When it finally touched down almost a year ago, BioShock Infinite immediately booked itself a place in the running for best game of 2013. This was after a lengthy, meandering and no doubt expensive development cycle that was set into motion soon after Irrational shipped the original BioShock in 2007.
Debuting with an unforgettable cinematic trailer, Ken Levine and his talented team shattered expectations with Infinite’s first showing. After a five-second tease it became apparent that Irrational wasn’t about to rest on its laurels.
In developing BioShock, the developer had created one of the best settings depicted in a video game. However, as tempting as it would have been to simply return and explore further, Irrational wanted to go beyond that.
Best Bit
As with the original, BioShock Infinite’s main draw is its dystopian backdrop, not to mention the steady unspooling of its alluring narrative thread.
After being approached by two shady figures, the player is told to “bring us the girl and wipe away the debt,” instantly sparking a series of questions. Having played to the credits, I found it interesting when reflecting on what my expectations of the game’s story were.
However, I had seen plenty of pre-release media and previews to know where my journey would take me, at least for the first few hours. On a rowing boat, heading to a lighthouse and playing as Booker DeWitt, you find yourself being catapulted into the sky where a tale of intrigue and emotion awaits.
Aside from looking absolutely stunning, Columbia was also a city of substance. A fun-size jingoistic blimp of brick and mortar inhabited by pioneers, crooks, and visionaries. It many ways it replicated Rapture’s template, though an earlier timeline and two vocal protagonists were more than enough to set it apart.
Without straying into spoiler territory all I can say is that when everything comes full circle, BioShock Infinite will leave you pondering long after that final frame. It’s a fantastic, albeit complex, experience with plenty of facets to uncover during consequent playthroughs.
Worst Bit
It’s a shame, then, that the gameplay didn’t hold up quite as well. It’s definitely not bad in any way, shape, or form, but it did little to innovate on the existing shooter formula. Vigors and the Skyhook helped to alter the flow and pace of shootouts, but without them gameplay often felt bare-boned without any real flare.
I also think Irrational failed to use the Vigors as well as BioShock’s Plasmids. Aside from combat and the occasional signposted instance, they barely featured despite being key to the series’ identity. A spread of smart Vigor-dependant puzzles would have gone down a treat and broken up the repetitive combat-exploration-combat-exploration chain.
The lack of negatives says it all really. Though gameplay will prove an issue for some, to others it will be a minor niggle. The story and characters do such a great job of propelling the story along and that’s what really defines BioShock Infinite. As for those who yearn for Rapture, they are catered for with two DLC episodes, the second of which is soon to launch.
Kitch
I really enjoyed my first playthrough and now I’ve left it a while I think I’ll go back.
The story was great but like you said the vigors should have been used better.
Youles
The gameplay was pretty basic, and hasn’t really advanced at all since the first and it felt rather clunky. It’s a shame something such as the Arena DLC wasn’t included in the game (perhaps as a tutorial at the beginning) as it really made you mix-up and utilise specific weapons/vigors to combat particular enemies.
rob_b
An average game in my opinion, same-y combat, forgettable weapons. Kinda fun but totally overrated IMO.
As for the story…I can’t say much for fear of spoilers, but what a stupid ending, stupid stupid stupid.
Broonba
Aye, I agree with Rob. I just couldn’t get into the game and as such it became a chore to play through. The only good thing about it was that I had it on rental and never had to spend money to buy it.