So how good is Bioshock:Infinite really ?(Spoiler free)

[Battenberg]

I would probably say it is a solid 8/10 (on a reasonable scale where 5/10 is actually the average). It has a great visual opening as you are introduced to a world with a unique and distinct character and as far as both the visuals and the soundtrack go I really can't fault it. However the story became a bit convoluted and pretentious (particularly the ending people keep mentioning) although I should note that beyond these issues the story is certainly still great and perhaps even these flaws may be welcome in the eyes of some people. As far as the gameplay and level design goes it may all be a bit familiar in places if you played BS 1 but this is deliberate and actually works in its favour. A few people didn't like the gameplay particularly but personally I loved it (although I wish they had included different ammo types again as using the guns gets repetitive after a while) BUT the biggest baddest enemies were, by and large, a letdown for me. In particular there is one enemy (I won't say who, you'll find out for yourself) that really didn't fit with the rest of the game for me and was far more irritating than engaging. I think the highlight for me was the historical accuracy in the game and real world references (e.g. a certain barbershop quartet you encounter early on) and the way that these references were actually relevant to the story.

Frankly if you're already downloading it and you've avoided reviews thusfar I'm not sure why you're getting other people's opinions on it. I would certainly expect you to enjoy it (especially if you liked BS 1) but also don't let your expectations go too nuts, I think overhype ruined the game for a lot of people.

 

[Xirema]

Good post. The more I think about the more ludicrous the mixture of gameplay and styles in the game is. The question is, why does Bioshock Infinite have all the shooty bits? It doesn't need them. So either the developers think they are needed, in which case they are stupid, or they are there because the developers are scared the game won't sell without them, in which case they are cowards.

Neither, and Both. The game barely made a financial profit as-is, in spite of however many copies it sold. They didn't have the luxury of sacrificing half their user base solely to make a gameplay style that actually made sense and worked.

 

[LetalisK]

I thought it was a B average game. Between getting halfway through a game that isn't even very long and thinking "When is this going to end?" and the lame spit-take they pull at the end(no, not what most people have a problem with), I can't rate it any higher.

 

[Battenberg]

It's a weak game with little to no real challenge...much like the other Bioshock games. The story doesn't make a great deal of sense (it is the story of a paradox after all) and the magic system is odd and badly presented (thank you achievements for informing me of some of the features). It took me 2 days to complete it and left me feeling nothing...

Lets be honest about it, it got rave reviews when it came out because the publisher paid for it and because it has nice graphics...don't let the shitty gameplay and story get in the way of hype reviewing There are many better games out there that can occupy your time but if bioshock infinite turns up for 5 quid, it's at about it's real value.

My suggestion: Rent it!
Personal rating: 4/10

I don't like to double post but "no real challenge"? You were playing it on the wrong difficulty. And if you played it on 1999 mode and still found it that easy then you are part of a very small minority and as such that criticism doesn't really apply to other people. Also the story length is only short if you plough through it at maximum pace, if you take your time to fully enjoy all the little touches and other parts of the story that are scattered around (because there are loads) then the only way you could complete it in 2 days is if you played 8-10 hours a day.

I would love to know what you consider a good game as I honestly can't see anyone finding this any less than an average experience and certainly worth more than a fiver.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

At the time I thought it was really good, but since playing The Last of Us it's not as great. Especially after watching a breakdown of the Last of Us by VideoGamer.com and they make a lot of comparisons to Infinite in particular how it stumbles in comparison (i.e. the Violence in BI feeling excessive, which it feels at home in the Last of Us, etc). It's a 4 instead of a 5 so yeah, still good in my mind.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I consider the first Bioshock to be the best of all the games, but I still really enjoyed Infinite.

The story didn't capture me quite as well in Infinite, mostly because it felt REALLY out there and bizarre. The weapons were all right, but the upgrades were dull, and I don't like how there weren't any visual changes to the weapons when you upgraded them.

Mostly, I didn't like how much they stripped down the RPG and inventory elements of Bioshock. In Bioshock 1+2, you frequently had to make decisions like "do I want to an additional Plasmid slot, upgrade an existing plasmid, more health, or another Tonic slot?". In Infinite, a lot of that felt stripped away, considering you could carry all Vigors at once, you upgraded health and salt capacity just by finding the bottles, and just spent money to upgrade vigors. They got rid of carrying medkits and EVE (or salt, in Infinite's case), and I don't know why they did the "2 guns at once" thing.

