Multiverse theory is death to conflict.
I'll admit it: I was skeptical about Bioshock Infinite at first, since themepark shooters are often a bit of a mixed bag. But after the universal praise it has received, I finally caved, bought it and played the game.
Before I get into this, I would like to note that I have been a tabletop RP GM known for original settings and really mindfuck-heavy campaigns for about 15 years, utilizing timejumps, psionics, godlike creatures, the whole palette. I like to be confused and tricked by the fiction I read, play and watch. But there's the good kind of mindfuck and there's this.
Firstly, I have to say that I did it a great injustice in terms of presentation, world-building and characters. The setting is brilliant, fun and I like the continuity nod to the Bioshock series. The characters are good, well presented, baseline good craftsmanship by writers and actors alike.
However, taking Elizabeth as an example, the whole hype around the girl is hard to understand. Yes, she is a solid character, acts and communicates in a relatable way (mostly because she is able to since we don't have a silent protagonist) and displays a well-rounded personality. But that's character writing 101, that's NOT any major accomplishment. In a novel, she would be a likeable character, but no one would make her character of the century by a long shot.
The writers spend an awful amount of effort and time establishing that she and Booker could have a major conflict between them, but that never happens. Yeah, there are a few tantrums somewhere in there, but she changes her mood conveniently as the plot demands, as does Booker. There is never any real discussion of their issues (Paris or New York?) or their backgrounds between the two other than short throwaway sentences.
And this leads me into the finale. Boy, what a finale. This one belongs into the Coen Brothers category of mindfuck: a large amount of nothing is accomplished at great expense. I believe the final scene with the baptism was supposed to surprise me, and that the after-credits sequence is meant to do the same?
To be honest, as soon as you establish "infinite parallel universes", you have already sentenced any semblance of conflict to death. Your character is never in any serious danger (because there's always a universe where he is not) and any accomplishment (like drowning Booker) is nullified in at least one other universe. That baptism scene can't possibly be the only point of divergence - remember: infinite possibilities. The after-credits-scene is therefore to be expected.
But my other beef with the finale is that it stumbles with the presentation. A lurking notion of "I should probably care, but I don't because I still need more information" has been present throughout the entire game. In Bioshock, that's what made the horror elements work - you didn't understand what was going on. Now, however, you are in charge of a character who is really hard to buy as the person who never questions anything. I get that he's basically a brawn-before-brains type of guy, but Booker DeWitt himself seems oddly unaffected by the whole affair around his daughter and his mind being ping-ponged through the multiverse.
The ending, then, feels really rushed. There are 20 minutes of exposition, none of which does much to really bring the conflict to a climax, and the game just sort of fizzles away without much of an impact. The Modern Warfare games left a greater emotional impact on me than this one, despite all its highbrow references and avantgarde design.
Do I regret buying it? Definitely not. It even got me to play Bioshock and Bioshock 2 again, because the short visit to Rapture was somehow the most exciting part of the game to me. It's a solid game, well-crafted and fun to play (for me, at least, but I'm no one for extremely challenging games anyway), but after all the hype, the story's ending left me disappointed. The set-up was great, the middle always kept me guessing, but the ending... ran out of steam much faster than it should have.
Of course, that's just my opinion which I'm putting out there for you to discuss, if you wish
I'd be happy to read your take!
I'll admit it: I was skeptical about Bioshock Infinite at first, since themepark shooters are often a bit of a mixed bag. But after the universal praise it has received, I finally caved, bought it and played the game.
Before I get into this, I would like to note that I have been a tabletop RP GM known for original settings and really mindfuck-heavy campaigns for about 15 years, utilizing timejumps, psionics, godlike creatures, the whole palette. I like to be confused and tricked by the fiction I read, play and watch. But there's the good kind of mindfuck and there's this.
Firstly, I have to say that I did it a great injustice in terms of presentation, world-building and characters. The setting is brilliant, fun and I like the continuity nod to the Bioshock series. The characters are good, well presented, baseline good craftsmanship by writers and actors alike.
However, taking Elizabeth as an example, the whole hype around the girl is hard to understand. Yes, she is a solid character, acts and communicates in a relatable way (mostly because she is able to since we don't have a silent protagonist) and displays a well-rounded personality. But that's character writing 101, that's NOT any major accomplishment. In a novel, she would be a likeable character, but no one would make her character of the century by a long shot.
The writers spend an awful amount of effort and time establishing that she and Booker could have a major conflict between them, but that never happens. Yeah, there are a few tantrums somewhere in there, but she changes her mood conveniently as the plot demands, as does Booker. There is never any real discussion of their issues (Paris or New York?) or their backgrounds between the two other than short throwaway sentences.
And this leads me into the finale. Boy, what a finale. This one belongs into the Coen Brothers category of mindfuck: a large amount of nothing is accomplished at great expense. I believe the final scene with the baptism was supposed to surprise me, and that the after-credits sequence is meant to do the same?
To be honest, as soon as you establish "infinite parallel universes", you have already sentenced any semblance of conflict to death. Your character is never in any serious danger (because there's always a universe where he is not) and any accomplishment (like drowning Booker) is nullified in at least one other universe. That baptism scene can't possibly be the only point of divergence - remember: infinite possibilities. The after-credits-scene is therefore to be expected.
But my other beef with the finale is that it stumbles with the presentation. A lurking notion of "I should probably care, but I don't because I still need more information" has been present throughout the entire game. In Bioshock, that's what made the horror elements work - you didn't understand what was going on. Now, however, you are in charge of a character who is really hard to buy as the person who never questions anything. I get that he's basically a brawn-before-brains type of guy, but Booker DeWitt himself seems oddly unaffected by the whole affair around his daughter and his mind being ping-ponged through the multiverse.
The ending, then, feels really rushed. There are 20 minutes of exposition, none of which does much to really bring the conflict to a climax, and the game just sort of fizzles away without much of an impact. The Modern Warfare games left a greater emotional impact on me than this one, despite all its highbrow references and avantgarde design.
Do I regret buying it? Definitely not. It even got me to play Bioshock and Bioshock 2 again, because the short visit to Rapture was somehow the most exciting part of the game to me. It's a solid game, well-crafted and fun to play (for me, at least, but I'm no one for extremely challenging games anyway), but after all the hype, the story's ending left me disappointed. The set-up was great, the middle always kept me guessing, but the ending... ran out of steam much faster than it should have.
Of course, that's just my opinion which I'm putting out there for you to discuss, if you wish
I'd be happy to read your take!