BioShock Infinite Xbox 360
User Score
8.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 882 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 765 out of 882
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 882
  3. Negative: 74 out of 882

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  1. CannonBlaster
    May 23, 2013
    9
    Its a worthy successor to the original. The story can get too much at the end, but overall it's really enjoyable. The gameplay is very satisfying, I mean I never felt so good blowing someone's head off, however unlike Bioshock 1, it doesn't tie end with the story, it's just there. With that said though, everything else is enjoyable. The characters are lovable and the story is fresh. I would highly recommend you play this game.… Expand
  2. querds
    May 22, 2013
    10
    Infinite manages to blend so many themes, all of them pertinent to the central characters and story, that the game becomes a piece of artwork just as much as a video game by the end. From a disconcerting portrayal of American exceptionalism to an examination on the dangers of idolatry and jingoism, Infinite incessantly pushes the envelope of what a video game can, and is willing to, portray. Engaging and varied combat and an exceptionally smart partner in Elizabeth only add to the great experience this game provides. The absolutely mind-blowing ending doesn't hurt either.… Expand
  3. fukery3
    May 21, 2013
    9
    A lot of thought and hard work really went into this one. The music, gameplay, AI, and story are very meticulously crafted to the point where it flows almost seamlessly. The game even does the unthinkable and makes a reality-warp based story fairly sensical and without too many plotholes. At its heart, its an FPS sure... but it stands above and beyond the rest. In terms of fun, I'm not sure it deserves a 10/10 from me as I like strategy games and horror games a bit more.

    The gameplay is a lot better than most people give it credit for but the difficulty gaps between heavy enemies and regular enemies is a bit jarring. Plus it gets very repetitive, enter room kill hostile wave, prepare for next hostile wave. It makes for some parts of the game feeling like a chore to complete.

    But the story is unbelievable and like nothing I've seen so I can't give this game anything less than a 9.    … Expand
  4. Stormforce100
    May 18, 2013
    10
    Going to keep it short and simple, this is one of the best story driven games ever made. If you see comments about shooting and vigors not being perfect or that the story isn't great, ignore them. This is essentially a fantastically written book made into a video game. If you have more than 2 brain cells to rub together and like to think for yourself rather than being spoon-fed then you will love this! Brilliant game, emotionally engaging and damn fun, buy it now and be glad you did!!… Expand
  5. dontbuybioshock
    May 17, 2013
    0
    I paid $60 plus California sales tax just to beat a highly overrated game in less than seven hours. Graphics are terrible and the weapons aren't impressive... I've had this game on Craigslist for $35 for about a week and no bites yet. Worst video game purchase I've ever made.
  6. VonSeux
    May 17, 2013
    6
    I started playing today and found the ambiance of the game very weak. Once it reaches Columbia we see a very rich scenario and many people talking, but it is not possible to interact with any of them Even the kid who is selling newspapers. Several games do it why can't I talk to nobody happens here?? I got the feeling that my character was an invisible ghost. Soon after, at the racism rock scene we have to make a choice but no matter the choice the result will be the same and the city immediately turns into a ghost place where there are only policemen appearing one after another, CoD style, without any trace of virtual intelligence; on these aspects Dihonored is infinitely better and more developed.… Expand
  7. CaptainCornhole
    May 16, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Does this game live up to all the hype? In some areas it does, in other areas it falls short. The bests aspects of the game are its characters, setting, semantics and story. While the combat is arguably one of the games lower points. In many places the combat seems terribly scripted and some of the level design is awfully generic. And sadly there isn't that much variation in the enemies, the adversaries shown off in the trailer only make brief appearances in the latter half of the game. My biggest gripe however is the plot, I won't spoil anything, but too me it seems like the developers ran out of ideas and came up with a plot twist that would extend the length of the game. Sadly though in the process they throw every thing that was important during the first half out the window, characters, setting and even semantics.

    All that said, it is still a very enjoyable experience, and despite the poor engine optimization I would highly recommend this game.    … Expand
  8. H360
    May 15, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A brilliant shooter that nudges the entire genre forward with innovations in both storytelling and gameplay. It trips over itself in a couple of spots, but not in any way that should keep you from embracing it with your utmost enthusiasm.… Expand
  9. patzimm221
    May 14, 2013
    10
    This game is absolutley flawless, and has above nd beyond visuals ...the gameplay is outstandimg...excellent vigors.
    Nd alot of weapons to use...this is the best bioshock of the series...the game is aboit 12-15hrs if your the type of gamer thaat searches everything....best 360 game of 2013
  10. Decentgamer23
    May 14, 2013
    10
    Bioshock Infinite is by far a fun game. But far from "completely perfect" is it good? Yes!
    In the previous bioshock you where under water in a hellish place which was a survival horror game.
    Well infinite takes that aspect and tosses it. Its now a first person shooter action adventure game. But lemme tell you its loads of fun. The ending will leave you with you scratching your head but t    rust me after another play through (which you will want to do) it'll all make sense to you. I actually found myself having a "crush" on Elizabeth! The bioshock team did a great job here humanizing Elizabeth and Booker. Its really fun and very memorable. I wouldn't be surprised if it wins game of the year. I won't give this a 10 cause I would've loved to see alternate endings but there are none here. Don't get me wrong its still a great game!… Expand
  11. breakingmad
    May 14, 2013
    9
    Bioshock Infinite is a game with great game-play, visuals and keeps you entertained throughout with an exiting storyline that grasps your attention from beginning to end.
  12. Jefrock766
    May 13, 2013
    10
    Alright, so the first Bioshock has been out since 2007 and was a jaw dropping theme then, what with the game changing art style, revolutionary gameplay, it really was a spectacle to see be released on the 360. Then it came to Bioshock 2, and as far as it goes to say, it was a good reason to hop back on the bathysphere to explore more that the city of Rapture had to offer. But now, with a step out of the water to take a breath of fresh air in a city up in the clouds, Columbia. As soon as you get shot up into this unbelievable town. Where as it doesn't start the action right away, this is actually a good thing because it gives you a chance to take everything in, really take in all the sights of this game Irrational Games has been on for years. Since I was already a big fan of the other two, you bet I had my copy pre-ordered and I awaited til midnight to get my chance to play this magnificent game, and definitely was not disappointed. Among other things, you will notice right away that it feels kind of different from the past two games, but still the same similarity. The combat in this game is where it really takes the cake, it's like they had finally read the complaints about the other games in the means of combat and DID something about it, and that is why I see this gaming company going farther with a series like this, which I hope they really do, even though the ending in this game, leaves you with a mind enough as it is. What I really love about this game, is that the protagonist Booker DeWitt, actually has a voice to be heard, and an opinion around every corner, so that you can really grow closer to how Booker feels and thinks about most things, building a connection. The sky-lines are a cool aspect in this game, although not really used as much as I thought they would be, being a major way to travel around the city and around combat, however, I suppose it actually is a good thing that it is not revolved around such an aspect, since it could get old pretty fast, leaving the sequences still to be looked forward to when they happen. Kind of like the ordeals with Songbird when Elizabeth's guardian shows up to do its job, these are really fun sequences that just don't happen that often. Now, they do have many options to choose in this game, where you might think it could make a huge difference in the gameplay later or change how the game plays, this is not really the case however, feel free to make choices without much penalty to the outlook of the story. All in all, this game lives up from its predecessors, and keeps the Bioshock name awesome as ever. If you're considering about trying this game, you're overthinking the answer will always be yes, even if you weren't a big fan of the first one, the ending of this game is completely mind-bottling and changes how you could look at things. This is definitely the kind of ending, when you finish it, you will want to find a friend who's finished it as well and have a long, deep conversation with them about what they thought it all meant over a cup of tea. I give Bioshock Infinite, 10/10… Expand
  13. jthiel09
    May 13, 2013
    9
    I don't think any game deserves a perfect score because hopefully developers continue to strive for perfection for a game with updates throughout it's cycle but if any game deserves an almost perfect score it would be this.

    The story is solid, one of the best any game can give you, and the game play is equally impressive. If you a fan of Bioshock or Bioshock 2 you'll love this game. An    yone that gives this game a 0 isn't being fair to the game and the people who worked hard to give us an amazing experience.

    And if someone says the 1999 mode isn't hard enough please prove it.    … Expand
  14. bingbongbananas
    May 13, 2013
    6
    Bioshock Infinite has the pleasure of being an incredibly good looking game with interesting movement mechanics (skyhooks) and a relatively likable support character (no small feat for a video game). However, it has the misfortune of having some of the most shallow gunplay this year, complete with two-weapon slots and a pointless upgrade system. The voice acting is a particular low-point, since Troy Baker's impression of a gruff detective needs to have dull, blasé responses for everything, his ennui neatly mirroring my own. The story has a habit of being on-off. When the story is its strongest, we fight to rescue Elizabeth. At its worst, the game pushes half-assed agendas that wouldn't be subtle to even the CoD-playing, lowest common denominator of gamer. These types of "grandiose" ideas take you out of the story, since it no longer focuses on the survival and dependency of two decent characters in gaming. All in all, Infinite is decent but lazy; since most of the time is spent on combat (acceptable FPS combat, in all fairness), the lame political dialog often feels jarring and is painful to have to sit through.… Expand
  15. YixsXBL
    May 11, 2013
    7
    Visually amazing, but overall in my humble opinion it wasnt as amazing as everyone is saying, the reason i never ended up beating this game was because i lost 2 hours of progress due to save issues and it just happened to be the part where you backtracked in the future and different paralleled worlds.... that ruined it for me still good just wish that never happened
  16. SgtPepper93
    May 11, 2013
    10
    A brilliant shooter with an awesome story. Sometimes I think it got a little carried away from the original formula, but that reflects his own originality
  17. satts1
    May 10, 2013
    0
    First off definitely not worth the price of £35. Not a patch on the original games. It is a point and shoot pure and simple. All it is, is deranged police security coming after you in droves and other enemies I have yet to encounter. The game jumps from a few minutes of welcome serenity to complete chaos with bullets and rockets flying from all directions for apparently no reason whatsoevver. I have been playing it for several hours but most of that time has been spent shooting at something (and there is no way around this you have to engage the next battle to progress the game, which I cannot wait to end so that I can chuck it back on ebay). I am struggling to find anything that involves even a small amount of thought or skill. What is the sky hook thing all about? It just flings you about all over the place or this the 'skill' element of game that needs to be learned? It may just as well have been a spider man trick or a jet pack it has no relevance to the game.
    The only impressive thing about this game is the graphics and detail, but what is the point of applying all this detail to a building that isn't reachable to explore or to an object you can only admire but not do anything with??
    The creators of this game have missed the point big time. I hate it because you have to play it the way it wants you to and the outcome is always the same shoot, shoot, shoot.... Dull, Dull, Dull.    … Expand
  18. monster_meal
    May 9, 2013
    10
    This game was an incredible experience for me, start to finish. The art design and characters were great, and the story made me want to keep playing until I had beaten the whole game. I had a blast with the skyhook. In my opinion, this game surpassed the original Bioshock.
  19. Ravenous
    May 9, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bioshock Infinite was a HUGE disappointment. One of the most overrated games ever. Here's why:

    The weapon/ammo system was FAR less engaging than in the previous Bioshock. I was bored to death with Infinite’s extremely limited combat mechanics.

