BioShock Infinite

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9926 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8,187 out of 9926
  2. Mixed: 1,100 out of 9926
  3. Negative: 639 out of 9926
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Orctownorc
    Apr 6, 2013
    7
    Bioshoke Infinite is a good game. It is also overated, over-hyped and someone less than the coming-of-the-Messiah it pretends to be. Infinite has wonderful ambience and atmosphere. The city of Columbia was built with passion and care. The art STYLING is brilliant. Likewise the main characters are sublime. Certain set-pieces are BRILLIANT. Yet finally this game does not stand up as aBioshoke Infinite is a good game. It is also overated, over-hyped and someone less than the coming-of-the-Messiah it pretends to be. Infinite has wonderful ambience and atmosphere. The city of Columbia was built with passion and care. The art STYLING is brilliant. Likewise the main characters are sublime. Certain set-pieces are BRILLIANT. Yet finally this game does not stand up as a product that is worth $60. It is far too short and the shooting/exploring elements are far too limited, a kind of theatrical filler between the numerous set-pieces of this scenic railroad. Good though it is, this is a game to wait for. Wait till the hype blows over and get it when it hits its true value of around $20. The combat is fun but not challenging. Enemy AI is weak. The game is also far too linear and NARROW in terms of both player progress and narrative. The game finally exposes its true weaknesses, after many great moments when the plot falls to pieces at the end with one of the most head-scratching (in a negative sense) and RIDICULOUS conclusions you will ever see in a game. The ending is not deep. It is not a philosphical marvel. It's an incoherent mess that will have you wondering what the team at Irrational Games have been smoking for the last FIVE YEARS. While the anti-American Exceptionism is fairly amusing is is also over-played. Doesn't Ken Levine understand the word subtlety? Bioware Infinite is definitely a game to be enjoyed when the price comes down. I understand the desire of users to praose any game to the heavens. It happened also with Skyrim, which simply was also not very good. Keep waiting boys and girls, a true 10/10 game will get made eventually. Enough dudes are working at it.… Expand
  2. GuardianLight
    Mar 31, 2013
    7
    This is a story-driven game with good gameplay mechanics. It makes the active choice to repeatedly deny you any story-related choices in the game, making it more like a film with breaks of first-person shooting. Which leaves me conflicted because ultimately a story-driven game without choice needs to have AAA level story to be compelling and lead to a satisfying conclusion. That's whereThis is a story-driven game with good gameplay mechanics. It makes the active choice to repeatedly deny you any story-related choices in the game, making it more like a film with breaks of first-person shooting. Which leaves me conflicted because ultimately a story-driven game without choice needs to have AAA level story to be compelling and lead to a satisfying conclusion. That's where the major flaw lies in this otherwise well-polished and enjoyable action game. The story fails to deliver the satisfactory climax, or even a satisfactory epilogue. Instead, it goes out with a whimper, like a failed film-student project. Still, the beginning is a well grounded start to what could have been game of the year, with characters that start off believable and interesting. Too bad it steers off course and never reaches full promise. Merely a "good" game when all is said and done.… Expand
  3. Captiosus
    Mar 28, 2013
    6
    I can't help but wonder: If we took the Bioshock name off the title, would it still be receiving such praise? Frankly, most of the elements that were unique to BioShock have been utterly stripped from this title. There's still plasmids (Vigors) and a steampunk setting but that is where the similarities cease. The hacking elements are gone, lockpicking is taken away from the player andI can't help but wonder: If we took the Bioshock name off the title, would it still be receiving such praise? Frankly, most of the elements that were unique to BioShock have been utterly stripped from this title. There's still plasmids (Vigors) and a steampunk setting but that is where the similarities cease. The hacking elements are gone, lockpicking is taken away from the player and given to an AI, the research camera is removed, and paying attention to health has been replaced with the all-too-generic "regenerating health" mechanic. BioShock's "Big Daddies" are replaced with "Handymen" who are seen far too infrequently, and "Motorized Patriots" which are overused. The vast majority of the enemy AI are merely footsolders who are easy to defeat (and completely stupid) even on the hardest setting. The shooting mechanics have never been particularly strong in the BioShock franchise but BioShock Infinite strips it down further, allowing players to carry only two weapons at any given time like any other stock FPS title. In addition, the vigor powers themselves are lackluster and chances are you'll go through the entire game running with Possession (the hacking "replacement") and Bucking Bronco or Murder of Crows (the two Vigors which have the most effect on enemy mobs loss of control and stun+damage, respectively). We get Vigor powers like "Shock Jockey" (the name should tell you what it does) and the game points out how we can use it to power up devices but then we only get one particular device to use it on and little reason to use it again. So this leaves us with the story which seems to be getting the most praise. However, the story itself is a series of walking cliches and tropes about multiverse theory and time-space manipulation and, frankly, has been addressed better elsewhere in countless science fiction novels, movies, TV shows, and even comic books. When the game explains the concepts of "constants and variables" in the multiverse it feels more like they're attempting to justify why the game took such a hard 90 degree turn away from previous gameplay demos in order to proffer this metaphysical theme. Where, for example, is the Elizabeth AI we were shown where she fought along side of us? Gone and replaced with a cowering AI that gets in the way and offers little help but tossing us items from time to time. Where, for example, were the critical moments in the game shown during gameplay demos of E3's past? Gone and replaced with overly cerebral tropes about quantum mechanics and multiple realities. Where, for example, are all the examples of how the sky-rail plays a critical role in the game? Just gone, entirely. Don't get me wrong, the story is heads and shoulders better than MOST games these days and the attention to detail is second to none. For those reasons alone the game should be experienced at least once. It's just the story isn't nearly as new OR earth shattering as many claim it to be and, if I didn't care about spoilers, I could point out how Infinite almost perfectly parallels the story of Walter and Peter Bishop from the TV show Fringe. While the story is better than most it really doesn't make the shortcomings of the gameplay easier to bear. Finally, for a game which was designed exclusively for single player, the game is very short, clocking in at a total of 14 hours on the hard difficulty setting with most of the collectibles obtained. Given the fact that many elements were chopped out of the gameplay videos, I can't help but wonder how much is sitting on the cutting room floor, or if key parts were stripped in order to push out fast DLC. There's no reason this game shouldn't have been AT LEAST 20 hours in length, especially given how linear it is designed. All in all, it's a decent game but painfully average in terms of gameplay and only barely above average in terms of story. Levine spent so much time on the metaphysical that it feels like he and the development team forgot that it was all of the elements, combined, that made BioShock so distinct and enjoyable. It's worth playing at least once to soak in all the wonder but, sadly, you won't really be going back to play it again since nothing (except difficulty) changes between play throughs.… Expand
  4. UncleJose
    Mar 26, 2013
    5
    Bioshock Infinite is the definition of mediocre. The combat is weak, the story is complete nonsense, the characters have no personality, the graphics are poor up close, the choices don't impact anything or anyone, it is the most linear game i have played in a long while and it feels more like a shooting gallery at times and the magic or whatever its called is not needed. It just tries toBioshock Infinite is the definition of mediocre. The combat is weak, the story is complete nonsense, the characters have no personality, the graphics are poor up close, the choices don't impact anything or anyone, it is the most linear game i have played in a long while and it feels more like a shooting gallery at times and the magic or whatever its called is not needed. It just tries to copy Call of Duty to much with its gameplay and fails miserably. The ending is the worst thing about the game because it retcons System Shock 1&2 and BioShock 1&2 and is just stupid. The world however looks nice and it is very detailed, only if you look at it from far away. I'm getting the idea that a lot of these "Reviewers" have finished the game. Plus the game is more of a "You should feel bad if you are a white person" kind of game.

