BioShock Infinite (2013)

A rare day one purchase for me, Infinite didn't immerse me as much as the trailers and reviews led me to believe it would. The story is great for the most part, but tries to so much with the narrative, that it just sort of crumbles under its own weight (although a certain twist involving a finger did make me gasp). Unlike the first, I just wasn't that enthralled with the characters either. And playing The Last of Us around the same time, Elizabeth just wasn't that memorable compared to Ellie. I can't fault the setting in any way. Columbia is truly stunning, and it's bright contrast makes a perfect companion to grittiness of Rapture. The gameplay is nothing to rave about, but the zipline moments certainly push it up a tier.

Its not really a game you'll ever likely forget. The whole game builds up to the ending which is a bit rushed, I think because of the frequently delayed released date. I guess they were never able to really get it right. The earlier versions of Elizabeth are quite a bit different from how she ended up in the game.

The game starts off really slow, remains kinda slow until midway, picks up the pace a little bit only to run a million miles in the last stretch.

SPOILERS:

The ending is kinda creepy because once Elizabeth kills you (Booker) then you're never going to get baptized and then become Comstock, which means the version of Elizabeth that we have come to know ceases to exist. Its kinda weird. Reminds me of the Star Trek Voyager episode "Year of Hell". Can't really mourn the death of a loved one if they never existed. :V

The Burial at Sea DLCs were fun too, but again, the ending. I mean its nice that it wraps up well in the end, and the events lead to the beginning of Bioshock 1, but what is the motivation for Elizabeth to give her life to Atlas? Her attempt to save the little girl at the end was equivalent to throwing her life away knowingly, as she knew Atlas would kill her and the girl afterwards. Yes I know the girl lived, but Atlas would have killed her soon afterwards. Why he didnt is a huge mystery.

For the many faults I have mentioned about Bioshock Infinite I still think it is a superb game that tells a pretty good story, regardless of the ending. The setting for each Bioshock game is always a joy to explore, the weapons and abilities are fun to use, and the characters speak with great conviction.

I thought this game was amazing (hence the five star rating)... that is until I got to the end. What the hell was that ending? I loved the characters Elizabeth and Booker, their relationship throughout the game was perfect... again, until the end. What the hell?

I still believe this game (plus the Burial at Sea DLC) where one of the better games I've ever played. Columbia was an epic setting. The story was well told (up until the end). Gameplay was fluid. I had fun playing this game. It's by far the best one in the Bioshock series.

Four stars for Bioshock Infinite, five stars for Burial at Sea Episode One, and a strong five stars for Burial at Sea Episode 2. I was surprised by how much I didn't love this one. It's too heavy handed, the combat is tedious, poorly constructed, and feels tacked on. Everything that makes this a game feels tacked on, really, it's a very pretty interactive movie and doesn't so much manage being fun, even if it is beautiful and at moments brilliant. Burial at Sea Episode 2 impressed me greatly, though. It feels a touch contrived, but much less so than I expected it to, actually has good gameplay - now with a light stealth focus, is beautiful, and tells a wonderful and powerful story. It's the rare DLC that elevates everything that came before it - both Infinite itself and the original Bioshock, and is absolutely not to be missed.

Finished Burial At Sea last night. Either gonna have to play it again or look it up because I'm pretty confused haha. I didn't take the ending in at all really, I was too excited about the Big Daddy!

Anyway, I loved the DLC, it was amazing going around Rapture again, just stunningly beautiful. People have mentioned that it was really short, but I think it was probably just about the right length. It took me almost 4 hours to complete, which is pretty decent for a DLC (considering some full games take about the same time).

I can't wait for Part 2!

I am not a shoot-em-up kinda gal. However, this game had me...hooked. Ha-Ha-Ha.

You play as Booker Dewitt, a detective who ends up in a city in the sky to save a girl and get her back to New York, using his guns and special powers. The athmosphere and art design are pure perfection: creepy in an uncanny way with a lot of steampunky details and ideas. The gameplay, for a person who almost never plays shooters, was fairly easy to learn and on the easiest setting, I got through the entire game without being dead all day erryday (which I prefer, so I can keep playing because otherwise I tend to get frustrated and quit.). I really liked the storyline too, but there were a few problematic aspects (the issue of race and responsibility isn't handled very well).

All in all, a very solid and fun game that I didn't expect to like so much!

It's a great game, with an amazing story that blends sci-fi and meta-commentary on the nature of blockbuster sequels. I just wish that more thought had been put into making the Vigors and weapon upgrades a more meaningful part of the fiction behind the city of Columbia. Plasmids were a symptom of the sickness gripping Rapture; Vigors are power-ups with limited fictional basis. Weapon upgrades are a numbered list, not cosmetic slapdash add-ons that fit the aesthetic of the world.

Being a die-hard fan of the Bioshock series I was extremely excited for Bioshock Infinite, however, I made a point of trying to keep away from anything to do with the game so it was all completely new to me upon playing it. I'm so glad I did and I'm so happy the game wasn't a let-down in any way, shape or form. It surpassed all of my expectations and them some.

The graphics, the story, the world, the characters - they're all beyond superb in my eyes. Columbia seems like a perfect haven when you first come across it, but as you get deeper in you start to see why this may not be the Utopia it first seems. The graphics of Bioshock Infinite are just spectacular - it's so bright and mesmerising. I found myself looking around sometimes, completely forgetting I was playing the game and was just being completely immersed in the world of Columbia. Elizabeth is a very special character, and someone who you grow extremely close to. I found myself becoming very attached to her and I felt like I was the one responsible for what would happen to her - I had to save her and that was my goal, nothing would stop me.

I can't go into the story at all really without spoiling something, so I'll just say the story makes the game. The ending will make you come away from the game thinking about it for days afterwards and discovering new things that completely warp your mind. The game definitely deserves at least a second playthrough because after finishing it the first time you'll understand what's going on which makes a second playthrough completely different to the first. You'll notice and pick up on things you didn't even think twice about the first time around and it just blows your mind.

I really enjoyed the combat as well. There were many different types of guns to choose from (the hand cannon being my personal favourite) and they all had their own strengths. The amount of vigors was great - there weren't too many, but there weren't too little that you were left craving more. You can get some really nice combos off using the vigors and weapons, which was great. Overall, the combat was just really fun, in my opinion.

There are just too many things to say about this game, I could go on forever about all the things I loved. The only thing I had a quarrel with was the fact that we didn't get to see Songbird as much as I would have liked. With all of the advertising and even the Songbird Edition of the game you would have thought he would play a major role, but you only really see him a handful of times, which is slightly disappointing. Other than that, I really can't think of anything I didn't like about this game.

If you liked Bioshock 1/2, you're sure to like this one. Even if you didn't play the first 2, I would highly suggest ANYONE to play this game because the overall experience of it is just indescribable.