    Sadly, there was none of the cool gadget-type stuff that helped make the previous game so much fun: no hacking, no trap ammo, etc. I wanted to be using all kinds of different ammo, setting traps with my weapons (trap rivets, spear traps, etc.), hacking lots of machines to fly around and help me out…. but none of that was in this game. I couldn’t believe it.

    The powers/perks system was pretty boring this time around too. No ice power so you could freeze enemies? WTF?

    The enemies themselves were also boring as hell. There was nowhere near the variety of interesting splicers and whatnot from the previous game. Most of the time it seemed like you just fought regular-type dudes, and every once in a while you’d fight a robot patriot guy. YAAAAAAWN. The enemy selection for Infinite was downright awful.

    No Big Daddies/Little Sisters? That is a Bioshock trademark, and yet they took that out and replaced it with really lackluster enemies. Unbelievable.

    Lastly, Elizabeth was there to do the rogue-ish stuff (i.e. pick locks), but a huge flaw was that she didn’t really contribute much to the actual fighting. She should have been able to use her powers to damage/confuse enemies, but instead she just threw you ammo every once in a while and allowed you to open “tears” which weren’t very interesting.

    Overall, the story/characters/graphics were very good, but the gameplay was downright TERRIBLE. Bioshock Infinite just wasn’t fun at all.    … Expand
  20. Viadorn
    May 9, 2013
    7
    Bioshock Infinite is an FPS, albeit one with ambition. It also has one of the most headspinning endings of any game I've ever played (and I've played more than a few). It is a game that I appreciated a great deal more after I'd finished it, and in the days that followed the ending and the story stayed in my mind much more so than the gameplay, which in my opinion was the game's primary weakness.

    The world of Bioshock Infinite Columbia together with Elizabeth, one of the key supporting characters, really bring much of the game to life. Booker, the character you play as, I found to be a very difficult character to relate to and all the way through the game I found this to be a source of frustration. After all, he's basically two arms and a gun who happens to say and do some very stupid things across the course of the game.Though this is likely deliberate.

    Back to the gameplay; in Bioshock we had Plasmids, here we have Vigors. Pretty much the same things, and some of the Vigors are pretty imaginative. And guns, lots of guns. And many, many enemies. I think the sheer volume of combat was what brought the experience down for me, if I'm honest.

    In Bioshock Infinite, you'll often wander into an area, minding your own business, when suddenly, somehow every man and his dog in a mile's radius will not only immediately recognise you, but come charging at you firing weapons, rockets, grenades and allsorts. What the hell!?! All I can say is, Columbia must have the world's greatest optician if so many people can immediately recognise someone they've never met before from 100 yards away and around the corner.

    I found the combat to be complete chaos, and the sheer volume of it made the game something of a chore in my mind. The odd thing about it is, I really enjoyed the original Bioshock, and to a lesser extent Bioshock 2. If there were one thing I could change in Bioshock Infinite, it would be the combat. Having recently finished Far Cry 3 and having enjoyed it immensely, I think Bioshock Infinite suffered somewhat in the inevitable comparison.

    Despite not loving the combat, I plowed on through it because I wanted to get to the story and although some of the twists became predictable (one or two in particular) the story for me was where it's at.

    Thinking back across the story, there's a lot of foreshadowing the events that follow that will likely make replaying the game worthwhile, and for those who can find fun in the combat there's "1999 Mode". As I spent most of the actual year 1999 in an alcohol induced stupour I was initially tempted to check this out until I realised that it was basically the same game again with greater difficulty.

    All told, there's a good time to be had with Bioshock Infinite, it's story, setting characters, and sounds are a cut above those found in the typical modern videogame, and if you like your FPSes, this is likely the game for you.    … Expand
  21. TheMaximalist
    May 7, 2013
    9
    Bioshock Infinite triumphs over all of todays modern military shooters delivering a complex story, evolved gameplay mechanics and only falling short on sound design and graphics. Anyone that gives this a bad review is an obnoxious COD fanboy who have no right to be posting their "superior opinion" it is time that people grow up and look for an intelligent shooter like this.
  22. monkeycatt
    May 7, 2013
    10
    Believe the hype! It's game of the year and if you don't think so, you just don't know. (note: GTA V is not out at the time of the writing). Who needs tacked on multiplayer? nobody.
  23. Thegreatfarter
    May 6, 2013
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The original BioShock was an utterly unforgettable experience. This game, however, doesn't reach that point, nor does it come anywhere close to it. You see, what made the original BioShock a masterpiece is that it created a truly interesting and original work of fiction. Infinite, on the other hand, just reworks pieces of the 2009 star trek film along with elements of Dr Who and season one of fringe, as well as an non-existent back story, an underdeveloped setting, poorly integrated/inconsistent elements (vigors, Comstock's motivation's, etc etc) and uninteresting characters. Elizabeth is loveable, but loveable and interesting are not one in the same. Only three things about BioShock Infinite are improved from the first BioShock, the shooting mechanics, better ending, and a more personalized (but still more generic) story. The political themes also aren't as well developed either, with the extent of their development being that they are mentioned in the first place. Comstock is probably the biggest disappointment with the extent of his development being that he is a racist, moronic, bad guy with non-nonsensical motivations.… Expand
  24. PixelAddict1
    May 6, 2013
    10
    My fave game this gen, surpassing my previous #1 Demon's Souls.

    Story is solid, graphics/mechanics are some of the best of any game made, and the artistic style is unique and memorable. Sounds, movements, voice acting, all top notch as well. Weapons and vigors are balanced and offer unique ways to attack each area. Not to be missed.

    If you are a gamer, you owe it to yourself to at     least experience this game.… Expand
  25. trppy86
    May 6, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I loved the original bioshock games, thinking i wasnt going to like this one im glad to have been proven wrong. Its simply a stunning looking game with a decent story. It has everything to love from the first two games and more! and the ending takes you back to rapture for a short while which i thought was a real nice way to give fans that feeling of being home. I know most fans when they say it said "WOW its Rapture" i know i did. Hoping for another bioshock adventure!… Expand
  26. Bloodshed113094
    May 5, 2013
    4
    The story is well thought out with an ending that will either leave you happy or have you discussing it with you're friend. Now I'll completely ignore that considering THIS IS A SHOOTER! Story games like The Walking Dead are fine for having a great story because that is the focus, but Bioshock Infinite makes gameplay just as much, if not more, of the focus.
    Ignoring the plot may be hard,     but going into this a huge of the series, I was disappointed that it "went Halo" as The Spoony One aptly put it. Vigors are useless after you get the shotgun, all guns except for the shotgun and carbine are quickly ignored and There is NO REPLAY VALUE!!! For a game that is begging to be liked by shooter and Bioshock fans alike, It lets the fans down way to much.… Expand
  27. horsemann12
    May 4, 2013
    10
    I am a huge fan of the series, but it's safe to say that BioShock Infinite tops everyone of the other releases. First, I would like to say that the ending it provides will give you a headache but blows your mind at the same time. BioShock Infinite is one of the only games that has taken a step back from the other games and succeeded with a fairly different type of game. This game keeps you amazed and excited the entire ride. If you haven't played go out right now, and buy it.… Expand
  28. JayBe89
    May 3, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sorry, but this game is just OVERRATED! I finished it two times, and I'm a huge bioshock fan, but there are so many flaws, that's why this game doens't deserve a good rating.
    Here a the biggest mistakes, imho:

    - poor weapon upgrades hello? bioshock's power to the people upgrades where kickass, and you could see them directly on your weapons!!!! )
    - Songbird is just.... lame?! he hasn't any own story, no character, he just shows up a few times, screams, looks angry, just to die in the end! I mean, hell, the Big Daddys where so creepy, and they had a own story, but this birdy is just a lifeless object, and obviously, the developers didn't want to give him a purpose or an own story!

    - Elisabeth: POOOOR relationship between her and the main character. She is only tossing coins and amo, and runs away one time because she is mad at you... I mean, COME ONE! Even my unborn son could construct a more emotional, deeper relationship between this to main protagonists..

    - Story: Okay, the end is cool, BUT! The motivations of the inhabtians of columbia to blast my head off didn't satisfied me... in Bioshock, the splicers where degenerated junkies, most of them just wanted to kill and loot me. But in Infinite, the whole City just turned mad, and it just feels kinda unrealistic...