    Tl;dr Just buy any CoD4 or Half life 2 its basically the same but with more re-playability, strategy, creativity and mod-ability, better writing, better characters, memorable guns and Multilayer. On a side note, Hi "Irrational Games" marketers.    … Expand
  5. Twobles
    Mar 26, 2013
    6
    Well I can start by saying. It is a very unique and artistic setting. The visuals are great. To be quite honest it isn't as good as the game deserves. I found it too be a run and gun. The enemies were not that exciting and the game itself was very easy. Gameplay hours ran me about 6 hours in total. In terms of gameplay itself the only unique thing about it was the skyline which was fun toWell I can start by saying. It is a very unique and artistic setting. The visuals are great. To be quite honest it isn't as good as the game deserves. I found it too be a run and gun. The enemies were not that exciting and the game itself was very easy. Gameplay hours ran me about 6 hours in total. In terms of gameplay itself the only unique thing about it was the skyline which was fun to use. The rest of the game itself just didn't feel that great. Looking out in the distance and looking at the view and the world that they created was awesome. One thing to expect is repetitive gameplay. You will find all the missions to be the same. You will be running from map to map running and gunning. There were no unique quests. Even after finishing I felt as if it was extremely liner and have no desire to return to this game. The only thing this game has for it was its super awesome voice acting and its stunning visuals. The skyline added a very unique system but it was a bit disappointing. All in all I gotta rate this game a 6.5/10. Due to the weird plot twists, uninteresting enemies, repetitive gameplay. If this game would improve its maps. Making everything more like its original. This game would easily make my top of the list. It all came down to its average gameplay and linear story. The game was incredibly easy. I toned it up to hard and still found my self sprinting through the game.… Expand
  6. djflash5455
    Mar 30, 2013
    5
    OK. Personally I can't see what the massive review scores are for. The graphics are really average. Shocking textures covered up with massive amounts of HDR & Bloom. It's just a corridor shooter, holding your hand wherever you go. This is not a groundbreaking 96% game like it's currently rated on metacritic. It's not a patch on Far Cry 3 in terms of visuals and immersion. I don't give aOK. Personally I can't see what the massive review scores are for. The graphics are really average. Shocking textures covered up with massive amounts of HDR & Bloom. It's just a corridor shooter, holding your hand wherever you go. This is not a groundbreaking 96% game like it's currently rated on metacritic. It's not a patch on Far Cry 3 in terms of visuals and immersion. I don't give a sh*t about Booker at all. The fact you seem to be this wanted man, that no one seems to recognise, until you have walked past them opened a specific door then they are like 'oh that's probably our dude'. You're the only person in the whole world who carries a gun except the Police, no one seems to bat an eyelid you're wielding a shotgun with a hole in your hand. Maybe I had too high expectations.… Expand
  7. mr_godot
    Mar 26, 2013
    5
    What is bad about the game:

    1. The weapon ironsights forces you into toggle mode. You cannot switch it to "on hold" mode, which is incredibly aggravating. The same is true for sprint and crouch. Where is the customization? It's a crime this feature was left out of the PC port. 2. Forced to edit .ini files. The mouse aiming is atrocious on default. It wasn't until I read that mouse    What is bad about the game:

    1. The weapon ironsights forces you into toggle mode. You cannot switch it to "on hold" mode, which is incredibly aggravating. The same is true for sprint and crouch. Where is the customization? It's a crime this feature was left out of the PC port.

