You need to play this game. Just stop reading this, go buy it from Steam/GameStop/that one Brick and Morter shop/that weird guy at the flea market, and see the mind blowing experience of Bioshock Infinite.
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What? You're still here? Alright, fine then, I guess I'll have to tell you why this is one of the best games of our generation, and why you not only want to play it, but need to play it.
The very first thing people will notice about Columbia is the sheer beauty of the world created by Irrational Games. It is quite rare for me to stop and take notice of the environments in a game, yet here I was, constantly found myself stopping and admiring the views of the world, taking time to explore every nook, cranny, and shop to see what I'd find next.
As I said before, Columbia is a 1920's all-American paradise, racism and all. You'll find and explore the quaint shops and beautiful statues of the upper-class folk in the upper echelon of Columbia, to the lower-class slums, with dirty bathrooms and crummy shacks, all hidden out of sight by the Upper-Class utopia.
Players will also notice the seemingly religious amount of interest that the folk of Columbia take from the American history books, with statues of several historically significant American figures scattered throughout Columbia. All these layers combined paints the beautiful view of a flying 1920's propaganda city that is just so damn interesting to explore and reveal.
The characters inhabiting the city are just as colourful as the city itself. Booker is a bitter, angry man haunted by his past mistakes and actions, and it is great to watch these traits clash with the zealot levels of ideology that many of the people in Columbia seem to embody. Joining him is Elizabeth, the girl in the tower, and is a fantastic companion through the game. A girl who seems, at one moment, to be just like a Disney princess, as happy as can be, unaware of the world, and then on the other hand, will switch to a grim, mature person, totally aware of the world
As for the zealots, on one hand you have the leader of Columbia, Comstock, a man who has painted himself as a religious figure alongside George Washington and others, with his ability to seemingly foresee the future with impeccable accuracy, a man who also represents the upper echelon of Columbia society. On the other hand, is Daisy Fitzroy, the leader of the rebellion in the city, whose influence can be seen everywhere.
But what about the story? What's the plot? The meat and the bones of the game? Well, I since I refuse to spoil this wonderful little tale for you, I will only state the basics. You are Booker DeWitt, a former Pinkerton agent caught in a bit of a pickle. With some rather sizeable debts owed to the wrong people, Booker is sent to Columbia, in order to rescue a mysterious woman named Elizabeth from a giant tower. The plot, however, grows far beyond this fairly simple concept, leading through a slightly slow middle act, to a beautiful, gripping ending, which may confuse some, and enthrall others.
As for the zealots, on one hand you have the leader of Columbia, Comstock, a man who has painted himself as a religious figure alongside George Washington and others, with his ability to seemingly foresee the future with impeccable accuracy, a man who also represents the upper echelon of Columbia society. On the other hand, is Daisy Fitzroy, the leader of the rebellion in the city, whose influence can be seen everywhere.
But what about the story? What's the plot? The meat and the bones of the game? Well, I since I refuse to spoil this wonderful little tale for you, I will only state the basics. You are Booker DeWitt, a former Pinkerton agent caught in a bit of a pickle. With some rather sizeable debts owed to the wrong people, Booker is sent to Columbia, in order to rescue a mysterious woman named Elizabeth from a giant tower. The plot, however, grows far beyond this fairly simple concept, leading through a slightly slow middle act, to a beautiful, gripping ending, which may confuse some, and enthrall others.
But what about the gameplay, you ask? Any fan of the series will feel right at home to the similar game play of the first two games. You've got a gun, a Vigor, Infinite's version of Plasmids, Bioshock's version of superpowers, and a room full of bad guys in your way. However, allow me to expand on this.
Infinite introduces a new arsenal of bullet launchers to your arsenal, with some new versions of the pistol and shotgun, to several variants of these. These weapons are great to use, and all have upgrades for you to purchase, to personalize your weaponry a bit. Yet, it still feels like Irrational stayed fairly conservative in terms of weaponry, and it would have been great to see just a touch more variation in the weaponry.
And what would Bioshock be without plasmids, or rather, the Infinite variation called Vigors. These abilities, akin to superpowers, are unlocked throughout your adventure, some easy to find, some not so easy, and all are important for your survival, whether it be shooting a puddle of water with lightning to electrocute a group, or rounding a corner with a shield, letting you shoot back at that darned shotgun guy.
Money is the most important factor in your game, however, with it controlling everything from upgrades to health packs to reviving after a few too many mistakes made, and is provided just as fast as it is used, provided you have the patience to look for it, which leads to the next point. Infinite is very rewarding of exploration, and always provides a few more dollars or bullets for you, something which you will sorely need.
Yet, as much as it pains me to say this, there are some flaws that really stood out for me. Nothing that broke the game or ruined it for me, far from it, but it still feels like it needs to be said.
As with all new releases, there are a glitch or two that can be noticed when playing. Small things, an animation not playing, a gun or body disappearing, usual things for a new release, and I'm sure they will be patched quickly.
But, there are some questionable things done with the gameplay as well, mostly modern shooter tropes I had hoped that Irrational would kick out the door, such as the two-weapon limit. I kept switching weapons in confusion, hoping for a weapon wheel to pop up, but nope. Nothing. Just weapon switching. This really bothered me, as this is a feature sorely missed in modern shooters, and it especially clashes with the upgrade feature of the game. There are also regenerating shields, much like from the modern Halo: Reach and 4, although you are given a much larger health pool which does not regenerate. This also clashes with the two weapon limit, which clashes with the 90's shooter vibe of the open environments and strategic gameplay.
Aside from the far between flaws of the game, the addictive gameplay, engaging story, awesome characters and perfect artstyle of this gem launches Bioshock Infinite into the upper echelon of not only the First Person Shooter genre, but into the highest honors of the video game medium, proving that games, much like movies, can evolve beyond the simple entertainment stigma attached to them, and into the category of art. Even if you don't consider yourself a gamer, you still owe it to yourself to play through this, even if solely for the story and characters that can stand with the best of all mediums.
THE GOOD:
- Sublime artstyle
- Crazy fun gameplay
- Engaging story
THE BAD:
- Few glitches
- Some questionable gameplay desicions
FINAL VERDICT:
9.5 out of 10
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