Bioshock Infinite

[E-Man]

Just finished this game, and boy did I love it. It's crazy how good the Bioshock series is when you consider how good the first two are. I'm glad they got away from Rapture to offer a fresh, new take on the series. Depending on how things go I may just get the season pass.

 

[SpideyVille]

I just finished this. It was my first Bioshock and honestly, I wasn't as impressed as I thought I should be, given all of the hype that this game had, but it was definitely enjoyable, and that ending ... I'm about to go look for some spoilercasts about it.

I'm definitely considering getting the Season Pass for this, but I'm a bit hesistant since that would mean that I'm paying more for the DLC than I did for the actual game since I got this for like $10. And the short time frame to complete it also turns me off to it a bit.

 

[KevanG]

I got the season pass because the dlc looked really neat. The pass includes some bonuses for the main game, a fighting arena and at least two more episodes of DLC, which was really cool since it takes place back in Rapture with Elizabeth. That episode is $15 alone and the pass is $20. I figure it's worth it.

 

[SpideyVille]

Yeah I figure the season pass is worth it since you'd bee getting DLC that worth $35 for just $20. But my worry was that the amount of content, at least in terms of BaS 1, did not justify the price since its something that can be beaten in less than a couple of hours.

But I just got the season pass and am downloading everything now. Hopefully BaS 2 makes up for it.

 

[KevanG]

BaS is an interesting thing. I went through and explored everything and I was there more than five hours just looking at everything, exploring and listening to all the conversations. It is a beautiful DLC, visually and gameplay wise. Also, SANDER ****ING COHEN is back!

 

[Brother Jack]

Episode 2 is supposed to be mainly exploration-based and you actually play as Elizabeth in it with Booker as your AI partner.

 

[SpideyVille]

Now that I have a better understanding of the ending, it definitely raises the value of the game as a whole in my eyes. I never played the original Bioshock, so a lot of the stuff at the end was lost on me, but its nice to see them throw in some references and nods to it.

And one thing I'm hearing from a lot of reviewers is that there are a lot of elements in the game that seemed to be forced in for the sake of making it feel like a game, and I have to agree. The strongest aspect of the game is the story and the actual gameplay almost becomes secondary and is only used as a means to progress the story, whereas most games usually do it the other way around where they give you a story to serve the gameplay. But this was a very cleverly written game and I would imagine that a second playthrough would make so much more little things stand out.

 

[KevanG]

That's why I enjoy the Bioshock games so much. The story is the biggest part of it. The gameplay is secondary and you can go for quite some time between fights just wandering around and exploring the place. I've played through it several times and the ending always gut punches me, even though I know exactly what happens. Play through it a second time with the foreknowledge of the story and see what they show you that you couldn't have picked up the first time.

I only got into the Bioshock series because Infinite was coming out and the first was on sale for $3 and I'd heard good things about it. I picked it up, loved it, got the second, it was okay, then got Infinite. I'd recommend getting at least the first but there's a packaged deal for the two of them for around $20.

 

[SpideyVille]

The first Bioshock was included on the disc for Infinite so I have a digital copy of it and already installed it on my PS3. I'll definitely go give it a shot soon once I get through the rest of the games in my backlog.

But I also watched a video full of all the secrets and easter eggs in Infinite and I gotta say, I love it when developer do stuff like that. They put in so many awesome things that barely get noticed while you're in the mix of things, but once you take a step back and look at things closely, you find many surprises. Naughty Dog did the same thing with The Last of Us and its easy to see why these are two of the most highly regarded games of the year.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I just watched the Zero Punctuation video for his 5 best and worst games of the year. He had Infinite as best, and I definitely think Yahtzee got it right this year. It holds true to the idea of games as thought invoking, while being blast to play. Dare I say a video game as art?

And there really is no better storytelling in video games. As much as I love The Last of Us and GTA V, they claim compelling storytelling, while having gameplay that obviously contradict it. Not Infinite.

 

[zenith16]

• 
  
• 
  PlayStation Plus Members Get BioShock Infinite For Free Tomorrow
  
  News
  on Jan 13, 2014 at 02:22 PM
  2,254 Views
  
  10
  Starting tomorrow (after the next PlayStation Store update hits), Irrational Games' BioShock Infinite is a free download for PlayStation Plus subscribers
  ... More
  

source:GI

 

[Benstamania]

I know I'm alone here but I didn't much care for Infinite at all.. I really, reeeeeeeeeeeally wanted to but just couldn't. I'm sure I would have liked it much better but I just felt like the combat was...Clunky.

Elizabeth is great though. She and Ellie were fantastic examples of what NPC AI needs to be. I'll give it another play through sometime since it's free on PS+ next month but as it stands the first BioShock is still my favorite.

 

[KevanG]

The combat was fairly clunky but the story was the main point. What did you think of that?

