Tyloric Reviews Bioshock Infinite

[Tyloric]

I'm far too lazy to do a total in depth review, but here are my basic thoughts on the title.​

Having not played the previous installments in the series, I went into Infinite with a totally unbiased opinion. I knew enough about the universe to grasp the core concepts of what I was doing and how the game played, but beyond that I had no knowledge of the story or of the world, other than the fact that Bioshock 1 and 2 take place in an underwater city known as Rapture.

Infinite opens with the a very ominous piece of dialog:

Female Voice: Booker... are you afraid of God?
Booker: No. But I'm afraid of you.

And immediately I knew that at least from a storytelling standpoint that I was going to be entertained. First and foremost, the voice acting in this title is absolutely brilliant. The characters themselves feel alive and are animated fluidly. The world itself is vibrant and colorful, each piece of scenery looking as if it's a living painting rather than a video game. The splashes of color are a stark contrast to the city of Rapture.

Infinite takes place in the floating city of Columbia as you follow the narrative of one Booker DeWitt, a man who is in Columbia for one and only purpose. To quote the game's tag line: "Bring us the girl. Wipe away the debt." You can already see where this is going.

At the beginning, your combat is pretty basic. You have your melee attack, your gun, and you special psychic abilities known as "Vigors". If you have any familiarity with FPS games, you'll feel right at home. But everything really picks up speed once you meet up with Elizabeth, who has the unique ability to zap things from alternate realities into this one. You can build cover where you need it, warp in automated turrets and robots to fight at your side, and even the handy health item.

Now, I normally don't enjoy the presence of AI controlled allies as the AI is usually idiotic at best, but I found that I actually enjoyed Elizabeth's presence, because while she does have a presence in combat, she is not actively fighting. No, her role is completely focused on support. Throughout encounters she'll toss you all manner of helpful items; health, salts (mana), and even the occasional ammo clip. Outside of combat she'll toss you money and point out items you have overlooked. It's refreshing to have an ally who is actually helpful.

But if there is one thing I wish Bioshock Infinite had it would be for there to be more reason to switch between my Vigors. Once I found a playstyle that was comfortable for me I almost never changed my powers or weapons because I was never given a reason too. Here I am with all these bad ass abilities but never once did I come across a situation where one was better suited to the situation than another. It was a bit disappointing, really. I don't normally say this, but I adamantly believe that Infinite might have benefited from some puzzle sections to better make use of the Vigor selection.

And guys, the story. Oh God, guys. The story. There is a plot twist, and when reach it it will blow your freaking mind.

Overall I give Bioshock Infinite a "you need to buy this" out of "why the **** aren't you in the car yet?".

 

[Daniel Ray]

That ending was definitely one of the most mind blowing bits of art I've ever witnessed in years, including movies and music. I was just awestruck and my jaw was literally hanging through the last 1 hour, occasionally repeating "**** **** **** that is some mindfucking ****" over and over.

I actually went and read up about multiverses and quantum physics after finishing the game.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Heard nothing but good things & enjoyed the first a lot & thought the 2nd was good too. I will get this as soon as my gaming schedule is freed up a little as im still getting through games from Christmas currently but almost finished them all now. I cant wait to play it as it looks amazing.