The one thing I will give the game credit for is that "return to sender" looked awesome when you'd catch bullets and throw them back.

 

[The_Echo]

I loved it.

The combat felt a lot more fluid and varied than its predecessors, which felt kind of dry and by-the-books to me. It's a bit of a shooting-gallery, but honestly I don't see that as a bad thing.

But overall I think the plot is going to be what keeps you playing, and if you're anything like me you'll really enjoy it. The world and characters are so much... better than prior entries, much as diehard original BioShock fans might say otherwise.

It's a really beautiful game if nothing else. I doubt you'll regret playing it, even if you don't adore it as much as the reviewers did.

 

[mitchell271]

I loved it. I didn't like the massive difficulty spike in the Comstock Mansion where there are NO RESOURCES, but I digress.

Story is great and makes you think a bit a lot and the skyhook is tons of fun to use. The environmental hazards (oil/water spills) aren't nearly as useful as they were in the first two Bioshock games as enemies tend to be faster, but the gunplay is just so well done it more than makes up for it. Highly recommend it, especially since the Burial at Sea DLC is on its way.

 

[Animyr]

I really wanted to love it, but I only liked it. It's excessive ambition and tumultuous development process left surgery scars all over it's vibrantly-colored face. The story tries to be about the nature of America, Booker and Elizabeth's relationship, and the possibilities of alternate realities all at once, and for a time near the beginning it manages to juggle all three, but once you get to Finkton the story starts to only address those themes one of those at a time, in isolation, and never recovers. The level design is also disappointingly linear, interaction with Columbia's society is somewhat limited and the gameplay doesn't implement most of it's most intriguing features (skyhooks, tears) all that seamlessly.

I still liked it, mind. The gameplay was fun, the art design was stellar, and the story was much stronger them most and what exploration there was was quite enjoyable. It's a worthy entry into the series and a fine game in its own right. But yeah, it wasn't the second coming that the E3 showcases got everyone thinking it was. I found the Last of Us to be the better game, at least in terms of story and tone. The worst thing is that I think Infinite genuinely had a shot at truly living up to its sky-high hype, which is what makes the final result seem more disappointing to me then it otherwise might have been.

I'm intrigued by Burial at sea, though. Hopefully it'll be tighter and more cohesive then Infinite.

 

[Zeldias]

I find it to be painfully boring and the story to be, at best, only slightly interesting. More egregious is the idiotic and cowardly equivocation the narrative presents between Vox Populi's leader and the Comstock regime. Don't feel like getting into it too heavily or letting myself go into a diatribe for real, but if you ever think it's a good idea to try to set up a moral equivalency between a culture of what is essentially slavers and those who are enslaved, you're an intellectually dishonest person.

That said, the gameplay didn't grip me because it's the same FPS-shooty stuff and I've never found that terribly engaging. I actually wanted to play it to find some stuff to analyze/write about, but the gameplay itself stalled me. I was hoping after my experience with Spec Ops: The Line that it would be similar, but I was wrong.

I don't like the other Bioshock games either, but I found the first Bioshock to be a lot more impactful even though it's argument is flawed by it's medium (said better here: http://clicknothing.typepad.com/click_nothing/2007/10/ludonarrative-d.html).

 

[LAGG]

It certainly fell lightyears short of it's potential. If 10/10 is the fully realized potential of a game, then it's 5/10.

It felt short of the previous entries quality, specially the first one. If 10/10 means it's better than the previous games, it's 7/10.

It didn't manage to top games in the same genre coming around the same time. If 10/10 means it's better than Dishonored, it's 8/10.

It all depends on what criteria is used.

 

[CannibalCorpses]

It's a weak game with little to no real challenge...much like the other Bioshock games. The story doesn't make a great deal of sense (it is the story of a paradox after all) and the magic system is odd and badly presented (thank you achievements for informing me of some of the features). It took me 2 days to complete it and left me feeling nothing...

