BioShock Infinite was one of the greatest games of 2013, and in the opinions of some reviews, one of the greatest games ever made. From the deep, layered plot to the amazing graphics and captivating fluid gameplay, FreePlay.net is here to give players an idea of what they can except from this video game that raises the bar.
A Story With Twists That Will Leave You In Shock
Bioshock Infinite takes place in the flying city of Columbia, in the first decade of the 20th century. You play the role of Booker DeWitt, a former Pinkertons detective who has been sent to Columbia to pay off his gambling debts by retrieving a certain girl.
Get the latest BioShock Infinite cheats, codes, unlockables, hints, Easter eggs, glitches, tips, tricks, hacks, downloads, achievements, guides, FAQs, walkthroughs, and more for PC (PC). CheatCodes.com has all you need to win every game you play! Use the above links or scroll down see all to the PC cheats we have available for BioShock Infinite. BioShock Infinite Summary: The third game in the popular Bioshock series, BioShock: Infinite breaks away from the underwater setting of the first two games to take players into the floating city.
If this were any other computer game, that linear narrative might suffice for many hours of gameplay. But this isn’t a ordinary video game, this is BioShock: the successor to what many critics believe is the greatest video game ever made. As such, the story very quickly takes a turn into macabre brilliance and doesn’t let up until many hours later.
The world in which BioShock Infinite unfolds is one of the most original and inventive to ever take place in any story, bet it a video game, book or film. The density of artistry that has been lavished upon every single element of the city and its inhabitants is breathtaking.
Booker is soon able to locate Elizabeth, the girl he has been sent to find, but she is a less than willing to leave Columbia, especially on his terms. What follows is an investigation of many elements that include quantum physics, multiple dimensional theory, an examination of political inequities and revolutions, and a deep view into the dark, dark places of human psychology.
In a lesser game, the disparate elements that are united in BioShock infinite would feel amateurish or simply tacked on to a fairly straightforward first person shooter game. But in BioShock they add to one another in a breathtaking scale and complete what can only be called a masterpiece.
- Second slot I had the Sniper Rifle for the longest time. With the upgrades I found it really useful for the heavy hitters as well even despite the shorter distance. I also like to keep my distance from enemies. It wasn't until Elizabeth's kidnapping that I had to start switching them often because I kept running out of ammo.
- Cook and Serve (10 points): Make 5 enemies explode with the Radar Range in BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode 1. Chain Reaction (50 points): Damage fifteen foes with an exploding enemy, using the Radar Range in Burial at Sea - Episode 1. Break the Ice (10 points): Shatter 5 enemies who have been frozen with Old Man Winter.
- Technically, BioShock Infinite has no multiplayer mode; you can only play the single-player story. But let's look beyond how we traditionally understand multiplayer games for a moment.
As the player struggles to fight his way through the city, time and space, they will discover dark secrets about the world of Columbia, about the past, and ultimately about themselves.
Gameplay That is Not Overbearing
For all its narrative complexity and artistic achievement Bioshock Infinite is still a very straightforward game to play. It has surprisingly few branching narratives and the player is more or less directed through the story in a linear fashion. That’s not to say that the story is unsatisfying and was the open world to be a great factor in the gameplay, the plan might feel as though they missed some of the best parts of this absolutely breathtaking story.
You explore the world completing numerous small tasks, all of which tie into rescuing Elizabeth and getting out of Columbia. For these missions, you use a variety of weapons including a pistol, rifle, shotgun, machine gun and other grenade launcher type weapons. These may be upgraded and enhanced at machines around the city with money the player picks up on their travels.
For a steampunk style game, the weapons walk a fine line between usable effectiveness on one hand and historical accuracy on the other. The game designers have created a suite of weapons that is actually incredibly satisfying to use,
As in the previous Bioshock game there’s also a second set of abilities in BioShock infinite called Vigors. These give the player the ability to perform paranormal acts such as summon crows to attack your enemy or shoot fire from your fingers. By using different weapons and different Vigors in combination, the player is able to deal with enemies in an almost infinite variety of ways.
The enemies of BioShock Infinite are themselves varied and almost always satisfying. Stock enemies such as police and security guards soon trade into a variety of ‘heavy’ enemies such as the ‘handyman’ and ‘firemen’ who are protected and are much harder to kill.
There is also a compelling and innovative transportation system around the city that doubles as a variation on combat. The “skylines” allow the player to propel themselves at great speeds around the areas of battle, jumping on and jumping off an innovative monorail system from which they can jump down and kill opponents.
