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This thread has been linked to the game 'BioShock Infinite'.
It's Bioshock Infinite. It's got a bloke in it! And he's got a gun! That's pretty much all you can glean from the cover of this game, and the game's publishers have taken a bit of flack for having a cover that doesn't even show the game's main female character. Though I can guess why they chose to play it safe, hoping they cover would sell to people who thought they were getting a regular shooter, while people who actually knew about the game would buy it on the strength of the name alone. You don't have to played Bioshock 1 and 2, however, to enjoy Bioshock Infinite. The game is similar in some ways to its predecessors, but it's not a direct sequel, nor does it take place in the same location.
Instead, Bioshock Infinite takes place in Columbia, in 1912. Columbia is a city that floats above the clouds, suspended by unknown means. Somewhere in this city is a Elizabeth, a girl who is very important to the city's messianic founder. And you, as a man named Booker DeWitt, have been tasked with finding her and returning her to New York, in order to clear your debts. And find her you do, since Elizabeth becomes your non-playable companion a short-way into the game, as you attempt to escape from Columbia with her. Apparently just grabbing a couple of parachutes isn't really an option.
But before things go pear shaped, and you find yourself being shot at, you're given plenty of opportunities to admire Columbia's amazing scenery. Unlike Rapture, Bioshock's underwater utopia-gone-bad, Columbia has not been subject to some massive revolution or cataclysmic event. You get to see the various parts of the town as the progress, taking in the feel of the place. One of the cool things about Columbia is that each district - and in some cases - each building - floats about on its own, only meeting up with each other at certain times of the day. This allows the games designers to push you down a relatively linear path without being too obtrusive about it - so you won't find any invisible walls here. The game's graphics are also great, with each location looking superb.
What you will find is evidence that things in Columbia are a little off. Not in a creepy monsters-around-the-corner way, but in other ways. There's some pretty overt racism going on in Columbia, as well as some weird anachronisms. For example, just why can you hear the tune from Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' being played when it should haven't been even written yet? And just what is the Songbird that Elizabeth, when you meet her, seems so afraid of?
Sooner or later, however, Columbia's authorities get wind that you're here for Elizabeth and that's when the bullets start flying. As was the case in Bioshock, you get your hands on both a variety of weapons and some special potions that give you special powers. Both the weapons and potion powers can be upgraded, although I have to say that I found the potion powers - called Vigors - are actually less interesting in Infinite than they were in Bioshock 1. The bulk of them have two types of effects - either you can fire them at your foe, or use them to set a trap. However, you do actually have a third option available to you, and that's to use Elizabeth's powers.
Elizabeth has the ability to pull things from other dimensions, which in gameplay sense means she can make things like turrets or extra supplies appear. She'll also revive you when you're down, which means it's very unlikely you'll actually lose the game. I think there's only one point in the game where you're forced to reload an autosave if you fail. Either way, your foes will do their level best to stop you, frequently using ranged weapons against you. They're not mutants as such - with the odd exception - but they sport a range of armours and gizmos to make them more effective at kicking your bottom.
Suprisingly, combat never really gets samey, although I was occasionally annoyed that I actually had to dispose of my foes before being allowed to move on. On one occasion, I was told Elizabeth couldn't open a door till combat was over. Yet there was no-one to be seen. In the end, I found a bad guy crouching on top of a balloon, disposed of him, and was allowed to proceed. Stealth is sort of an option a points, but you're really going to be blasting your way through the game at most points. The difficulty can be adjusted at any point of the game, and there's also a hardcore mode you can unlock by playing the game through once, or by putting in a cheat code.
There's no multiplayer to speak of, although it'd be hard to shoe-horn it in anyway. Bioshock Infinite is a great singleplayer experience, with a story that has plenty of twists and turns. In fact, it's hard for me to explain just how good the story is without giving anything away. But it will keep you guessing till the end - and the ending itself is potentially open to interpretation. If I had to level one criticism of Bioshock Infinite it's that it's not all that replayable, and it's that factor that might put you off buying it. Because nothing's going to change the second time around, given that the game's levels and story will be the same.
Essentially, Bioshock Infinite is a great game. It looks great, it's a hell of a lot to fun to play and it has an amazing mind-bending storyline. If you are a Bioshock completist, by all means buy it but just don't expect to be revisiting Columbia all that often.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Pros:
Great graphics
Great storyline.