    2. Forced to edit .ini files. The mouse aiming is atrocious on default. It wasn't until I read that mouse smoothing and auto-aim was enabled by default that I was able to fix this problem. Again, there are no settings in game to toggle these. You have to dig around in .ini file to turn them off manually. 3. You can only carry 2 guns. The hell? Who thought this was a good idea? In both prior incarnations of the game you had the freedom to choose any gun available for the situation. Now you are pigeon holed. Decreasing the amount of choice in a game is simply bad design.

    4. Bloom and DOF covers up incredibly low poly-count models, extreme polygon warping in many animations due to poor skeletal/mesh weighting (contorted necks and arms are the most obvious areas), and low quality textures even on the highest setting. Don't look too close at anything our you'll be sorely disappointed.

    5. Main character talks to himself... a lot. I wouldn't mind too much if he actually had something interesting to say, but the self-monologuing of stupid quips gets old fast.

    6. No player choice. The game is completely linear and "on-rails." This is not the direction AAA games should be going. As a gamer I want more freedom, not more restriction. What's even more insulting is the developer try's to trick the gamer into thinking he has choice by giving him binary: pick A (evil act) or pick B (good act). However, no matter what you pick (I've tested each so far) results in the exact same resulting cut-scene and outcome. What is good about the game:

    1. The detail of Elizabeth (you're sidekick) is incredible. The artists did an absolutely fantastic job on bringing this character life. The animations are gorgeous, the voice acting is superb, and the interaction in combat feels good. If there's one reason to play this game, its to experience this character truly come to life throughout the story. Bravo.

    2. The level artists also did a fantastic job. The vistas in the game are simply breath-taking, just don't look too closely at anything and the visage holds up.

    3. Fascinating story. Not the best, but worth a look. I personally feel the developers tried too hard to be controversial here, by blatantly throwing racism and gender inequality in your face at every chance they can get. However, there are some nice subtitles that are spread throughout the game which was a pleasant surprise.

    Conclusion:

    Worth playing. It's definitely not game of the year (Tomb Raider has locked up tight imo), but if you don't mind paying for an interactive movie, and overlooking the inherent console restrictions, this is worth picking up. Even though flying through the city on rails at high speeds is quite fun the first few times, there's really not much else in terms on innovation to the FPS genre.

    Hope this was helpful,

    5/10    … Expand
  8. kaen
    Mar 26, 2013
    5
    I don't really get the hype here. It plays like a low budged clone of Dishonored. The story is ok (I'm half way thru), the setting is nice (althou repeats the Rapture), but the gameplay is meh. AI sucks, guns suck, vigor is optional and also sucks. The actual gameplay seems to be a filler between important scenes. The mehest game this year. Maybe this game will mesmerise me in the secondI don't really get the hype here. It plays like a low budged clone of Dishonored. The story is ok (I'm half way thru), the setting is nice (althou repeats the Rapture), but the gameplay is meh. AI sucks, guns suck, vigor is optional and also sucks. The actual gameplay seems to be a filler between important scenes. The mehest game this year. Maybe this game will mesmerise me in the second half, but for now... meh.… Expand
  9. UncleEd
    Feb 14, 2021
    5
    I loved the first Bioshock, liked the second one, could not stand Infinite. Gameplay was never Bioshock’s selling point, but this one really boils it down to moving from one area to the next and killing lackluster enemies with low AI. Gameplay is repetitive, weapons are uninteresting. Vigors feel out of place and you don’t really need to bother with them given the game’s ridiculously easyI loved the first Bioshock, liked the second one, could not stand Infinite. Gameplay was never Bioshock’s selling point, but this one really boils it down to moving from one area to the next and killing lackluster enemies with low AI. Gameplay is repetitive, weapons are uninteresting. Vigors feel out of place and you don’t really need to bother with them given the game’s ridiculously easy difficulty. There is almost zero punishment for death. And the looting… Instead of enjoying the beautiful graphics, the game expects you to walk to every corner in every area in order to loot cash from garbage bins and drawers. I did not have patience to finish the game, so maybe it was the story that made many critics regard this as GOTY for 2013. I cannot comment on the story, but in terms of gameplay, BioShock Inifinite is a tedious game.

