User reviews

I'm not a big fan of first person shooters, but the first BioShock caught my attention last year with it's unique story and atmosphere, so I decided to buy Infinite last week to give that one also a try (BioShock 2 is yet to be conquered). I did expect a great game like the original BioShock, but I never expected to run into a masterpiece of modern gaming in it's own genre.

BioShock Infinite delivers superbly from every possible angle: the entertainment value, the world, the atmosphere, the characters/character development, the pacing, the dialogue, and most of all, the story. Every aspect of this game is perfectly unique and masterful, and Infinite accomplishes something that not many games can accomplish; it is very emotional, mature and deep, but also extremely fun to play.

If I compared BioShock Infinite to something in other forms of art, it would probably be the joining of David Lynch's Mullholland Drive and Stephen Kings The Dark Tower. But of course with thoroughly unique style that makes BioShock Infintite a game like no other. Can't but love that satirical, bleak, sadistic, mentally disturbed world that this game (and the whole game series for that matter) represents.

Not many games deserve a 10/10, because there usually is always something that doesn't fit, but BioShock Infinite is as perfect as it gets. Future classic, or maybe a classic already.

After just completing the game, I am in total shock. So stunned that I couldn't even skip the credits. Without spoiling anything, you will be completely amazed of how they decided to end it off.

Anyways it's a great game and a cool change from a city at the bottom of the ocean to a city in the sky. The scene where you are lifted to Columbia is just as breathtaking as seeing Rapture for the first time. As soon as this scene happens, you know you're playing a Bioshock game.

People have been also wondering how Elizabeth's AI is. Absolutely flawless, this is in no way a co-op game like Resident Evil 5. You don't have to revive her or give her any ammo or anything of that sort.

Their are some horror elements to this game similar to Rapture, but it's more focused on Action and sci-fi. There is one part that did scare the hell out of me though.

Kudos to Irrational for another masterpiece. If you thought the story telling in Bioshock 1 was incredibly done, just wait till you get a load of this!

I give it a solid 10/10.

I have played many games in the past to completion and Bioshock infinite is one of the few that has completely mind fudged me with its brilliance.

It's character driven story mixed with its clever and well constructed writing not only creates a masterpiece of a story but emotionally attaches you to the lovable characters Elizabeth and Booker. These along with other awesome characters have amazing voice acting, dialogue and personalities - it sometimes feel as if these characters, especially Elizabeth, are real humans - The connection that grows between the player and these game characters is truly wonderful and emotional.

The game play is true to its predecessors in maintaining the addictive fun you experience while shooting up enemy's and using Vigor, which is the equivalent to the originals 'plasmids', to your advantage. Elizabeth doesn't annoy you during combat as she can take care of herself and is not a burden when you play, but is a joy to have by your side. Her gameplay mechanic of creating 'tears' to help you take down your enemy's is implemented well in the game along with the skyline and it's melee executions and ability's, which also fit in well with the game's structure.

The sound effects in the game have a nice and crisp quality and the mission design plus the set pieces are just great. The atmosphere of the city of Columbia, a floating city with a old school American theme, makes this game unique and different from the other Bioshocks, which take place in the underwater city of Rapture, but it still has this familiar sense about it which is nostalgic and amazing.

The game does not have a multiplayer nor does it need one as it truly delivers a cinematic and breath taking experience that you alone can, in fact you must have and I urge you to buy this game, as it is no doubly my game of this year and could possibly be my game of the decade!

10/10 - love doesn't come close to what I feel towards this game!

Just to let you guys know, this is my first ever review on IMDb!! Thanks for reading :)

I have been playing this game for eight hours now and love it. I may be biased because the first two are amongst my favorite games, but I think the reviews from around the web support my feelings towards the game.

The graphics are beautiful, and my computer handles them well with no lag or bug issues so far.

The story is complex for a game, and the characters, especially the main two are deeper than the usual game characters without getting in the way of the action. It is also much longer than the last games.

The fighting is similar to the other Bio-Shock games, but still has its own unique weapons, like the sky-hook, and different power ups and upgrades, so we have the familiarity of the old games, but still something new and fresh.

I can't wait to play this a few more times at least. Its so good. I give it an easy 10 out of 10!

