What did you think about Bioshock Infinite?

[DeathChairOfHell]

I pre-purchased Bioshock Infinite about a month ahead of its release, having anxiously waited since 2010 for this highly anticipated game. I started playing it the minute it was released online and I made my way through it moderately fast, only slowing down to really submerge myself in the story. Now from what I've perceived, the game has received good reviews and a metascore of 94, more or less. Now my question is, what did YOU think of it?

I myself loved the game. A flying city was for me a better concept, as well as the fact that it took place in 1912, bringing a new style and pace into the content. While I can admit that the gameplay wasn't revolutionary, as we all relate the vigors to plasmids from the previous games, but there were also very good elements to it. Elizabeth was, in my opinion, a great sidekick. She never got in your way, you didn't have to constantly make sure she wasn't being killed, she threw you supplies whenever you needed it and she could conjure up supporting machines and weapons from the tears she created. The skylines were also really great, I think most of you can't argue with that. They were efficient and made combat much more exciting.

But of everything that Bioshock Infinite was and is, it is unarguably the story that makes this game so magnificent. I don't want to spoil anything for the people who haven't played the game, but after finishing the game I had to turn off my computer and sit silently in the darkness of my room and attempt to grasp what I had experienced. I am now more aware of (almost) all the why's and who's and how's, but the feeling I had that night was a mix of euphoria and depression. I could of course be overreacting, being a long-time fan of the Bioshock series, but I'd like to hear what other people thought of the game, it's mechanics and especially the story.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I had high expectations and it still managed to blow me away. The story is superb and the writing is one of the best I've seen in video games. Games like Bioshock really demonstrate how far games can go if more publishers would just give the developers freedom to create the games they want.

 

[Zhukov]

I had high expectations and it still managed to blow me away. The story is superb and the writing is one of the best I've seen in video games. Games like Bioshock really demonstrate how far games can go if more publishers would just give the developers freedom to create the games they want.

A large part of the reason Irrational Games can do what they do is because the lead writer, director and the guy controlling the purse strings are all the same person.

When your lead writer is distributing the funds, it leads to the kind of end result that we don't often get to see.

Also, apparently their publisher, 2K Games, gives them a lot of freedom. Although pretty much all developers say that about their publishers, so I don't know how true it is.

 

[Pink Gregory]

I love it, but I can see how people have soured to it because of the hype.

I don't really understand how hype can bother people in such a way, but vive le difference.

IT MAKES ME FEEL THINGS!

 

[shrekfan246]

Loved it.

I'll put it this way: I had it preordered for over a year, and it still blew away my expectations to the point where it'll probably be my Game of the Year. You could chalk that up to Watch Dogs being the only other release this year I'm really anticipating I'd enjoy at the same level, but still.

I thought it was absolutely fantastic.

 

[zumbledum]

Liked it , really dont understand why it was hyped so much , its a beautiful looking game for sure (gtx 680 max settings here) but it came across like it was some deep metaphysical masterpiece and it simply isnt, the plot has some serious issues, there arent any real themes or comments that are new or challenging, and the ending... well i hated it , when you get to post last boss part of a game and it goes ok gonna toss everything away now and just make a load of shit up on the spot then were going to make a bunch of painfully stupid decisions of what to do with this new power just so we can have a "poignant" ending. yeah sorry lost me there!

 

[unstabLized]

I'll say this. Manly tears were shed. Aboslutely loved it. One of the game's thats close to perfect to me, and one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had in my gaming career. My Game of the Year also. I thought Watch Dogs would be my GOTY, but I don't believe it can beat Infinite, so Watch Dogs would be my #2.

 

[hazabaza1]

Fantastic game.
Not flawless in gameplay, and the ending does leave a lot to personal interpretation (not an issue for me but I understand why a lot of people might hate it) but it was basically really good. Also had some of the best supporting characters and "protagonist-supporting character interactions" in recent years.

 

[Moralio]

Every doubt I had about the game was ultimately explained by the story. The weaknesses of the game actually made SENSE in the context of the actual game. It was just...fucking mindblowing. I have never experienced anything like this in my entire gaming life.

This. I wasn't expecting BI to be this good. So good in fact that I think I'll do another playthough very soon. Still have plenty achievements and 1999 mode to do.

Really looking foward to DLCs.

 

[Zhukov]

I don't really understand how hype can bother people in such a way...

While I obviously don't agree in this case, I understand the feeling.

When someone doesn't particularly like something (not necessarily "dislike" or "hate") and are surrounded by people praising it to the sky, they often respond by disliking it more. Perhaps to kind of... try and balance it out.

Eh, I don't pretend to understand the psychology behind it, but I know it's happened to me before. I still get a bit twitchy whenever someone says something nice about The Witcher 2 or Far Cry 3.

...

OT: Loved it. Will be talking about it for months until you're all wishing I would shut the hell up about it.

