Poll: Will you get Bioshock Infinite?

[verdant monkai]

I played the first two games and enjoyed them immensely, I thought I would probably enjoy the third instalment as well. While I am not saying I will definitely not buy it, I think it unlikely I will.

(what follows is based on my opinion and little evidence, research or data so feel free to just do the poll)

Ahem.. anyway to get to my point I don't think it looks as interesting as the previous two games. Rapture was a really fascinating idea, a 19-something's underwater city in the Atlantic. I hesitate to say original because of Atlantis. But it was fascinating none the less for ripping off mythology. The combination of underwater city and steam punk were a pretty fresh idea. Now with infinite it seems a bit less fresh, they have just moved the city into the sky which is quite cool, but think of it like this. If you look out a window in Rapture you will see Squid, Shark, school's of fish maybe even a Whale. If you look out of a window in the bioshock infinite city (Columbia I think), you may see a sea gull or a pigeon if you are lucky.

Maybe it is because I am a little scared of the sea/boats/being sea sick/Sharks/sailors and most things nautical, but the other Bioshocks scared me. The enemies were creepy the new ones are not :-
Splicers were deformed and mad and they did weird stuff like moan about their husband they killed, or how "they should have just given me the money". The basic enemies in infinite look pretty normal and make Indian noises... scary I know.
Big Daddies were sort of tragic and cool, they didn't want to be made into a diminutive lumbering guardian, but they were and they fought to the death to defend the little sisters. The Handymen look pretty stupid and I doubt their background is as cool.

Also the whole look out for the bird creature which is chasing you seems too similar to the big sisters from number 2 to me. From what I can gather from trailers I think the whole game is about trying to get some woman out of the city. Which sounds bloody awful because I dont know about you, but I hate escorting Npc's it never goes how it should. So I would rather not play a whole game escorting an npc through a world with an abundance of ledges to walk off, because if that is not a sure fire method for a disaster I don't know what is!

 

[Andrewtheeviscerator]

Yes, yes , yes , yes and once more yes. I pre ordered the ultimate Songbird collection as soon as it was announced. Honestly anything made by Ken Levine I will buy, the man just seems to make games tailored to me. Bioshock is one of my favorite games of all time, and 2 wasn't to shabby either. Also bare in mind that Irrational and Ken Levine had nothing to do with Bioshock 2. I could go through most of what you said and show how many of the worries you have about the game are a bit overblown, but I'm also very lazy and don't really feel like it. I will say though that one thing you shouldn't worry about is the story, from what I've seen it looks like it will be just as interesting while also bringing up some philosophical ideas that the original Bioshock did.

 

[Pink Gregory]

It could suffer if it purposely tries to live up to the original, but I have a feeling that I'm going to enjoy the fuck out of it regardless.

 

[FootloosePhoenix]

Most definitely. I'm really excited for Infinite, though I'll miss the setting of Rapture. In fact I'm most excited for seeing how the political aspect of the game is handled; BioShock 2 fell flat for me in that regard because of how clear it was that Lamb's ideas were extremist and ridiculous. Andrew Ryan, on the other hand, was such a good speaker that he might've fooled me into locking myself away in an underwater city.

I'm just not sure at this point if I'll shell out the extra cash for one of the collector's editions.

 

[Cowabungaa]

BioShock had no steampunk at all. It's all Art Deco with 1940's technology. Nothing to do with the 19th century steam technology.

If anything, Infinite will be more steampunky in terms of tech. Art direction-wise it's definitely Art Nouveau, fitting with the time.

Anyway, yeah I'm looking forward to BioShock: Infinite a lot.

 

[scnj]

I don't see any reason not to. I'm glad it's tonally different. As much as I enjoyed the two previous excursions to Rapture (three, counting the masterful Minerva's Den), I think having a third game set there would only serve to take away from the previous games' stories.

Columbia looks like an interesting location, because it seems to be constantly reconfiguring. Rapture was cool, but it was a static city. Columbia's constantly on the move, and the various districts look like they are capable of moving independently from one another. From the start, Bioshock has been about how different political agendas would affect characters living in a place ruled by futuristic technology from the past (if that makes sense). In this case, Infinite is not really a departure from the themes of the previous games, and it will be interesting to see how Columbia, as a location, plays into that. I can easily imagine a subplot where one of the districts attempts to secede from the main city and fly off on its own, or even the city reconfiguring itself based on political affiliations.

