Rating of
5/5
There Are Other Worlds Than These
Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/30/13
The first BioShock game was amazing. The sequel, while not quite up to the first game's standards, was still quite good. But BioShock Infinite is on another level. When you begin the game, rising like the Phoenix to the floating city of Columbia (the game is set in 1912) and are soon baptized and introduced to the religion (the people worship founding fathers Washington, Franklin and Jefferson like saints) and make your way towards the fair celebrating the launching of Columbia, one of the many scenes you stumble upon is a barbershop quartet. Now, most games might give them a period piece to sing - but lo and behold the gentlemen launch into a quite good rendition of the Beach Boys "God Only Knows" - you can stay for the entire performance before the men are whisked off on a flying barge to sing to another group. This anachronistic touch was the first inkling that this game was going to be something different - and it is. It's a game that explores the thin line between justice and tyranny. Between religion and fanaticism. Between good and evil. It has themes ranging from racial superiority to technology - and also delves into alternate realities and the consequences of the choices we make. It's a game I dare say is profound - it may not be just one of the greatest games of this generation - to me, it may be one of my favorite games of all time.
Presentation: Fantastic. From the floating city itself to the character design to the absolutely genius use of music - I think this is one of the most polished games I have played. I didn't run into one issue - no freezing, no clipping, no jaggies - even when you're traveling at high speed along the numerous sky rails, the game performed admirably. Besides the great rendition of "God Only Knows" you also get a ragtime/waltz cover of Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and a much more soulful take on Creedance Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son". Those who choose to explore (and you really should - getting into all the nooks and crannies just makes the story that much more enjoyable) will find out where all this music is really coming from - but the creators really did an excellent job at scoring some nice music. Plus the regular themes (especially the pulse-pounding battle music) is also top-notch.
Story: Deep and so, so very well done. What seems to begin as a simple rescue mission to bring back a young woman named Elizabeth to "wipe away the debt" turns into something much more. The city of Columbia is ruled by Zachary Hale Comstock - a deeply religious man known at The Prophet by his flock. His daughter, the girl you are sent to rescue, is being groomed to inherit the rule: "The Seed of the Prophet. Shall sit the throne and drown in flame. the mountains of man". Early on things seem quite normal - the celebration of the launching of Columbia is in full swing - a fair (complete with games), a raffle, parades - it seems like a lot of fun. But listen to some of the talk and you'll find things aren't quite that easy - talk of the "Vox Populi", the fact everyone seems to be affluent and white it all comes to a head during the big raffle - where you are the lucky winner who gets to throw a ball at an interracial couple. No matter what you do - this begins the portion of the game where you have to fight and fight you do.
When you eventually find Elizabeth, you see she has the ability to create tears - literally rips in the fabric of reality that provide a gateway to alternate worlds - some far in the future. It seems a pair of scientists (the Luteces - who show up cryptically throughout the game) have harnessed this power and it is also the source for the amazing technology present in 1912 (including the floating city itself). But Elizabeth has been kept captive and her power is siphoned while a giant mechanized creature called the Songbird keeps watch over her and prevents any escape (at least until you arrive). The relationship between Elizabeth and Booker DeWitt (that would be the guy on the cover up there) goes much deeper than I would have imagined. Though Booker seems to be the stereotypical white male (ala Nathan Drake), I believe the role has a lot more depth than just "generic white guy hero". A lot of credit has to be given to Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper for bringing out the most in their characters.
