Developer: Irrational Games
2K Marin
Human Head Studios
Darkside Game Studios
Publisher: 2K Games
Platform: PC, PS3, 360
Bioshock Infinite – Review
It’s time to say goodbye to Rapture, the decayed city in the sea, and say hello to Columbia, the utopian city with a darkness surrounding it. Bioshock Infinite decides to create a new city, worthy of the Bioshock universe. Prepare yourself for some beautiful sights and moments that will surely give you goose bumps.
Story:
As the previous Bioshock games, this game will set place in the ‘past’ of a world that could have been Earth, if things would have gone differently. The time setting of the game is the early 20th century and all your surroundings will have that authentic feel to it.
‘’Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt.’’ This will be the key line throughout the entire game. You, will be playing as Booker DeWitt, a man troubled by his past. You are given the assignment to bring back a girl (Elizabeth) to New York. When you would succeed in doing so, your ‘debt’ is wiped away. Sadly for our troubled hero, this isn’t really an easy task. Elizabeth happens to be isolated in the flying city of Columbia. A city, that has no connection with the world below anymore. Keeping in mind the game is set in the beginning of the 20th century, Columbia will feel and look like it actually could have been reality instead of fiction. Columbia might look like a utopia when entering the city, but even at the beginning of the story, a lot will tell you otherwise. This city creates the impression of a religious cult that tolerates no outsiders, other mindsets and even other races.
Columbia is run by a self proclaimed prophet that goes by the name Comstock. Comstock is not that eager to give up Elizabeth and has her locked up in a tower, guarded by the ‘Songbird’. If you’ve played the previous games, you’d be able to see it as a flying version of the Big Daddies.
Like previous titles in the franchise, you will also find audio recordings of key characters scattered across the world. (These are called voxophones.) These tend to be a lot more important compared to the other games, they will tell you more about the overall storyline, instead of just simple extra information. Sadly this means if you happen not to collect all of them, you might be missing out on some important story parts.
The Bioshock games have always been games with a great story and Bioshock Infinite will surely not disappoint in this department. Be prepared to see a decent amount of plot twists and moments that will give you goose bumps and an occasional jaw dropping.
Graphics:
It’s becoming more and more clear that games are trying to get the best out of our current generation of consoles. Bioshock Infinite happens to be one of them. The world looks amazing and even gives us the image of how the early 20th would have looked like, if it actually had a flying city. The environments look authentic and when playing the game, you will stand still from time to time, to admire your surroundings.
Sadly the current generation of consoles comes with a few limitations. Sometimes you will encounter scenes where a crowd is cheering or an angry mob is revolting. These crowds are often only 5 – 10 people and this might give you the impression, more people would have been overkill, combined with the amazing environments.
Sound:
Authentic happens to be one of those words that can be used for many things in this review. The overall ‘sound’ of the game happens to be no exception. The game will feel like a blast from the past and the voice acting happens to be top notch compared to many other games. Short and simple – great.
Gameplay:
Bioshock Infinite is like its predecessors a first person shooter with some ‘’RPG-ish’’ elements added to it. (Lack of a better term.) You will spend most of your time running around in the city of Columbia, shooting enemies and looking for specific points of interest.
Bioshock Infinite will throw an entire arsenal of weapons at you, for Booker to use. Sadly you are only able to carry two weapons at any given time, making it hard to decide which weapons you actually want to carry with you. Luckily if you happen to get bored of one specific weapon type or just want to try something new, the game creates loads of chances for you to switch your arsenal. If you happen to have found you favorite weapons, you will also be able to upgrade them, making them deal more damage and other nifty perks.
Conventional firearms aren’t the only thing you will be able to use. Booker is able to learn different types of Vigors, which are simply a sort of magical abilities. Like your firearms, you will always be able to equip 2 Vigors at any given time. Unlike your regular arsenal, you will be able to select 2 new active Vigors whenever you want. These Vigors will be important in many fights, and you will even have to use specific ones to beat some types of enemies. Outside the special fights, it’s pretty much up to you which ones you like best or which ones suit your playstyle.
Gear is also something that is introduced in Bioshock Infinite, but it more like a gimmick than a key part of the gameplay. You will be able to equip a hat, a vest, a pair of pants and shoes – each having a special passive ability, aiding you on your quest.
Another gimmick in the game is the travel by ‘skyline’. You will be able to transport yourself by hanging on metal bars with a magnetic grappling hook. You will then glide ‘through the sky’ when you’re attached to these so called skylines. These happen to be useful when trying to escape enemies or when doing an attack on a single target.
When Elizabeth joins your party of one, she will also be able to aid you in many ways. First of all, during combat she will occasionally throw you supplies to keep your ammo stocked, to regenerate your health or even make it possible you won’t run out of salts for your Vigors (Salt = Mana). Elizabeth also has the ability to open up ‘tears’, which are pretty much the same as small doorways to other worlds. You will often be able to open up these tears to equip yourself with a new weapon or to receive aid when it comes to a mechanical ally or health kits. Sadly compared to the story parts of the tears, the tears you are able to open in combat will often feel quite small and limited compared to Elizabeth’s true potential.
Another plus that Bioshock Infinite has is the overall length of the game. Games in genres like this always tend to last only several hours before you complete the game. The creators of Bioshock Infinite did their best to create lengthier gaming experience, without having to reduce the overall quality of the game.
Conclusion:
Bioshock Infinite is one of those games that surprises you that our current generation of consoles is still able to produce such a gem. The gameplay itself might not be the most unique thing this game throws at us, but in the end – Bioshock is played for its amazing storyline. A hyped game, that actually lives up to its hype.
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