Metascore
94 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 68 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 68
  3. Negative: 0 out of 68
  1. Apr 18, 2013
    100
    Bioshock Infinite is a visionary piece of entertainment where the gameplay, characters, art style and story all come together to make what undoubtedly will be considered one of the best games of this generation.
  2. Apr 2, 2013
    100
    Bioshock Infinite is the best shooter I have played in a long time. It is an incredible achievement artistically, narratively, and technically. I can’t think of a better game to close out and define this decade-long console generation.
  3. Mar 28, 2013
    100
    It is a triumph of artistry, technology and design. It isn’t perfect, but nothing this ambitious ever is. [Issue#235]
  4. Mar 27, 2013
    100
    On PC, BioShock Infinite absolutely shines. The use of the venerable Unreal Engine might surprise you, considering just how stunning this game looks, especially with the high-res textures exclusive to the PC version that balloon the game to about 15GB in size.
  5. Mar 26, 2013
    100
    BioShock is the most important new intellectual property of this hardware generation. Like its predecessor, it is an experience that could only ever be achieved in a videogame, one that demonstrates the true power of this medium to engage and inspire us, and in doing so it soars far above so many other games, clipped and blinkered as they are by their lowly, merely filmic aspirations. Irrational's achievements in BioShock Infinite dignify the medium.
  6. Mar 26, 2013
    100
    BioShock Infinite is a hell of a lot of fun to play. That really should be the only quality it needs to exhibit. The fact that it holds much more feels like an advancement of an art form. Just remember that nothing in BioShock Infinite is an attempt to be cute. Just let it tell you its story.
  7. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    You'll see a lot of BioShock in Infinite, but even if you try to make direct comparisons between the two, it's clear that Infinite is a far better game than its predecessor. It moves at a better pace, with more meaningful and more playable big encounters than BioShock. But it still carries that sense of exploration and the feeling of dread that comes with knowing that everything is just continuing to unravel before your very eyes.
  8. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    It was not easy to achieve the quality of the first game, but BioShock Infinite survives this "ghost" and evolves in every way. It’s a journey not to be missed.
  9. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    With the release of BioShock Infinite, developer Irrational has delivered a bigger story, more polished experience, and created two similar-yet-separate games that can co-exist and remain equal in quality. When the history of videogames is written, not one, but two BioShocks will be remembered for pushing gameplay, story, and subject matter to new levels.
  10. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    It’s the kind of game you’ll immediately want to replay again from the beginning, not just to experiment with new vigors and weapons and tactics, or to find the backstory-expanding Voxophones and Kinetoscopes you missed on the first run-through, but to see the little bits of foreshadowing, the subtle design choices, the dropped hints that build up to the game’s brain-bending denouement.
  11. 100
    Everything from the pacing, to the artificial intelligence, to the graphics and the music are perfect. This is truly a masterpiece only deserving of the highest grade we can possibly give.
  12. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    Infinite is as lavish as it is cerebral, as difficult as it is accessible. It’ll be many different things to many different people, and it will be discussed, dissected and deified for many years to come...So, when will gaming have its Citizen Kane moment? Forget that. When will anything else have its BioShock Infinite moment?
  13. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    Any gripes with the action are washed away when the narrative flexes it considerable muscle. It’s a fabulous piece of storytelling, thick with foreshadowing to a gut-punch of a finale. Most importantly, like BioShock before it, Infinite could only work as a video game, finessing the art of player agency and interaction. Proof positive that with the right talent and drive, games can plough their own narrative furrow. And excel at it.
  14. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    To reinvent one's masterpiece without betraying its spirit nor fall into redundancy is one thing. Going as far as to pull the rug out from underneath all narrative FPS's and emotion merchants who planned to come in the coming months is another. But anyway, that wouldn't be the first impudence of BioShock Infinite. Not to fly up to Columbia and explore such a beautifully written journey would be a crime; not to meet the most alive NPC ever that is Elizabeth would be a shame.
  15. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    I don't know how else to tell you that this is the game videogames were made for. It’s the game every other designer wishes they could make. It’s a watershed moment for our industry, and I’d be hard pressed to tell you that anything that came before is better. More so, however, I can’t imagine that anything else, in my lifetime, will top this. All bold statements, I know, but this is it and I’m reviewing it. BioShock Infinite is the sort of game we dream of reviewing. It’s the Ocarina of Time of this generation (only infinitely better), and will be talked about and analysed for years to come.
  16. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    Sky-lines, the suspended tracks you can use to ride through levels like a rollercoaster, turn the first-person shooting into a first-person thrillride. It delivers a new FPS experience entirely, where you hold your breath at the apex of a sky-line before screaming down the rail so fast that no bullet can touch you. You won’t have access to sky-line mobility in the lion’s share of the fights--but when you do, it’s an absolute rush.
  17. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    Dealing with themes like religion, racism, and xenophobia, Columbia is a richer and more nuanced setting than even Rapture, and the unveiling of the city’s culture is masterfully executed.
  18. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    Bioshock Infinite is both a breathtaking achievement in videogame storytelling and a marquee example of a game that will stick with you long after you see everything it has to offer. Calling it simply a first-person shooter is practically an insult. If you can make it through the game without being emotionally affected - or even experiencing a bit of an existential crisis - you need to check your pulse immediately.
