Game Review: Bioshock Infinite (for PS3)

If I was to say one thing about Bioshock Infinite, it would be that it got me interested in playing/watching games more than I did before. This is one of my favorite games to play as well as my favorite stories out there. Isn't it funny (and this could be just me) that video games actually have better stories to tell than most movies and TV shows? Granted, Sons of Anarchy is near television perfection, but video games have came a long way from pixels to now being playable movies. Infinite is no exception and when it was released on March of 2013 it would take everyone by storm. Except for those elitists who can't like anything that is popular. Seriously, if you're one of those people, don't be ... it's annoying. If you enjoy something, then enjoy it. Don't be a video game hipster. 

Just check out that stellar trailer. Course any trailer that came out for Infinite was met by intense excitement for myself. The game looked bad ass, for a lack of a better description. Still though, all the trailers didn't set you up for the adventure you were about to go on and left out some surprises. To me, this is a great thing for game studios to do: hype it, give us something to gnaw on, and then let us experience the twists and turns ourselves. It's a lot like the Arkham games. Rocksteady gave us enough to keep our interest, but they never told us about Scarecrow and it ended up being a big hit. Very much like the sequel, Arkham City, they never told us about Clayface. I want to say they didn't say anything about Solomon Grundy either, but I could be wrong on that. Anyways, less is more when it comes to revealing a game. 

I remember watching the walkthrough on theRadBrad's channel and with each video he posted, I got more intrigued to play. It got to a boiling point, so I went over to my cousin's (cause he's a big gamer. Always needs the new games, new systems, etc. etc.) and I bought it from him. He didn't even have the case for it. I didn't care. I NEEDED to play this game. I did, three times now, and here's the review. 

Review: 

As with most reviews I do not give away the whole game or break the game down piece by piece. Since I played the game I'll give some of the story and some of my thoughts. No major spoilers, even if the game did come out in the early part of last year. 

Bioshock Infinite has been out since March of 2013, a promising sequel to the first Bioshock and for the ill-famed Bioshock 2 (I actually liked it, but most didn't.) The game starts out with you, playing Booker DeWitt, on a row boat. There are two people with you, rowing the boat is Robert Lutece, along with him is his sister, Rosalind Lutece. They bring you to a lighthouse that looks all too familiar to the first Bioshock, but instead of going down, you go up. Booker finds a man dead with a bag over his head that says, "Don't Fail Us." "Holy shit," is Booker's response which matched my response with this whole game. He goes up to the top of the lighthouse where the light is, does a chime with some bells, and strange red lights bellow from the heavens above acting as a signal to the city of Columbia. The light goes down and a chair (vaguely similar to a Barbers one) comes up. You sit on the chair, the chair locks you in, a voice tells you to calm down "pilgrim", and it shoots you into the air. Of course, Booker doesn't really know where he is going. He ends up going to this place ... 

He arrives in Columbia, or as I like to call it, Racistsxenophobeland (seriously, play the game). First glances are everything and Columbia looks like it could be the closest you will ever get to Heaven (even if you're dead ... sorry, I am a non-believer in the big G --- don't hate me, I am warranted to my own opinions). But you know that saying, "Looks are deceiving"? Columbia is the poster child for that in gaming. 

Here's my first though on the gameplay. I loved how they let you check out Columbia before shit hit's the fan, basically. Irrational Games did a fantastic job on making the atmosphere seem cheerful and made you think that nothing is wrong with Columbia. Slowly though it starts showing it's true side. Finally, you get to the raffle, a yearly event on Columbia. Earlier in the game a kid gives you a telegram by the Lutece's that tells you not to get the number "77." Sure enough you get 77 and you're the "lucky" winner. By lucky I mean you get to chuck a baseball at an interracial couple, which is a big no-no in Columbia. You have the choice of throwing it at the couple or at the announcer. I'll be honest, I've never EVER chosen to throw it at the couple (and I've played Infinite three times now), because even though it IS a game, it still doesn't feel right. I'm sure even if you choose to throw it at the couple, it will still show the same cutscene if you didn't. When you go to throw it, someone will catch the mark on Booker's hand, which is knife etched letters "AD." The announcer says that makes you the no good false shepherd. They're about to cut you with a Sky Hook, but Booker throws the ball in the air, distracting them, grabs one cop and gives him a face lift (to put it in a delicate manner.) That's where this game kicks off and chaos on Columbia erupts. 

You get your first trusty companion and that is the Sky Hook, with this you can melee attack enemies, as well as ride the Sky-Lines. You get a gun quickly, a pistol. Over time you will acquire more guns and upgrades, because you will need them as you progress. 

Alright, that's all I'm giving you. Go play the game if you want to see the rest. 

Rating: 

Masterpiece

Like I said, this is my opinion, I love this game. I will definitely keep playing it for years to come. It's fun, exciting, and is definitely one of the finest games of 2013. I highly recommend it for various reasons: gameplay, design, storyline, and one of the greatest endings I've ever seen in a video game. If you've never played it or read spoilers (like I didn't), you will be surprised.