    I give 5 points, because I still enjoyed playing this game. But after you have finished the game, and you start to reflect and think about the story, you will have to admit, that this game isn't that great, as we all thought it would be...    … Expand
  29. xHEISENBERGx
    May 1, 2013
    10
    Initially, Bioshock Infinite caught my eye in a passing manner. I was certainly interested, but didn't really anticipate it like some prior releases. As soon as I picked it up, though, it was immediately clear this game went above and beyond the expectations set forth by the current generation of FPS games. I admit, I was a fan of the first Bioshock. The tone and atmosphere were great, and the concept captured my imagination. Though I had some minor gripes with some gameplay mechanics, and polish issues, it was and still is a great game. Bioshock infinite on the other hand, blew me away with its great storytelling and fluid gameplay.
    First off, the look of the game. Its certainly not as gritty and textured as some games, but I really don't feel that is the point. Its stylized, and for a purpose. To encapsulate the bright and floaty feel the city should take, and to emphasize the time period. From the characters, to the city, to the machines; it all fits within the confines of the look and feels natural. Though it initially starts off bright and scenic, the colors dampen and darken as you turn the stones to reveal the dark underbelly of the cities politics.
    The story and setting are amazing. The city is a wonder, and its great to explore. It is filled with voxophones (audio diaries) and other historical items to expand upon the universe, but even when I had collected all of them I wanted to learn more. The story, without any real spoilers, isn't limited to the fantastical and faces very real issues of the time. From religious fanaticism to racism, the human element is very prevalent. But it is all centered around the main character, Booker Dewitt. A veteran and former Pinkerton, who is hired to bring a girl to New York in exchange for wiping clean his gambling (and other) debts. And from the girl, Elizabeth, to the prophet Comstock, to the rebellion leader Fitzroy, everyone has a part in the story, and everyone is as colorful and thought out as the next.
    Game-play, I found, was very fluid and in my experiences cinematic. If you have played the first Bioshock at all you would know that tandem use of plasmids (known as Vigors in Infinite) and guns were difficult and unwieldy. You had to either equip weaponry OR plasmid. In Infinite, thankfully they are more seamlessly combined. Though a similar layout is used (left trigger vigor, right trigger gun), you can now keep your weapon equipped and use left trigger to instantly blast out a vigor. Weapons themselves are your standard affair: pistol, machine gun, shotgun, etc. But the vigors are the standouts. This time around, vigors are a bit more refined, as Bioshock had many great vigors, they were too varied and too specialized. The creators have now smartly combined traps and instant use as a secondary and primary fire, and thus vigors can be used several ways each. Lastly, the sky lines. These things are GREAT. Not only for travel, which is fun to zip through areas anyway, but in combat it is awesome to lunge onto one to get a birds eye view of the battle or to buy some time and heal up.
    I could go on for MUCH MUCH longer about the companion aspect with Elizabeth, which Infinite may be credited with being the first game to get it right, to Songbird, the Infinite Big Daddy equivalent, to the thought provoking story-line, but I have limited words on this tiny box. One thing I can say is, PLAY THIS GAME! You wont regret this purchase!    … Expand
  30. Somapix
    May 1, 2013
    8
    If you've not played it yet, there are probably some key questions you want answered. Does it look good? Absolutely. The art direction is stunning, the graphics have a unique style that borders on cartoony but with a sense of realism, and the attention to detail in the world-building is wonderful.

    Is the story engaging? Very much so, although I can see how it wouldn't be to everyone's t    aste. I've seen it labelled as 'pretentious' in certain places, and while I entirely disagree with that particular adjective if you're the sort of person who just wants simple to-the-point action this won't be for you. The story is deep, interesting and steeped in meta-physics with a heavy dose of socio-political themes. It's also at times incredibly moving and tense, and had me gripped throughout.

    Are the characters likeable, believable and interesting? Yes, especially Elizabeth who is one of the most endearing character I've ever encountered in a video game. Her animations, voice acting and dialogue are all great, and she just got more interesting as the story went on.

    Does it play well? Mmmmm, yes and no. Compared to most modern FPS games the pace is much slower and the actual shooting aspect is a little clunky (which led to a few frustrating encounters when the action gets hectic). That said, it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the game experience as a whole. You're meant to take in all of the details and engage with the world around you, not rush through shooting everything. Elizabeth is also the best example of an AI character working alongside you in a game I've played in a long time.

    So, is it good? I thoroughly enjoyed it. The whole thing is a satisfying package that I'm glad I played. I was left with a few unanswered questions at the end which was a little disappointing, and at a few points the shooting mechanics led to frustration, but nothing which would stop me from playing through it again and again. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I liked the first Bioshock game, but it's definitely one of the best games i've played in the last few years.    … Expand
  31. dokwa
    Apr 30, 2013
    9
    I found Bioshock Infinite too be great. I loved the atmosphere of Columbia, I liked the visuals and its lighting buoyancy. I felt immersed. It is a beautiful setting but I wished for more missions in daylight Columbia. It just kept getting darker and darker as I progress through the game.
    Gameplay wise, it is good, although quite simple. It was a run and gun shooting game but I still     liked the fights. The Sky rails are a good addition. The rails never felt unnecessary and I often use them to defeat enemies. Some people may be disappointed by the fact that you can only bring two guns at a time but I consider them as a way of balancing the game, especially when you are faced with various enemies. The vigors are never overpowering and quite fun too use though I wished for more variety. Enemies are varied enough but I wished that the other mini bosses would have more presence in the game. Elizabeth is a smart AI partner too. A player never has to babysit her, although there a few glitches with her like she would simply be stuck in a wall.

    For the plot, I appreciate how Irrational gives a setting that is not common in games but I found the game having too large a scope in the story. The plot never really focused much on Columbia. The plot never really touched on the city's issues like racism, revolution, religious and patriotic extremism. The city and these themes only felt like a backdrop for the game. The plot focuses much on the main characters but forgets Columbia. The plot's ending was the only really interesting part of the story. The story in the middle part felt unnecessary, especially at Fink's factory portion. Nonetheless, the ending was shocking and memorable. However, I think that the ending was not original because I believe there are other sci-fi stories with similar alternating timelines or dimensions kind of story having similar twists.

    To sum it all up, the game is just simply wonderful despite some flaws and I recommend this game to everyone.    … Expand
  32. GFC
    Apr 29, 2013
    9
    Bioshock Infinite is a great game. It has an incredibly well crafted story. The time flies while playing this game. Although fight after fight can be repetitive and there is no penalty for dieng the rest of the game makes up for it.
  33. Ericmcc2
    Apr 29, 2013
    8
    First thing you will notice is that this game will suck you in. Then after a while though the charm will wear off and you will no longer feel that special feeling when playing the game. Still amazing voice acting and plot.
  34. toddisballin
    Apr 28, 2013
    7
    I liked BioShock Infinite, I didn't love it.

    The gameplay is decent, sometimes it feels like a chore. The story leading up to the "twist" keeps you entertained and Elizabeth is an exciting/interesting character. Whenever I needed ammo, she was there.

    The ending was...okay? I don't think you can fully understand it without going online and reading 100+ forums/threads. We were expe    cting the twist and it probably delivered for some...… Expand
  35. MonsieurBobo
    Apr 27, 2013
    10
    I registered on Metacritic five minutes ago so that I could review this game, having just finished it only ten minutes ago and recalling some of the divided opinions I had read here before purchasing the game. First: Wow. Second: I didn't think I'd be saying "wow" at the end. From the point where I was about halfway to three quarters finished with the game, I was a little disappointed. I felt that the mission structure and core gameplay (i.e. go to this place, kill everyone, repeat) was growing tedious and, despite the variability in combat options, I didn't love how frequently I was holding down the right trigger. That notwithstanding, I stuck with it because the world the gamemakers had built was so engrossing, the scenery so magnificent, the voice acting so surprisingly incredible. Since I grew tired with the main gameplay itself, I was tempted to just look up the story ending online, but didn't. And I'm glad I played it through and experienced it the right way. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I'll just say that by the time the game ends, you feel like you're at the end of an epic poem, the beginning of which unfolded before your eyes at the start without you even realizing the epic on which you were embarking. To readers who have played, I assume you know what I mean. To readers who are playing, stick with it, I promise you it's worth slogging through the endless combat to reach a beguiling and intoxicating conclusion. To readers who haven't yet started: what are you waiting for? This is one of the good ones.… Expand
  36. MGTE
    Apr 27, 2013
    9
    I have had the best gaming expierience playing this game. The story is deep and well built, atmosphere in a racial community is also top notch. As for gameplay mechanics, there is nothing very special, same thing with Vigors(powers) in Bioshock, these are not very useful i ended up not using them throughout the game. Overall, Bioshock: Infinite is a great game with a great story(probably the best story in gaming history, seriously) and with a characters that are believable and likeble this game deserves a 9/10. Epic story/Believable characters/Decent gameplay.… Expand
  37. lionalio
    Apr 27, 2013
    8
    This game failed to impress me at some point: first, no map navigation, so wandering around and have no idea where to go is confusing. Second: the large enemies are much more annoying and not so villainous as the BigDaddy, and third: No choice affect the final ending. Nevertheless, the great story and good gameplay shows that this game is a great candidate for GOTY this year. Worth playing anyway.
  38. NeezyBoy
    Apr 27, 2013
    8
    I love the Bioshock series and Bioshock Infinite is a great game that contains a great story but what it lacks is the multiple endings that could be obtained by doing something differently in the game like in Bioshock 2. It also would have been nice if they had included the multiplayer side of things as well that way we could see a variety of game modes played on maps that consist of ground and rails.… Expand
  39. gamingmad
    Apr 27, 2013
    10
    Loved every minute of the game the graphics, the sounds effects, the guns and the way the story line was it was perfect hope to see another game like this on PS4.
  40. Avenger2
    Apr 27, 2013
    10
    This game is just amazing simple as that with great graphics and gameplay this has a great story and I think the ending is satisfying the game is just simply amazing
  41. Awkwardmeerkat
    Apr 26, 2013
    9
    Games have gone a far way since the early days. storytelling is more effective and having the ability to be very interested in characters have made for some very strong games. Bioshock infinite however blows any other game out of the water. With it's beauty it's hard not to be moved, especially during the first sequence. The characters are extremely interesting. Elizabeth, A 17 year old girl that happens to have the ability too open tears which are basically trans-dimensional portals, is the star of the game with an interesting back story. Then you yourself play as Booker Dewitt off to repay your dept by going to the floating city of Columbia to retrieve Elizabeth. The game makes it simple "Give us the girl and wipe away the dept". Though there is one thing that just gets me angry. The fact that at times the game play got in the way of storytelling with enemies being "MASSIVE BULLET SPONGES". People have complained that the vigors are just sort of there when plasmids from Bioshock 1 represented the fall of rapture and had a perfect mixture of fitting them into game play and story. In Bioshock infinite there is a audio log that you can find explaining their existence but i won't spoil it. So at the end of the day Bioshock Infinite is an amazing game but sometimes the actually game parts can get in the way of story… Expand
  42. CityofTreez
    Apr 26, 2013
    10
    An engaging experience that must not be missed. The games still feels very "Bioshock" like while doing some things better. Not perfect, but no game is.
  43. Brbreview
    Apr 26, 2013
    8
    The game overall is great it had a amazing story but the game play was average. The game should have let players carry more then one gun to increase the options you can choose from. But instead with 2 guns I would end up choosing the guns the did the most damage instead of experimenting with other guns. It was also annoying how you could complete the game by using the same vigor's. They should have made it so some enemies were weak against certain vigor. Though I really enjoyed the art style of the game but the graphics weren't to appealing in my opinion.… Expand
  44. vixenchan
    Apr 26, 2013
    8
    A good challenge, yet I would prefer they kept the old setup where you could have many many weapons instead of just two. The restriction makes it a little bit harder, and removes the fun of finding and improving your favorite weapons instead of relying on what ever is in there.
  45. FurrComedian
    Apr 25, 2013
    9
    What has been said has been said already, the only thing that I can say is that when you upgrade your weapons you don't really see it and the clothing perk system is a bit lacking, other than that its an amazing game.
  46. rockyzz
    Apr 25, 2013
    9
    This game is great, a real contender for GOTY, the story, Elizabeth and all of that awesome. But combat? It´s fun when there is skyline involved but some enemies and how they are combined... that´s pretty crazy, especially on 1999 mode.
    Definitely not a 10 for me, that would mean it´s perfect in every way, sadly the combat is only thing I don´t like on this game.
  47. Muffingman
    Apr 25, 2013
    10
    Amazing game, story completely blew me away! Also, I could spend all day riding the skylines, similar to swinging all over the city in spiderman 2. Once you replay the game a second time (which I recommend you do), your eyes open up to everything that you dismissed in the first play-through. I won't reveal anything, but I definitely missed a lot of little details that hinted at the story progression… Expand
  48. XboxAddict343
    Apr 24, 2013
    10
    Positives: Brilliant story with many plot twists Fairly good graphics for a 7 year old system (the Xbox 360) Fast combat pace will keep you on edge Great working mechanics Negatives: Some frame rate and pop in issues that hurt the eyes Small amount of end twists left UN answered (not sure if prequel/sequel baitiing but still) No real replay ability as the things you see cannot be unseen