    4.5/10    … Expand
  10. Animus_V0x
    Jun 15, 2022
    5
    I liked the game at the beginning but the more the story advanced the more i was confused and the game-play became messy. I had huge expectations for this game and was kinda disappointed when i played it, 5 years after it's release.
  11. GamersNational
    Jun 19, 2013
    7
    While I overall enjoyed my experience playing Bioshock Infinite, it is highly overrated by critics and as such has blinded the gaming community. The graphics have been praised for their great and fresh look, but in fact the graphics are quite mediocre. Elizabeth's backstory and personality could have been fleshed out a bit more as well. One thing I can absolutely say is that A.I. isWhile I overall enjoyed my experience playing Bioshock Infinite, it is highly overrated by critics and as such has blinded the gaming community. The graphics have been praised for their great and fresh look, but in fact the graphics are quite mediocre. Elizabeth's backstory and personality could have been fleshed out a bit more as well. One thing I can absolutely say is that A.I. is great in this game and the atmosphere (setting) is great in this latest installment, maybe surpassing the originals. Bioshock Infinite is a good game, but is not perfect. Not great, even. It is highly overrated.… Expand
  12. MikefromAngus
    May 6, 2013
    7
    I found this game, sometimes amazing and sometimes just an average shooter. The difficultly level seemed not to be stable. I played the game at "hard" setting and found it a challenge, but every entertaining until I fought the "bosses" eg. lady Comstock and all of the sudden it became impossible to pass! and had to lower the level to "normal". Graphics were very well done, as were soundI found this game, sometimes amazing and sometimes just an average shooter. The difficultly level seemed not to be stable. I played the game at "hard" setting and found it a challenge, but every entertaining until I fought the "bosses" eg. lady Comstock and all of the sudden it became impossible to pass! and had to lower the level to "normal". Graphics were very well done, as were sound and the music.
    Overall I found this game entertaining and interesting, but as a whole. I am giving this game a 7 out of 10.    … Expand
  13. ns0l
    Aug 9, 2013
    5
    I thought this is gonna be different, not disappointing. But I found it so boring, stupid and ridiculous. It should be good for minors if it wasn't violent. I don't like Bioshock at all. And this one I hate. Just another piece of trash. Rising up to another world into the sky this time is a good changing, I'm bored of the sea anyway. Colors and flying buildings impressed me just for aI thought this is gonna be different, not disappointing. But I found it so boring, stupid and ridiculous. It should be good for minors if it wasn't violent. I don't like Bioshock at all. And this one I hate. Just another piece of trash. Rising up to another world into the sky this time is a good changing, I'm bored of the sea anyway. Colors and flying buildings impressed me just for a while. then I thought maybe It's a good Idea to uninstall this game and do something else. So I did, and I do not feel remorse about that.… Expand
  14. Kazuna2112
    May 20, 2013
    5
    Before this game came out, my older brother while hyped for the game told me it was almost too good to be true. Well now his statement is correct as I feel Bioshock Infinite, while not a bad game, really is not as good as others are saying it is. While the graphics are good and the voice acting is good, the gameplay and the story conflict with one another and both have their own faults.Before this game came out, my older brother while hyped for the game told me it was almost too good to be true. Well now his statement is correct as I feel Bioshock Infinite, while not a bad game, really is not as good as others are saying it is. While the graphics are good and the voice acting is good, the gameplay and the story conflict with one another and both have their own faults. The gameplay really isn't that good as the enemies feel like Bullet Sponges, the Melee is rather clunky and only useful for executions. The clothes system was a real downgrade from the tonic system from Bioshock as it really limited what upgrades you could use and a lot of them were not useful at all (mainly any that were used in conjunction with the skylines were worthless.) In fact there are many other things I felt were downgrades from that game but one I'd like to touch that some have not pointed out is that the weapon upgrades really feel lacking as they don't improve the gun visually and while somewhat noticeable in performance just does not feel significant whereas the first game made the upgrades feel big. The Handymen were also a downgrade not only because they had less to do with the story than the Big Daddies did but killing them was most of the time not worth the effort as they only gave you health and salts (at least that's all I ever got) and most times you could skip them, so most times its best to avoid them. There's so much that I had an issue with but for writing this review I probably couldn't fit them all in so basic point is that while not the worst gameplay I've played, I do find its very over rated. I also won't go too much into story to keep this a spoiler free review but while some characters were good (Like Elizabeth and the way she helps you in combat) I just wasn't blown away by the story. I earlier mentioned that the gameplay and the story don't compliment each other and its hard to completely go into without spoiling it but essentially the sheer amount of violence that you regularly do does not coincide with Booker's motivations and desires if hes supposed to be the guy you're rooting for. If I could I would write a lot more but with a 5000 character limit I feel I would hit the ceiling if I tried to fit all my views on the story and gameplay. While this game does have its moments, I find it really is overrated and while it wasn't a waste of time, it was disappointing.… Expand
  15. BubbsTubbs
    Jun 21, 2013
    5
    Is it left wing propaganda? yes. Ken Levine has admitted so. google it. Is it a great game? well, the ending is fun, cinematic, and unexpected. The rest of the game is kind of first person standard fare: pistol, machine gun, shot gun, rocket launcher, a few spells (vigors)... you have played this game before.... its just got an interesting story and is a "critique of right wingIs it left wing propaganda? yes. Ken Levine has admitted so. google it. Is it a great game? well, the ending is fun, cinematic, and unexpected. The rest of the game is kind of first person standard fare: pistol, machine gun, shot gun, rocket launcher, a few spells (vigors)... you have played this game before.... its just got an interesting story and is a "critique of right wing politics" to quote Ken Levine...… Expand
  16. Escherichia
    Jun 18, 2013
    5
    How does anyone think this game deserves a 10 or a 0? What was so great or so horrible to justify those scores? This game has ok graphics, great scenarios, an unnecessarily complicated storyline full of plot holes and unsurprising twists, unintersting characters, a repetitive to the point it becomes tedious combat, a poor selection of weapons, a self recharging shield and a health, saltsHow does anyone think this game deserves a 10 or a 0? What was so great or so horrible to justify those scores? This game has ok graphics, great scenarios, an unnecessarily complicated storyline full of plot holes and unsurprising twists, unintersting characters, a repetitive to the point it becomes tedious combat, a poor selection of weapons, a self recharging shield and a health, salts and ammo dispenser for a companion that, paired with a poor Ai, takes away any challenge.
    Even if the word Bioshock is in its title, an average game deserves an average score people.    … Expand
  17. Expospeed
    Nov 30, 2014
    5
    Bioshock Infinite is definitely overhyped. This game plays similarly to Call of Duty due to its linearity. My breakdown is as follows:

