BioShock Infinite

It's very hard to review this game even partially, not to mention I don't often review anything beyond I like or dislike something.

If you play games for the story, then you should stop reading this. Go out and buy it already. The story in this game is above and beyond what any movie can offer. Though, with a game time of at least 8 hours, that's to be expected. It has been written in a way that throughout the game it gives subtle hints to what's happening and has happened before, however, you probably won't recognize them for what they are until the ending (I didn't). WATCH PAST THE CREDITS!

Graphics wise; I'm lucky enough to be running dual And HD7970s, so I never had a single bit of lag in the game. In fact, I doubt it dropped below 100 fps. However, even a single card below mine should provide enough power to show the spectacle that is Columbia in all its DX11 goodness. Side note, it's better to play this on a PC if you want it to look incredible, xbox and PS3 (or the up and coming consoles) can't compete with even a low level gaming rig, My opinion.

This is a first person shooter, and as another reviewer said, it plays out a lot like the two previous titles. Firearm in one hand, plasmid/vigor in the other. Some of the vigors can be quite graphic and shocking to the player, probably the worst of them is a vigor that shoots crows out of the players hands and tears the flesh from your enemies. This game is not suited for young viewers. The skylines, I believe they are called - I'm still reeling from the end of the story, didn't play as big a part in the fighting as I would of liked. I think the game play video hyped it up a little too much. There just wasn't all that much of it, sure you can use it for some cool kills, but I found it a lot simpler and flowing to fight from the ground.

Audio is very simple; music suits the time period, sound effects are incredible. Play it with surround sound and you will not be disappointed.

Overall: An easy 10/10 for this game, good fun and engaging story line will give any player hours of fun, and some scares as well! Play the game, there's hours of content, and multiple play throughs needed to get 100% and learn about Columbia and its history.

This is by far the best game that i have ever played. I have never played any other Bioshock game then Infinite, but now things changed. After years of having my brother talking about how good the original Bioshock was i felt extremely tempted to try Infinite. I bought the game and i would never in the world imagine that i would be left willing to easily pay 500$ for it instead of the 60$. Much like a painting on the wall this is a classic and it is so extremely good that i could hang the physical game up on the wall just to get reminded of the wonderful story this game has to offer. To get these feelings from playing a game is very rare and extremely beautiful. You will be in despair sometimes, you might get slightly depressed, you will fall in love, you will be scared. You will build up an emotional bond between Elisabeth that just makes you want her to be OK and safe.

I am very unfamiliar with FPS games and i don't play very much. However, this game catches your attention within minutes and you just can stop playing until its finished. I can almost guarantee you that you will be left with questions and a kind of enlightenment after this finishing the game. However as many other have agreed on. It will take more then one run to truly understand everything. It's not very different from movies such as Inception (even if this is not a movie), which you might wanna see 2 times to fully understand the story.

I am left as a Ken Levine fan and i am also left almost crying. These games are so rare and i have never seen anything like it in my entire life and i really, truly hope that i will see more creations of Ken Levine. He said in an interview that after the release he would go on a long vacation. 6 years in making the game, well... He truly deserves it.

There is no words that can describe how much i recommend this game. It is a masterpiece and i have never seen anything like it. I finished the game 4 days ago and that rush you get after finishing it is still here.

Ken Levine and everyone involved in this game. I hope they earned a lot of money because they totally deserved it! Love to them!

A+++

Where to begin? firstly I am a huge bioshock fan having played the previous 2 games multiple times and had high hopes for appears to be the third and final game in the series. I shall try and split the review into different sections starting with the world/environments:

In infinite we leave the world of rapture and venture into the world of Columbia, a floating city in the sky. Firstly lets start with the world of Columbia, vastly different to rapture, with its bright colours, more open environmnets and there are "normal" people around i.e not splicers. You feel less anxious walking around Columbia, as with rapture you were constantly having to watch your back. As with every bioshock game the environments are well designed and visually astounding and infinite gives us the best visuals thus far, the world of Columbia is beautiful and you cant help but stop and look around every once in a while. It makes a refreshing change from the dark gloomy corridors of rapture.

Gameplay:

With bioshock infinite, its feels much more like an action game compared to the first two which had a more dark "horror" feel to them. You get to chose from a decent number of weapons, including pistols, rifles, machine guns and rocket launchers. In the place of plasmids, we are given what are known as vigors, these act the same as plasmids instead you drink them instead of injecting yourself, there is a range of vigors which you slowly acquire as the story progresses. There is also the addition of the sky hook which allows you to zoom around Columbia on the travel cart lines and which can also be used a deadly weapon.