It's a lot of fun to play.
Cons:
It's not very replayable.
Instead, Bioshock Infinite takes place in Columbia, in 1912. Columbia is a city that floats above the clouds, suspended by unknown means. Somewhere in this city is a Elizabeth, a girl who is very important to the city's messianic founder. And you, as a man named Booker DeWitt, have been tasked with finding her and returning her to New York, in order to clear your debts. And find her you do, since Elizabeth becomes your non-playable companion a short-way into the game, as you attempt to escape from Columbia with her. Apparently just grabbing a couple of parachutes isn't really an option.
But before things go pear shaped, and you find yourself being shot at, you're given plenty of opportunities to admire Columbia's amazing scenery. Unlike Rapture, Bioshock's underwater utopia-gone-bad, Columbia has not been subject to some massive revolution or cataclysmic event. You get to see the various parts of the town as the progress, taking in the feel of the place. One of the cool things about Columbia is that each district - and in some cases - each building - floats about on its own, only meeting up with each other at certain times of the day. This allows the games designers to push you down a relatively linear path without being too obtrusive about it - so you won't find any invisible walls here. The game's graphics are also great, with each location looking superb.
What you will find is evidence that things in Columbia are a little off. Not in a creepy monsters-around-the-corner way, but in other ways. There's some pretty overt racism going on in Columbia, as well as some weird anachronisms. For example, just why can you hear the tune from Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' being played when it should haven't been even written yet? And just what is the Songbird that Elizabeth, when you meet her, seems so afraid of?
Sooner or later, however, Columbia's authorities get wind that you're here for Elizabeth and that's when the bullets start flying. As was the case in Bioshock, you get your hands on both a variety of weapons and some special potions that give you special powers. Both the weapons and potion powers can be upgraded, although I have to say that I found the potion powers - called Vigors - are actually less interesting in Infinite than they were in Bioshock 1. The bulk of them have two types of effects - either you can fire them at your foe, or use them to set a trap. However, you do actually have a third option available to you, and that's to use Elizabeth's powers.
Elizabeth has the ability to pull things from other dimensions, which in gameplay sense means she can make things like turrets or extra supplies appear. She'll also revive you when you're down, which means it's very unlikely you'll actually lose the game. I think there's only one point in the game where you're forced to reload an autosave if you fail. Either way, your foes will do their level best to stop you, frequently using ranged weapons against you. They're not mutants as such - with the odd exception - but they sport a range of armours and gizmos to make them more effective at kicking your bottom.
Suprisingly, combat never really gets samey, although I was occasionally annoyed that I actually had to dispose of my foes before being allowed to move on. On one occasion, I was told Elizabeth couldn't open a door till combat was over. Yet there was no-one to be seen. In the end, I found a bad guy crouching on top of a balloon, disposed of him, and was allowed to proceed. Stealth is sort of an option a points, but you're really going to be blasting your way through the game at most points. The difficulty can be adjusted at any point of the game, and there's also a hardcore mode you can unlock by playing the game through once, or by putting in a cheat code.
There's no multiplayer to speak of, although it'd be hard to shoe-horn it in anyway. Bioshock Infinite is a great singleplayer experience, with a story that has plenty of twists and turns. In fact, it's hard for me to explain just how good the story is without giving anything away. But it will keep you guessing till the end - and the ending itself is potentially open to interpretation. If I had to level one criticism of Bioshock Infinite it's that it's not all that replayable, and it's that factor that might put you off buying it. Because nothing's going to change the second time around, given that the game's levels and story will be the same.
Essentially, Bioshock Infinite is a great game. It looks great, it's a hell of a lot to fun to play and it has an amazing mind-bending storyline. If you are a Bioshock completist, by all means buy it but just don't expect to be revisiting Columbia all that often.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Pros:
Great graphics
Great storyline.
It's a lot of fun to play.
Cons:
It's not very replayable.
I have a feeling that this game may well split opinion on a number of points. I for one consider it to be pretty re-playable, and I will without a doubt be trying it several times with the various gear and power up options, just to try out various things. Plus, with in excess of fifty achievements, I suspect I'll be running through a few times to get 'em all.
Bottom line, I love this game! I was a big fan of the first two, absolutely adored System Shock (1 and 2) and I consider the story-driven approach as currently the best example of it's kind. I can't comment on whether there are any major differences between PC and console versions of the game (other than graphically of course!) however as a PC gamer, I'd consider this as a potential game of the year.
