Bioshock Infinite

[huckfinn]

One of my favourite games of last generation was Bioshock Infinite by Irrational Games. After enjoying the first Bioshock immensely I was really looking forward to this game and it definitely did not disappoint. The game takes place in 1912 (so actually before the events of Bioshock 1 and 2) and puts you in the role of Booker DeWitt, a former soldier whose motivation becomes clear over the course of the game. For those of you who haven't played it I'll go into detail about why I liked it so much.

First of all: the setting

Bioshock Infinite takes place in the floating city of Columbia, which was even more impressive to me than the underwater city of Rapture from the first Bioshock. When you first enter the city it seems like a true utopia, but you soon found out that things might not be exactly what they seem. I really enjoyed exploring all the different areas of this place and finding out about all of the different people and factions that inhabit this place. The setting and the story are very intertwined in this game, so by praising the setting I am also praising the story of the game.

Elizabeth

The character of Elizabeth was definitely one of the highlights of the game for me - in fact, she is probably the main reason for this game being the memorable experience that it is. She is a very "human" character that invokes a lot of sympathy and plays an important role in the story of the game (that I don't want to spoil of course!). Besides the role she plays in the story she is one of the few AI companions that actually really works well and doesn't feel like a hindrance.

Vigors (and the skyline)
The combat in this game feels like a more refined version of the combat in Bioshock. While not always incredibly challenging (and the gunplay is probably one of the weakerparts of the game, especially compared to other shooters), it is a lot of fun to play around with the different Vigors and come up with combos. Also, the battles that involve riding the skyline are very entertaining (other than being just an awesome way to get around the city).

There are many other things about the game I enjoyed (the music, the story and in particular the ending, the Songbird), but these are some of my personal highlights. All in all, it was one of the best games I've played this generation and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Did anyone else have the pleasure of playing this game? If so, what did you think?

 

[fire421]

I did. It was one of my favorite games of this generation. I liked it even better than the first one. I remember getting tingles during the ending scenes. The combat, music, and atmosphere were all amazing but what captured my attention the most was the story. I was going through a really tough time and was drowning in my regrets. Seeing how Booker handled his regrets by binge drinking, and gambling made me realize that I should just enjoy my life, because living in the past won't do me any good. I've never had a video game change my life in the way this game did and I am glad that I played it.

 

[huckfinn]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who really enjoyed this game! I think it's kind of an overlooked game because it came along all the way at the end of the last generation. In fact, it would be amazing if 2K Games released a remastered collection of all the Bioshock games - it would give me the chance to replay these fantastic games and give a lot of people the chance to play them for the first time.

I agree that the story is what really drives this game, and Booker's 'redemption' is one of the aspects I really liked as well. The way the ending wraps things up really amazed me and provided a great contrast with the message of the first Bioshock - it's refreshing to play a videogame that actually seems to have a message and manages to deliver it in such a memorable way.

 

[MisterRay97]

Great review. I bought the BioShock Triple Pack (BioShock + 2 + Infinite) during the last Steam sale and I've completed the first BioShock. I liked it a lot. Looking forward to playing the next games too. I'll play BioShock Infinite after I complete BioShock 2, though.

 

[globulon]

Thanks for the write up, it was a good read! I admit I played the first BioShock but couldn't finish it. The gameplay just seemed quite repetitive. I'm tempted to go back and finish it just so I can play BioShock Infinite!

 

[Michael]

Never finished it but it's still on my harddrive. I find the campaign cool and very adventurous. The machine where you get to rip off a man's face is just divine.

 

[Sylar]

Loooooved this game. I bought it when it went on sale on steam, got the season pass as well. Ended up binge-playing it for like 12 hours the first time I loaded it up and got through the whole thing. I'm not one to gravitate towards story-rich games such as this, but it was just such an amazing game. Truly one of my all-time favorites

 

[Mattmattics]

This was my first time playing a Bio Shock game. It was amazing and made me want to play more Bio Shock games, but I never made it around to that. Either way it was amazing.

 

[Gladdy]

I loved all of the Bioshock games. Anybody still remembers the Big Daddy and his creepy footsteps? How you got scared hearing him but wasn't sure where he was? haha.

I actually played them in the wrong order. The first Bioshock game I played was Bioshock Infinite. My boyfriend had to force me to even try it because for some dumb reason I always thought I wouldn't like it. When I did finally gave it ago, I couldn't stop playing it. I finished it in like two games. I really enjoyed it's plot because I wasn't expecting the ending at all.

After Bioshock Infinite I bought one of that remastered pack where you get Bioshock and Bioshock 2 together. I've finished them both. Absolutely amazing franchise.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

I heard great things about this game but I never really found any motivation to do it. It's the third game of the franchise, right? I really don't follow the story of the franchise, so I'm afraid I'll be lost in the story if I ever tried it. Lots of reasons to do it though, like the game being on sale currently on Steam; I just need the proper motivation to get it started.

 

[overcast]

Honestly I loved the first game in the series. After that most of the game were too much drama to be honest. First one had that dark feel to it. Infinity gameplay is lot improved. But on the storyline not many would find it good. But then again there are some of the people who may find BI very addictive for gameplay.

 

[StolenKid]

Bioshock infinite is a great game with a GREAT story, the characters are so good and the gameplay mechanics are just on point, the graphics were nice and the overall game was perfect, I got all the endings and I'm still amazed how every ending is so good, fully enjoyable game.

 

[yaorice]

I bought all three games bundled together during a Steam sale, but have only gotten to finishing Infinite. The soundtrack was absolutely amazing and I loved Elizabeth--I'll admit the ending didn't do much for me, mostly because I played it all in one sitting was so confused by that point that I really just didn't care anymore. I've tried playing the first game multiple times but never really got too far before getting bored. Not sure what it is, I felt like Infinite had more tangible direction to it, and that really motivated me to play it all in a few bursts.

 

[PenguinManiac]

It seems like I've followed the opposite trend here by starting with the first two games in the series (which I loved, by the way). I bought them together when they put the Bioshock 1+2 bundle on sale on Steam, and ever since then I never got around to buy Infinite.
It seems the reception for this game is mostly positive, which makes me regret my poor life decisions even more. How different is it from the first two? It feels so different that I'm scared of being disappointed with it as a Bioshock game.

 

[Xilkozuf]

I... like them, a bit. Not a big fan, not a big hater. They are good games, the gameplay is pretty basic and have a bit of problems in the older games, but what matters in the Bioshock series is the atmosphere. And it's marvelous! I like the color and brightness of Infinite, and the setting up up in the clouds is simply amazing, and have a lot of atmosphere by itself, but the atmosphere of the first two chapters is amazing. And yes, Gladdy, I remember the Big Daddy! One of the best enemies in videogame history, really iconic, really frightening, really powerful...