Review: Bioshock Infinite

The original Bioshock was (and still is) one of my favorite video games of all time (I was going to include it in a series called "Erik's Favorite Things" that's coming up, but I guess that's shot now).  I loved the setting, I loved the story, I loved the surprise twist, I loved everything about it...while I was playing it.  Looking back now, I know it wasn't a perfect game.  I mean, it had a few issues.

Like the fact I could get punched by a Big Daddy when it was on the other side of a wall (which is fine, but I expect the wall to fall down afterward).  The first Big Daddy you meet in the game, I found a room you have to crawl into to be safe, and I'd just wait for him to partially phase through the wall trying to get me and shoot him then, just out of reach.

Or there was the fact I'd get shot by a machine gun turret, but all of the bad guys between me and it were somehow able to phase through the bullets.  Or there was the fact that I'd get stuck while running away from things because I didn't realize there was a single, lone half-brick on the ground in front of me, and I had to step backwards because I couldn't go to the side once I hit it, either.

But it was a great game.  Bioshock 2...I enjoyed, but not as much.  So when another new Bioshock game was announced, I got excited, but I tried to maintain a logical sense of "just because you want it to be good doesn't mean it will be good."

Then I saw the first trailer and I was lost.  I was counting down days.  I tried to play it cool, but inside I was picking apart details from every screenshot, every trailer, and every interview.  So, was it good?  Let's find out.




Yeah, it's pretty great.

I guess I owe a bit more explanation than that.  Bioshock Infinite is a step up in many ways from the original Bioshock, but also takes a few steps back in other areas.  Let's look at the positives first.

Oh, I'll try to avoid spoilers.

First up is the setting.  The city of Columbia could not be any more different from Rapture unless it was populated by sentient broccoli.  Rapture was claustrophobic and broken, with flickering lights and leaky walls that reminded you that the only thing keeping the depths of the ocean from crushing you.  Columbia is open, with platforms that simply lead off into empty sky.and blimps that could carry you anywhere in the world.  The sun always shines above you, and where Rapture had splicers and nightmarish personalities, Columbia has Victorian principles and racists.  Also, much like how Rapture simply ignored the question of "how did this place get built?" the city of Columbia dances around the question of "how does this city stay above the clouds?"

The variety of threat also increases, where before you had turrets, splicers, and Big Daddies, now you have mechanical presidents with machine guns, large "handymen" that climb around after you like a giant ape would to smack you around, and many, many ground soldiers that range from melee fighters to snipers.  It's great to not know what to expect any time you step into a new chamber, and you're eying every doorway wondering what's coming through.

Then there's Songbird.  Songbird is what Big Daddies were hoping to be in the original Bioshock.  Songbird is monstrously huge, ridiculously powerful, and unrelenting.  The moment you realize he's nearby, your stomach twists in fear and you're left wondering if this is the time you actually have to fight something that can destroy an airship in one hit or rip apart buildings with no effort.

Story-wise, there's a bit more mystery that needs to be solved in this game.  There's the mystery of who your character is and what he did before taking on his current mission, there's the question about who hired you to do it.  Why do they want the girl you're tasked to bring them?  What makes her so special?

Some questions are answered quickly (and a few answers are teased, though you'd never know it until the end of the game, but I'll get there), but others are left explored through character interaction and conflict, not just with villains, but also with the girl you're leading around, Elizabeth.

A tribute to Anna Ormeli, who is currently my #1 Russian crush.

Now, let me address this:  Elizabeth is, by far, the greatest character I've had the pleasure of running through an entire game with.  The developers play dirty with her, at first making it seem like she's just there to fill space or act like a treasure to be taken from you time and again, but as you come to rely on her presence and watch to know where she is at any given time, I found myself caring what a collection of data points thought about my behavior.

When you're low on ammo, she calls out with a replacement gun to toss to you.  When your health or "salt" (the source of your fantastic powers) is low, she searches around, calls out to you, and tosses you something to keep you going.  If you fall, the last thing you see is her attempts to bring you back, holding your hand, and calling for you to come back to her.  The times I was presented with a choice, I found myself turning the game camera towards her, wondering how I would come across if I went one way or another.

Now, I'll say a few things about Elizabeth...I don't know where she finds some of the stuff she tosses me, but I know I cleaned out a room before a combat scene, so when she suddenly appears with a gun, I know that the game just spontaneously produced it for me.  It doesn't matter, I'm just so thankful to see her I accept it.

I knew going in I was going to go from kidnapper to protector, and there were even moments I found myself trying to lure enemies away from Elizabeth, even when I knew she couldn't be hurt by them.  She's expressive, opinionated, and has such depth that she almost seems more like a complete person than real people I know.

Story-wise...well, I can't remember the last time I've been in a story that sucked me in that much.  Oh, wait, I can.  It was a game called Bioshock.  This game doesn't present the same kind of twist at the same spot as the last game, but when everything comes together, it hits even harder than the first game did.  The ending sequence, when it plays through, had me emotional and fascinated on a scientific level few games are willing to attempt to reach, much less pull off this successfully.

There are a few small quibbles.  One large fight, in particular, I didn't even realize the significance of until it was over, despite the fact it was one of the only times I actually failed at achieving a goal about seven or eight times.  There was also a bit of confusion at some of the plot points involving Elizabeth's powers, I wasn't sure if it was affecting the whole world, or just my place in the world.

Also, I liked how the powers were incorporated into the original Bioshock a bit more than in this game.  I kept waiting to see people I fought using the same powers I was, but that only happened a few times, and none of them managed to wield more than one power at once.  If they make another Bioshock game (and trust me, a clever author can find a way to do it with how this game ends), it'd be nice to see a villain smart enough to attack me with the same powers I'm throwing back at him, making me be clever to defeat him.

There was one other thing that just bugs me.  A TV commercial that airs shows a scene where Elizabeth is about to be hung by a mob from a tree.  You have to shoot the rope to save her...except that scene never happens in the game.  I played through the whole game expecting more because I was waiting for that one scene to happen...and then it was over.  I was left going, "Wait, what?  But- the scene, but- I thought-"

Now, I understand that sometimes a game developer has to remove stuff that was originally planned for a game.  Sometimes story plots get changed, sometimes characters get edited, sometimes entire stages get dropped because they just don't fit well.  I get that.  I understand that.  It's like how the original trailers for movies sometimes have scenes that get cut (but even then they're still in the commercials sometimes).  But in either case, I've always thought that commercials were the last thing put together (or made near the end of production), so you'd think they'd be able to get it ready and get it sent out to where it needs to be.

Especially if the commercial or trailer is going to be digitally uploaded to places, all you have to do is swap the digital file, right?

Anyway, the complaints are minor, and I'm willing to say that Bioshock Infinite probably is one of the best games I've played so far, and I fully encourage everybody to play it.

...let's get one more picture of Anna going here.

...you know, when your cosplay is so good that the game company makes you the official model (including for game cover art) of the game character, you know you're good.

...damn, she's good.