This is by far the best game that i have ever played. I have never played any other Bioshock game then Infinite, but now things changed. After years of having my brother talking about how good the original Bioshock was i felt extremely tempted to try Infinite. I bought the game and i would never in the world imagine that i would be left willing to easily pay 500$ for it instead of the 60$. Much like a painting on the wall this is a classic and it is so extremely good that i could hang the physical game up on the wall just to get reminded of the wonderful story this game has to offer. To get these feelings from playing a game is very rare and extremely beautiful. You will be in despair sometimes, you might get slightly depressed, you will fall in love, you will be scared. You will build up an emotional bond between Elisabeth that just makes you want her to be OK and safe.

I am very unfamiliar with FPS games and i don't play very much. However, this game catches your attention within minutes and you just can stop playing until its finished. I can almost guarantee you that you will be left with questions and a kind of enlightenment after this finishing the game. However as many other have agreed on. It will take more then one run to truly understand everything. It's not very different from movies such as Inception (even if this is not a movie), which you might wanna see 2 times to fully understand the story.

I am left as a Ken Levine fan and i am also left almost crying. These games are so rare and i have never seen anything like it in my entire life and i really, truly hope that i will see more creations of Ken Levine. He said in an interview that after the release he would go on a long vacation. 6 years in making the game, well... He truly deserves it.

There is no words that can describe how much i recommend this game. It is a masterpiece and i have never seen anything like it. I finished the game 4 days ago and that rush you get after finishing it is still here.

Ken Levine and everyone involved in this game. I hope they earned a lot of money because they totally deserved it! Love to them!

A+++

Going in, I was expecting great things: the first Bioshock was one of the best games I'd ever played, including the best heel-turn I'd ever seen. And with all of the hype, I was expecting to be let down. Luckily, I was not. Bioshock Infinite manages to deliver on every single level, often simultaneously, to produce a truly remarkable gaming experience.

The graphics, art, and animations are incredibly well-thought out and defined, often capturing your interest and making the fantastical world of Columbia seem real.

The game-play is very fluid and very fun. The combat is similar to the first two games, but with a few new mechanics that keep things fresh and exciting. Also, Elizabeth is a companion. But it doesn't end up being an escort mission, where she is in constant need of rescue, and sits by while you are attacked. Elizabeth ends up being a useful and resourceful addition to the player, almost an extension.

The writing and voice-acting are spot on, the actors who play DeWitt (Troy Baker) and Elizabeth (Courtnee Draper) especially. You feel the strong chemistry between then, and the relationship organically and believably grows.

The story. Oh man, the story. Like I said, I was blown away the first time I played Bioshock 1. It was so creative, so smart, and so complete. But Infinite manages to irk out its predecessor in all of these departments, leaving me audibly remarking at many of the plot turns. Even the banter, which there is a fair amount of, feels necessary and important. Also, it does not reel you in and then simply let you go after a couple hours of play, like so many games nowadays. It keeps you engaged for well over 12 hours, as long as you take your time.

All in all, this is one of the best games I've ever played. It looks absolutely incredible. The combat and game-play is fluid, enticing, and always fresh. The story is fleshed out, entertaining, thought-provoking. The environment is incredibly deep, leaving the player room and time to explore all of the little things that are put in.

HOW TO PLAY THIS GAME: -Go through it slowly. Take your time to explore and soak in the environment and story. -Expect to play multiple times. Don't try and use all of the Vigors and weapons at once. Focus on what you like, and what works for you. Also, there are collectibles like in the first two games. Find the ones you can, but going on a treasure hunt isn't necessary.

10/10, 5/5, *****, A+

I have played the first two Bioshocks. The first one I enjoyed although I thought somethings were frustrating and it dragged on. The second Bioshock I did not enjoy. It was too short and too much like the first one. Well this game takes a completely different turn on the series and it becomes an absolutely incredible game. You play as Booker, a troubled man sent to the floating city of Columbia to "bring us the girl and wipe away the debt". What seems like a simple rescue mission turns into an extremely complex story, as you learn more about Booker, Elizabeth (the girl who you go to Columbia to get) and Comstock, the prophet of Columbia. Overall, the story is fantastic, it keeps you on your toes and has a huge plot twist ending that will leave your jaw dropped. The game play is what you should expect from Bioshock, with guns and vigors, blasting away enemies. This game is a lot more fast paced with tons of more combat than the first two Bioshocks. Some people may not enjoy that, but I loved it. The guns and vigors are all super fun to use. The musical score is great, the characters are great. Everything about this game is great, so go purchase it now, because it's better than the first two Bioshocks.

