Distraught about Bioshock Infinite’s second delay? How about you cheer yourself up by quenching some of the game’s previews. You’ll feel much better once you once you do.
I try to stay away from story-related questions,” Levine says. “I’ll just say there’s not a lot of accidents.” At this stage, it feels as though BioShock Infinite is at its best when it distinguishes itself from its predecessors – when you’re bantering with Elizabeth, riding the skylines, opening up tears, nearly gunning down someone only to realise that they mean you no harm, or simply soaking up its dixieland paradise of straw hats and salt water taffy. It holds onto the series’ less flattering traditions like an old pair of underwear, and the new stuff is introduced at a glacial pace, but its story, characters, and especially the setting, are a bold step forward for both Irrational and triple-A shooters on the whole.
If the worst thing I can say about it is that it feels too much like BioShock at times, well, there are worse criticisms one could level at a game.
Compared to 2006’s BioShock, Infinite’s shooting fundamentals feel more confident and satisfying. I played with a variety of weapons — pistol, SMG, carbine, sniper rifle, and RPG — and they all proved to be potent, versatile death dealers. Though the game has shifted to a two-weapon system, you’re still able to upgrade your weapons via vending machines scattered around Columbia, enhancing accuracy, damage, clip size and much more. The revamped control scheme wisely reassigns some key actions, including a dedicated melee attack via the Triangle button and a handy sprint activated via L3. Overall, the DualShock 3 controls feel solid, familiar, and reliable. While the final version of the game will support the PlayStation Move motion controller, we weren’t able to try it out this time — we’ll be looking to do so as soon as possible.
Vigors are Infinite’s answer to Plasmids, and they’ve also received greatly enhanced functionality. Each Vigor can be used in two different ways; tap Devil’s Kiss and you’ll lob an explosive fireball, charge it up and you’ll drop a fiery mine. Murder of Crows proved to be a particularly devastating but energy-intensive Vigor, while Bucking Bronco catapulted enemies out of cover and into the sights of my trusty Repeater. My favorite was probably possession, which enabled me to remotely hack enemy turrets and score extra coin at vending machines. As with BioShock’s Plasmids, you can upgrade Vigors to add additional effects and benefits, though the upgrade path here seemed more varied and flexible.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the PS3 version of the game looks sharp and runs smoothly, even when the scenery soars past in the game’s vertigo-inducing Skyhook segments. Load times were infrequent, too.
The best compliment that I can pay the game right now as that I wanted to play it more slowly. I wanted to explore its world and learn as much of it as I could. But I’m tired right now. My body’s on east coast time and therefore it’s nearly 1AM.
I wasn’t going to lose sleep tonight if BioShock Infinite was a stinker. But I’m nevertheless happy that it showed so well.
It plays more like the old game than I’d expected.
It looks nothing like the old one, as I’d hoped.
Both of those are very good things. Be hopeful. They might nail this one yet.
While the gameplay uses many ideas from the original game, Irrational does such a great job of infusing a sense of wonder and mystery into the experience so that it feels like a journey well worth continuing beyond the initial sections. Between Booker and Elizabeth’s relationship, the occasional TV static-like flicker of seemingly solid objects in Columbia, the nature of Booker’s bizarre flashbacks, the Songbird, Elizabeth’s reality-bending power, the nationalism-as-religion themes and conflict between Columbia’s factions, Infinite has no lack of big, ambitious ideas. Where it’s all headed and whether or not it’ll wrap up in a sensible, satisfying way is anyone’s guess until the full game is made available.
I feel I’ve said too much by even raising these points. After five hours at Infinite’s controls, though, the overriding memory I have – aside from the game’s gorgeous, yet barmy, steampunk city – is of Ken Levine speaking to me with a twinkle in his eye and the hint of a smile playing on his lips.
“None of this is an attempt to be cute. Nothing is there just as a nod.”
Players may be in for an immersive experience by booking passage to Columbia, but BioShock Infinite – if I’m reading this right – promises to be a head trip of epic proportions.
This just makes me angrier that the game was delayed again. But I know it will be a stellar title!!! I’m ready
i just hope this has the opening and twists the original had.
still one of THE best games ever released!
the opening was just so orchestral, you finding yourself in a crashed plane and whisked away to this underwater palace it was so theatrical.
not to mention the twists, come on NO ONE saw those coming!
the bioshock series is actually the perfect example of how series and sequels should be done.
1 and 2 are two totally different games, but there also so alike and so akin to eachother.
both had their strengths and funny enough those were in their differences.
the original had the better story, and it had the amazing opening and characters.
the second was the gameplay, the big sisters, the whole horror feel of the game.
the perfect example of how sequels should be done!
different, yet familiar.
for once we had a sequel that was so different, yet still felt totally a part of the bioshock universe!
and better yet asking me to choose between the two is like asking a father to choose his favorite child.
they cant, their creations are different in so many ways and thats what makes them impossible to choose one over the other.
really makes me hope infinite is the same, so very different yet still feels 100% a part of the bioshock universe.
and im sure it will be.
i just wish it was not releasing around 100 other games!
its a shame because this is a game you will want to take your time with, soak in the atmosphere.
but sadly people wont be able to do that otherwise they will fall behind with other games.
sigh, why is it the games that always take the longest to finish always have to release in the fullest months?