    If you haven't played the other Bioshock games you will still love this game as it doesn't really touch on anything from the previous installments but if you have played the other games in the franchise, don't go into Infinite expecting the same things, be warned Columbia offers many new and different experiences and i'm sure you'll enjoy it either way

    9/10    … Expand
  49. CAP198462
    Apr 24, 2013
    6
    Overrated, it's like walking through a living history museum, you try to make the best of a bad situation, because you never wanted to go in the first place, then you get dragged off to go look at something your friend finds fascinating, which you don't. Not a bad experience, but not 10 quality.
  50. LiquidGamer
    Apr 24, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When reviewing a game with the Bioshock name it is important to take in to account the games that came before it. In no way does this game compare to the previous titles, but as a standalone game it is worth playing for the overall experience. However, I was not a fan of the majority of the new abilities, my favorite part of the story was the final sequences that were mainly story based with little action or excitement--visiting Rapture gave me memories of what some on Metacritic consider an "overated" game but the first Bioshock was revolutionary--not overated. In this podcaster's experience reviewing games Infinite was a good game but looking at the Critic Reviews, I feel it is overated. Listen to all my reviews on the show, Liquid Gamer Podcast http://waip.tripod.com… Expand
  51. TheBritishVault
    Apr 24, 2013
    10
    An Outstanding Game, perfect for any newcomer to the series. The sounds are incredible, AI Brilliant. This is easily the contender for Game Of The Year.

    Cant Wait for the DLC!
  52. Alcaclarke
    Apr 23, 2013
    5
    Really? Why is this game so highly rated? It's nowhere near the calibre of Bioshock 1 or Bioshock 2. This shouldn't even be called Bioshock at all. It's something completely different. The atmosphere that Rapture provided...non existent. The suspense that was Rapture...gone! Columbia felt like just another setting. Exploration is basic at best with no surprises or significant side stories to find.
    By the upteenth hour I just wanted this game to end. B1 and B2, I played several times over. I feel bad for all you gamers who rated this high. If this is what excites you in gaming then youre just as much a sucker as I am for letting myself be hyped up over this. All I could think about while playing was starting another playthrough of Bioshock 2...
    Gone are all the elements that made Bioshock grand! And what is with all the Critic reviews? 10/10 all over the place. Huh? What?! Even the Man Jim Sterling gave it a 10. I don't get it.
    Okay, it does have some great things about it. The Tears were great. The story was good. Gameplay was alright. All I found myself doing was stripping the areas down for resources. Other than that...what was there to explore?
    I don't know.... I was very dissapointed as a Bioshock fan. You should be too...    … Expand
  53. mna158
    Apr 22, 2013
    7
    Odd as it seems and no offense to the devs, but I really wanted this to be a Bethesda game. As good a little bit absurd the story and characters were, the designers presented me with a fantastic and interesting world but constrained me to one of the more linear and repetitive games I have played. I've heard it's better on the pc but combat felt jerky at times and the enemies repetitive. That said I enjoyed the guns at first and the magic (vigors) a lot. The story was just so slow and convoluted that the revelation at the end left me uncaring. Good game overall, not worth the hype or the replay.… Expand
  54. OttawaExile
    Apr 22, 2013
    9
    This is an excellent swan song for the 360. This beautiful well made game has been the beautiful story driven game I've been waiting (way too long) for. The use of weapons and plasmids, sorry vigors is just as fun and flexible as in the Rapture based games. It took everything we loved from the first game and transplanted them into this new venue. Now I don't feel that it surpassed the original (except in graphics) It did a great job with gameplay and storytelling but I don't think it really kicked it up a notch. Thats not a complaint, keeping the franchise on par with the original is a huge job which they did well. The addition of the skyhook was fun, allowing you to travel quickly above and below enemies giving fights more depth. The best addition is hands down Elizabeth. Having a companion who not only didn't need babysitting but actually helped YOU out during fights is an awesome feat which many games struggle with. It more than the new locale is what really made this feel like it was worth the wait. The only quibble I was left with was the fact that the story while interesting did not draw me in like Rapture did the first time. I know that judging it by its predecessor is not totally fair but it is what I kept thinking. And yes there is a twist at the end which I did not see coming and I was tying my brain in knots trying to predict what it would be. Bottom line is definitely buy it. It is a fun game with an engaging story, even if it did not surpass my high expectations it was still very good.… Expand
  55. MattJohn5
    Apr 22, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really enjoyed Bioshock 1 & 2, and rate amongst them the greatest games ever made, so for Infinite was really a no-brainer.

    The aspect of Bioshock I enjoyed the most was that it was based on Objectivism, which was a very interesting twist for a game, Infinite is based on the ideas of American Exceptionalism and labour unrest in the early 1900s... or so I thought!

    This game is to big to review, and introduces multiverse quantum physics and parallel worlds and outcomes very cleverly. The ending is hard to swallow and is definitely a jaw dropping moment. The link to Bioshock is also cleverly and subtly executed.

    In terms of gunplay, its not call of duty, and like in Bioshock 1, once you get to a certain character level you can dispose of foes relatively easily. The audio is also somewhat buggy at times but all of this is overlooked in the face of a monumental game, no not a game an idea.

    I really enjoyed this game and honestly I believe it deserves 10 stars as it is one of the most ambitious games I have ever played!    … Expand
  56. J-ivanF
    Apr 21, 2013
    10
    (SORRY FOR LANGUAGE) I just don't get how GOOD is BioShock Infinite. First of all, I wouldn't give the game 10 out of 10. A 9.5 would be excellent. About the game, the story is one of the most epic, tragic and dramatic I've ever seen and experienced. It never got down but some of the gameplay mechanics turned it kinda tedious. The only problems of the game were that at the nearly end the gameplay was turning repetitive, and that was a bit disappointing. Great visuals and you may have fun hearing covers from famous songs of all time and some references to many movies and TV shows. Also, Elizabeth is one of the best video game characters ever. Her personality, although not the coolest, it will convince you. But her relationship with Booker can become sometimes cold and weird.
    I don't know how does the PC version of the game runs, but this one sometimes has a lower FPS and textures that remind me the Nintendo 64.
    Overall, BioShock Infinite is a video game that puts the industry near from a new form of art, instead of a money-machine.    … Expand
  57. NOTarealcritic
    Apr 21, 2013
    10
    This game is amazing. I know that is like a broken record but MAN it really is incredible. The story. Characters. Gameplay even though the guns kinda look the same from one and other, that part didn't really bother me. Vigors. Columbia. Oh my GOD Columbia. This city is beautiful, it engages you to explore it, and the light effects are great in the city. Simply put is Awesome. And don't think the ending sucks because it makes you think, like a great sci-fi movie should do. Blade Runner, Inception, and others to name a few as inspiration for this game. So if you like sci-fi, steam punk, thought provoking story and ending, and great characters and fun gameplay than go BUY THIS GAME!