Where to begin? firstly I am a huge bioshock fan having played the previous 2 games multiple times and had high hopes for appears to be the third and final game in the series. I shall try and split the review into different sections starting with the world/environments:

In infinite we leave the world of rapture and venture into the world of Columbia, a floating city in the sky. Firstly lets start with the world of Columbia, vastly different to rapture, with its bright colours, more open environmnets and there are "normal" people around i.e not splicers. You feel less anxious walking around Columbia, as with rapture you were constantly having to watch your back. As with every bioshock game the environments are well designed and visually astounding and infinite gives us the best visuals thus far, the world of Columbia is beautiful and you cant help but stop and look around every once in a while. It makes a refreshing change from the dark gloomy corridors of rapture.

Gameplay:

With bioshock infinite, its feels much more like an action game compared to the first two which had a more dark "horror" feel to them. You get to chose from a decent number of weapons, including pistols, rifles, machine guns and rocket launchers. In the place of plasmids, we are given what are known as vigors, these act the same as plasmids instead you drink them instead of injecting yourself, there is a range of vigors which you slowly acquire as the story progresses. There is also the addition of the sky hook which allows you to zoom around Columbia on the travel cart lines and which can also be used a deadly weapon.

The gameplay feels solid and flows well with fun action sequences and you have nice variation between the guns and vigors, however as the game progressed I found myself solely using guns 90% of the time and forgetting about the vigors.

Characters:

The two main characters of Infinite are your character Booker Dewitt and your companion Elizabeth. The relationship between the two is well written and brilliantly voice acted. As the game progresses you really start to see a friendship build between the two characters. Booker works well as the main protagonist but its Elizabeth that steals the show, as far as sidekicks or companions go in gaming shes the best I have ever seen, shes helpful (provides ammo,health and money when she finds it) likable and interesting. Plus shes not affected when your in combat meaning you don't have to save her every 5 seconds so you don't feel like a babysitter. this also doesn't make the game feel like one big escort mission.

Story:

Finally the story or plot of infinite, I don't want to give much away but ill say this, if you thought the first bioshock campaign was good wait till you play this! the game leaves you guessing and wondering right till the end. Although the last 10mins of the story is a lot to take in, once you sit back and take in the plot, you'll love it, cleverly written and beautifully executed, kudos to the writers of the game. it is one of those endings that leaves you thinking about it days later.

Overall bioshock infinite is defiantly one of the best games I've played in a long time, from the great story, to the brilliant characters and impressive visuals its not to be missed, it just misses a 10/10 as I found the gameplay becomes a little repetitive and you never use the full potential of your arsenal unless you do a couple of playthroughs although this is very minor complaint 9/10 Excellent game!

This game is absolutely amazing. You can tell that there was an enormous amount of thought put into every detail, down to the very last corner. Bioshock Infinite is my favorite game to date, no question about it.

To start, the art direction is very good. Everything is arranged to be very appealing, and the colors are very balanced. I loved just walking around the city and soaking it all up. There are 1912 style shops to go into, and they are all populated. In one area, there is even a good, three-minute quartet that you can just sit and listen to. I was very impressed with the magnitude of everything. Seldom are you placed in a small, dark room or hallway. Most of the game is set in colorful areas with large statues and airy buildings.

I liked that it did not actually put you in the dark, but gave a dark feeling when it was appropriate. As per the Bioshock games, some of the events are quite dark, and I liked the uneasy feeling without the dark corridors of Rapture.

Combat is a step up from other games in the genre. The introduction of "skylines" allows you to jump quickly from place to place, making everything very fast paced. I didn't quite like the inventory management as much as in the original Bioshock, however. I found it much harder to deal with my Vigors, mainly because you couldn't just scroll through them like in the other game. Still, you get used to it - that's a fairly minor gripe.

I can not say much about the story. If I told you what was so great about it, I would spoil it for you. I can say that it puzzled me, and it was a few hours after finishing the game that I worked everything out. I felt like some of the points were repeated too much though. I get that they try to help everyone understand it well, but I would rather just have it all thrown at me - that way it's more fun to work out on my own.

