Bioshock_Infinite

Game Review: BioShock Infinite

Released for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, “BioShock Infinite” turns away from the underwater realm of the first two games and goes to new heights, literally, taking place in the floating city of Columbia in 1912. The player plays as Booker Dewitt, a man from New York with a debt and guilt that can only be repaid if he retrieves a girl from Columbia.

The city of Columbia is comprised of many different floating islands and is lead by its “Prophet” known as Comstock. Comstock created the city of Columbia and formed it after the three Fathers. Father Washington, who gave the Golden Sword, Brother Franklin who game the Golden Key, and Father Jefferson who game the Golden Scroll. As Booker heads through the city, he sees an exterior of fun, food, sunshine, and happiness, but discovers the deeper emotions for racial purity under God. This includes racism, police brutality, and rebellion. All these things affect this floating paradise, but they are no concern for Booker. His only goal is to retrieve the girl and wipe away his debt. Story-wise, introducing the plot is all that can be said without spoiling all of the the twists and turns that “Bioshock Infinite” has to offer.

The social implications of the game hit hard. For example, in one part of the game, the player arrives at an arcade for children and sees that there is a white-only bathroom, which is well maintained and clean, along with another part for servants, which include African Americans, homosexuals, and the Irish. In the second part, signs to behave and call everyone “sir” or “madam” hang everywhere and the bathrooms are dirty, broken, and cannot even be called a bathroom really.

Complementing the various scenes within the game, the music is a great addition. The orchestration fits the situations along with what is happening in the game. The fusion of modern songs in the game make it special. “Fortunate Son,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” and “God Only Knows” are just a few that appear, their reasons becoming clear as the game continues. Most of these fused songs come during emotional parts of the storyline, conveying emotion that a person who was in that situation would feel.

Lastly, there is the actual gameplay. “BioShock Infinite” plays like a book, with dialog, story, character development, and emotion, with the shooting aspect of the game blending seamlessly with the story. Like the other Bioshock games, the player is able to use guns and vigors. Vigors, like the plasmids, are special superhuman abilities like blasting fire from a character’s hands or sending large groups of crows towards enemies. Used strategically, these can be a major asset. With the guns, the player may now only hold two, which means hard decisions over which weapons to use and which to throw away.

“BioShock Infinite” has received many great reviews, including a 5 out of 5 from Adam Sessler, a famous game critic. Game Informer game Infinite a 10/10 and Electronic Monthly Gaming gave it a 10/10 as well. The game definitely deserves a 10/10. The game combines the shooting genre with an amazing storyline and beautiful art to create a masterpiece for all to enjoy.



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