Anyone else *INSANELY* disappointed by Bioshock Infinite?

[Blood Brain Barrier]

As good as the story/atmosphere and world they have created is, my biggest disappointment is why the games have to be built on a first person shooter template. or any template for that matter.

Though credit to the devs; they seemed to have approached the game mechanics with a 'well as it's going to be a shooter, what powers and story elements can we add to make it less jarring'. So immediately it's a massive improvement over Tomb Raider.

It's a very good shooter with a story. But as an overall game it's the same old stuff, just executed very well, an immersive fresh universe, interesting characters and fun shootings with different approaches to the combat.

Can we blame them? In the last month there have been two traditional shooters, one third person (Tomb Raider) and one first person (Bioshock Infinite). Both games have come from franchises whose past installments have been a lot more creative in their gameplay than "stand here and shoot things in the face". Both games have had the hell praised out of them by fans and critics alike.

Meanwhile any game that shows the slightest bit of creativity or endeavor in its gameplay is criticized for tiny niggling flaws and insignificant bugs. Despite all our talk of "innovation" and games in general failing to "move forward", what we really love is the same thing we are used to, repeated over and over with a fresh coat of paint each time.

 

[Floppertje]

I really liked the gameplay and the story (once i understood what was going on) but the world... there's this whole 'pure capitalism'/racism/religion thing going on that i feel the game wants me to think is more shocking than I do. I could be very wrong here, but it feels to me like the game means for me to go: 'wow, this is crazy! but it's not all that different here!' maybe the US IS more capitalist/racist/religious than Europe is, because I just thought: 'wow, this is just ridiculous.' what i'm saying is it feels like it's more geared towards americans and therefore it doesn't impact me as much as it would like to. or something like that.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Disappointed? Yes, though not insanely so. I went in pretty much being ready to compare everything to the original Bioshock, and in that regard I did come out disappointed.

-Didn't really dig the story, the whole "alternate universes" thing just didn't really jive with me the same way the story for "Bioshock" did, just felt a lot less grounded and a lot more ridiculous.

-The art direction was great, but to me doesn't hold a candle to Bioshock's art-deco design.

-No aesthetic changes on the weapons when you upgrade them? Bioshock had this feature like 6 years ago.

-If Vigors are so easy to use, why isn't everyone in Columbia using them? (Bioshock sort of explained this, with the Splicers having become so deteriorated through their use they needed ADAM just to keep from falling apart). The only enemies that seemed to use them were "Crows".

-But perhaps what I disliked the most is how they're continuing to make the "Shock" games more and more simple. I was willing to forgive Bioshock for not being as complex as "System Shock 2", but Infinite has now gotten rid of carryable medkits and Salts, you can hold as many vigors as the game offers and use them instantly, and there is simply less choice involved. I liked how in Bioshock you had to make decisions like "Do I want to be able to access one more Plasmid, have more health, buy this tonic, or be able to carry more EVE?", and that was in addition to the choices you had to make regarding buying items. Infinite removes a ton of that stuff from the game (though I did like how you buy weapon upgrades as opposed to just finding them).

 

[Karlaxx]

I'm with you on the backtracking, but it's been so long since I've even played a first-person game,let alone anything of the Bioshock pedigree, that I'm still thoroughly stunned by everything. You're probably right about the enemies too, but I opted to only play on Medium for the time being; Hard might be a little more interesting, as I've only died twice in six hours of gameplay.

Edt: And there was a BARBERSHOP QUARTET, with the stripey suits and straw hats and everything, singing a song with which I am familiar, so I'm pretty much satisfied no matter what.

 

[jcfrommars9]

As good as the story/atmosphere and world they have created is, my biggest disappointment is why the games have to be built on a first person shooter template. or any template for that matter.

Though credit to the devs; they seemed to have approached the game mechanics with a 'well as it's going to be a shooter, what powers and story elements can we add to make it less jarring'. So immediately it's a massive improvement over Tomb Raider.

It's a very good shooter with a story. But as an overall game it's the same old stuff, just executed very well, an immersive fresh universe, interesting characters and fun shootings with different approaches to the combat.

Can we blame them? In the last month there have been two traditional shooters, one third person (Tomb Raider) and one first person (Bioshock Infinite). Both games have come from franchises whose past installments have been a lot more creative in their gameplay than "stand here and shoot things in the face". Both games have had the hell praised out of them by fans and critics alike.

Meanwhile any game that shows the slightest bit of creativity or endeavor in its gameplay is criticized for tiny niggling flaws and insignificant bugs. Despite all our talk of "innovation" and games in general failing to "move forward", what we really love is the same thing we are used to, repeated over and over with a fresh coat of paint each time.

I agree and disagree with you. Agree with you because when something is truly innovative, it is often criticized for not being like everything else. Disagree with you because I feel that is how this recent rebooted Tomb Raider was criticized; for not being the game it was 17 years ago which isn't a fresh or even different perspective at all, just a old one. Repeated over with a fresh coat of paint. As for Bioshock Infinite, the gameplay to me was fun. Very fun. The first Bioshock is still the better overall game in my opinion but using that camera for example drove me nuts so in this game, I did not miss that in the slightest. However what I feel is missed in the gameplay of both Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinite is how it works itself into the narrative. The killing of all those mercenaries that Lara does, has an effect on who she becomes and how the men start to react to her as the game progresses. In Bioshock Infinite, Elizabeth notices Booker killing people as well as his brutal use of the skyhook on enemies. The gameplay in both games isn't there just for the sake of "standing there and shooting things in the face." There's a point and creativeness to it as well. It in part addresses who these characters are and where they come from. So can I blame them? Yes. For the same reason I can blame Elizabeth for immediately dismissing Booker as a monster. Make no mistake, the man's a bastard but it wasn't until much later in the game that she finally comes to understand him. I feel people in turn should take the time to look beneath the surface of the gameplay.