Overall, Irrational Games has gone above and beyond what anyone expected. The only way you would find this game worse than the original is if you are somewhat nostalgic. Even if you did not like the first or second game, I highly recommend that you still give Bioshock Infinite a try. As a side note, there are a few things that you will not quite understand if you skip the first game. They are little details, but in a game like Bioshock Infinite, it is the little details that really count.

This game is worth every cent. If you can not afford it, you can wait until the next sale. The trilogy tends to go for $15~.

I had high exceptions for this wonderful game because I knew this infinite wouldn't disappoint me. Once you strap yourself and head on to Columbia prepare to get blown away by the beautiful scenery once you step foot in it. Its clearly one of the best games of 2013 by far, that it may be game of year.

The combat feels so different giving you a rush options on how to tackle down your enemies whether, you fight on the ground, skyline, or both to mix it up. I was surprise how violent it when Booker slams down the police's head on to the sky-hook cutting his face in half. But, the new thing it gives you are the executions you can do with the sky-hook and their so fun to watch. The girl who is named Elizabeth, is very likable that you always want to keep her safe, even though you don't have to really protect her. She is one of the best AI so far, giving you ammo,salts, health, she is the perfect one in helping you in bad situations. That's a huge bonus during battles.

The level designs are incredible just like how the 1st Bioshock was. Grabbing you again with insane amounts of detail and creativity throughout. Still, even though Infinite isn't scary as the first one was ,yet it still has its OMG moments.

Booker and Elizabeth by far have the best chemistry than any other games that's out there. Their adventures will keep you wanting to play this game. And I already beat three times because amount of detail you can miss and the style can change when playing. I have to say the ending... I have no words for it.

10/10

I love the original Bioshock. It is probably my favorite game in my collection, and after five or six years I would still consider one of the best games of the last ten years, if not THE best. This may explain why Infinite is just not so good to me. Don't get me wrong, it is by no means a bad game. It succeeds at entertaining, but I had a lot of problems with it, both in terms of story and gameplay.

I won't go into the story much. All I will say is that I found the first third of the game to be incredibly interesting and intriguing, and then as soon as you need to free a weapon smith (ANYONE who has played the game knows what I'm talking about) it just starts its descent into convoluted mess. I don't think the end of the game is good because it makes no sense. This game to me really just seemed to try to confuse the gamer with unnecessary plot complexity in order to seem more grandiose than it really was. As soon as you start a story involving dimensions beyond the fourth dimension it becomes really difficult to keep a story focused and poignant.

The gameplay was worse than the story for me. Bioshock Infinite drops all pretense of a survival game by giving you a two weapon limit, (like Halo) a respawning shield, (like Halo) and limited ammunition for your guns. (like Halo) This game doesn't feel like a Bioshock sequel/prequel, it feels like Master Chief is blasting his way through Columbia. I also really didn't like throughout the course of the game that certain events had to be triggered before you could do quests in other parts of the map that you could already explore. This created a lot of annoying backtracking and enemy respawning that seemed lazy at best and poor design at worst. Oh, and I will go on record saying the last fight of the game is complete garbage. That was thrown into the game for an extreme added difficulty, not for any narrative or artistic reasons. I died maybe two times playing through the first time on medium, until I got to that fight. It took me TWO HOURS. I can only imagine how horrible it will be on 1999 mode.

In the end this is a very small minority opinion. This game is posting a 9.7 as of the time of this review, which is one of the highest scores I have seen a game get. I will recommend it, because while I don't like it, I can see why others do. But to anyone else who may have found this game disappointing: you are not alone.

For me BioShock Infinite is a decent game to have a one time playthrough of if you can find it cheap. Like me for example, i got all three games in a very cheap package. I am yet to play the three DLC's, but this review will contain only the main game.

The story of BioShock Infinite is very peculiar and doesn't have a simple explanation. I kinda like this and don't at the same time. Even after completing the game and trying to find a explanation on YouTube to what the story was about most people agreed on certain things, but many a thing was disagreed on. The story is not at all terrible but i believe it is a little too complex for what it should have been and there are certain points (at least in the main story) that didn't add up correctly. Certain things felt like a cop-out or just silly. About half-way through the game i was interested in the games story to a certain extent and wanted to know what it was all about. By the end however, i felt rather disappointed. So to round this up, the story isn't terrible but it gets slowly worse and worse to the point you get a little confused (and not in a good way).

