Bioshock Infinite, the third instalment of the BioShock series and third game in the Bioshock:The Collection. The Bioshock Infinite instalment in the collection includes both burial at sea DLC’s and the arena DLC along with the original game and like all the previous games in the collection is available for the newest generation of consoles and PC platforms. With that, all repeated to avoid confusion lets get on with talking about the interesting elements in the game.
The story does not fail to disappoint which is a common staple of these games and has not changed from the original BioShock Infinite. You play as Booker Dewitt who has been sent to the city in the sky called Columbia. This is so Booker can retrieve a girl to wipe away his debts. Little does he realise what this truly entails with him having to deal with the whole city of sky racists under the rule of prophet Zachery Hale Comstock. This and the fact that the girl (Elizabeth) he is supposed to be getting has the power to create tears which are doorways into other dimensions. This leaves you and , probably Booker Dewitt, with plenty of unexpected moments and thrilling surprises. Which I suppose should be expected when you introduce elements like different alternative realities and quantum physics. Needless to say, you will be constantly surprised and probably have a lot of questions even after you have finished the game. But, if all of this is not enough there are also the two Burial at sea episodes too to which take you to different/familiar places such as rapture before everything went really crazy. This will give you plenty to sink your teeth into, narratively speaking.
The Gameplay has not changed from the original BioShock Infinite back when it was released in 2013, however, has changed a great deal from the last two games in the series. One of the biggest changes is the introduction of new kit like the sky hook which allows you to jump on to sky rails and higher places to get a higher ground advantage on your enemies. Not only is the sky hook handy for just getting places as it can also be used effectively in combat via neck-snapping executions on weak enemies or aerial assassinations and allowing you to ride the sky rail making you mobile enough not to get shot to pieces but still lay down some gunfire. This combined with Elizabeths handy ability to bring other things into the world will keep you constantly moving as you try to find the most effective way to deal with those damn sky racists. Also, the game lets you equip clothing into four slots giving you the ability to further help any kind of combat style you wish to adopt. Do you like gunning down enemies fast then the gear which allows you to reload faster will help? If not, and you prefer physical combat over ranged then pieces of gear like the pyromaniac shirt which has a chance of setting your opponent on fire when you strike them will definitely help. The Vigors/plasmids have also changed a bit, the basic tonics like shock jockey and possession are pretty similar to what you are used to from the previous games (possession being a combination of the berserk plasmids in the first two games) however there are newer, more interesting abilities you can use in combat. This ranges from handy things such as the bucking broncko which levitates enemies in the air for a short time allowing you to wander up and shotgun them away or the Return to sender Vigor which allows you to create a barrier and send bullets back to their owners. These Vigors can also be combined so that you can both stun and burn/shock a group of enemies with a pack of burning/electrifying crows.
But, this is not the only set of gameplay elements that have changed as the core first person shooter aspect has been modified considerably too. One of these changes is that you cannot carry any med kits or extra eve hypnosis meaning that you will have to grab salts(the games version of eve) and health wherever you can find it. But, don’t worry as you also have a shield which recharges over time and all these aspects of Booker Dewitt (maximum Health, maximum Salts and Shield) can be upgraded by finding infusion bottles about the place in the game. There also seems to be a greater variety of weaponry too with multiple types of pistols, machine guns and rockets to blast your enemies away. Speaking of enemies- a lot of these have changed to even in the style as many of these enemies seem very human. Well, except with maybe the boys of silence and sirens you fight late in the game and automated turrets but apart from that their design seems very different to the mutant monstrosities you’re used to in Rapture. Oh, how could I forget, there, of course, is the Patriot which is a mechanised robot founding father with a massive machine gun that will happily turn you to swiss cheese? I don’t think I have ever felt so threatened when thinking about one of the founding fathers of America and will not look at them in the same way again. All of this feels like it gives a much more modern take on FPS’s and combines it with Bioshock already terrific gameplay. If this is not enough the two burial at sea episodes included give you more fun weapons and abilities to play around with along with the clash in the cloud DLC which gives a horde like a mode to the game.
Visually the game is stunning and differs greatly from the bleak scenery you are used to in Rapture. Although this has not changed from when the game was originally released for the next-gen consoles and PC platforms it was probably because it really did not need it. The soundtrack is also pretty amazing especially with the covers of songs which are done so well that it will only be towards the end of the game that you will start to recognise them, giving you a haunting foreshadowing.
Overall The game feels very new compared to its counterparts and more of an FPS shooter than a survival like horror / dated FPS (which I guess you can tell by the use of Y for the jump on Xbox one) like in the first two games – which were great. Also with the story lines quantum and parallel reality madness that runs through the game it is definitely a story that you will never forget and probably will spend a great time mulling over. But, also, as the third instalment in a collection of games it truly makes the collection well worth it to people who have missed the odd Bioshock game or even who have never played the series. For those who have played all the games, it may also be worth it just for having them in one place and being easily accessible to enjoy those great experiences again with slight touch-ups. Truly a great collection to have.
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