 

[mbarker]

I thought the story was one-of-a-kind, the incorporation of Booker joining the Vox, joining Comstock, and joining no one into one linear storyline was cleverly done. The timelines is a good solution to start a franchise with the same name and different game-play. Sky lines were a neat mechanic and the ending was final but left room for speculation which gave you time to hypothesise and motivated replay of the game. Voice acting was good the animation and design of everything was fantastic. This was the first game I played a second time. I`m still thinking about it after a couple of days I finished it. I also loved the ?When the Circle Goes Unbroken? Easter egg with Elizabeth.

With all of that being said I don`t think the game should have game of the year status. I found a few things disappointing.

Not enough skyline play, I would have liked to have been flying around on the skylines more.

Not enough heavy hitters like the Handymen, Sirens, or Boys of Silence.

I wasn`t as emotionally attached to Elizabeth as they claimed I would be. I think this is because they didn`t really do that much to force you to interact with her. An example that made Booker closer to her was when he picked the choker pendant for Elizabeth, an interaction like that should have occurred much more often. Certain areas this could have happened were when Elizabeth was dancing on the beach and the part when Elizabeth asks if they should go to New York or Paris. There are a ton of other examples that interactions could have been done to strengthen or weaken your connection with Elizabeth. Irrational never capitalised on those moments, or had them cut, and I was very disappointed. I could elaborate on this but I`m going to write something a little more in depth about it later in the week.

I was disappointed that school girl Elizabeth was used through most of the game. I wanted to see more of the sexy corseted Elizabeth.

When they put in the different models of Elizabeth It seemed really incoherent.

I could have done without Elizabeth becoming the omnipresent omnipotent ethereal being.

The background chatter done by Elizabeth and the other characters I couldn`t catch any of it, even with the additional play throughs, or settings adjustments.

There wasn`t enough still-time between action events , something could have been done to fill out more of the story, but to be fair on that point perhaps I could have slowed down, but when geared up an adrenalin and Red Bull you may need a little assistance.

Last but not least that little movie with Ken Levine and the voice actors kind of ripped me out of the mood of the game so the games impact on me at the end was lessened.

But it?s a good game not the greatest.

 

[Requia]

Thanks for this, I've been all afraid of ending up in the wrong quadrant of the gamer reaction chart, by dashing all my hopes you've ensured I can play the game safely ^^

 

[scorptatious]

I personally really enjoyed Bioshock Infinite, and I'm currently playing through it a second time on a hard mode whilst finding all of the voxophones, infusions, and sightseers.

I haven't really played the first Bioshock in a long time, so comparing that and Infinite is kinda difficult for the most part.

However, I know that Infinite did two things a lot better than the first game:

1. The main character. Now, this is mostly opinion based since I'm sure some people would prefer playing as a silent protagonist they can project themselves onto. Me though, I prefer playing as someone with an established character and voice. Booker Dewitt was a very interesting guy and I enjoyed playing as him.

2. The ending. Say what you want about it, but to me, it was so much more complete and satisfying than the ones we got in the first game. The twist at the end was mind blowing, and while it was pretty confusing at first, it sorta made some amount of sense when you really think about it.

And of course, there's Elizabeth, who is pretty much the heart and soul of the game.

As for whether or not I like Rapture or Columbia better? That's a tough question. I guess I sorta like Rapture a bit better, probably because I like the underwater city theme a bit more. But Columbia was also a really cool place, it was vibrant, colorful, and has a ton of detail to it.

Overall, I feel that it's a great game. Definitely worth buying.

 

[Rock-nerd]

I wouldn't say dissapointed, rather deflated by the end.

I felt that the game was easily 10/10 worthy... riiiiiight up until the first encounter with Fitzroy, after that it it was just kinda...didn't go up from there.

And after the ending i just felt empty and confused, i thought that the death of songbird was the equivalent to going up the beam in mass effect 3. It just gets waaayyy too convoluted out of nowhere.

Still, a great game but 10/10 from pretty much every major reviewer? that's awfully generous.

 

[otakursed]

I'll be among the first to say that both the gameplay and visuals were engrossing and of high quality. But then the story comes in. And if it stood without two other predecessors in the arena, it'd be kinda unsatisfying, but passable for what until only recently was a mindless recreation. However, considering how tightly the other stories wrap up, and the fact that multiple endings were on offer depending on how you played, disappointing is putting it kindly. They toy with you a few times, offering up what seem moral quandaries which may have a similar effect. But the only consequence is in whether a character reappears or how a catalyst plays out at that moment. And in that singular ending, what do you get? Something that relies more on assumption than a coherent narrative. Seriously, how does one reach the conclusion that a single incarnation's decision, after the fact, will have an effect on all incarnations? And then there's how the entire tale begins on a flawed foundation. If Booker was wracked with regret, and undertook the ritual in order to gain a clean slate (Slate, huh? Get it? Do you get it?!), why the hell was he screaming his bloody deeds from the rafters throughout his flying city? The main character actually has depth compared to those of the other Bioshocks, but it's more the kind you can get mired in than anything else.

 

[Googenstien]

My biggest and pretty much only gripe is the save function.. If I didn't catch the little save icon (on PC) in upper right, and I have to do something I have to keep at it until I see it.. so you are essentially forced to keep playing in fear of losing progress. Also, its a major pain in the ass to have 2 games played, I was letting my daughter fuck around in the game and its not an easy thing to juggle.

I do find it a little easy, but i'm a older now and don't need to be so hyper-focused to play a game anymore.. started on 1999 mode and it doesn't seem that much harder, granted I know what to expect and can plan for it better.. I do think the protect the zeppelin section will blow big time when I get to it again.