BioShock Infinite (2013)

My rating is for the base game + Burial at Sea

Bioshock Infinite made some mechanical changes that I didn't like (like the lack of weapon wheel and boring weapon upgrades) but makes up for it with incredibly clever writing, top tier world building, and a great gameplay loop.

Though I preferred the atmosphere and bordering on horror tone of Rapture over Columbia, Infinite really manages to do a lot with its setting and makes it stick out and be unique while at the same time still feeling like a cousin to Bioshock (almost like the two worlds were inspired by each other but only by looking through windows at the other). And, although for a reason I don't understand, the general consensus has diminished a little since release the ending of this game definitely rivals the "would you kindly" reveal of the first game and makes additional playthroughs have an extra level of texture as you understand how this all came to be.

Burial at Sea was an awesome return to Rapture and filled in a lot of the context we had yet to see there. Episode 1 is more of a standard, more of the same, style game except in Rapture this time but it does a good way of demonstrating the environment before the fall and also give some depth (no pun intended) to a post-base game Elizabeth who has been hardened and angry about her situation in things. Episode 2 really shakes things up though and has you in the shows of Elizabeth herself in a stealth-styled twist on the gameplay. Now it might be a little too easy to sneak around on the medium difficulty but its definitely a way to freshen up the gameplay loop and the story this time around really interests me as basically a direct prequel to the first Bioshock game.

4.5 / 5 Stars

This game is far from deserving the name of Bioshock, linking nothing of its roots aside from its wacky, political, and interesting world to a shooter that carries fake choices and heavy reliance of insane combat. I can go on and on how far it is from Bioshock 1 and 2 but....

This game is kinda fun, it's simple, has meaty combat and a visceral enough feel that the action is really solid. The story is serviceable and confusing but satisfying. It's nothing to write home about story-wise but the set pieces and every action sequence was diverse and fun. I can say this game never had a "boring" moment and was interesting through and through. This game isn't crazy, it's far from its roots, but it's worth it. Especially with the $10 deal on steam with Bioshock 1 and 2, I'd recommend it to finish over a weekend.

Okay, this is a tricky thing to review but I am willing to finally make a conclusion to this community choice review series that I put up in the Grouvee forum in 2021. Thanks for your patience and your recommendations, everyone!

Much like the first game, Bioshock Infinite manages to bring a fresh, new start to the franchise by changing the environment anew, moving from the dystopian underwater city to a seemingly utopian city in the clouds with a working society. You play as Booker Dewitt, a mercenary who sets out to a secluded cloud city Columbia, to retrieve a girl called Elizabeth and pay off his debt to shady people.

The world built in previous Bioshock games were already on a high-ticket level, although Infinite breathes a fresh air with its new premise. The introducing chapters on the story certainly shows the strong side of the world building, augmented by the game's engine for stunning graphics, for those looking for a great showcase of lighting, water effects and level design. The amount of NPC models, peripheral dialogues and richness of the observable 1910's American society presented manages to pull me into the world full of life. It's worth mentioning how much effort the devs put into the way my companion Elizabeth behaves to the surrounding level parts, even as vividly during the idle moments.

Infinite has gotten some combat system overhaul; the main thing is that you will be limited to carrying only 2 firearms with you and rely on whatever drops or environment that you'd like to switch to. For that reason, some gamers have a beef with such a degradation from previous titles. Personally, I'm not bothered by this added gun management factor, considering that the game is already has got the ammo and weapon balance right throughout the story mode.

I might recommend Bioshock Infinite for its style, graphics and gameplay, but it still suffers from the overambitious use of lore and complexity of writing that robbed the previous Bioshock games the intriguing value of experience. I still find it hard to care about the plot here as well, although I must give positive points for the thought-provoking twist during the final chapters that tie in with the prequels. In the future, I might see myself come back to this game by watching on Youtube for references in the future.

I absolutely adore this game. Everything is perfect in my opinion. The world is beautiful and very creative and makes you want to explore, the characters are very likable, the combat is really fun, and the story is incredible. When I play other games now I look at Bioshock Infinite to see if they even remotely compare. This game needs to be played.

-Just replayed it and was gonna write a new review but my old review sums it up well. Love this game.

I think that this title is a masterpiece of storytelling. While I think that the gameplay itself could have been a little tighter, the world of Columbia far outstrips any minor imperfections in the "shoot 'em up" aspect. I'm not actually sure, however, what I enjoy more: playing this game or trying to figure out what this game means! If you are struggling through all of the political, social, religious, and historical themes that are running through this one, too, here are a sampling of some of my favorite articles on the topic:

1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/03/27/an-attempt-to-understand-bioshock-infinites-brilliant-and-bizarre-ending/#7e6d81d92570
2. https://spiritofcontradiction.eu/dara/2013/04/03/the-politics-of-bioshock-infinite-a-review
3. http://prospect.org/article/bioshock-takes-american-exceptionalism
4. http://kotaku.com/in-defense-of-religion-in-bioshock-infinite-475004169

Can I start from a lyrical digression here? First Bioshock was released when I was 13. One of my friends played it and he was under impression. He throws different stories to us, theories, explanations and everything else that was related to this game. I was kinda glad about it because we usually played games thoughtlessly and he actually broken this tendency. It was an interesting experience for me, unpleasant for others and painful for him, I guess - no one could keep up the conversation.

So... Infinite. The similar story happened, but in reverse: everyone from my internet circle was talking about it and I didn't have any idea what's going on. Sometimes I hate my study, my lack of decent computer or console and lack of free time. Sorry, got distracted here. Two of my IRL friends played it and they were satisfied. Anyway they weren't crazy about it, and that was good for me.

I'm feeling that I still didn't started a "review" about the game itself. So... Elizabeth. Now that's a fandom. The amount of pictures, screenshots, admirations, rule 34 and love confessions almost made me throw up. One of my IRL friends warned me that I may thought this game is about fanservice and I should deal with it. Hey, this "review" just getting worse, right? I know, starting a negative review for Infinite from displeasure with Elizabeth is a mauvais ton, and so is using le french words. Sorry, couldn't help myself there.

I liked the first hour. Especially the telegram with "Do not pick 77. STOP." Every moment with Lutece was awesome. Mostly levels were good looking, though gameplay-wise they were linear. Enviroment was good, too. And a little bit of gore, even if it felt out of place. I even liked the guns, even though many people weren't satisfied about them.

Ok, the story. When I see "Story Rich" tag on Steam, it also makes me throw up. Sorry for mention this. The story was okay, but it manages to be lightweight and 2deep4u at the same time. Multiverses? Racism = bad? Workers' oppression = bad? Baptists = close-minded and crazy? No shit Sherlock. I dunno, maybe showing a hyperbolic religious close-minded city which have a North Korean-tier isolation is a unique thing in video games, but it's not an unique thing in general. And also there's almost no new messages about game world after first hours. I've expected to get bigger impressions about what's going on, and instead I've got hours of almost generic shooter.

I should mention one rare case for the games - Infinite manages its technology better than most of the products, it works stable and produces very good graphics with gorgeous visuals.

I'm sorry, I didn't want to sound cynical, but sometimes this game just asking for it.
__________

3 stars. Lutece will be in my list of favorite characters.

Burial at Sea: Episode 1 & 2

I really wanted to like this DLC. I loved everything else in the series and a friend had told me that I had to play this because everything in all the games would then make sense. But I wasn't satisfied with the ending at all. A part of me was expected it, but I was hoping for something different. It was still fun to play and I enjoyed the various weapons and powers at your disposal.