It’s a testament to the engine that drives the game that such rapid motion and pinpoint accuracy are usable in real time. Combining all these elements: weapons, Vigors, the skyhook system, the player has a surprisingly different array of options in dealing with the challenges that BioShock Infinite presents.
Graphics Create Lush Environments and Beautiful Textures
The design of the flying city of Columbia is what first gets the player’s attention. Much like the underwater city of Rapture in the first BioShock, Columbia is both breathtakingly beautiful and constantly menacing. All in all, through the work of the game designer’s, and incredibly fulfilling and captivating place to spend time.
The time and effort spent to make Columbia feel like a real world is immediately apparent. Every chair, every coin, every tiny detail is been lovingly crafted by the artists to give the place a sense of authenticity and immersion.
Even more than the original BioShock game, BioShock Infinite is a complete world and one that rewards almost endless exploration. Behind every desk and in every small corner there are numerous details which give the world not just the feeling of authenticity but a sense of realism.
Characters Backed by Impressive Voice Acting
Once Booker finds Elizabeth, she becomes a more or less constant companion and accompanies him through his subsequent adventures in the city. This is not mere companion mission, however. Elizabeth is a powerful ally but more than that, she and Booker’s constant dialogue throughout the game gives the player unique insight into the goings-on of Columbia and the story as it unfolds.
Both Booker and Elizabeth are well written and incredibly well acted characters, which is not surprising given that prominence in the story. What really separates BioShock infinite from other video games is it’s large and well rendered cast of villains and supporting characters. None were drawn from the tired, stayed, video game tropes of typical villains. Each has their own inner life, backstory and burning desires. Booker and Elizabeth must struggle with each one in tern in order to set right the events of Columbia and free themselves from their own past.
It is ultimately the characters, their interactions, and the struggle which give the game such an affecting presence.
And the Verdict Is…
BioShock infinite was released almost universal acclaim. It won numerous ‘game of the year’ awards and took many other video game prizes. Interestingly, one common objection reviews had despite the game’s brilliance was BioShock infinite’s overt, almost gleefully violence.
Other negative sentiments were due mainly to unfavorable comparisons with the original BioShock and how the sequel or spiritual successor lacked the originality of the former.
BioShock infinite will no doubt be played for many years to come and has set the standard, not just for first person shooters, but the all video games and media to come.
BioShock: Infinite...ly Frustrating:
With all of the praise that this game has received, I pull back the curtain and reveal its blemishes for all to see.
With all of the praise that this game has received, I pull back the curtain and reveal its blemishes for all to see.
*UPDATE: Check out my final verdict of the game in my BioShock: Infinte...Saved! blog post.
When the first bits of info and teaser images of this game hit the interwebs, it spread like wildfire - and rightfully so. This game was going to be the true successor of the BioShock series made by Kevin Levine and Irrational Games - a team that brought us such an astounding game the first time around. With the first BioShock being one of my favorite games (I played it many times over and I rarely play FPS's more than once), I was VERY excited for this release.
The original BioShock introduced us to a truly haunting world. This was a world in which science had replaced religion, genetic augmentation was a mutating addiction and where you felt the crushing pressure of the depths always upon you. While the gameplay and controls were pretty standard for a FPS, it was the story and the environment that truly set this game apart from the pack. You know that a game has done its job when it alters your style of play. I remember going from a stealthy tactical approach to a, 'blast a mannequin anytime you see one,' approach...you know what I'm talking about.
Along with the first images that were released, when the first video hit, we saw that Infinite had the polar opposite setting: a fantastical floating city, full of airships and rail lines. The game came across as flashy and enticing, offering something new and beckoning us to explore this 'open' world. Even though this game a huge amount of hype around it, for one reason or another, I didn't wind up getting Infinite until this past Winter Steam Sale. On top of that, I didn't wind up actually playing the game until these past few weeks. I figured that this would play to my advantage. While the game had won many awards and received a high score on Metacritic, the buzz had died down and I felt that I could experience the game without any pressure of ridiculously built up expectations.
Right now, I am about 75% of the way through the game (on my PC) and I will say that the story(telling) of BioShock Infinite is truly wonderful and at the top of the heap as far as games go these days. Just like how the environment is a polar opposite of the first BioShock, so is the cultural norm - instead of science, this world is driven by hardcore religion. Both games share the theme of elitism and class separation. BioShock Infinite takes it to the next level though with heavy examples of racism. The game in no way promotes it, but very vividly displays the hideousness of it. Side note: it is interesting how there wasn't really much controversy about the racism, there was controversy over the fact that (Spoiler - highlight to read: you have to be baptized to enter the city initially).