 

[babinro]

Victim of the hype machine but still easily recommended:
- The combat is acceptable but doesn't drive you to play more

- The environment is gorgeous and unique but not varied. It feels like 85% of the game is the same area.

- The story is entertaining but wasn't shocking or outstanding as the reviews would have you believe. I predicted the ending twist long before the end. The game didn't immediately make me want to restart as all the reviews said they would. The characters that pad the middle aren't nearly as interesting as the notable ones from Bioshock 1.

- Some of the level design is terrible. There were times I had to backtrack for serveral minutes to put a key in a chest with nothing to do during the journey. I then had to trudge back through minutes of empty world to get back on track. *yawn* Note: It's quite possible I simple missed shortcuts and took the long route. I seriously hope this is the case because that's a brutal way to pan out a games length.

8/10

Great overall package with only the unique setting standing out as being something special.

 

[Right Hook]

I'm may be in the minority on this but I preferred the first Bioshock, the story didn't seem as convoluted and the twist just fit so well within the context of a video game (having all your actions controlled by an outside source, almost as if they are referring to the control the player places over the character or the linear nature requiring the player to commit to forced actions). Not that I didn't LOVE Infinite, I did and am having a lot of fun tracing the elements of story through my head, trying to pin down all the details.

 

[EHKOS]

I may be broken, but I felt nothing from and or for Elizabeth. Also I hated the ending. Also I hated that

Spoiler

you can't fight Songbird.

Also I dislike how boring some of the Vigors were. The city wasn't explored as much as I had hoped. The Voxaphones audio went low when anyone around me talked so that I couldn't hear half of what they were saying, eventually I gave up trying to listen to them. The whole Vox Populi thing wasn't very in-depth.

Also I just looked through my save utility, it made a separate file for each fucking auto-save. So now I have like, twenty files to delete manually.

 

[Krantos]

Loved it. Absolutely fucking loved it.

Gameplay was fun, world was amazing and the story left me breathless. I can't have any higher praise for the game.

Then again, it helps that I wasn't very hyped for it. I wasn't a fan of Bioshock, so I wasn't really that interested in this. To be honest, the primary reason I bought it was the preoder bundled it with Xcom and I figured 2 games for the price of one was a good enough of a deal for me to give the game a chance.

I didn't expect it to blow me away.

That said, I don't see much replay value. The primary draw was the story, and having experienced that, there's not much to go back for.

But that doesn't change the fact this is a must play for anyone who cares about games as a storytelling medium. Absolutely fantastic.

 

[Artemis923]

I'm about two-thirds of the way in, and loving every second. There isn't a moment in this game where I feel bored, uninterested, or detached in any way. This is how gaming SHOULD be.

An unforgettable experience.

 

[codeg]

Every doubt I had about the game was ultimately explained by the story. The weaknesses of the game actually made SENSE in the context of the actual game. It was just...fucking mindblowing. I have never experienced anything like this in my entire gaming life.

This is a game that I will remember for the rest of my life. It will ultimately have it's detractors but I think it's one of the most unique and memorable experiences I have played through.

Motherf'cking this. A month ago I wouldn't believe anything could beat the twist from the first Bioshock, but this one...is on a whole other level. Playing through Infinite a second time is such an awesome experience, where you find all sorts for hints and pieces of information that lead to the epic reveal. That is one of the reasons why I think Infinite's twist, and the entire game itself, is superior to Bioshock 1, where all you gain from a second playthough is "OMG he said 'would you kindly! I soooo didn't realize what that meant before.'" I of course mean no disrespect to Bioshock as it is still one of my favorite games.
This is without-a-doubt my GOTY (unless you know... something else arrives unannounced *looks at Valve*) and currently in the running for my Game of the Decade.

 

[M920CAIN]

played it for a few hours, met my sidekick girl of badassitude. I basicaly spoiled the ending for myself (reading, not seeing them), I like the game, but I don't think I can take it serious. I enjoy the female protagonist's humanity. I think it makes the game, every weird shit that's going on is well... gamey, nothing else. Maybe when I actually see the ending I'll know HOW GEEZ GREAT MINDFU---- BI__ it is.

 

[Jaeke]

It's a narrative masterpiece.

The only problem is that people who criticize it are still looking it as just a game, at only it's mechanics, combat, and flaws and not as an overall story, an adventure, an odyssey that can only be experienced through gaming devices.

And at worst, people are giving it an 8/10.

At worst.

This "game" is the epitome of storytelling in this industry.
It's done more for the its genre, and video games in general, in showing the unequalled experience games can bring, in a decade (Half-Life 2).

It deserves to be played, not only as a memorable experience by gamers, but even those who aren't "hardcore" gamers, as a story equal to the level of timeless books and movies, Of Mice and Men and even Citizen Kane.