As for the Handymen, while they aren't as scary or imposing as the Big Daddies, they are more suitable for the tone of Infinite. The Big Daddies worked in Rapture because of its steampunk aesthetic, but Columbia is based more in optimism, reflecting the aesthetic of Main Street, USA. The Handymen fit because they look the part, reminiscent of classic posters (Your Country Needs YOU springs to mind instantly). Rapture was a dystopia by the time the player arrived, whereas Columbia still looks to hold onto its utopian aesthetic, albeit in the middle of a civil war. While it might not have the same surface horror of Rapture, it seems that it will capture an underlying tension that will serve to contrast with the happy, bright colour palette in a more subtly unsettling manner.

It's good to see Irrational not taking the easy option and just churning out Bioshock 3. They're taking a risk with the franchise, and in my opinion, that's to be applauded.

 

[SajuukKhar]

. Also the whole look out for the bird creature which is chasing you seems too similar to the big sisters from number 2 to me. From what I can gather from trailers I think the whole game is about trying to get some woman out of the city. Which sounds bloody awful because I dont know about you, but I hate escorting Npc's it never goes how it should. So I would rather not play a whole game escorting an npc through a world with an abundance of ledges to walk off, because if that is not a sure fire method for a disaster I don't know what is!

Irrational has said that Elizabteth isn't some needy damsel in distress, shes more like Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2.

Not to mention she does have some crazy ass magical powers.

Also, it isn't that hard to implement a "this NPC is immune to falling off ledges" code in a game.

 

[Genocidicles]

Considering how bad Bioshock 2 was, I think a change of scenery is for the better. They can't just keep regurgitating the same stuff over and over again.

Plus the 90's shooter mode has me stoked.

 

[verdant monkai]

I will say though that one thing you shouldn't worry about is the story, from what I've seen it looks like it will be just as interesting while also bringing up some philosophical ideas that the original Bioshock did.

I am sorry but I dont think the story looks all that good right now, it just looks like it is trying to give you two choices. A) be nice to the woman and don't exploit her for her power, or B) be mean to the woman and exploit her for her power. With a black and white ending of betray her or become her boyfriend or something.
It seems too similar to the other two games (be a dick and exploit the little sisters or be nice to them and don't exploit them), the whole thing just seems like a repackaging of the previous two, with a slightly different twist.

 

[Andrewtheeviscerator]

I will say though that one thing you shouldn't worry about is the story, from what I've seen it looks like it will be just as interesting while also bringing up some philosophical ideas that the original Bioshock did.

I am sorry but I dont think the story looks all that good right now, it just looks like it is trying to give you two choices. A) be nice to the woman and don't exploit her for her power, or B) be mean to the woman and exploit her for her power. With a black and white ending of betray her or become her boyfriend or something.
It seems too similar to the other two games (be a dick and exploit the little sisters or be nice to them and don't exploit them), the whole thing just seems like a repackaging of the previous two, with a slightly different twist.

That's certainly possible, but the quality of the story is something you can't really see through trailers and teasers, so I'm waiting to play it before I pass judgement. Also I think it will definitely be more of a personal story than Bioshock was with as you said choosing to exploit her or save her.

 

[verdant monkai]

Irrational has said that Elizabteth isn't some needy damsel in distress, shes more like Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2.

Not to mention she does have some crazy ass magical powers.

Also, it isn't that hard to implement a "this NPC is immune to falling off ledges" code in a game.

Haven't played half life but everyone says Alyx is a good example of a realistic nonsexualised woman, where as Liz on the other hand has magic powers and her cleavage on show. I think Irrational are a bit misguided there, but as I said I haven't played half life so I dont really know.

I don't care if she has the ability to transform into Freddy Mercury, I would still have to escort her through through the game, and probably listen to her moan about her awesome powers.

Gee man I don't know you tell me. I don't make games so I don't know how hard it is to get Npc's to not fall off cliffs. Could they make their movements pre scripted, so as to make sure they dont go off any of the edges?

