BioShock Infinite

I have played the first two Bioshocks. The first one I enjoyed although I thought somethings were frustrating and it dragged on. The second Bioshock I did not enjoy. It was too short and too much like the first one. Well this game takes a completely different turn on the series and it becomes an absolutely incredible game. You play as Booker, a troubled man sent to the floating city of Columbia to "bring us the girl and wipe away the debt". What seems like a simple rescue mission turns into an extremely complex story, as you learn more about Booker, Elizabeth (the girl who you go to Columbia to get) and Comstock, the prophet of Columbia. Overall, the story is fantastic, it keeps you on your toes and has a huge plot twist ending that will leave your jaw dropped. The game play is what you should expect from Bioshock, with guns and vigors, blasting away enemies. This game is a lot more fast paced with tons of more combat than the first two Bioshocks. Some people may not enjoy that, but I loved it. The guns and vigors are all super fun to use. The musical score is great, the characters are great. Everything about this game is great, so go purchase it now, because it's better than the first two Bioshocks.

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+

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!

I'm not a big fan of first person shooters, but the first BioShock caught my attention last year with it's unique story and atmosphere, so I decided to buy Infinite last week to give that one also a try (BioShock 2 is yet to be conquered). I did expect a great game like the original BioShock, but I never expected to run into a masterpiece of modern gaming in it's own genre.

BioShock Infinite delivers superbly from every possible angle: the entertainment value, the world, the atmosphere, the characters/character development, the pacing, the dialogue, and most of all, the story. Every aspect of this game is perfectly unique and masterful, and Infinite accomplishes something that not many games can accomplish; it is very emotional, mature and deep, but also extremely fun to play.

If I compared BioShock Infinite to something in other forms of art, it would probably be the joining of David Lynch's Mullholland Drive and Stephen Kings The Dark Tower. But of course with thoroughly unique style that makes BioShock Infintite a game like no other. Can't but love that satirical, bleak, sadistic, mentally disturbed world that this game (and the whole game series for that matter) represents.

Not many games deserve a 10/10, because there usually is always something that doesn't fit, but BioShock Infinite is as perfect as it gets. Future classic, or maybe a classic already.

I have been playing this game for eight hours now and love it. I may be biased because the first two are amongst my favorite games, but I think the reviews from around the web support my feelings towards the game.

The graphics are beautiful, and my computer handles them well with no lag or bug issues so far.

The story is complex for a game, and the characters, especially the main two are deeper than the usual game characters without getting in the way of the action. It is also much longer than the last games.

The fighting is similar to the other Bio-Shock games, but still has its own unique weapons, like the sky-hook, and different power ups and upgrades, so we have the familiarity of the old games, but still something new and fresh.

I can't wait to play this a few more times at least. Its so good. I give it an easy 10 out of 10!