No disappointment here as yet. Still having fun blasting my way across a floating city...
10/10 from my perspective.
Another good review though!
Bottom line, I love this game! I was a big fan of the first two, absolutely adored System Shock (1 and 2) and I consider the story-driven approach as currently the best example of it's kind. I can't comment on whether there are any major differences between PC and console versions of the game (other than graphically of course!) however as a PC gamer, I'd consider this as a potential game of the year.
No disappointment here as yet. Still having fun blasting my way across a floating city...
10/10 from my perspective.
Another good review though!
It's Bioshock Infinite. It's got a bloke in it! And he's got a gun! That's pretty much all you can glean from the cover of this game, and the game's publishers have taken a bit of flack for having a cover that doesn't even show the game's main female character. Though I can guess why they chose to play it safe, hoping they cover would sell to people who thought they were getting a regular shooter, while people who actually knew about the game would buy it on the strength of the name alone. You don't have to played Bioshock 1 and 2, however, to enjoy Bioshock Infinite. The game is similar in some ways to its predecessors, but it's not a direct sequel, nor does it take place in the same location.
Instead, Bioshock Infinite takes place in Columbia, in 1912. Columbia is a city that floats above the clouds, suspended by unknown means. Somewhere in this city is a Elizabeth, a girl who is very important to the city's messianic founder. And you, as a man named Booker DeWitt, have been tasked with finding her and returning her to New York, in order to clear your debts. And find her you do, since Elizabeth becomes your non-playable companion a short-way into the game, as you attempt to escape from Columbia with her. Apparently just grabbing a couple of parachutes isn't really an option.
But before things go pear shaped, and you find yourself being shot at, you're given plenty of opportunities to admire Columbia's amazing scenery. Unlike Rapture, Bioshock's underwater utopia-gone-bad, Columbia has not been subject to some massive revolution or cataclysmic event. You get to see the various parts of the town as the progress, taking in the feel of the place. One of the cool things about Columbia is that each district - and in some cases - each building - floats about on its own, only meeting up with each other at certain times of the day. This allows the games designers to push you down a relatively linear path without being too obtrusive about it - so you won't find any invisible walls here. The game's graphics are also great, with each location looking superb.
What you will find is evidence that things in Columbia are a little off. Not in a creepy monsters-around-the-corner way, but in other ways. There's some pretty overt racism going on in Columbia, as well as some weird anachronisms. For example, just why can you hear the tune from Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' being played when it should haven't been even written yet? And just what is the Songbird that Elizabeth, when you meet her, seems so afraid of?
Sooner or later, however, Columbia's authorities get wind that you're here for Elizabeth and that's when the bullets start flying. As was the case in Bioshock, you get your hands on both a variety of weapons and some special potions that give you special powers. Both the weapons and potion powers can be upgraded, although I have to say that I found the potion powers - called Vigors - are actually less interesting in Infinite than they were in Bioshock 1. The bulk of them have two types of effects - either you can fire them at your foe, or use them to set a trap. However, you do actually have a third option available to you, and that's to use Elizabeth's powers.
Elizabeth has the ability to pull things from other dimensions, which in gameplay sense means she can make things like turrets or extra supplies appear. She'll also revive you when you're down, which means it's very unlikely you'll actually lose the game. I think there's only one point in the game where you're forced to reload an autosave if you fail. Either way, your foes will do their level best to stop you, frequently using ranged weapons against you. They're not mutants as such - with the odd exception - but they sport a range of armours and gizmos to make them more effective at kicking your bottom.
Suprisingly, combat never really gets samey, although I was occasionally annoyed that I actually had to dispose of my foes before being allowed to move on. On one occasion, I was told Elizabeth couldn't open a door till combat was over. Yet there was no-one to be seen. In the end, I found a bad guy crouching on top of a balloon, disposed of him, and was allowed to proceed. Stealth is sort of an option a points, but you're really going to be blasting your way through the game at most points. The difficulty can be adjusted at any point of the game, and there's also a hardcore mode you can unlock by playing the game through once, or by putting in a cheat code.
There's no multiplayer to speak of, although it'd be hard to shoe-horn it in anyway. Bioshock Infinite is a great singleplayer experience, with a story that has plenty of twists and turns. In fact, it's hard for me to explain just how good the story is without giving anything away. But it will keep you guessing till the end - and the ending itself is potentially open to interpretation. If I had to level one criticism of Bioshock Infinite it's that it's not all that replayable, and it's that factor that might put you off buying it. Because nothing's going to change the second time around, given that the game's levels and story will be the same.