The characters where fine, but nothing special. The protagonist you play as (Booker DeWitt) was absolutely fine in my eyes but nothing special. Troy Baker is the voice and as always it's not bad at all. The character of Elizabeth is similar to DeWitt when it comes to interest and just overall how good the character is. They are both a five maybe six out of ten. Not bad but nothing amazing. The villains where pretty mediocre to be nice. The main villain throughout the story of BioShock Infinite is pretty meh and every enemy get's boring after a while of mowing them down. Overall the two leads are fine but the rest are mediocre. The are another two characters i liked but i don't want to spoil it i guess. But even they where average at best.

The gameplay was absolutely average to the highest degree. The game was just shoot, shoot story. Shoot, shoot story. Overall the little perks you could get for you left are was kinda cool but they didn't add enough to make the gameplay good. It was simply passably fine. This may sound peculiar, but i actually suggest playing this game on the easiest difficulty as the game could get boring trying as hard as you can to defeat enemy after enemy. It can get tiring after a while. I found myself very often wanting the gameplay to end and a cutscene to start as i was getting tired of just gunning men down. Gameplay is not at all bad, but nothing special.

Visuals are this games strong point in my opinion. For a 2013 game the graphics are absolutely fine, but what i like is the visuals in general. I really enjoyed the opening chapter or two the most when i was just walking around the world (albeit a linear one). I honestly think the 1912 look that has a futuristic feel is nice. Reminds me of franchises like Alien where it looks old but has a futuristic feel. The visuals can get repetitive later into the game, but when you play for the first few hours it is a nice sight for someone's eyes.

Story - 4.5/10

Characters - 5/10

Gameplay - 4/10

Visuals - 6.5/10

Overall a game i wouldn't necessarily recommend, but one that i wouldn't suggest the opposite either.

An average experience, 5/10.

It's very hard to review this game even partially, not to mention I don't often review anything beyond I like or dislike something.

If you play games for the story, then you should stop reading this. Go out and buy it already. The story in this game is above and beyond what any movie can offer. Though, with a game time of at least 8 hours, that's to be expected. It has been written in a way that throughout the game it gives subtle hints to what's happening and has happened before, however, you probably won't recognize them for what they are until the ending (I didn't). WATCH PAST THE CREDITS!

Graphics wise; I'm lucky enough to be running dual And HD7970s, so I never had a single bit of lag in the game. In fact, I doubt it dropped below 100 fps. However, even a single card below mine should provide enough power to show the spectacle that is Columbia in all its DX11 goodness. Side note, it's better to play this on a PC if you want it to look incredible, xbox and PS3 (or the up and coming consoles) can't compete with even a low level gaming rig, My opinion.

This is a first person shooter, and as another reviewer said, it plays out a lot like the two previous titles. Firearm in one hand, plasmid/vigor in the other. Some of the vigors can be quite graphic and shocking to the player, probably the worst of them is a vigor that shoots crows out of the players hands and tears the flesh from your enemies. This game is not suited for young viewers. The skylines, I believe they are called - I'm still reeling from the end of the story, didn't play as big a part in the fighting as I would of liked. I think the game play video hyped it up a little too much. There just wasn't all that much of it, sure you can use it for some cool kills, but I found it a lot simpler and flowing to fight from the ground.

Audio is very simple; music suits the time period, sound effects are incredible. Play it with surround sound and you will not be disappointed.

Overall: An easy 10/10 for this game, good fun and engaging story line will give any player hours of fun, and some scares as well! Play the game, there's hours of content, and multiple play throughs needed to get 100% and learn about Columbia and its history.

I remember the day this game came out. I was unbelievably excited -- so much so that I bought the big collectors edition (a pre-order which sold out shortly after I reserved mine!).

This was a turning point for modern gaming. It was also a stunning showcase which stated, gleefully, that not all first-person shooters had to be the same cookie-cutter military foray with forgettable characters and bland landscapes. This game was colorful and beautiful, so stunning in spots that the player couldn't help but stand still and gaze at what lied before them. The characters jumped off the screen in quirky and believable ways unlike any other game, animated in a way that reminded you of what medium you were within but authentic in a way which both defied and defined realism.

It's more than a video game -- it's an experience. And not in the way that feels like you're controlling a movie. The gameplay here is tight yet simultaneously unrestrictive. It has both a sensation of freedom while tethering you to a mind-blowing story that keeps you hooked and hunched over in your seat, staring intensely at the screen.

