Infinite had on me. Hands down the greatest game I have ever played. Thank you Ken Levine and Irrational.
This review contains spoilers. Bioshock Infinite was a HUGE disappointment. One of the most overrated games ever. Here's why:
The weapon/ammo system was FAR less engaging than in the previous Bioshock. I was bored to death with Infinite's extremely limited combat mechanics.
Sadly, there was none of the cool gadget-type stuff that helped make the previous game so much fun: no hacking, no trap ammo, etc. I wanted to be using all kinds of different ammo, setting traps with my weapons (trap rivets, spear traps, etc.), hacking lots of machines to fly around and help me out…. but none of that was in this game. I couldn't believe it.
The powers/perks system was pretty boring this time around too. No ice power so you could freeze enemies? WTF?
The enemies themselves were also boring as hell. There was nowhere near the variety of interesting splicers and whatnot from the previous game. Most of the time it seemed like you just fought regular-type dudes, and every once in a while you'd fight a robot patriot guy. YAAAAAAWN. The enemy selection for Infinite was downright awful.
No Big Daddies/Little Sisters? That is a Bioshock trademark, and yet they took that out and replaced it with really lackluster enemies. Unbelievable.
Lastly, Elizabeth was there to do the rogue-ish stuff (i.e. pick locks), but a huge flaw was that she didn't really contribute much to the actual fighting. She should have been able to use her powers to damage/confuse enemies, but instead she just threw you ammo every once in a while and allowed you to open "tears" which weren't very interesting.
Overall, the story/characters/graphics were very good, but the gameplay was downright TERRIBLE. Bioshock Infinite just wasn't fun at all.… Collapse
May 27, 2013An instant classic that should be kept in a special place in every gamer's collection.
May 11, 2013BioShock Infinite is a sure-fire game-of-the-year candidate, and definitely one of the standout single-player games of this generation.
Apr 19, 2013Fuzzy-headed narrative and thematically irrelevant auxiliary mechanics make Infinite feel sloppy even when it's working. Combat increases in frequency and decreases in impact after the Hall of Heroes, so for most of its length the game sinks towards a deflated ending rather than rising towards a climax. However, that slow descent starts from a great height, so there is still much to value in Infinite even as it drowns in its own shortcomings.