 

[SpideyVille]

I know I'm alone here but I didn't much care for Infinite at all.. I really, reeeeeeeeeeeally wanted to but just couldn't. I'm sure I would have liked it much better but I just felt like the combat was...Clunky.

Elizabeth is great though. She and Ellie were fantastic examples of what NPC AI needs to be. I'll give it another play through sometime since it's free on PS+ next month but as it stands the first BioShock is still my favorite.

See, I kinda felt the same way about this game, especially since it was my first Bioshock game and a lot of the references just went over my head. But after I saw some videos of the the easter eggs and other stuff that they put in the game, as well as a better explanation of the story as a whole, my appreciation for it really jumped up. But like I mentioned in a previous post, many reviewers have commented on how the best thing about the game is the story and the gameplay just feels forced in to push that story forward, and I agree because the story is interesting but if you take that out, I don't think this game did much to warrant it being considered for GOTY.

But having played this right after I played The Last of Us, I agree about Ellie and Elizabeth. They were both great and neither were treated in ways that made you want to get rid of them. If anything, the moments you spend without them make you want to do whatever needs to be done to have them around again.

 

[zenith16]

It also helped that the AI in this on your partners is smart the only other that was done properly are tom Clancy titles and may a bit of lef4 dead. most others some really stupid AI. which has always have always made gamers have PTSD issues over it.

Well I'm always saying something like this should be optional I start to rephrase what I say now. unless AI is actually intelligently done its shouldn't be done or be optional as what was done with the old school double dragon and ninja turtle games where you don't see them un less you allow another player to join you. other it should remain optional as something you select to do. the only Exception if there is ai that smart enough in this case.

As long as it's not done the way capcom does it with the resident evil series where it's forced up on you and they have the worst Ai possible ever made on a partner , blech. it's fine.

 

[Benstamania]

The combat was fairly clunky but the story was the main point. What did you think of that?

I felt like I seen it before in an episode of Quantum Leap. Didn't hate it, thought it was good..But wasn't floored by it. Not like I was with the original BioShock. I just feel many reviewers were saying GOTY was because it was BioShock... And not because of anything else. I'm a fan of Rev3 Games but the one female reviewer (forgive me, I forget her name) went on a tangent about how ANYONE that dislikes BioShock Infinite must be a "l33t hardcore gamer that only plays three or four games a year and one of them has to be Dark Souls."

Which..I didn't really get.

She also said that TLOU could never be her game of the year because Joe wasn't a good guy. Um.. Ok.. I don't think Booker was a "good guy" either.

That being said... As much as I don't really care for it..I don't mean that it's a BAD game. It's a fine game and I can see why people would really enjoy it. It just.. I dunno.. Left me expecting something more I guess.

 

[Benstamania]

Also.. I'm actually fairly interested in the buried at sea DLC, more so Part 2 as you can play as Elizabeth...Who, IMHO, is just a stellar character.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Infinite's gameplay is clunky? How so? It moves from its types of combat rather seamlessly, the shooting is terrific, and far superior to the original Bioshock's.

 

[Quasimod0]

The combat was fun and hectic. I never felt that it was clunky.
Although, sometimes I just wanted to move the story forward and the combat sections would annoy me. lol

 

[PWN3R]

I just finished Infinite along with Episode One of the DLC. I went into this blind. This game... I was not prepared; the story, twists and revelations, Elizabeth, the fully realized world, literally everything is a work of genius. I love how the gameplay takes a back seat to the narrative. And this is not a slant on the gameplay because it is divine.

I never played any of the Bioshocks so several moments were soaked with bewilderment and constant jaw dropping for me. I am definitely going to pick up Bioshock this weekend. Despite never playing the previous games I am familair with the plot. I think it's so clever the way they linked the games/universes together. Constants and variables. <3

Also, what are the differences (if any) between selecting the Cage pendant over the Bird piece? I feel like the Cage would be more meaningful in the endgame. Anyone pick that one from the Luteces?

 

[KevanG]

It's just cosmetic between the two.

Play Bioshock 1 then replay Infinite and see what you get. I played them in order and I was blown away by everything they did as references to past games. Bioshock is just crazy fun and the story is almost as good as infinite if only not as complex.

 

[StrainedEyes]

The only difference is which one Elizabeth wears, it does not change the ending at all.

 

[Soapy]

Like I said in the "Last game you played" thread, I'm playing Bioshock Infinite (trying to, anyway) and I'm not at all impressed with it. The gameplay is bad and the story is meh. It has good art design, but the texture work is truly horrendous. I'll keep poking at it, but it's really not doing anything for me at all so far.

 

[KevanG]

BAH! You have no soul Soapy!

I kid. It's not for everyone but I adore the Bioshock series anyway.

 

[Soapy]

For the record, I didn't like the first Bioshock very much either.

System Shock 2 I think is probably going to end up as the high point in Ken Levine's career.