    1. Graphics: 9/10 - simply excellent 2. Gameplay: 4/10 - plays like CoD, linear and mind-numbing 3. Story: 3/10 - initially immersive, but progression is slow with abrupt and unsatisfying ending. Also, the racial theme is overemphasized 4. Music: 8/10    Bioshock Infinite is definitely overhyped. This game plays similarly to Call of Duty due to its linearity. My breakdown is as follows:

    1. Graphics: 9/10 - simply excellent
    2. Gameplay: 4/10 - plays like CoD, linear and mind-numbing
    3. Story: 3/10 - initially immersive, but progression is slow with abrupt and unsatisfying ending. Also, the racial theme is overemphasized
    4. Music: 8/10 - great

    Overall, mediocre game. On a personal note, if I knew about the prominent racial theme, I would not have purchased this game.    … Expand
  18. Shupurd
    Aug 9, 2013
    5
    When i saw Bioshock: Infinite's average score, i decided to give it try. Let's start from his graphics: in a powerful geforce 65' with hd monitor, graphics were disappointing: too sloppy for a 2013 game. About his gameplay, it's quite the same thing of its sequels, except the ambientation there's nothing different. The plot could be original but it's too difficult to understand due to theWhen i saw Bioshock: Infinite's average score, i decided to give it try. Let's start from his graphics: in a powerful geforce 65' with hd monitor, graphics were disappointing: too sloppy for a 2013 game. About his gameplay, it's quite the same thing of its sequels, except the ambientation there's nothing different. The plot could be original but it's too difficult to understand due to the fact that there isn't any explicative cutscene and you have to understand the storyline it by your own. Firefights are dull: foes are always the same except some bosses here and there and everyone wield almost the same weapon. Ii can describe this game with one single word: BOOOOORING. It can be divided in 3 phases: explore, kill, gather. You do those actions and then continue the storyline, which is linear and lifeless. I can'r really understand how this game has such an high score.… Expand
  19. mrrgl
    May 3, 2013
    5
    This is Bioshock only so far as it has clunky shooting mechanics, is full of moral ambiguity, and makes heavy reference to a historical period. That is the end of the resemblance. Level design is linear and frightfully dull. None of the weapons is actually satisfying to use. The story is multi-layered and imaginative, but simply falls flat in regards to making the player interested orThis is Bioshock only so far as it has clunky shooting mechanics, is full of moral ambiguity, and makes heavy reference to a historical period. That is the end of the resemblance. Level design is linear and frightfully dull. None of the weapons is actually satisfying to use. The story is multi-layered and imaginative, but simply falls flat in regards to making the player interested or invested in anything. Original Bioshock was weird, scary, and immersive; this is just weird.

    Orignal Bioshock, I remember several instances where I felt motivated to plan out an assault; where and how am I going to engage these guys? This Bioshock; "there are some guys, I'm going to shoot them. If they shoot me, I will hide behind this corner here, wait until they stop shooting, then pop out and shoot them some more. Then I will loot their corpses and eat a can of beans."

    Pros; a couple of interesting complex fights utilizing multiple levels and choices of which structure you'll have Elizabeth "warp" into existence. Attractive environments.

    Bottom line: It is attractive and the artwork is very imaginative, but it simply isn't fun to play.    … Expand
  20. Nilaul
    Apr 28, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game-play was all repetitive. The same enemies, just repeated, the same goddamn tactics being repeated too. Honestly its a shame that they didn't use those enemies in the art-book; perhaps it would had made it more interesting. The vigor powers basically did similar things: They lay traps (some bigger and more lasting) or attacked directly (some with a bigger range and blast). Only 3 of them did a drastically different thing. There was really no need for all them, frankly some of them where useless in the heat of a battle. I did however pretty much used them all at some point. If I was the developer I would had spent more time planning and implementing the vigors.

    The only way to gain an upgrade is to pay for it and the machine. To get money you have to search through bodies, trash cans, desks etc. but wait... they tried to make you think! They include items that take can take away your health or take away something and give you something back. However I really didn't care, I was just spamming [F] all over the environment because I just wanted to get all the gold. I never ever did not take something, I always took everything because I just was not bothered. Its like the system was broken; Its like they tried to make an mechanic more interesting but ultimately failed at it. Perhaps upgrading should had happened through other means?

    During the game I was careful not to kill civilians; thinking that It would have some out come later in the game, but I couldn't be more wrong; the game couldn't care less and frankly you would be better off killing them for loot.

    I also think that they were too few guns for the scope and longevity of the game. Perhaps they should had also invented some of their own instead of relying on real life ones. They had the classic shotgun, the classic sniper, the machine gun etc. They should had added some fantasy to it in-order to keep it interesting. They already have quantum physics, flying cities multiple dimensions and yet they don't have a quantum gun or some weird stuff like that. After a few hours you get bored of using the same things over and over again.

    After a few hours I found myself playing it just to complete it; I really wanted to know how the story ends. I didn't really find the game fun anymore; I got bored of the same mechanics, the same enemies being used.

