BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode One

Bioshock Infinite: Burial At Sea takes you back down to Rapture, the place that started the Bioshock franchise, for a two part DLC. It ties together the Bioshock Infinite game and the entire franchise. And it does it extremely well, for the most part. The first episode is definitely the weaker of the two, but that doesn't mean it's not a lot of fun. It's only 90 minutes, and it's story is a little predictable (can't really give details about the story without ruining it) but still the same fun Infinite game play in Rapture makes it worth it. The second episode is amazing. It's five hours long and filled to the brim with plot twists (again, can't give much details without ruining the story). There is a new game play in the second episode and that's sneaking. You can sneak through the entire game and not kill a single enemy. Also there's great elements to it, like certain thing on the floor (glass, water) let enemies hear you and a vigor that allows you to become invisible. The second episode's story is great and it really sells the package. Overall, if you've played Bioshock Infinite, you really should play this because it ties up the story and it's also a blast to play.

This DLC for BioShock Infinite (unlike what many believe) is not a game on it's own. Anyone telling you that is wrong. I am yet to play episode two however, if it is anything like this part it won't be very good.

The story of this DLC is similar to the main game and with certain reveals that happened later on it is reveal it's all connected. Although after playing BioShock's main game you could probably gather that. BioShock Infinite has a story that at times can seem interesting but is very often a confusing mess and at times makes is nonsense. Nothing has changed in the DLC, if anything it is slightly worse (especially if you count the DLC as a separate game, although you shouldn't).

Characters are also pretty much the same as BioShock Infinite main campaign. To cut this short, the two main leads are ok at best and the rest are just meh. If you're looking for great characters i would recommend you stay away from BioShock Infinite in general. Although you have probably played the main game if you're reading this.

The Gameplay is completely unchanged. There are two or so new weapons and one is a reskin pretty much. One of them is cool but not enough to make the gameplay any different. That being said it is a DLC and not a standalone game, so this is to be expected and isn't a bad thing in and of itself. I mention this however as i didn't think BioShock Infinite had particularly good gameplay. It was fine and definitely passable, but nothing good.

The visuals (much like the main game) are where this DLC shines in my eyes. It's nothing amazing like how the main game is, but it's nice to see a new locations with differently designed enemies from Infinites main story. Also a new enemy towards the end and a different place to explore at the beginning, this game is cool in this department. That being said it is definitely not amazing or anything, so apologies if i'm making it sound spectacular. I just believe it to be the DLC's strong point.

I'm not a fan of how this is a part one of two parts as well. I think if it was all in one package it would have been better off. For me now (with the complete edition of Infinite), i can play both back to back if i really wanted to. But for people who had to wait just over four months to play part two after part one is crazy to me. Part one does nothing to get you excited for a second part and i would have forgotten about part two way back when it was first released, A four month gap separated both DLC's and that's bad. Part one didn't do enough for me and i'm putting this into account for the review.

Story - 3.5/10

Characters - 3.5/10

Gameplay - 4.5/10

Visuals - 5/10

Overall this DLC (classing it as a DLC) is pretty meh at best and crappy at worst. If you class it as a standalone thing it is awful, however almost everyone wanting to know about this DLC would have played (or at least know about) the main story.

This downloadable content is a 3/10 and i definitely don't recommend buying it separately.

Beautiful DLC Burial at Sea Part 1 represents the best content in Bioshock franchise.

The story unfolds in Rapture 1958, at the peak of its glory. You play as a Bioshock dimension Booker who recieves an business offer from a mysterious femme fatal. As we all know such stories never end well.

We're in for a ride through gorgious Rapture with its elegent inhabitants but also places buried much deeper in the abyss. Places much darker and sinister.

Top notch artdesign of the locations combined with an amazing soundtrack and special effects deliver an absolutely unique atmosphere and levels. Even greater then in the main games, with an abondance of secrets and details that give a new prospective to the old events of Bioshock 1. Personally, I enjoy playing Booker. To trust someone only to be cruelly betrayed at the end, life classic.

La game c'est tres fantastique, which I cannot say about part 2 though.

The story is quite nice, although not (yet, in the first episode at least) up to the level of the other games. The gameplay is also nice, although the smaller scope of weapons, equipment and so on makes it feel a bit like a demo. Unfortunately it does have a fair share of glitches, some even require you to restart back at a checkpoint and the autosave doesn't save that often... It also has a few graphic problems and other shortcomings, especially compared to the great original games. Also, Elizabeth keeps getting in the way and just standing so I can't move, that is especially annoying when I'm trying to sneak up on someone and have to reveal myself to jump out of the place where Elizabeth has locked me in. Great smaller game, but too many problems compared with the original. Could have used a bit extra work.

"Burial at Sea" isn't so much a DLC for "Infinite" as it is for the original "Bioshock". I have to give the story credit, it addresses both games, and ties things up nicely in the end, but you're missing a lot here if you've never played the original. That'd be me, which is my own fault, but then again, one can't be blamed for thinking that, with the presence of Booker and Elizabeth, this would be an Infinite-centric installment.

Putting that aside, the real magic is in Part II. The pacing is far better than the hurried first part, and it's focused on stealth instead of guns and chaos. A novel twist, in and of itself. And it also proves that Elizabeth is one of the finest video game characters, and it's a treat to play as her instead of Booker for a stretch.

It's a good game, and worthy of the series' production values (and I loved exploring Rapture), but this feels like "Bioshock" fan service more than anything else. And in that respect, I was out of the loop.

6/10