Does it hold up after eight years? You bet it does. As far as I'm concerned, there are large chunks of this game which go unsurpassed. Play this game NOW -- don't wait any longer than you have to.

Pros:

• Great story & characters
• Great fast-paced gameplay
• Great graphics
• Columbia setting feels fresh after Rapture
• Great voice acting and animation
• Unforgettable mind-bending ending
• Skylines add literal elevation to gameplay

Cons:

• Alittle hand holdy sometimes, compared to previous Bioshocks
• Overuse of enemy waves
• Lack of differentiation in weapons

Verdict: Fantastic Bioshock game that improves on many gameplay aspects on the originals, and feels very different to Rapture.

9/10

The creators and development team have created a mind blowing experience in world and narrative with interesting, well written and memorable characters with superb actors voicing them. They also succeeded in creating great and entertaining gameplay mechanics that flows really well with everything that you have in your inventory if it's the hook, weaponry or your vigors. It just feels good and entertaining to use them. The game is sadly too easy on Normal, being able to rush through enemies until you get more than half way through so its a lot easier than the past installments.

This was my first Bioshock game and I was blown away the first time and now playing through it a second time with having played the other two games set in Rapture I see how talented the writing team really are, making believable stories set in mind mind blowing locations but are written with such realism which make it immersive and believable.

The story is what truly makes this game a masterpiece, it starts off as a simple detective story but expands to something truly remarkable with amazing sights and backstory to the locations we even get a story with lots of twists and turns which makes it so interesting to follow. The various of themes whether it's religious or other themes it's done perfectly and well executed with people doing research on the time period and such. Simply amazing story, a narrative that will be remembered.

This game .. i don't know what to say .. i can't even describe it with words .. i played and finished the whole series .. the first game and the second game were awesome .. but this one .. is something else .. and i can't imagine how it affected on me .. what i want to say that i carry a lot of feelings and emotions towards this game , towards it's atmosphere , it's music, it's shocking events and it's wonderful characters .. Elizabeth and Booker Dewitt .. especially Elizabeth and her beautiful appearance and unique personality .. getting to know this character and treat her as a partner was something imaginative .. which made me eagerly willing to keep an eye on her but she handled herself pretty well .. both are really amazing characters and I love them greatly .. this game delivers many deep issues and questions .. some of them make you bitterly sad .. drive you into a deeper Overthinking .. "How does it look like being imprisoned alone in a tower since the childhood especially if it was for a young girl ?!" "How does it look like when finally having the freedom afterwards !?" "How does it look like when walking free down in the streets and see happy people singing and dancing then go share a dance with someone for the first time in life ?" "How does it feel like when you realize that your savior is really sending you to a worse place just for paying his own debt !?" "what does the feeling of revenge look like towards the man who claims to be a father and he's responsible for your imprisonment the whole time just to gain benefit from your superhuman abilities ?" and "How far will you keep enduring and moving forward if you suddenly found a chance to erase and clear a sin of leaving a small girl behind to die in a fire ?!" All of these questions and more of them mixed to the exact feelings of Sadness , Remorse and Pain ... This game is without a multiplayer which delivers a great feeling that you're the one who face the consequences and you're alone and the only one who can get through this ! and continue your own journey between Columbia and Rapture .. just you and Elizabeth .. that's the why I love single player games more than anything else .. such a great experience as this game is the Perfect Example .. After finishing the game for some unknown reason .. i sat down with myself and started crying for days .. maybe just didn't want it to end ... don't know .. In the end , Even love doesn't come close to what I feel towards this game ! i will never forget this game .. never ... Many thanks and love to the game developers , directors , voice actors , and voice actresses for creating such a magnificent game .. ... Special thanks and love to:- Troy Baker "Booker DeWitt(voice)" Courtnee Draper "Elizabeth (voice)"

BioShock Infinite is a BioShock game through-and-through. While the totally new setting, characters, and storyline allow new players to jump in, fans of the BioShock series will immediately feel right at home. The game starts at a lighthouse. Right away, players can look around for currency (Silver Eagles replacing Ryan Dollars) and food, as well as clues to the situation the player character, private eye Booker DeWitt, has found himself in and the situation he's about to be launched into. Launched by rocket instead of bathysphere, and in the opposite direction from Rapture.