Essentially, Bioshock Infinite is a great game. It looks great, it's a hell of a lot to fun to play and it has an amazing mind-bending storyline. If you are a Bioshock completist, by all means buy it but just don't expect to be revisiting Columbia all that often.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Pros:
Great graphics
Great storyline.
It's a lot of fun to play.
Cons:
It's not very replayable.
Instead, Bioshock Infinite takes place in Columbia, in 1912. Columbia is a city that floats above the clouds, suspended by unknown means. Somewhere in this city is a Elizabeth, a girl who is very important to the city's messianic founder. And you, as a man named Booker DeWitt, have been tasked with finding her and returning her to New York, in order to clear your debts. And find her you do, since Elizabeth becomes your non-playable companion a short-way into the game, as you attempt to escape from Columbia with her. Apparently just grabbing a couple of parachutes isn't really an option.
But before things go pear shaped, and you find yourself being shot at, you're given plenty of opportunities to admire Columbia's amazing scenery. Unlike Rapture, Bioshock's underwater utopia-gone-bad, Columbia has not been subject to some massive revolution or cataclysmic event. You get to see the various parts of the town as the progress, taking in the feel of the place. One of the cool things about Columbia is that each district - and in some cases - each building - floats about on its own, only meeting up with each other at certain times of the day. This allows the games designers to push you down a relatively linear path without being too obtrusive about it - so you won't find any invisible walls here. The game's graphics are also great, with each location looking superb.
What you will find is evidence that things in Columbia are a little off. Not in a creepy monsters-around-the-corner way, but in other ways. There's some pretty overt racism going on in Columbia, as well as some weird anachronisms. For example, just why can you hear the tune from Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' being played when it should haven't been even written yet? And just what is the Songbird that Elizabeth, when you meet her, seems so afraid of?
Sooner or later, however, Columbia's authorities get wind that you're here for Elizabeth and that's when the bullets start flying. As was the case in Bioshock, you get your hands on both a variety of weapons and some special potions that give you special powers. Both the weapons and potion powers can be upgraded, although I have to say that I found the potion powers - called Vigors - are actually less interesting in Infinite than they were in Bioshock 1. The bulk of them have two types of effects - either you can fire them at your foe, or use them to set a trap. However, you do actually have a third option available to you, and that's to use Elizabeth's powers.
Elizabeth has the ability to pull things from other dimensions, which in gameplay sense means she can make things like turrets or extra supplies appear. She'll also revive you when you're down, which means it's very unlikely you'll actually lose the game. I think there's only one point in the game where you're forced to reload an autosave if you fail. Either way, your foes will do their level best to stop you, frequently using ranged weapons against you. They're not mutants as such - with the odd exception - but they sport a range of armours and gizmos to make them more effective at kicking your bottom.
Suprisingly, combat never really gets samey, although I was occasionally annoyed that I actually had to dispose of my foes before being allowed to move on. On one occasion, I was told Elizabeth couldn't open a door till combat was over. Yet there was no-one to be seen. In the end, I found a bad guy crouching on top of a balloon, disposed of him, and was allowed to proceed. Stealth is sort of an option a points, but you're really going to be blasting your way through the game at most points. The difficulty can be adjusted at any point of the game, and there's also a hardcore mode you can unlock by playing the game through once, or by putting in a cheat code.
There's no multiplayer to speak of, although it'd be hard to shoe-horn it in anyway. Bioshock Infinite is a great singleplayer experience, with a story that has plenty of twists and turns. In fact, it's hard for me to explain just how good the story is without giving anything away. But it will keep you guessing till the end - and the ending itself is potentially open to interpretation. If I had to level one criticism of Bioshock Infinite it's that it's not all that replayable, and it's that factor that might put you off buying it. Because nothing's going to change the second time around, given that the game's levels and story will be the same.
Essentially, Bioshock Infinite is a great game. It looks great, it's a hell of a lot to fun to play and it has an amazing mind-bending storyline. If you are a Bioshock completist, by all means buy it but just don't expect to be revisiting Columbia all that often.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Pros:
Great graphics
Great storyline.
It's a lot of fun to play.
Cons:
It's not very replayable.