    Boss fights are just more powerful enemies (why couldn't they design something more unique for the occasion?). The only potentially good boss-fight was the bird; but Instead Elizabeth decides to kill it for you. Perhaps they should had turned Comstock into boss fight; considering Comstock is Booker and considering he has access to some impressive technology, he could had held a good fight (even though hes an old man) but that would go against him being a "holly" man.

    Instead of having a final boss, the game decides to give you a defend your Zeppelin reactor (em tower defense), which for some reason Comstock thought it was a good idea to locate it on top of his ship, so that it is easy to hit by his enemies (though if I was the enemy I would probably just not even bother with going on board and just blow it up from far).

    There is no true exploration, its just a singular path for most of the time. To make it more interesting they thrown in a key fetch quest (Elizabeth suddenly forgot how pick-lock an ordinary looking lock).

    The game is probably one of the most repetitive games I've played lately. Its not a game that deserves a score of 9/10 or 10/10 its a game that deserves a score of 6/10, 7/10. It just that this game doesn't really bring anything new to the table, its all been done before, and whatever it does it does it in cycles and cycles. Apart from the production values, the score, and the thought evoking game ending (though the story could had been explained better) there isn't nothing really to it Its like they were trying hard to be like Hollywood but they forget to make sure the game-play remains interesting and fun though out all the adventure and not only for the first few hours.    … Expand
  21. JMDubya
    Jun 15, 2013
    5
    Booker(protagonist) and Elizabeth(side-kick) are interesting characters. The Vigor’s are an interesting idea though severely under-powered initially. The guns are fun to use but the set pieces are tedious cover-based shooting galleries with the only challenge being that some enemies take more bullets to put down than others. Despite playing this on a PC I had to use a controller, the keyBooker(protagonist) and Elizabeth(side-kick) are interesting characters. The Vigor’s are an interesting idea though severely under-powered initially. The guns are fun to use but the set pieces are tedious cover-based shooting galleries with the only challenge being that some enemies take more bullets to put down than others. Despite playing this on a PC I had to use a controller, the key board lay-out defies logic and the mouse feels awful, no amount of tinkering with acceleration and sensitivity made the mouse a viable option. Like Tomb Raider I had to take a break when I walked into yet another room filled with waist high walls. The first hour or two are really interesting and immersive but the action is tedious. I haven’t bothered to finish the game. 5/10 for some fun in Columbia with Booker and Elizabeth.… Expand
  22. saforce
    May 7, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a negatively toned review because there are plenty of orgasmic reviews to sing the praises of Bioshock Infinite.

    Story-- 4
    "Infinite" is an appropriate descriptor considering the increasing prevalence of deus ex machina moments in games. Infinite saddles you with a sappy, labyrinthian story that relies on quantum mechanics to tie some of its nonsensical ramblings together. You are set up from the very beginning with false pretenses of the most basic mechanics of the world you're dropped into. It cheapens, if not outright destroys, the sense of victory and accomplishment expected at the conclusion of a game.

    Another offender on the story train is the killjoy twist element. Every time things appear to be looking up for our depressed protagonists, some bastard writer decides it's the perfect time to throw a nasty curve their way. The ending, I'm displeased to say, contains a rapid-fire series of these as a disgusting means of attempting to tie the spaghetti mess together into a coherent narrative. While I realize that most endless stories tend to thrive on conflict, it does not, by any means, need to be so pervasive that it destroys the elation of success or outright eliminates it.

    Mechanics-- 6
    One gameplay mechanic that was poorly implemented, and overwhelming misrepresented in early gameplay demos, is Elizabeth's "assistance." In combat, she'll occasionally "toss" you items, such as health or ammunition when you're running low on resources. While this is useful, it is a poor attempt to cover how ludicrously limited your inventory is (that is to say, there is none, as with previous Bioshock entries). In this day and age, this is an unforgivable decision/omission.

    There are difficulty levels for a reason. Some people prefer the hardcore difficulties that present a challenge in all aspects of the game, not just combat. Others, myself included, prefer to sit back and enjoy a game with plenty of frenetic action, but without the time-consuming mania of resource micromanagement.

    Returning to Elizabeth's assist mechanic, outside of combat she will occasionally (read rarely) toss currency your way. I experimented a bit to see if there was any specific trigger for her behavior, but I could not consistently reproduce her behavior. I would enter an area, spy some loose currency and approach, ignore, and pass by it. She neglected to respond to this direct stimulus. However, in certain areas, where I could swear a swept the floor, she would out of nowhere miraculously produce currency. Imagine my dismay when even Booker neglected to respond in most cases, rarely offering a word of simple acknowledgment, let alone thanks. (It's the small things.)

    Graphics-- 7
    The visuals in Bioshock Infinite are a mixed bag. The ocean effects are quite stunning. Textures are good in two places. Elizabeth and Elizabeth. That's about it. Just about everything else appears to be orders of resolution less stunning and detailed. At one point you see Elizabeth's back with a disturbingly realistic bruise on it. It was a jarring juxtaposition given the art style. Water effects on other materials are quite nice, but in their common appearance on wood planks you find that sometimes planks intersect in unlikely ways that tug at the immersion factor.

    To counter the apparent endless attention on making sure Elizabeth looks stunning at all times, she acquires a brooch that she attaches to her choker. From then on you are treated to a distracting show where the brooch follows her head movement and not the choker (her neck).

    Gameplay-- 4
    It's Bioshock, not your average FPS. The treasure hunting aspects is typical and consistent with other entries in the franchise. Generally boring to a fault and a failed opportunity to involve the player in the backstory of the world.