  19. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    As a game, BioShock Infinite has its successes and its falterings consistent with any suitably complex piece of interactive entertainment. As a story, as an exercise in drawing the player into a believable and relevant world, as proof of exactly what a videogame can mean to a person ... Well, I already said it. BioShock Infinite is damn near perfect.
  20. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    Placing bets for best game of the year? We have a solid tip for you.
  21. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    BioShock: Infinite isn’t just one of the best games of 2013, but also of the twenty-first century. The themes and storytelling are unparalleled and are approached from multiple points of view, without being at the expense of the first-person shooter-action. Besides, BioShock: Infinite is a title that gamers really needed after all these years.
  22. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    Undoubtedly the finest game crafted by Irrational Games, BioShock Infinite is one of the best told stories of this generation. It simply cannot be missed.
  23. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    BioShock Infinite doesn't blur the lines between your reality and the game's to quite the same extent as its predecessor, but it's a more complete and polished story, and that's the thing you'll remember.
  24. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    For everything it has to say, for all the questions it asks —many of which have no easy answers — BioShock Infinite's big thoughts and complicated narrative don't obscure the brilliant action game that carries those messages through.
  25. Mar 25, 2013
    100
    Bioshock Infinite is a magical experience on every level. Despite a few glitches and a couple of issues with pacing in the later parts, this game is already a clear candidate for game of the year.
  26. Mar 25, 2013
    96
    BioShock Infinite is no doubt the most profound game I’ve played in a very long time. Take from it what you will, whether it’s an adrenaline pumping shooter experience or a deeper, intellectual experience or both, the almost perfect and flawless game is worth taking the time to play. This game will be rivaled by few for Game of The Year 2013.
  27. Apr 3, 2013
    95
    The combat wore thin, the collection aspect is archaic, yet the narrative payoff is worth every hindrance. That speaks volumes to the construction of the story Ken Levine and his team at Irrational Games have achieved here.
  28. Apr 3, 2013
    95
    BioShock Infinite is such a fun game with an incredible atmosphere. The long wait has been worth it and Irrational Games has done an incredible job at bringing Booker, Elizabeth, and Columbia to life.
  29. Apr 1, 2013
    95
    From character clothing, to the architecture of buildings and the molding’s and bits of machinery and piping that seem to have something to do with how the city is staying in the air. It fires the imagination and puts that spark into adventure once again.
  30. Mar 26, 2013
    95
    A mind blowing experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat for most of the ten-plus hours of your adventure in the beautiful sky city of Columbia.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3606 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Bioshoke Infinite is a good game. It is also overated, over-hyped and someone less than the coming-of-the-Messiah it pretends to be. Infinite has wonderful ambience and atmosphere. The city of Columbia was built with passion and care. The art STYLING is brilliant. Likewise the main characters are sublime. Certain set-pieces are BRILLIANT. Yet finally this game does not stand up as a product that is worth $60. It is far too short and the shooting/exploring elements are far too limited, a kind of theatrical filler between the numerous set-pieces of this scenic railroad. Good though it is, this is a game to wait for. Wait till the hype blows over and get it when it hits its true value of around $20. The combat is fun but not challenging. Enemy AI is weak. The game is also far too linear and NARROW in terms of both player progress and narrative. The game finally exposes its true weaknesses, after many great moments when the plot falls to pieces at the end with one of the most head-scratching (in a negative sense) and RIDICULOUS conclusions you will ever see in a game. The ending is not deep. It is not a philosphical marvel. It's an incoherent mess that will have you wondering what the team at Irrational Games have been smoking for the last FIVE YEARS. While the anti-American Exceptionism is fairly amusing is is also over-played. Doesn't Ken Levine understand the word subtlety? Bioware Infinite is definitely a game to be enjoyed when the price comes down. I understand the desire of users to praose any game to the heavens. It happened also with Skyrim, which simply was also not very good. Keep waiting boys and girls, a true 10/10 game will get made eventually. Enough dudes are working at it. Full Review »
  2. 10
    The graphics are so mesmerizing, I almost forget to move on with the game play. The setting, the story, the way Elizabeth interacts with you--I am stunned and in awe--This game was fun without being frustrating in combat and challenges-- PERFECTION--PURE PERFECTION A eloquent way to say good-bye to this generation of consoles. Kudos Full Review »
  3. I really don't understand why are people so overwhelmed by this game. Lets see first thing is graphics, well this is such a clever ruse, all that bloom, fog and light shafts are well placed to cover poor models and textures in general(and I am not a person who praise graphics but this simply couldn't be overlooked). Next thing is horrible collision zones, at first it was not a big deal but it became more and more annoying. Also difficulty is pretty low i cannot even imagine how easier the game could get on lower difficulties. Story and characters are mix up of several clichés with several ups and downs and for once finally useful sidekick on the contrary enemy AI is quite poor and you will see big number of enemies stucked in some obstacle. There is also that unpleasant fact that this game embrace only checkpoint saves. So not being a fanboy nor hater i have to say Bioshock Infinite is pretty average game with tremendous hype, I'm glad i got my copy free because otherwise i would be really really angry at myself for wasting money. P.S. for all the people that say Bioshock is best rated FPS in history just check Half Life 2 and see for yourself Full Review »