Lets be honest about it, it got rave reviews when it came out because the publisher paid for it and because it has nice graphics...don't let the shitty gameplay and story get in the way of hype reviewing There are many better games out there that can occupy your time but if bioshock infinite turns up for 5 quid, it's at about it's real value.

My suggestion: Rent it!
Personal rating: 4/10

I don't like to double post but "no real challenge"? You were playing it on the wrong difficulty. And if you played it on 1999 mode and still found it that easy then you are part of a very small minority and as such that criticism doesn't really apply to other people. Also the story length is only short if you plough through it at maximum pace, if you take your time to fully enjoy all the little touches and other parts of the story that are scattered around (because there are loads) then the only way you could complete it in 2 days is if you played 8-10 hours a day.

I would love to know what you consider a good game as I honestly can't see anyone finding this any less than an average experience and certainly worth more than a fiver.

I played it on the hardest setting while doing the no vending machine achievement and it was too easy...the only challenge was the last battle and that can be overcome quite easilly with a little brain power. A lot of the battles that other people complain about (lady comstock, the handymen etc) are easilly beaten by the poor game code...you have areas that npcs can't cross and can exploit them quite easilly and they also get caught on terrain which leaves them vulnerable.

I didn't plow through it at maximum pace however, i was playing for the 1000 gamer points so i collected everything, killed everything, looted everything...didn't use a walkthrough until the second playthrough and only used that for where to find the couple of collectibles i'd missed first time around. Yeah, i play games in 12 hour sessions which gives me a massive advantage...everything is always fresh...but the game only takes 12-16 hours which means i would basically have paid 40 quid for a little over a days entertainment...not good value for money in my eyes. I rented it for £2.50 and sent it back within 4 days having finished everything...2 full playthroughs aswell as a little achievement levelling on the weapons i didn't use enough...simple.

As for games i consider good...well there aren't that many anymore. I like long games with lots of options like the Fallout series. I like strategy rpgs like Jagged Alliance 2 and Fallout tactics where it's not just my reflexes that are being tested but my ability to think and act. I like Trials HD and Orcs must die because they fuel my hardcore urge to try and outdo people's times...they've soaked up over 1000 hours of gameplay each and still i find things to challenge me.

However, Bioshock is all about the story and that only keeps my attention once, and like all story driven games, they end up losing out on gameplay and replay value. Once you find a way past a certain fight you will always know how to beat that fight (if you pay any attention to what your doing) and thus the challenge evaporates. What you are left with is a colourfull corridor shooter with no side-play, no replay value and long sections where you have to watch the unskippable story parts again *yawn*

 

[Sassafrass]

I found it fun. Fun enough to get it on my 360 and then, when it was on sale, on my PC. Loved it both times through.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Good story and writing, poor ground combat, above-average air combat. Overall not bad, but not great either.

The ending was a boring exposition dump though.

 

[Bertylicious]

It's a very good game but it is a terrible purchase. You'll only get about 12 hours out of it, 20 hours max if you go for a second playthrough. My advice would be to get it on sale when it's price drops below whatever metric you use for determining hour vs cost ratio.

The game made me cry manly tears and the gameplay wasn't so bad I sacked it off halfway through so it gets my thumbs up.

 

[stroopwafel]

I enjoyed Bioshock Infinite a lot. Story was good, setting was beautiful and interesting and the gameplay was pretty fun as well(I play a lot of shooters and didn't find Infinite's gunplay unsatisfying at all, then again I also enjoyed Spec Ops: The Line's gameplay so maybe I'm more forgiving than most. ) Best game this year? No. But for the time being I couldn't put it down until I completed it, so for me atleast it hit all the right notes. My only minor gripe would be perhaps that with this fantastically realized world I found the characters somewhat lacking(but I have that with every Bioshock game). Still, that whole 'utopia gone bad' makes for an awesome setting, and in this regard Bioshock excels like no other. The unique environment and interesting thematic and narrative depth makes the setting feel more 'alive' than in most other games. Even if the gameplay doesn't necessarily stand out among its peers.

 

[Soundwave]

I felt a lot of buyer's remorse about halfway through the game. It didn't get better either. Shooting elements were adequate, visuals were always good. Story was lazy and poorly thought out. It's more about being a commentary on games than being an especially good one.