    *THUMBS UP! d(>w    … Expand
  58. Rem
    Apr 21, 2013
    10
    This game is a perfect example of what games should strive to be. Minor technical issues aside, the pacing was great, combat is as fun as ever, and the story is fantastic. Speaking of story, no other games rivals it in terms of ambition. The floating of city of Columbia is perfect example of architecture, and the art pops. The main character Booker, is more than a standard gruff dark history hero. His interactions with the young and beautiful Elizabeth paints an astounding chemistry of a father-daughter relationship. Finally the ending, the ending in short was not what I wanted. Does that it mean it was bad? No, it means that it was perfect in its complexity and design and the final scenes it has to offer got me rushing straight to the forums. Games like that are few and far between, but this one does it better. Overall, Bioshock Infinite is the game I wanted and a true successor to the original Bioshock and in some ways, may surpass it. Irrational Games have always created the most cherished and most ambitious games in history. Like their awesome games, Will the Circle Be Unbroken? Hopefully not.… Expand
  59. hgtrainer74
    Apr 20, 2013
    9
    I have been a huge fan of all of the Bioshocks for their storyline and creepy, entertaining gameplay. Bioshock Infinitte did not disappoint. The worlds are colorful yet have very ominous tones and you always have that feeling that something in this utopia is not quite right. The issues with race and religion are very intriguing and the ending makes up for the confusing storyline. The fighting is a little stiff and the vigors are not as strong and as useful as the plasmids in previous games. Elizabeth is an amazing character and really makes you love the game.… Expand
  60. DribbleGribble
    Apr 20, 2013
    4
    What happened to the gameplay following on from the great Bioshock 1 and 2?
    Bioshock Infinite has no right to have the word Bioshock in the title! Where's the choices and consequences? Where's the scares? Where's the excitement? This is the most dissappointing game I have ever played, based on my expectations!
  61. DanteKusagari
    Apr 20, 2013
    10
    BioShock 1 and 2 were awesome, but BioShock Infinite is AMAZING. Great gameplay, memorable characters, a huge story, and quite possibly the BEST ending to a video game i have EVER seen! I LOVE this game!
  62. mitchattitude
    Apr 19, 2013
    9
    As a massive fan of the first two Bioshock titles I didn't think this could be any better, boy was I wrong. Everything from the graphics to the game play make this one of the best games...EVER.
  63. XBOX360isbest
    Apr 18, 2013
    10
    BioShock Infinite is one of the best games I have ever played. The graphics are great, the game only lasted me about a week though but no matter what it was definitely worth the money. The game is VERY complicated near the end. The things you have to fight are really odd but amazing. I would strongly recommend this game to anyone. especially if you like FPS games.
  64. Enforcer122
    Apr 18, 2013
    10
    Holy hot hell, what a game. I'm absolutely blown away and perplexed by everything this game has just thrown at me. The story is the stand out point in this game, being it focal point... It will confuse you, it will make you think about it but trust me, keep with it. Everything about this game was incredible. The first and second BioShocks were masterful, but it needed a change and I was interested to see where it was going to go. This game is just absolutely flawless... Regardless if you're a gamer or not, play this game. If not for anything else but the story. Amazing experience, game of the year, game of the century and perhaps the best game ever. Well done 2K Games and Irrational Games, this was an absolute pleasure.… Expand
  65. Malevi
    Apr 18, 2013
    5
    Wonderful setting and world detail. ~ Creative and enjoyable story. ~ Elizabeth is a NPC that adds to the overall experience and she's useful to boot. ~ Mediocre game play(I'm being nice). ~ lack of weapons(variation). ~ very little character customization and advancement. The immersive world off BioShock Infinite is awesome. The games unsatisfactory gameplay and subpar mechanics are a real stinker. I really want to like this game but just cant.… Expand
  66. Teravexis
    Apr 18, 2013
    9
    Bioshock Infinite: The game of our generation. Well, at least according to many game journalists and people. Is that a valid statement? Not entirely.
    The graphics of this game are just stunning. I spend around 20 minutes in the first hour of the game just sight seeing and absorbing everything I saw. And I'm talking about the Xbox version here, not even the PC one. If you can play it on PC    , then just do it: You won't regret it. The soundtrack is just kick ass: It all just fits the mood perfectly. I just can't get enough of it. All in all, when it comes to esthetics, it's brilliant.
    Then we have the story and without spoiling anything: It's just something you have to experience yourself. And that ending alone just sells it. Irrationnal Games did a great job here, because it really takes some confidence bringing out this game the way it is. Respect.
    Lastly, the gameplay. It's a blast to go through it. However, it's not all gold that shines: It can feel a bit repetitve, because there aren't that many different strategies you can use in the game. This doesn't have to be a bad thing, and it's completely subjective, but still: It's there, and I can't deny it. I don't see that much of a problem in it, but maybe you will. There also isn't a large variety of enemies, but the previous Bioshocks didn't have that either. It's something that has been in the series for a while, but you still can't really excuse the developers for that if it breaks up the game. And I'm glad it didn't.
    So is Bioshock Infinite the game of our generation? Storywise, yes. Complete package, no. Does that mean you shouldn't buy it? No, quite the contrary in fact. If I have to say one thing about this game: Get it now and experience it for yourself. It's something you won't forget in a long time. It's that good. It truly deserves the 9/10.    … Expand
  67. sydan
    Apr 18, 2013
    10
    One of the most powerful game stories I have ever experienced. It has that fightclub esque conclusion that allows you to look back at the story with new light and demands that you play again to understand more. Elizabeth features as a beautiful and inspiring character and is such an asset to you during gameplay that you feel lost without her. The presence of the skylines adds interest to what could have been a simple shooter and there are enough weapons and vigors (plasmids aka magic) that you can play the game once and still feel that you have not experienced all there is to have. Without discussing any of the topics that lead to spoilers (though all of them are brilliant) I would say that the ending comes to quickly and that they could have added more boss battles or general exploration of Columbia but I'm not going to reduce the score because I actually find shorter games easier to play.… Expand
  68. xsonic28
    Apr 17, 2013
    7
    Here's the deal. Starts out incredibly slow, like want to throw myself off a bridge slow. Then about 1/3 of the way through it picks up and gets better. Is it the best game I ever played, no, its not even close to the best Bioshock game I've played, but it was entertaining and I did like the story. However the game mechanics leave a lot to be desired and it was WAYY to short. I feel like I barely played it, they should have made it longer. I just think this game is getting good reviews because of the lack of quality games lately... but it doesn't deserve any lower then a 6.… Expand
  69. Rezevilfan
    Apr 17, 2013
    8
    I loved the other Bioshocks, but this had a dissapointing feel. The ending was epic and amazing, but this game could have been so much better. There is alot of loopholes in the story (non ending wise), and it just doesn't make sense that not a single person you fight against uses the "plasmids" against you.

    It is damn good, but it should no way win game of the year.
  70. mazonik
    Apr 17, 2013
    8
    Empezando a jugarlo, hasta el momento es un juego muy bello e imaginativo, pero siento ke le falta mucho de lo siniestro de las anteriores entregas, parece por momentos a nivel shooter una especie de bulletstorm clone, y el eve se gasta de boleto sobre todo al princiopio del juego, flojera de ke haya poco dinero y todo caro... la solución? Ponte a revisar hasta el último cajón de los mueblebles de este enorme mundo por unas moneditas, este juego le perdono todo esto por ser parte de una de las sagas mas legendarias en el mundo de los juegos aparte de la estupenda dirección artistica que se trae.… Expand
  71. guidopata
    Apr 16, 2013
    10
    Brilliant storytelling, i was stunned by the final, that kind of writing needed to really understand the whole picture by being engaged at all moments. Anyway the lack of a plus story mode was a mistake.
  72. Leopold_Stoich
    Apr 16, 2013
    9
    Such an immersing story that has you realizing that you aren't really Dewitt yourself. Amazingly smooth game play, the only thing that I have against this is that I wish the campaign was longer, left needing more.
  73. Boombox_Display
    Apr 16, 2013
    10
    Definetly worth the money if you are a Bioshock fan. I really cannot find anything that is wrong with this game, and the game play is radical. This is a "must buy" for a Bioshock fan
  74. Pedroapares99
    Apr 15, 2013
    10
    Ken Levine proof that is one of the best developers in the last years, BioShock Infinite is a masterpiece in every way. He fails to beat the first of the series But, who cares when is so good?
  75. Fontaine911
    Apr 15, 2013
    10
    I made an account for this website because of this game. Anyone who dislikes this game (I'm not sorry to say) is an idiot. Bioshock 1 was one of my favorite games ever and now Bioshock Infinite has been added to that list. This is the first game that has ever felt like a book to me; that's the best way I can describe this game.
  76. Ghost736
    Apr 15, 2013
    9
    Irrational Games is back in it, and boy did it deliver. This game is getting rave reviews, and is easily a contender for GOTY. It is the most sold game during the week of its release on the Xbox 360 and the PC, and is number 2 on the PS3, and when I got my hands on it, I couldn't put it down.

    In my review of Bioshock, I noted that I loved it for its ability to make me think and keep me     on the edge of my seat thanks to its gameplay. The gameplay of Bioshock is complimented everything else. That gameplay type is most certainly NOT here. Although certain elements like Plasmids (now vigors) and upgradable weapons are still a major gameplay element, that feel of being alone and outnumber has been severed. The genre has changed from the first game and is simply now a shooter. In my review of Bioshock 2, I stated that it had the same difference, and that it was a real problem. This time, it isn't at all.