Once again, Irrational Games has excellently crafted a unique world. While Rapture was a piece of Art Deco, Columbia is a Norman Rockwell painting come to life. In the same way that Bioshock held a magnifying glass to Ayn Rand's Objectivism, Infinite looks at jingoism and religious extremism, but this shouldn't alienate anyone. It's made clear early on the United States has disowned Columbia for its extremism, and the religion practiced by Columbia's citizens is satirical but decently removed from anything practiced in the real world.

The game allows players to explore and try out a couple new Vigors (the new version of Plasmids) and weapons in a friendly carnival setting before things turn dark and enemies start to attack. Combat is similar to previous games but tweaked. The new mêlée weapon, the Sky-Hook, is an improvement over the wrench or the drill, allowing the player to execute an enemy low on health by breaking their neck or decapitating them, and can also be used to navigate Sky-Lines, adding a vertical element to the game's environment, allowing the player to quickly escape from danger, and opening up some new combat possibilities. The new vigors are a blast to use, some resembling traditional plasmids with new twists. For example, the Possession vigor replaces both the Hypnotize plasmid and the hacking mini-games from earlier games. Different vigors consume different units of salt (the new EVE), meaning more powerful vigors like Possession allow fewer uses than more practical vigors like Shock Jockey (the new stand-in for the old stand-by Electro-Bolt) before Booker must go in search of more salts. Also, there are no longer hypos that can be carried around and used at will to increase health or salts. Items must be found and consumed or purchased as needed, and players need to be careful about what they eat or drink, since trade-offs between health and salts are common.

There is no equivalent to the Big Daddies and Little Sisters of the original BioShock. Instead of Big Daddies, Infinite offers a wider variety of enemy types. Instead of ADAM, Silver Eagles are the only currency in Columbia, meaning the player must budget to be able to afford health, ammo, and salts, as well as upgrades to the different weapon types and to the vigors. Wearable gear replaces tonics and is able to be swapped from an options menu rather than at selected Gene Banks. Instead of a choice between harvesting or rescuing Little Sisters, the game presents a few more nuanced decisions, and the Xbox360 version makes good use of the left and right triggers during these sequences, so you don't need to worry about accidentally hitting the wrong button to make your choice, like I once did in BioShock 2.

Since Columbia is still a thriving community when you arrive, it doesn't have the same feeling of every little area yielding its secrets the way Rapture did. But the world is still interesting enough to make exploring worthwhile, even though creepy moments are fewer and farther in between than previously. Characters learned about through Audio Logs may not be as memorable as those in previous games, but the characters actually encountered are all excellent. Oliver Vaquer and Jennifer Hale do a great job as the comic relief characters, bizarre enough to be hilarious and somehow creepy at the same time. Troy Baker gives a real hard-boiled feel to Booker, a man of few words who is only chatty compared to the two previous games' silent protagonists. Kimberly Brooks' resistance leader, Daisy Fitzroy, contrasts the ultra-nationalists of the game and does a good job of showing extremists on the other side of the social spectrum aren't necessarily a lesser evil.

But the most fascinating character is Booker's companion, Elizabeth (Courtnee Draper). Her expressions are incredible, and while she'll appeal to the same protective instinct those who chose to rescue the Little Sisters experienced, she never needs to be escorted. She stays in cover during combat, tosses helpful power-ups occasionally during fights, currency during quieter moments, and is able to bring items from other dimensions to add another tactical element to battles. Those who couldn't get into previous games because of their claustrophobic nature will find the battles in Infinite hard to resists, facing large hordes of foes in open arenas. Losing a fight still has the same slap-on-the- wrist consequences, sapping away some hard earned cash and not restoring full health and salts, but re-spawning you in a safe spot never too far from the action, though enemies now receive health boosts themselves.

Music is another great element. Not only does Garry Schyman deliver another great score that creates a similar feel to the previous two games, but the selection of licensed music is as good as ever. Thanks to the inter-dimensional component of the game, the soundtrack consists not only of period music, but ragtime and blues covers of some of the greatest hits of the 80's.

While the ending of the game isn't as universally reviled as that of Mass Effect 3, it's not spoiling anything to say I preferred the original BioShock's ending. Also, there is only one outcome. Decisions made earlier in the game have immediate consequences in the storyline rather than resulting in alternate endings. That said, the journey is well-worth the destination.

Not bad, but too much race politics. Just turns me off.