 

[Maximum Bert]

I enjoyed it and didnt regret my purchase but at the same time I didnt think it was as good as Bioshock and as others have said the combat was pretty bad still playable but far from great and there is a lot of it.

I found it an above average game but not one I am likely to remember in fact I had forgotten about it until this thread surfaced, buy it have fun but dont expect anything mindblowingly amazing.

 

[RJ 17]

Aesthetics: 9/10 (baskets full of flat apples are flat)

Combat: 6/10
-Only 2 guns at a time? Really? And no specialty ammo?
-The vast majority of the enemies are just giant bullet-sponges (Ghost Boss, anyone? Handyman fights? Most generic mobs above "common soldier" rank?)
-Most of the Plasmids all have essentially the exact same use, just different animations/effects to pull it off.

Gameplay: 7/10
-I did like the illusion created by having Elizabeth run ahead of you when you were going in the right direction, so she's not just another "tag along eternally behind you" escort quest.
-Didn't like how hacking was no longer permanent....and that you had to use a rather expensive vigor to hack. Also I preferred it when hacking a vending machine made things cheaper/unlocked new items to buy rather than just having the machine spit out a bunch of coins like a slot machine.
-Appreciated that they were trying to make Columbia feel like a living, breathing city.
-Didn't appreciate how everything that made Columbia feel like a living, breathing city immediately vanished the moment a gun was fired, turning that living, breathing city into a bright and colorful combat arena.
-Granted it would have been a HUGE pain in the ass to defend Elizabeth throughout a 20 minute gun-fight, I found it a bit immersion-breaking to find that EVERYONE completely ignores her...like she's Booker's little imaginary friend.
-But most of my gripes about the gameplay were buried with the Combat, this being a shooter after all, all in all everything outside of the combat was done pretty well.

Story: 5/10
-Sorry guys, but it wasn't as good as you thought it was. It's got plotholes big enough to pilot a sky-barge through.
-The ending - purely based on the very core concept of the game - does not work, and Elizabeth basically explains how it can't work.

Spoiler: To see what I'm talking about, watch this video. In fact, this video pretty much sums up ALL of my complaints - not just the story based ones - about the game. Note: this video does contain a heavy does of spoilers.

Characters 8/10
-Booker: Well, at least he's not a silent protagonist, still outside of a couple conversations with Elizabeth he doesn't have much engaging dialogue to say. That and his decision making isn't exactly the best...(you'd think when you pass a big-ass sign that says "HATE AND FEAR THE MAN WHO HAS THIS MARK ON HIS HAND!" with a picture of a demon hand that has the exact same mark as the mark on your hand, you'd think you'd want to cover up your hand...)
-Elizabeth: Well, at least she's got more personality than a wet mop. I thought she was a pretty good companion character, even if her personality is remarkably well adjusted for someone who spent their entire life locked inside a statue having experiments run on them. >.>
-Comstock: Ehhhhhhh, I just liked Ryan better as a villain. At least he was a crazy guy with his own principles, Comstock's just bat-shit crazy and wants to blow up the world.
-Lutece's: Well aren't they just a barrel of fun.
All in all, my comments betray how much I actually enjoyed the cast.

So lets see, that mean's I'm giving this a 35/50 which boils down to a 3.5/5
So yeah, a decent game, but nowhere near god's gift to gaming as it was proclaimed to be.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Story: 5/10

Sorry guys, but it wasn't as good as you thought it was.

Well...shit. And here I thought it was! I'm going to use this rebuttal on you for your next ME3 thread. "It's not as good as you think it is. CASE CLOSED."

It's got plotholes big enough to pilot a sky-barge through.

Out of curiosity, are you another one of the "The writers don't properly understand Quantum Physics, and therefore X isn't scientifically accurate, and therefore this is Bad Fiction, because the purpose of all fiction is scientific rigor" complaintants?

The ending - purely based on the very core concept of the game - does not work, and Elizabeth basically explains how it can't work.

It "works" just fine, both emotionally and thematically.

And OMG that fucking video again. What is WRONG with that guy's VOICE!? This is the same fucking guy who made the "Bioshock Infinite is basically Space Invaders with better graphics hurr hurr" argument. That is not a good argument. This is not a good video. Never post this video again or I will find you, and I will get you. And your little dog, too.