 

[scnj]

Gee man I don't know you tell me. I don't make games so I don't know how hard it is to get Npc's to not fall off cliffs. Could they make their movements pre scripted, so as to make sure they dont go off any of the edges?

They can set up an invisible wall at the edge that only NPCs are programmed to collide with. You then set the player collision to false with regards to that barrier. It's really simple to be honest.

 

[JoJo]

I don't think it will be as good as the original Bioshock but I will get it regardless and hope that it'll at-least be decent, the developers have proven to themselves capable writing a video game storyline that goes beyond the genericness of 90% of game storylines.

 

[verdant monkai]

Gee man I don't know you tell me. I don't make games so I don't know how hard it is to get Npc's to not fall off cliffs. Could they make their movements pre scripted, so as to make sure they dont go off any of the edges?

They can set up an invisible wall at the edge that only NPCs are programmed to collide with. You then set the player collision to false with regards to that barrier. It's really simple to be honest.

Great. You might want to tell SajuukKhar about that though he is the one who thinks it cannot be done.

I don't think it will be as good as the original Bioshock but I will get it regardless and hope that it'll at-least be decent, the developers have proven to themselves capable writing a video game storyline that goes beyond the genericness of 90% of game storylines.

Oh ho ho I can tell you are looking forward to it. I agree with you they have generally come up with good stuff in the past, and deserve the benefit of the doubt now.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Haven't played half life but everyone says Alyx is a good example of a realistic nonsexualised woman, where as Liz on the other hand has magic powers and her cleavage on show. I think Irrational are a bit misguided there, but as I said I haven't played half life so I dont really know.

I don't care if she has the ability to transform into Freddy Mercury, I would still have to escort her through through the game, and probably listen to her moan about her awesome powers.

Gee man I don't know you tell me. I don't make games so I don't know how hard it is to get Npc's to not fall off cliffs. Could they make their movements pre scripted, so as to make sure they dont go off any of the edges?

Well the game is set in 1912, and people DID wear that in that time period. Elizabeth isn't showing cleavage for the lulz like in most games, she is because that's the type of clothes people actually had.


Also, its possible to make all the world space off the edge into its own "zone" so to speak, and make it to where certain NPCs can't go past the zone. Like if Elizabeth was knocked back and would have normally fallen off the edge, she would instead hit an invisible wall that only exists for her so she doesn't fall off.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

The interesting thing is the mix-up in ideology and aesthetics between the two games. Rapture was an isolated, claustrophobic location built with the vision of liberty and personal freedom, in essence the ideology of openness existed in an isolated location.

Columbia on the other hand is vast, open and sprawling, yet is essentially isolationist nationalistic. There an ideology that is all about being shut tight to the external world exists in a very open location. I doubt Ken Levine made these choices at random.

Will Columbia be as fascinating as Rapture? That still remains to be seen. Do I trust Irrational Games to make a great game and tell me a great story? Definitely.

 

[verdant monkai]

Well the game is set in 1912, and people DID wear that in that time period. Elizabeth isn't showing cleavage for the lulz like in most games, she is because that's the type of clothes people actually had.

Also, its possible to make all the world space off the edge into its own "zone" so to speak, and make it to where certain NPCs can't go past the zone. Like if Elizabeth was knocked back and would have normally fallen off the edge, she would instead hit an invisible wall that only exists for her so she doesn't fall off.

I am not saying the fact we can see her cleavage is a bad thing far from it, if it is a historically accurate cleavage even better!

Ok great. According to you and that other guy there are many ways to stop an Npc going off cliff, lets hope Irrational think to use one of them.

 

[CityofTreez]

Yes sir!

Have been waiting for this game since the announcement. Bioshock is one of my favorite games of all-time, and I expect (hope) this is as amazing as the first one was.

 

[roushutsu]

I've got it pre-ordered, and let me tell you it's been years since I last pre-ordered a game. I love Rapture and all, but what else can you possibly do with it at this point? I'm looking forward to seeing what Columbia has to offer.

 

[ZehMadScientist]

Yes, absolutely.

It is a steampunk shooter in the sky that lets you shoot a rattling gun while hanging on to a huge rollercoaster to move around while splicers shoot rockets at you.

They had me at steampunk. Hell, how could you not want this?