Soon
after I finished Tales of Xillia last August, a friend of mine let me borrow
Bioshock Infinite for the Xbox 360. I found myself absolutely immersed in its world, and
needless to say I really enjoyed the game. I enjoyed it enough, in fact, to
purchase my own copy of the game on Steam a few months later. Now, let’s take a
look on just WHAT exactly makes this game so great.
Story
“Bring
us the girl, and wipe away the debt.” That is your main objective throughout
the game. You play as Booker DeWitt, an ex-Pinkerton with a huge gambling debt.
He is sent to the floating city of Columbia to retrieve a girl named Elizabeth.
But as soon as you arrive in the city, things quickly start going wrong, and
the plot gets much deeper from there.
What
makes the game’s story so interesting is the world it’s set in. Columbia is a
dark parody of the theory of American Exceptionalism, and the citizens are
fiercely racist and xenophobic. In Columbia, everyone follows a religion based
around Zachary Hale Comstock, the city’s prophet and ruler.
The
character personalities and development are also excellent. Elizabeth isn’t
just a damsel in distress to rescue; there are times in the plot where she
refuses to put up with Booker, and forces him to think about his own actions.
Booker himself also gets a lot of development; he comes to care more about
protecting Elizabeth and getting her out safely than repaying his gambling
debt. The voice acting only helps to further enhance the characters. Troy Baker
and Courtnee Draper did an amazing job voicing Booker and Elizabeth.
Gameplay
Bioshock
Infinite is, at its core, a first person shooter. In one hand, you wield a gun,
and in the other, you use a special power called “vigor”. You also have a melee
attack. You’ll find different vigors throughout the game, each of them having
their own unique effects. For example, the Devil’s Kiss vigor works similarly
to grenades, while the Murder of Crows vigor sends a flock of crows to attack
and stun your foes. These vigors are limited by your salts gauge. To refill the
gauge, you have to find supplies strewn across the environment.
Because
you can only store two guns at a time and have a bar limiting how much you can
use your vigors, the game becomes fast paced yet strategic. There are always
several ways to take out your enemies using different guns and vigors. You can
also find “gear” that provides special effects when equipped, allowing you to
adapt to whatever situation you find yourself in.
During
battle, Elizabeth will also help you out. First and foremost, no, it’s not an
escort mission. Elizabeth is immune to all damage and will help look for
supplies and money. When she finds something, she’ll toss it over to you. This
can range from anything - from ammo to
salts, or even health packs. There have been times where I barely had any
health left, but was lucky enough to get a health pack from her that fully
restored me.
Outside
of battle, she can pick locks provided you have enough lockpicks. This skill is
REALLY helpful, as it can lead to many optional upgrades for your health,
shield, and salts. She can also decipher codes to open hidden areas if you
decide to take on the sidequests.
While
the gameplay isn’t deep by any means, it’s still an absolute blast to play.
Even on my second playthrough, I still had a ton of fun experimenting with
vigors I didn’t use before.
Graphics
The
game’s graphics look absolutely stunning no matter what version of the game
you’re playing. Everything looks really nice and detailed, from the weapons you
wield to the special effects of Booker’s vigors. The setting and art style
really help to brighten up the setting.
Sound/Voice
Like
I said before, the voice acting is excellent. Everyone did a great job with
their roles and were very expressive, especially Booker and Elizabeth’s voice
actors. As for the sound and music, the game is filled with music that was
created all after 1912, the year the game takes place in. However, there’s a
brilliant reason for that: thanks to all of the tears in space-time appearing
all over the place, people have been looking into them and stealing ideas from
other places in time.
Length/Replay
Value
The
game is roughly 12 hours. It’s short, but very sweet. On the other hand,
because of the plot, it’s worth playing through again just to see things you
might not have caught before. You can also find optional gear and upgrades in
hidden places. Or, if you’re up to it, you can tackle 1999 mode, an extra
difficulty mode unlocked after beating the game that will really test your skills
and patience.
Verdict:
9.5/10
Even
if you’re not a fan of FPS games, I’d still recommend this game. Bioshock
Infinite’s story and world is something that should not be missed. It’s one of
my favorite games of all time, and rightfully so.
No comments:
Post a Comment