    This time around, the story is what is complimented by everything else. Severing that feeling of being alone and scared to walk around the next corner was a genius difference, because it made way for Elizabeth. Elizabeth switched what Bioshock 1 had. Instead of having a 9/10 story and a 10/10 gameplay, Bioshock Infinite has a 10/10 story and a 9/10 gameplay.    … Expand
  77. OnAnarchy
    Apr 15, 2013
    10
    BioShock Infinite isn't a merely a game, it's an experience, one that will leave you questioning everything you know and sad that never again will there be a game so complete.
  78. Patsfan1594
    Apr 15, 2013
    10
    Story- 11/10 Gameplay- 10/10 AI (Elizabeth)- 10/10 Graphics- 10/10 Music- 11/10 Simply put, buy this game. Actually, let me correct myself. Buy this MASTERPIECE! The last game I played that was this good was actually the original Bioshock and if you're expecting another "Would You KIndly?" twist, trust me, it's here. Just go buy it now and play the damn game. If you don't you'll miss out on a once in a generation experience. Ken Levine you are the man!… Expand
  79. Lacouple33
    Apr 14, 2013
    10
    To begin, these are merely opinions and while my opinion will surely differ from other folks, I would like to submit that I completely enjoyed Infinite (having re-played Bioshock 1 & 2 in an effort to set the mood before jumping into Infinite). I cannot point out anything I was unhappy with except that it had to come to an end sometime. Each person will walk away from this game with various opinions but it's easy to see from the scores (currently at the time of this comment, 549 Positive vs. 54 Negative) that some folks were perplexed by the subtle innuendos and noxious sarcasm of the story line but that only adds to the experience. Looking back on this, Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, God of War, Dishonored and a few others…it’s shaping up to be a great year for games.… Expand
  80. SniperBen17
    Apr 14, 2013
    10
    This Game. WOW!!!! What else is there to say. I have not played a game with a story this good, ever. I will say that it is probably not for everyone but I have yet to find someone that hated this game. I say play it. It is a breath of fresh air in an over saturated market of mediocre triple A games. Also there is no reason that you have to play the first two to be able to pick this game up. The story is only slightly connected. It's really more of a throwback for the players that have played Bioshock before. Anyways, I liked it, and you should play it!!! Do It!!!!… Expand
  81. boxofpaperclips
    Apr 14, 2013
    9
    This is an absolutely gorgeous game even on the aging console. Entering Columbia will absolutely take your breath away. Once you peel off the shiny exterior of the city, you find a beautifully-crafted game with good mechanics. The vigors each have their own purpose, thought i doubt that you will be using many them and will most likely use three or four. The weapons look pretty but some feel underpowered. Elizabeth is an absolute wonder. Her AI is brilliant, she will toss you health and salts and ammo when you need it most. Her story is well fleshed outTears and Skylines are a brilliant addition to the game which brings out more options for combat in the game. The story is absolutely astounding. It is interesting well paced and makes you want to keep playing until you understand it completely, and when you do, oh boy is it worth it. Overall Bioshock Infinite is a brilliant game with a wonderful story, excellent graphics. But an average gunplay system prevents this game from getting a higher scores. This game is a must own for gamers looking for a game with a brilliant story and solid gameplay… Expand
  82. Devtrax
    Apr 13, 2013
    10
    Columbia where dreams are made and destroyed. Political Turmoil plagues our world of Columbia and one mans search for a girl eventually turns into a quest to defeat a tyrant. Bioshock Infinite blew me away as soon as the opening scene of Columbia is revealed. I'll start off with the Visuals, Graphics were pretty well done nothing groundbreaking as Crysis but nonetheless the iconic monuments, areas and enemies make this game look beautiful, Booker Dewitt is a great protagonist fearless and wont stop till Elizabeth is safe. Gameplay wise if you have played the previous Bioshock games you'll feel right at home switching between vigors and and weapon is done by a selection wheel, combat is fluid and done well even though AI is not the smartest its quite satisfying striking a guard with a Skyhook to the face. The story is what makes this game so amazing you think you know what to expect but in the end you just don't. Bioshock Infinite is a game everyone should play this year and if you have not please do yourself a favor and go down to the nearest game shop and purchase it you will not be let down.… Expand
  83. potatoes351
    Apr 13, 2013
    10
    Better get this out of the way early, I like the Bioshock franchise, hell I love it to bits but there is liking a game and then understanding that a game was overrated and liked for the wrong reasons (glaring over at Bioshock 1). Bioshock 1 was System Shock 2 (the developer, Irrational Games, previous title) to a T, hell it even ripped half the name off it. System Shock 2 was a game that had been made nearly 10 years earlier and for quite a lot of people did the job a damn lot better than Bioshock did. Anyway I digress, on with Bioshock Infinite.
    You are Booker DeWitt, a man sent to pay off a debt by capturing a girl named Elizabeth from the flying city of Columbia and bringing her back to New York. However soon after arriving on Columbia you are marked out as the Antichrist that will destroy Columbia. Eventually you find Elizabeth and begin your journey to New York (or as she is lead to believe, Paris) but are stopped time and time again by dark secrets about Columbia, Elizabeth and yourself as well as a majority of the supporting cast. The story gets pretty out of control rather quickly from then on and is probably better left to first hand experience but make sure you bring some migraine tablets and someone with a Masters Degree in Quantum Mechanics otherwise you'll have no clue what on Earth has happened by the end of the game (and the funny part is you think I'm joking about the Quantum Physicist).
    The game plays like the past 2 Bioshock games but with a faster pace, better shooting mechanics and half a ton less ammo (which is a bit odd considering the amount of weapons there are just laying around) Plasmids are back but they are Vigour's now and you can also use a special tonic thing to upgrade your health, shield and Salt (the substitute for Eve) but unfortunately these are rather scarce and make the feature near pointless. Also the audio logs are back and this makes the story even harder to understand when you miss one of the bastards because they are so well hidden.
    The game looks pretty gorgeous but the console versions suffer from muddy textures, slow frame rates and the lack of mouse & Keyboard controls making the PC version much superior but its nothing that shouldn't be expected from the ageing consoles this late into their lifespan.
    In short Bioshock Infinite is the best Bioshock game yet, probably one of the best games of the year but its still early days (It is only March after all) but it is still getting too much hype for it shouldn't be taking credit for, plus what's with the love of steampunk since Bioshock 1 landed? Its like people treat it as though its a new thing.    … Expand
  84. YetiConfetti
    Apr 13, 2013
    10
    One of the most beautiful and inventive games ever created. I found it every bit as awe-inspiring and addictive as the first two installments, and I have completed two play-throughs of each of the three games. If you consider this game a reboot or standalone product in the franchise, I personally find nothing worth complaining about. Compared to other games on the market right now, unless your obsession is multiplayer, you won't find anything more absorbing or entertaining than Bioshock Infinite. Compared to first two games in the series...I have a hard time finding a way to rank them. The weapons in Infinite are definitely less appealing, the choices are pretty much nonexistent, the save-anywhere feature is gone, the levels are smaller, and I didn't find my skin crawling with goosebumps. While there are certainly some disturbing moments in Infinite, I found the first Bioshock a bit more compelling simply because everything was horrifying; and with that element gone, the urgency and intensity of survival disappears. I can't bring myself to knock Infinite any points though, because to me that complaint sounds more like artistic opinion than any comment on the actual quality of the game. The only legitimate complaint about Infinite when compared to the first two games is that sense of choice: Bioshock 1 and 2 offered two endings and two ways to deal with situations, giving the player a reason to replay the game. Bioshock Infinite gives you a few moments where you're given the illusion of choice, but only one ending to the game exists (sorry if that's a spoiler). Infinite is worth replaying, but the only incentive is to experiment with different guns and powers. I know these sound like enough complaints to damage the score, but I'm sticking with my score despite all the flak reviewers get on this site for giving a perfect 10. Bioshock Infinite is a worthy successor to Bioshock because the series has once again revitalized a stale genre with inventive combat, impressive scenery, deep narrative and solid amount of player customization. I could go on and on about this game all day. I hope you find time to play it.… Expand
  85. Dementous
    Apr 12, 2013
    9
    BioShock: Infinite exceeds previously high standards. It is a breath-tacking experience that pulls the player in and never releases you. Connections to not only Elizabeth are made that will make other NPCs seem just as important at times. The vibrant world of Columbia is absolutely astonishing and flowing with the perfect amount of color for each setting you're dwelled into. The mind-boggling story is basic to grasp onto but, requires some effort to understand. This does not take away from the game. If anything it adds to it giving it a very high replay value.

    The game is near perfection. The only complaint that be made are the graphics. No, not visuals. The game is not supposed to look realistic, or even supposed to be compared to modern day shooters like Battlefield and Call of Duty. On Xbox 360, and even on PS3, the graphics have been downgraded to fit the performance of 7 year hardware. At times it can really take away from the immersion when you are basking in the glorious scenery and the frame rate staggers due to the complexity of it's design.

    This is a wonderful game and not one to missed. Games so fresh rarely come to surface. This is one you won't want to miss.    … Expand
  86. Pendragon197779
    Apr 12, 2013
    6
    Graphics are not very good and the game play is weak. Overall, I feel this game is nothing but a hyped-up first person shooter sprinkled with some semi- interesting special abilities.
  87. watithink123
    Apr 11, 2013
    9
    After 2012 not having any games that I have played get over a 9.5. So will Bioshock infinite change that or will it fall short? Bioshock is an fantastic game and it deserves all the great review and money its getting. First of the floating city of Columbia is such a beautiful place and is done better then the underwater city of Rapture. But things do get darker and grimmer as the game goes on. Power you get are really cool unlike the first 2 games I have not found any of them usless. Story is great with couple of great twists and turns while playing through it. The new sky lines are fun to use and can be tense at times. New charactors are well done. Enimies are a bit easy until you face a handy man, sort of like big dadfys but much harder. My only con for this game is their is only one ending witch spoils the chances for replay value. But the one ending is really good witch I did not see coming at all. Overall Bioshock Infinite fantasic game and its worth every piece of money. Bioshock Infinite 9.6/10… Expand
  88. Reviews123
    Apr 11, 2013
    10
    Bioshock Infinite is one of the most anticipated games in recent memory. With its sky bound setting, revolutionary ai and the legacy with the origianal bioshock, it's sure to be one of the most compelling games to play this generation. Don't worry it is!

    The story follows a troubled Pinkerton named Booker DeWitt, who must travel to the floating city of Columbia to repay a debt. The only     way to repay this debt is to rescue a girl named Elizabeth. From rescuing her, from the tower, the journey to reach Bookers and Elizabeth's final desired destination takes along time and many turns along the way! The story is incredible, at one moment the story reaches its peak with a hidden easter egg! Another reason the story is so good is because of Elizabeth. When you are accompanied by Elizabeth you care about her and more importantly what combat advantages she gives you. At the end of the whole story you will sit back and admire what a well crafted plot this is, and appreciate that you will probably have to wait a long time to play a story like this again.

    With all the hype on the story, the combat can get over looked. Many people assume that it's easy to have a precise and fun combat system, however Bioshock Infinite has all of these and more. What makes bioshock unique is the vigors! Throughout the game you collect a maximum of 8, which all assist you in combat. When using these my favoured vigors were the death of crows, and possession (these helped the most). Although the vigors are a big part of the combat system Bioshock Infinite is a FPS, so it's good to know that each of the 8 guns feel very precise and unique. The only disappointment in the combat would be he fact that you can only carry two guns at one time. This limits the variety in combat and is frustraiting when you are in need of a gun you dropped earlier. The best gun (I feel) in the game is the shotgun, it dispatches enemies the quickest and also gives you the best experience. Another addition to Infinate is the skyline. The skyline is a transportation method, which not only gets you from a to b, but assists you in combat. It's amazing to be flying round on the skyline, then jump down on a un expecting enemy to ram the skyhook in his face.

    The floating city of colmbia is a unique place to set a video game, with stunning graphics and incredible detail. The first hour of the game is spent walking around listening convosations and playing mini games in the fair. This is probably the best level in the whole game! The textures can feel bad at times on the consoles, but this is not a problem on the pc. If the floating city and the superb combat wasn't enough to make a great game, then the voxophones are are. Voxophones are collectibles which add backstory to the game and also make the levels and enemies feel more meaningful when you know what there doing and why there doing it. For example comstock, we know early on that he's racist because of the voxophones. Eighty of them are scattered throughout the game!

    The world of bioshock infinite is amazing. With a brilliant plot, superb characters (especially Elizabeth) and one of the best imaginitve worlds ever created; Bioshock infinite shouldn't be missed by anyone! The only issue I have is that you can't carry more than two guns at one time, however that's a small complaint. Bioshock Infinite is amazing, pick it up now, you won't be disappointed.

    Story 10
    Gameplay 9
    Setting 10
    Score 10    … Expand
  89. DME
    Apr 10, 2013
    9
    The graphics and environments are great. The story is excellent, so long as you have the mind to make sense of it (it increasingly becomes more complicated). However, the ending to the story, while satisfying, just wasn't paced very well. The combat is a lot of fun, especially with the SkyHook. Unfortunately, though, you're restricted to being able to carry only two weapons at a time, which I believe was a poor design choice. Weapon and Vigor upgrades are useful, but unimaginative. Now, the most damning part of the game is frequent moments when your immersion is broken, due to contrived character behaviors. For example, Elizabeth will have an emotional scene where she is very angry and confused, but then suddenly become happy again the moment the scene is over. It also bothered me how a lot of unimportant NPCs many times don't acknowledge you. They just ignore you as you loot drawers and trashcans and jump up and down in front of them. You can't interact with them very much, and I feel it takes you out of the game. Also, the whole concept of "stealing" in the game was implemented horribly. Nobody bats an eye if you raid their desks and cabinets, but if you grab a certain item that the game decides is not okay, then suddenly 50 people start mowing you down with guns (because apparently, stealing is punishable by death). But problems aside, Bioshock Infinite is a really awesome game, but it's just far from perfection. If you can look past its faults, you can really enjoy this title.… Expand
  90. Krshwunk
    Apr 10, 2013
    0
    The story starts out promising and highbrow but it turns into a bad Star Trek episode. Too much time-travelling, alternate dimensions, and rape of the space-time continuum it was impossible to relate to and I just didn't care in the end.