    Weapons are abysmal and underpowered as always. How many shotgun blasts can your average, unarmored metro cop take? More than you'd think, and twice as many as you'd imagine. How many weapons can Booker hold? Not enough. Apparently he's never heard of slings or holsters. And with all the ammo he's carrying around (read a handful) you'd think he was storing it in his mouth.

    How many rockets does it take to kill a patriot automaton? Far too many for even a sliver of realism. Granted, I did play the game on the hard difficulty, but let's stop scaling everything against the player and scale it both ways (they do more damage and so do I) that way the realism is enhanced not thrown completely out the window. Honestly, you'd never find a rocket launcher. But if you did, it would kill anything it hit in a single shot. How satisfying is it to acquire "the best weapon in the game" only to have it inflict only a spoonful more damage than the rest of your arsenal?

    Conclusion-- 5 (not average)
    I beat the game in 14 hours. I wasn't trying to. I was walking around lazily gazing at the scenery for most of that time. But the last several scenes are incredibly frantic. Wait for a sale.    … Expand
  23. rothco
    May 13, 2013
    5
    Being a huge fan of Bioshock and the shock series i was very excited to get into Infinite but as i played the game it became more and more clear to me how much more linear,stock-shootery and scripted this game was.the characters in the world were either not very interessting or well fleshed out and the gunplay was boring and felt terrible.
  24. TwistedCritic
    Mar 13, 2016
    7
    Bioshock Infinite is great. It's story, characters and world are all breathtakingly well done. But the gameplay, in my opinion isn't my cup of tea; a bit too shooty-bang-bang... I still love it, but being restricted to 2 weapons isn't a very good design choice for a Bioshock game. I also thought that the way "Plasmids" were presented was bit cruddy. The whole gameplay aspect just doesn'tBioshock Infinite is great. It's story, characters and world are all breathtakingly well done. But the gameplay, in my opinion isn't my cup of tea; a bit too shooty-bang-bang... I still love it, but being restricted to 2 weapons isn't a very good design choice for a Bioshock game. I also thought that the way "Plasmids" were presented was bit cruddy. The whole gameplay aspect just doesn't feel like a Bioshock game. Even the world is linear, not allowing for as diverse exploration opportunities as the previous games.… Expand
  25. dumle
    Apr 13, 2013
    7
    Bioshock Infinite have a lot of really strong points. The graphical design in the game is absolutely amazing and the environments you are in are absolutely gorgeous. Not only that they also just oozes with the atmosphere that goes hand in hand with the Story. And the story is great and it contains a lot of interesting subjects and characters. The game also manages to tell its story throughBioshock Infinite have a lot of really strong points. The graphical design in the game is absolutely amazing and the environments you are in are absolutely gorgeous. Not only that they also just oozes with the atmosphere that goes hand in hand with the Story. And the story is great and it contains a lot of interesting subjects and characters. The game also manages to tell its story through the environment and audio logs just as in the previous games in the series.The only complaint i have regarding the story is that it lacks player interaction both in general and in interaction with characters in the game. But this game is a first person shooter and you are going to spend the majority of your time shooting stuff. The exploring is still there from the previous games but its not as fleshed out in this game since there are less stuff to find and the maps are more linear. Now the shooting is alright. Its is by no means terrible buts its not especially good either. The enemies are unvaried and feels like bullet sponges which makes the whole combat feel dull and unresponsive. The two-weapon limit is a total buzzkill and it doesnt help that the weapons in the game is nothing out of the ordinary. The vigors can be quite enjoyable but the meat of the combat is the shooting which is not that great. There are also some quite annoying boss battles in the game. Now the railways in the game are fun to use and the big open combat arenas in the game with height differences, tears, railways and turrets are where the games most enjoyable fights takes place. Sadly too few areas are like this and the combat can never really escape the fact that the basics arent all that great. it doesnt help that the combat is quite unvaried. Its not that i wish for bloody turret-sections every hour to spice things up but if you are going to make the player constantly shoot stuff the entire game (took me 11 hours on hard) then the shooting should be good enough to carry the game. And in this case the combat is not able to do that. Its hard to rate this game since the combat is average while everything else is pretty much amazing. But i do recommend this game despite its problems simple because how well they managed to pull of the everything besides the combat.… Expand
  26. Skals
    May 28, 2013
    7
    Everything is brilliant about this game, except for the combat. It becomes way too repetitive and turns more into a chore than a fun experience later on, as you're faced with waves of the same enemies again and again, till eventually you are allowed to walk into another room, where the same thing resumes.
  27. KillaRiku
    May 18, 2013
    6
    It is not a bad game at all. But it is just another FPS. It has no special things on it and the story was only average. The graphics are really awesome. And it was really funny for a long while. But for me it's just another FPS.
  28. Castylan
    Jan 4, 2014
    7
    Alright. Bioshock Infinite. I've only now finished this game, despite having it for a while, and I thought I'd give my impressions of it. First of all, it is undeniably overrated. Playing the last Bioshock games and moving to this one; they haven't really done anything revolutionary. Sure, it's an enjoyable game, and it mixes up the FPS genre, but it really isn't worth the perfect scoresAlright. Bioshock Infinite. I've only now finished this game, despite having it for a while, and I thought I'd give my impressions of it. First of all, it is undeniably overrated. Playing the last Bioshock games and moving to this one; they haven't really done anything revolutionary. Sure, it's an enjoyable game, and it mixes up the FPS genre, but it really isn't worth the perfect scores that are granted to it.