Another high mark for this game is the graphics. As you can see by the screenshots, the game can be absolutely stunning. While very slightly stylized, there are many times during this game where you will just want to stop the action and take it all in. They really took their time to add all of the little details for this game and the proof is in the pudding.
With the good marks so far, you may be asking, 'what is so frustrating about this game?'
With the good marks so far, you may be asking, 'what is so frustrating about this game?'
Bioshock Infinite More Weapon Slots
Something that is becoming more prevalent with games these days is the obvious, 'console to PC port.' Infinite just screams this at times and really pulls me out of the game when it happens. The first thing that I noticed is that there is no quick save feature, only save check points. I know that many people see this as a way to add to the difficulty of a game, but I see this as a ridiculous notion. As an adult, sometimes I need to stop playing a game 'right now' for one reason or another. I should not be penalized for this and lose the progression that I have made because of this. On the topic of saves, guess what? You can only have ONE... For a PC game not to have multiple save slots is the equivalent of not using all of the gears in your car. The machine is perfectly capable of it and it would only enrich the experience.
The next and possibly biggest detractor of the game for me happens mostly during combat. (Note: the combat, while fun most of the time, doesn't quite 'click' 100%. Great Kotaku article about this.) I grew up during the Quake I/II, Unreal Tournament, Half-Life, Counter Strike and Team Fortress era of online gaming. If you wanted to be anything other than target practice for everyone else, you submitted to the belief system of (as my friend put it) ALL HAIL THE STRAFE CIRCLE! Before entering any game you would remap left (A) and right (D) to strafe and bump up the mouse sensitivity to take care of turning with ease. After countless years of ingraining this basic movement pattern of success, Infinite goes and screws the pooch on it.
You can NOT straight up strafe run...let that sink in. In in order to strafe run, you must first run forward and then strafe. So don't even think about strafe running from cover to cover, popping off shots along the way and not getting hit yourself. I hear that while using a controller/on the console this is not as noticeable, but you still cannot strafe run.
The run mechanic is a bit screwy too - you press and release shift to turn on run instead of holding it down. This becomes very awkward at times and your run also gets turned off if you run into a box/get clipped on some cover. These two movement issues have accounted for just about all of my deaths while playing on the Hard difficulty setting.
You can NOT straight up strafe run...let that sink in. In in order to strafe run, you must first run forward and then strafe. So don't even think about strafe running from cover to cover, popping off shots along the way and not getting hit yourself. I hear that while using a controller/on the console this is not as noticeable, but you still cannot strafe run.
The run mechanic is a bit screwy too - you press and release shift to turn on run instead of holding it down. This becomes very awkward at times and your run also gets turned off if you run into a box/get clipped on some cover. These two movement issues have accounted for just about all of my deaths while playing on the Hard difficulty setting.
Bioshock Infinite Weapon Slots
The last console port issue is not as big as the previously mentioned ones, but is still an annoyance during gameplay. In the bottom left-hand corner you can see the two vigors displayed that you can quick-switch between. The quick-switch function is seen in most console games (since you can't select via the numbers on the top of a keyboard), but it often doesn't mesh 100% on the PC. With your guns, you can only have two selected at a time so cycling between them is fine - they are in locked slots. The vigor quick change slots are dynamic and can be changed via the number bar. Here in lies the problem. If you reactively hit a number key for a vigor that is already in the #2 quick change slot, it acts as if you actually hit the quick change button, causing the two selections systems to butt heads with each other. While this may not sound like a big deal, it does become bothersome when trying to cycle through your vigors. Also, just from a regular gameplay standpoint, I wish you could somehow cycle through your vigors like you could your guns (mouse wheel).
I Will see how things go for the rest of the game, but I doubt that my opinions will change on these topics. It is unfortunate that these issues are present. If they weren't, I would agree with a rating in the 90's, but (for me at least) these issues detract enough from this combat heavy game to drop the score significantly.
If I had to recommend a top game from the past year and a half, I would choose Dishonored (metacritic) over BioShock Infinite, hands down.
Let me know what you think - leave a comment!
I Will see how things go for the rest of the game, but I doubt that my opinions will change on these topics. It is unfortunate that these issues are present. If they weren't, I would agree with a rating in the 90's, but (for me at least) these issues detract enough from this combat heavy game to drop the score significantly.
If I had to recommend a top game from the past year and a half, I would choose Dishonored (metacritic) over BioShock Infinite, hands down.
Let me know what you think - leave a comment!