    Changes from previous Bioshock games to the weapons were idiotic: two-gun limit, no alternate ammunition, and weapons didn't look sexy anymore. In o    ther words, they made it into a generic FPS (somehow, despite the great scenery, I felt like I had already played this game). I ended up only using only the shotgun and sniper. The Vigors were overpowered and yet I hardly ever needed to use them (but when I did, I only used Possession and Devil's Kiss). They also had the gall to take away telekinesis, contrary the trailers (the trailers depicted many things that didn't make it to the game). "Gears" were a limiting and forgettable substitute for tonics. There was a plethora of vending machines all over the place, making it too easy. The enemies as well were a joke, even in large numbers. Their AI was predictable and brainless, as they employed the "run up to the player and shoot him" strategy. Also, enemies were decapitated way too easily, either from melee or bullets. Kind of ridiculous.

    The Handyman just seemed like a tougher, cyborg-version of the Brute Splicers from Bioshock 2. The motorized patriots just had more "hit points" then rest of the bad guys. The Crows were the new Houdini Splicers, but they weren't that scary, since you could always see where they were teleporting to. And the Boys of Silence were just the equivalent to security cameras from the first games (and easy as sin to get past). The Songbird, the big looming monster that keeps coming after you, was another let-down. I didn't find him very scary in the least. This game was all about big waves of enemies. Been there done that. I need something more from Irrational.

    In Bioshock 1&2, it makes sense why the people around you are acting all crazy (constant use of plasmids plus the radical individualist, dog-eat-dog society of Rapture). In Infinite, it's never quite clear why people are so indescribably out of their minds. There isn't a chemical element to it this time just ideological reasons, and it's not quite believable. Furthermore, they never explain "Vigors," and it was unexplained why the enemies hardly ever used them, despite how Vigors seemed very accessible to the general Columbian populace (whereas, in Rapture, there was a greater sense of scarcity of Plasmids due to the economic conditions, so only those strong enough could get them).

    You can get hints about the history of the city of Columbia from scattered "nickelodeons," but they're all annoying, tedious, and worthless. There are the traditional audio diaries too, but somehow they weren't very compelling either.

    Where was that good old Bioshock horror? Nowhere to be seen. Not even a sense of acrophobia. It was incredibly hard to fall. And if you did, you are immediately "beamed back" onto a ledge for some cosmically anomalous reason. The Skylines were okay, but graphically quirky. Often, it seemed that Booker would magically pass through the rails of a Skyline in order to get in the right place to hook onto them. The player's character being a talkative type also made things less frightening. There was always a "music cue" in the soundtrack to tell you when all the enemies in the area are dead which ruined the suspense big time. Also, you would think that when they eliminated the ability for the player to save at any point in the game might have made things scarier but nope, it was just annoying.

    Elizabeth was perhaps my least favorite part in the game. Her character made no sense. She was sheltered, yet confident and street smart. Booker is a former Pinkerton agent, so you'd think he'd know how to pick locks, but instead the sheltered, corset-wearing girl does. She was way too invincible in battle, so I essentially didn't care about her. The tears seemed extraneous and they looked ugly. Her supplying you with money and ammunition periodically made things too easy. And her head was too big.

    I was looking forward to a new dramatic moral set of dilemmas that Bioshock is famous for. There were only a couple that had no impact on the story. The ending to the game, was long, boring, and completely disappointing mixed with imponderable, quasi-spiritual, sci-fi riddles that reminded one of the Matrix Revolutions.

    I believe the first Bioshock was the best video game ever made. Bioshock 2 was pretty decent as well. Bioshock Infinite failed to deliver in just about every way. The gameplay was generic and easy. The storyline convoluted and unrewarding. There was no sense of horror, no sense of romance, and no sense that anything made sense.

    Now, of course, this is just my opinion. I'm not criticizing anyone who enjoyed the game. Nay, I envy those people.    … Expand
  91. DarrkHawk
    Apr 10, 2013
    8
    I wanted to love this game. The hype surrounding this game was immense. I wasn't a big fan of the original BioShock and BioShock 2 just bored me. I was hoping that this game would give me a new perspective of the BioShock series. Before anything, BioShock Infinite is a great game. Definitely one of the best games this year in what seems to be an extremely dead gaming period. Graphics are outstanding, gameplay is smooth and combat is solid. However, a game isn't complete without a good story. This is where Bioshock Infinite was a let down for me. The story was really hard to follow. The plot characters just seemed way out of place. Elizabeth is said to be the "loveable" character in the game but even her role is somewhat hard to pick out. This is only made more confusing by final hour or so of the game. A lot of people have "complained" about the ending of this game and it is clear why. It is just a mess. It seems to trail off its natural path, giving the kind of "shutters island" finale that is just difficult to fully understand what is happening. Also, this game contains one of biggest pet peeves in gaming. The "survival" type final fight. A lot of games seem to be adapting this lately and it is just annoying and ruins everything about the game before that point. All this been said though, I liked BioShock Infinite. It did not give a new look on the series as I had hoped it would but I am glad I picked it up. A definite, if not inevitable" front runner for game of the year.… Expand
  92. cowill101
    Apr 10, 2013
    10
    Following its previous titles, Bioshock Infinite entered the gaming realm with extremely high expectations, not to mention its on and off delays plaguing the gaming community as they anxiously awaited this game's arrival.

    Fear not, this game more exceeded expectations for all gamers, and very well may have redefined first person shooters as a genre.

    Not only does it reincorporate its     captivating shooter mechanics and genre-based gameplay, its story is comparable to that of a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, and creates deep bonds and passion between yourself, the gamer, as well as Booker Dewitt (the player character) and Elizabeth; and of course, the ending, for which every piece of the puzzle is put perfectly in place, and leaves you with a lasting impression that will not be forgotten.

    Game of the Year material for sure.    … Expand
  93. captainFart82
    Apr 9, 2013
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game should have been better, and I'm astounded at all of the super high scores given. I think the hype machine surrounding this game was just too powerful. This is a good game, but not a great game, and not a masterpiece by any stretch. There were better game released this year alone.

    Graphics The graphics were fantastic, no complaints here.

    Gameplay The gameplay was a step back from what we've seen in other shooters. There was little need to diversify use of your weapons and vigors, you can beat the hard mode using only a handful of attack methods. Checking the environment for money became taxing. The AI was pretty bad...especially during the redundant fights with Elizabeth's mom. It was possible to simply stay in separate rooms from the AI and they would not be able to path to you. The stealth sequences did not work well, I never managed to sneak by any enemies. The action was fun and responsive, but the list of issues I just presented keep it from standing out compared to other shooters.

    Story This was the weakest part of Bioshock Infinite. The plot made the mistake of incorporating both time travel and multiple dimensions, and ends up presenting a story that is not only incoherent, but contradictory to itself. It's been described as a masterful story, but it's really just a mess with plotholes multiplying at the rate that Elizabeth opens tears.

    A solid game with great production values and a good time for the first playthrough, but not something that I'm going to return to due to gameplay limitations and a mostly pointless narrative.    … Expand
  94. MadJack1812
    Apr 9, 2013
    9
    This is one of the most ambitious and compelling games I have ever played. The nature and complexity of the plot won't be to everyone's taste as the story begins by tackling subjects including on racism, slavery and religious fundamentalism and ends by trying to melt your brain out of your ears, but it really is a joy to play through.

    The floating city of Columbia is beautifully design    ed and it's busy streets and hidden corners make it both fun to explore and a welcome change to the catastrophic aftermath of Rapture from the original Bioshock. Combat plays similarly to Bioshock 2 with the familiar mix of vigors (formerly plasmids) and firearms of various size. While combat might not be as slick as a hardcore FPS it's still a lot of fun, although you might want to look to the harder difficulties if you want to be really challenged on that front.

    The real star of the show though is your (nearly) constant companion, Elizabeth. Usually, an AI controlled NPC is little more than a running commentary with a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the AI behind Elizabeth is pretty much on the money. In combat, she helps by providing ammo and health, but I found the parts outside of combat the real revelation. While exploring Colombia, Elizabeth will mill about interacting and commenting on your surroundings. The conversations she shares with your character add real context to the story and make her character all the more engaging.

    I don't want to go into any more detail than I already have as the little discoveries you make along the way are a big part of what makes this game so great. Suffice to say that aside from a few glitches and a slight loss of pace in the middle third this is a terrific game and I absolutely recommend you go play it now.    … Expand
  95. Sesshomurai
    Apr 9, 2013
    2
    If the original Bioshock was an artistic and profoundly engaging story with decisions, atmosphere, and detailed design in a house-of-horrors-meets-jules-verne kind of way, Bioshock Infinite is a head-scratching, convoluted affair in the theme-park-design-meets-castle-wolfenstein-gameplay kind of way. It's quite clear that everything about Bioshock Infinite was "designed by committee". A roundtable of ego-centrics wanting to have their pet idea implanted in the game. Writers that practically vomit bucketloads of inane and lifted ideas on you from the beginning. Gone are the subtle undertones of ideology and dystopia. Replaced with in-your-face-eat-it dogma designed more for an audience of short-attention-span-can't-read-between-the-lines teenagers than mature audiences the title is labeled for. Much like the skylines that you simply sit-and-watch yourself zoom along like Sonic the Hedgehog (a good game), the entire game is mostly a watching event separated by periods of "find the fruit in the desk" and "dodge the angry citizen" minigames. The setting for this game is not well framed or introduced making it even more unbelievable than when you see it for the first time. Audacious and inconceivable in any alternate reality. The writers couldn't devise an acceptable set of premises to build their environment out of, so it was simply glossed over to be assumed by the player. Sorry, this is insufficient for me. One example is using your hook to jump around. No real reason how that should be physically possible. It could easily have been designed as a grappling hook or tether to root it in the realm of "possibility", but instead things just happen magically as there are no real laws of physics here. Whatever needs to happen, just does!… Expand
  96. DiRTY8SUPER
    Apr 8, 2013
    8
    Looking at Bioshock Infinite as a game, its not very good. Shooting mechanics are poor and the constant looting is boring. Why loot if you don't have a proper inventory system? Looking at Bioshock Infinite as a interactive story, it pretty much hits the nail on the head. I loved the story but found the game play elements got in the way of the story. It was a drag through the game to get to the next part of the story. Visually, it's impressive and the sound design is one of the best. I'll give this an 8 for story but if i was scoring it as a game it would be a 5.… Expand
  97. RADHelpDesk
    Apr 8, 2013
    10
    If you rated this game anything other than something in the green, you're either an idiot, or played the wrong game. This is by FAR one of the finest examples of gaming and storytelling I've ever seen in my life. Want multiplayer? Forget it. This isn't CoD, children. Don't like the story? You didn't understand it.

