Bioshock Infinite is INFINITELY BETTER

Here it is. A post I've been waiting to do. A game review on one of the greatest games ever (in my opinion) Bioshock Infinite. After playing the first two Bioshock games I walk into the beginning of Infinite in a dreary, rainy setting on my way to a lighthouse. Immediately, I am reminded of the series's famous city of Rapture and the protagonist's descent into the underwater city. Instead of being dropped into the ocean, we are shot straight into the sky above the thundering clouds and just when we think all will be lost...the pod clears the storming below and we are blinded by the beauty and shininess of the floating city of Columbia. First thought: Alright, so when is this city going to go to hell? This is too pretty to be a city in a Bioshock game.

Doesn't this look a little TOO perfect?

You play as protagonist Booker DeWitt. He's got a serious gambling and drinking problem that has left him drowning in debt. He was given an offer: Bring us the girl, wipe away the debt. And so he heads off for the illusive city of Columbia. It plays very similarly to the first two games, it uses an assortment of guns, Vigors (Plasmids), and Gear (Tonics) to improve your fighting. I will do a pros and cons for this game that I see personally (and to be honest, the cons are very few and probably picky and whiny.)




Start with the cons, just to get this outta the way. Unlike previous Bioshock games, you can only hold up to two guns at one time and must constantly switch guns to what you find laying around. You cannot stack up on health kits anymore but use them as you need them. That used to save me on many a Big Daddy fight, but not anymore. The left joystick is used for sprinting. I know this would a pro for most fps players, but I don't prefer this because I've only had this feature in a few games. Also, I'm not a fan of using right bumper to switch guns. I hit Y in an attempt to switch guns but ended up meleeing instead. I only found out in my second playthrough that these controls CAN be reversed which would have decreased my death rate by 50% had I known. There are also other control schemes that can be chosen that are considered more comfortable for veteran shooters. So yeah, most of my cons are controls related, which are fixable so there wasn't much to say here.

On to the pros! This will be long. There is so much I loved about this game. First and foremost, 2K learned how to make A the default jump button instead of Y. *takes a moment while the applause subsides* As was stated above, there is actually a sprint function in this game now. I also love the lighting in this game, it gives it its fantastic quality. The colors are so saturated and vibrant creating a warm inviting feel to Columbia at the start of the game unlike Rapture. Now getting past control schemes, I focus on the story (don't worry no spoilers here.) The telling of this story is superb and it possibly exceeds that of the original Bioshock. It uses Voxphones (audio diaries) heavily to help piece the story together along with the signature writings on the walls to guide you. This game is extremely clever in its telling; if you aren't looking closely, you'll miss something important. And, just as in the original, Infinite delivers an ending that blows your mind; one of those twists that no one will see coming!

Thanks, Ken Levine! (On the far right!)
You broke my mind again!!!

Now, onto my favorite part of the game that deserves its own section, Elizabeth!!! She is the greatest AI in all of AI history!!! As many of you may have seen in walkthroughs or trailers, Elizabeth helps you out in battle, not by fighting, but by supplying. When you're running low on ammo or health, she'll throw you a gun or first aid or salts. She ducks out of the way when there is fighting so this game is not an entire escort mission that makes you wanna bash your brains in (cough Resident Evil 4.) It's so much improved that it brings a whole new perspective to having AI companions. Between the girl she was modeled after, her voice actress and her motion capture actress, Elizabeth truly comes to life in the game as a natural, real person. My boyfriend jokes that each evening I'm hanging out with my new best friend which honestly is kinda true. 2K helped to create such a realistic bond to the player by making her so real and interactive. Even her passive stances look real: she'll lean against a wall, bend down to examine something, or sit down on benches and chairs and wait for you to look around. She even makes little sounds every now and then to herself about things like "huh." or "hm." I felt so strongly attached to her that I was literally in tears and became unhinged when she gets briefly kidnapped again and is need of your saving. I didn't feel mentally stable until she was safe by my side and lock picking doors for me again. (Yeah! She does that too!!) She also finds money you may have missed while exploring and throws it to you. And to top it off...Elizabeth is extremely intelligent. Being locked away from the world with only books to occupy her time, she has learned a lot of things that we'd "be surprised by what [she] knows how to do."

VS

No competition

This is a fantastic game, I give it five stars, ten out of five. Yes, I'm being over the top, but this game deserves it! Elizabeth is truly the greatest AI ever and I love her as a character in the way that no other game character (besides maybe Claire Redfield) has ever created in my heart. Definitely go out and buy this game or steal it from your friend or brother. This is an absolute MUST play, since it'll be like The Sixth Sense in that everyone will be talking about the crazy ending, so play before it's spoiled for you!!!

-all pictures from google