One of the most important aspects of her power is the ability to change the future. Take the Vox Populi - at one point you take control of an airship only to lose it to Daisy Fitzroy - the leader of this rebel group fighting for the minorities. You see, Columbia is all about "purity" (one group demonizes Lincoln and practically worships John Wilkes Booth) - but they still need people to work the menial jobs. Thus criminals are brought in and treated like dirt: blacks, Jews, the Irish, Chinese - all are treated as second-class citizens (or worse) and thus fight back. In order to fight back, Fitzroy sends you after Chen Lin - a gun maker - to supply her. Only by the time you get to him, he has been tortured to death. Elizabeth opens a tear to a world in which Lin is still alive - only to find out things aren't quite... right. A second tear leads to yet another world - in this world Fitzroy already has the guns she needs - and Booker has become a martyr to the cause. But Fitzroy has also turned into just as bad a monster as Comstock - brutally executing the population of Columbia (women and children alike) in her quest for justice. Just remember, that quote about absolute power corrupting is always true.
Themes run very deep here - for a video game I have to say it is every bit as good as some of the books and movies I have seen and if Roger Ebert were still alive, I would hold this up as one of the greatest arguments for video games being considered "art". The conclusion is simply amazing - my review title (for those who don't read Stephen King) references his magnum opus The Dark Tower series - just like the end to that loops back around on itself, thus does BioShock Infinite - the title of which refers to the millions upon millions of alternate timelines and the choices we make that shape our destiny.
Heck, even the credits deserve mention if not only because you get to hear some of the excellent cover songs again, but even get a peek behind the scenes of voice actress Draper practicing "May the Circle Be Unbroken". Take that crappy 45-minute boring-ass credits from the underwhelming Playstation Allstars Battle Royale. All in all - one of the most impressive story lines I can think of in terms of video games.
Gameplay: While not all that different from the first two BioShock games - you still fight using a combination of various firearms (from the lowly pistol to the RPG, shotgun, rifle and even a gatling-esque gun) and Vigors (replacing the plasmids from earlier games) that shoot everything from fire, to ravenous crows to electricity and more. You get the added benefit of flying around on sky hooks and rails (not in every battle - but a good many of them) where you can drop kick enemies from above or slow down and snipe them while swinging by.
In place of Big Daddies the non-boss heavy hitters include Handy-Men (a robotic-enhanced super human with plenty of life - though he does have a nasty cough and a weak point in his heart) and various specialty enemies like the Firemen (who shoot fire) and Crows (who teleport in a cloud of birds). While the true boss battles are few and far between - I wasn't too miffed as the narrative more than makes up for the lack of epic boss fights. The game also introduces "Gear" - a hat, shirt and pants that offer various attributes (from given you a temporary shield to enhancing Vigors and more).
The game awards exploration - you can watch old-time movies, collect "voxophone" recordings that provide information regarding events and people and also enhancements to improve health, shield and salt (that powers Vigors). Aside from this, don't forget to check out the many posters, plaques and graffiti around Columbia. The designers went all-out in providing some excellent touches that just make the game all that more interesting. Elizabeth, far from being the typical damsel in distress, voices her opinion often and loudly. Plus, she's handy to have around as she can create helpful tears (from weapons to turrets to cover to healing items and salts as well) and can also unlock doors and safes (provided you collect or buy the lockpicks around Columbia).
While you can say there's not too much innovation here compared to the first two games, the first two games were also pretty good in the battle system and you really didn't need to tweak much, so I'm just fine with the results.
Replayability: The game features the assortment of difficulties, including the ultra-hard 1999 mode (which provides fewer save points, much tougher enemies who deal greater damage and less items spread about). I didn't attempt to tackle it, though I think I could probably survive it compared to say the Dead Space games. Aside from that you should be able to obtain most of the trophies on one playthrough (yes I admit I used a guide to find all the secrets - sue me - I still avoided spoilers).
Overall: One of the best games of this generation. Even though it's the third game in the BioShock series, it technically takes place before the other two and other than a few nods to the original, you could probably play this one first and not have to worry about missing out on anything. This is how a video game should be done. It's not too long, not too short - it has impact and it sticks with you. This generation is truly going out with a bang and I just hope the remaining games on my list will be able to approach the level this game has risen to.
Presentation: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replayability:4/5
Overall (not an average): 5/5