    Jesus, this game was amazing. This is something to play again and again.     What a way to leave this generation of gaming, highest note you can imagine.

    It's impossible to bash this game. Anyone who does is wrong and a liar with no taste in gaming, PERIOD.    … Expand
  98. SupermanFan45
    Apr 8, 2013
    9
    I grade games in five categories, each with a possible score from 0-2. At the end I will tally up the scores for the final verdict.

    Graphics:
    There really isn't much too say here. You could watch the game for 5 minutes and know that it is easily one the best looking games out there. The characters, the settings, it all looks amazing, and still has the BioShock charm that we all know an    d love. I found myself loving this setting even better than the previous two mainly because of how bright and colorful Colombia is. It makes you wish that Columbia were real...without all the corruption of course. Score: 2/2

    Sound:
    This is another aspect that BioShock Infinite nailed. The music is fantastic and again fits the BioShock world perfectly. Then there are the sounds around you as you play (guns firing, skyline swinging, explosions, etc.) It all sounds amazing, but where BioShock really nails it is the voice acting. Never did any of the characters voices not "fit" them. I was amazed and greatly thrilled as I was never taken away from the story and experience and was allowed to listen and enjoy the story with no awkwardness. Courtnee Draper (Elizabeth), Troy Baker (Booker DeWitt), and Kiff VandenHeuvel (Comstock) should get special praise. They are amazing, and it is some of the best voice acting I have heard in a while. Score: 2/2

    Gameplay:
    The gameplay in this game is much like the pervious games although your plasmids are now called vigors and eve is now called salts. As a first person shooter (fps) I find that they did a great job and it is extremely fun. In my opinion it is as good as any shooter I have played. The controls are great, and I also loved the new edition of the skyline. The enemies are not only challenging but at times can be funny. Now even though I loved playing the game and BioShock did a lot of things right in the gameplay department I also had some problems with it. One being the vigors. You could take the vigors out of the game and never miss a beat. Vigors never once felt important to what I was doing and found myself at times forgetting I had them and not even using them and this was on Hard. I will end on a good note though and that is Elizabeth. Not once and I mean once did Elizabeth get in my way. I never had to take care of Elizabeth, she was the one taking care of me. In the game Elizabeth will hand you equipment during a fight. Don't worry she doesn't do it all the time and at times she doesn't do at all. I remember running up to her at times screaming at the t.v. for health or ammo and this was a fantastic tense game mechanic. I never knew if Elizabeth was out of equipment or if she had one last magazine of ammo to give me. Elizabeth also helps by "tearing" objects from other realities into yours to help you, and this is just genius. You will think so too when you tell her to "tear" a box of health packs during a huge fight. I choose to take .5 away from the score because plasmids/vigors are so much a part of the BioShock experience and I found it strange that they weren't more important to the gameplay. Score: 1.5/2

    Story:
    This is what games should be doing today: taking risks. The story can be complex but it is not impossible to understand as long as you are paying attention to the conversations. I loved that it was a story that you needed to pay attention too. It is a story that demands and deserves your attention. I found myself falling in love with Booker and Elizabeth's relationship and could not stop playing to find out what happened next. I wont give any details of the story away because this story is truly magical and something that should be experienced and remembered. I do have some nitpicks though. The progression of the story slowed down quite a bit in the middle. I was gonna deduct a half a point but that would be nitpicking especially since it was necessary to understand later plot points. Now you all know it isn't BioShock without a twist but my problem was I found out the twist way before the ending. I don't know if this was luck or me just listing to every tape recorder and picking up on the clues but either way I won't deduct a point because although I ended up being right, I didn't know I was right until the end. Score: 2/2

    Game Replay:
    I found myself immediately replaying the game after I was done. You will have a whole new perspective of the game after learning all the twists and secrets and it only makes the story even better. On top of that the game is a blast, and 1999 mode is a must for all hardcore fps fans. Of course you have achievements and what not but the story and gameplay is what keeps you coming back. Score: 2/2

    Overall: 9.5/10
    I know that it will only show up as a nine but my true score is a 9.5. This is a game everybody should experience. It's beautiful, intelligent, and brave. You can't ask much more from a game, and as I said before this is game that deserves your full attention.    … Expand
  99. green223388
    Apr 8, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Why is their less power-up (Vigors) options than Bioshock 2 and also less freedom to choose which gear you want compared to the tonics in Bioshock 2? I also found the story rather overly complicated and full of cliches. The guns were really nothing new and the levels were mostly empty and dead feeling. I liked the Handyman, Patriot, Fireman and Crow's from a conceptual standpoint but found the AI lacking. Also Hacking mini-game's have been completely abandoned and the sky rail system was very contrived and boring. I loved Bioshock 1 and 2 but this is a very watered down hybrid of both games set in a unique environment. The whole "religious" concept was barely explored and most of the focus quickly shifted to quantum physics and time travel which was unnecessary and over done. 1999 mode was challenging but unrewarding: no alternative ending? There were in fact NO alternative endings, another way in which the prequels were superior. after defeating 1999 mode which was basically pointless I had no other reason to play it again as the "secrets" were mostly in plain view and very uninteresting. Good luck on part 4.… Expand
  100. Dave_Goose
    Apr 8, 2013
    9

    I was surprised to be excited for Bioshock Infinite. When the original Bioshock came out in 2007 it had universal praise, I bought the game day one and hated it. I was one of the few people who didn’t think it was a work of genius. I liked the story, the world and the graphics just the gameplay didn't connect with me. Fast forward to mid 2010 and against my better judgement I picked up p Bioshock 2. I instantly loved it. I don’t know if it was the refinements like the plasmid/weapon combo or if the overall game felt better but I really enjoyed it. Finally in 2012 I replayed the original Bioshock, I finally saw the great game that had eluded me for five years.



    Story: This is where this series shines. A sort of prequel to Bioshock 1 and 2, the premise of Infinite takes place in a floating city called Columbia in 1912. Columbia is the antithesis of Rapture, it’s bright and open and instead of being created to escape political and religious persecution it was designed to be like “Eden” from the bible. The ruler of Columbia is “The Prophet” Zachary Comstock, he rules with an iron fist and preaches all kinds of religious nonsense.



    The main character Booker has been tasked with going to Columbia and getting a girl named Elizabeth out. He is promised this will wipe away gambling debts he has been accruing.
    Elizabeth is really the star of the game, she is a mysterious girl who can open “tears” which are essential doorways into other dimensions. She is with you most of the game and is never a burden, she picks locks for Booker and during combat with give ammo and health. This was an issue for be because it made the game easy and there is almost no penalty for dying. Playing through the game and learning more about her was interesting.



    It’s very hard to talk about the narrative without giving spoilers, I’ll just say that the ending is one of the best endings I have seen in entertainment, not games, entertainment. People will be talking about this end for years to come.



    Gameplay: The gameplay will be familiar to fans of Bioshock 2. There are now vigors instead of Plasmids, they work very similarly with a new option, if the user holds down the vigors button you can create a trap with them. In bigger fights this can be a real life saver. It will also be essential when playing on the harder difficulty.



    The shooting mechanic is still great, Not the best but good. One beef I have with the shooting is that the aiming down the sights is handled by a click of R3, I have never found this intuitive in games and it leads me to shoot wildly as opposed to aiming. I feel that the shooting of the game would benefit from a different control setup. Also new is the sky lines, Booker has a special tool on his arm (That makes some memorable and gruesome melee kills) that can hook onto Columbia’s sky line system. The sky lines are an integral part of a lot of major set piece fights. Using the sky lines allows a lot of variety in the fighting. There is also combat options while using the lines, you can shoot and if you time it right can do a jumping melee that is a very powerful attack.



    Bioshock Infinite has done away with health packs and instead uses a shield system that is very similar to the Halo series. Throughout the game the player can find bottles to increase their health, vigor or shields. That's not all to find in Columbia, searching every nook and cranny will yield money, items and voxophones. Voxophones are the audio logs to find in the game, they are interesting to listen to and shed some extra light on the world and story.



    I did have a few issues with the game, in many ways it felt stripped down to me, there was no camera to gain advantages on enemies and the variety and number of enemies wasn't enough. I never found fighting the people in Columbia to be as memorable as fighting the unpredictable splicers from the previous games. Guns and Vigors are upgradable but the upgrade system just didn't have the impact on me, the guns look the same, even when upgraded they don’t receive any visual distinctions. Only two guns can be carried at any time now ala Halo. Overall I just felt more constricted in this game compared to previous entries in the series.



    Graphics: Columbia is designed beautifully, the landscapes are colourful and world feels alive. Graphically speaking this could not be further from Rapture, and that's a great thing.The art design is unique without being eccentric. Some of the vigor animations look really great. The actual quality of the graphics is a bit of a mixed bag, some animations look a little stiff and the people in the game are certainly not the best I have seen.



    Overall: I am happy to say that Bioshock Infinite is an amazing game, it uses clever storytelling and a compelling world to hook players in and make them enjoy the journey. Save for a few minor nitpicks with the game play I can honestly say this has been my favourite game of 2013.

    … Expand

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
93 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. GameFocus
    May 11, 2013
    87
    BioShock Infinite is a sure-fire game-of-the-year candidate, and definitely one of the standout single-player games of this generation.
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  2. GameCritics
    Apr 19, 2013
    70
    Fuzzy-headed narrative and thematically irrelevant auxiliary mechanics make Infinite feel sloppy even when it's working. Combat increases in frequency and decreases in impact after the Hall of Heroes, so for most of its length the game sinks towards a deflated ending rather than rising towards a climax. However, that slow descent starts from a great height, so there is still much to value in Infinite even as it drowns in its own shortcomings.
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  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Apr 15, 2013
    93
    Bioshock Infinite is in many ways far superior to the original Bioshock. Still, it shares many of its predecessors weaknesses. The gunplay feels so-so and the different role-playing game ideas are only toyed with, and not fully committed to. The storyline, the environments and the interaction between Booker and Elizabeth more than make up for it, though. [Apr 2013]
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