The gameplay feels solid and flows well with fun action sequences and you have nice variation between the guns and vigors, however as the game progressed I found myself solely using guns 90% of the time and forgetting about the vigors.

Characters:

The two main characters of Infinite are your character Booker Dewitt and your companion Elizabeth. The relationship between the two is well written and brilliantly voice acted. As the game progresses you really start to see a friendship build between the two characters. Booker works well as the main protagonist but its Elizabeth that steals the show, as far as sidekicks or companions go in gaming shes the best I have ever seen, shes helpful (provides ammo,health and money when she finds it) likable and interesting. Plus shes not affected when your in combat meaning you don't have to save her every 5 seconds so you don't feel like a babysitter. this also doesn't make the game feel like one big escort mission.

Story:

Finally the story or plot of infinite, I don't want to give much away but ill say this, if you thought the first bioshock campaign was good wait till you play this! the game leaves you guessing and wondering right till the end. Although the last 10mins of the story is a lot to take in, once you sit back and take in the plot, you'll love it, cleverly written and beautifully executed, kudos to the writers of the game. it is one of those endings that leaves you thinking about it days later.

Overall bioshock infinite is defiantly one of the best games I've played in a long time, from the great story, to the brilliant characters and impressive visuals its not to be missed, it just misses a 10/10 as I found the gameplay becomes a little repetitive and you never use the full potential of your arsenal unless you do a couple of playthroughs although this is very minor complaint 9/10 Excellent game!

After just completing the game, I am in total shock. So stunned that I couldn't even skip the credits. Without spoiling anything, you will be completely amazed of how they decided to end it off.

Anyways it's a great game and a cool change from a city at the bottom of the ocean to a city in the sky. The scene where you are lifted to Columbia is just as breathtaking as seeing Rapture for the first time. As soon as this scene happens, you know you're playing a Bioshock game.

People have been also wondering how Elizabeth's AI is. Absolutely flawless, this is in no way a co-op game like Resident Evil 5. You don't have to revive her or give her any ammo or anything of that sort.

Their are some horror elements to this game similar to Rapture, but it's more focused on Action and sci-fi. There is one part that did scare the hell out of me though.

Kudos to Irrational for another masterpiece. If you thought the story telling in Bioshock 1 was incredibly done, just wait till you get a load of this!

I give it a solid 10/10.

Going in, I was expecting great things: the first Bioshock was one of the best games I'd ever played, including the best heel-turn I'd ever seen. And with all of the hype, I was expecting to be let down. Luckily, I was not. Bioshock Infinite manages to deliver on every single level, often simultaneously, to produce a truly remarkable gaming experience.

The graphics, art, and animations are incredibly well-thought out and defined, often capturing your interest and making the fantastical world of Columbia seem real.

The game-play is very fluid and very fun. The combat is similar to the first two games, but with a few new mechanics that keep things fresh and exciting. Also, Elizabeth is a companion. But it doesn't end up being an escort mission, where she is in constant need of rescue, and sits by while you are attacked. Elizabeth ends up being a useful and resourceful addition to the player, almost an extension.

The writing and voice-acting are spot on, the actors who play DeWitt (Troy Baker) and Elizabeth (Courtnee Draper) especially. You feel the strong chemistry between then, and the relationship organically and believably grows.

The story. Oh man, the story. Like I said, I was blown away the first time I played Bioshock 1. It was so creative, so smart, and so complete. But Infinite manages to irk out its predecessor in all of these departments, leaving me audibly remarking at many of the plot turns. Even the banter, which there is a fair amount of, feels necessary and important. Also, it does not reel you in and then simply let you go after a couple hours of play, like so many games nowadays. It keeps you engaged for well over 12 hours, as long as you take your time.

All in all, this is one of the best games I've ever played. It looks absolutely incredible. The combat and game-play is fluid, enticing, and always fresh. The story is fleshed out, entertaining, thought-provoking. The environment is incredibly deep, leaving the player room and time to explore all of the little things that are put in.

HOW TO PLAY THIS GAME: -Go through it slowly. Take your time to explore and soak in the environment and story. -Expect to play multiple times. Don't try and use all of the Vigors and weapons at once. Focus on what you like, and what works for you. Also, there are collectibles like in the first two games. Find the ones you can, but going on a treasure hunt isn't necessary.

10/10, 5/5, *****, A+