    To start, seeing as it's a PC game, let's look at the graphics. Stunning, right? Well yeah, they're pretty good, but considering the game is linear, it isn't really cutting edge. Not to say it's ugly, but it's using the sort of water-colour pallet which can be found in other games like Dishonoured. It's nice to look at, but it isn't really the breath taking sights which appear in games such as Metro: Last Light or Crysis 3.

    As for the gameplay, it's fun, and I can lose time in it, but it can feel a little bit shallow at times. Before you rage against me, examine the 'vigors' of the game. The same as plasmids in the former Bioshocks, they give you superhuman powers with which you can wreck everything. But among them, there are just a few too many similarities for my liking. Bucking Bronco, Undertow and Shock Jockey all have effects which aren't particularly unique. The first upgrade essentially stuns an enemy. The second upgrades mix things up a bit but then other similarities can be found; for example the mine effects of Shock Jockey and Devil's Kiss. Some are more interesting, like Charge or Possession, but in the end they don't act too differently to, say, shooting an enemy in another game in a weak spot and watching them recoil. Add some gunplay of which the most interesting part are the gun noises, and it failed to give any memorable weapons, or moment's that I'll remember using them.

    As for the story...it's interesting? Elizabeth is a nice character, but I feel as if she's kinda there to cater to the audiences' idea of a perfect girl, or something thereabouts. Booker is one of those protagonists with a grizzled attitude, tough guy exterior blah blah blah. He had some interesting moments, but most of those seemed to be swept up in his choices. Some of the more interesting plot developments later on in the game just made me feel disconnected; I won't spoil them, but it feels as if your actions have less effect on your own environment, and that just makes me question Booker's actions all the more.

    All in all, it's not a bad game by any means. Moments like moving around on the sky rail were always fun, but I just feel that it hasn't really turned out to be as good as everyone said. Gameplay is solid, graphics are nice and the story will probably leave some people in love with the characters, but I don't think it's worth full price, especially if you're buying for a console for whatever reason. Wait for a steam sale, pick it up and play through it and then you'll be able to get all the necessary references. If you're not interested in that sort of thing, then you might want to give it a miss.    … Expand
  29. Ubai
    Apr 26, 2013
    7
    After finishing Bioshock Infinite I realized that rather than playing a game I was instead watching a movie where I had to click my mouse a lot to see what happens. When it was done I was disappointed by a poorly thought out ending, which reinforced my belief that I hadn't been playing a game.

    That being said, there are quite a few good things about the game that I liked very much. Just    After finishing Bioshock Infinite I realized that rather than playing a game I was instead watching a movie where I had to click my mouse a lot to see what happens. When it was done I was disappointed by a poorly thought out ending, which reinforced my belief that I hadn't been playing a game.

    That being said, there are quite a few good things about the game that I liked very much. Just like everyone else, I think this is a visually gorgeous game, and the art is one of the reasons I gave it a seven instead of a five. I also enjoyed the music and audio design, and I loved some of the musical Easter eggs in the game. I enjoyed having enemies I could blast with no moral qualms at all. There are a lot of good things in Bioshock Infinite and if you can put up with the game's shortcomings it is probably worth doing so just to see all the neat stuff in the setting they created. Also, it's fair to say that Elizabeth is one of the better sidekicks I've seen in a game.

    Sadly, the game falls short in the gameplay category to the point where I'm not sure you can call this a game. The enemies are generic for the most part (though a couple are interesting from a visual standpoint, naturally), and they took out the lock picking and hacking mini-games from the original Bioshock, so you spend most of your time looking in trashcans when you aren't shooting large numbers of cookie cutter enemies. Weapon upgrades and your "vigors" (magic zappy powers) aren't much different from previous Bioshock games. In the end, the lack of gameplay mechanics and generic shoot outs left me just wanting to be done with the game. Once the appeal of the setting started to wear off, things got pretty tedious.

    The deal-breaker for me was the fact that I had no meaningful control over the character when it really mattered, because those were the times you were stuck in cut scenes, right up to the end. It's hard to explain how unsatisfying the ending is without spoilers, but I can say that the end itself made no sense at all in the context of the rules they themselves had made, as well as being kind of banal and predictable. It was a huge disappointment for me and I felt I should have stopped playing sooner rather than toughing it out to the end.

    To sum up: people who love watching a story unfold and don't mind a bit of tedium may find Bioshock Infinite right up their alley. As for me, I think Bioshock Infinite might make a good movie but as a game it was a fairly average offering.    … Expand
  30. Animal210
    Apr 15, 2013
    7
    I bought this game expecting it to be like the previous Bio Shock games and a hybrid of FPS and RPG but this game is much more of straight up FPS with a well told story attached to it. Gone is the hacking and ability to make your own choices instead we have a purely linear story which you are not encouraged to deviate from and for me these aspects are sorely missed.

    Despite this there    I bought this game expecting it to be like the previous Bio Shock games and a hybrid of FPS and RPG but this game is much more of straight up FPS with a well told story attached to it. Gone is the hacking and ability to make your own choices instead we have a purely linear story which you are not encouraged to deviate from and for me these aspects are sorely missed.

    Despite this there is much to like the story is well told, it is the only game I have played where having a non
    playable character does not drive you nuts and the graphics look great.

    The biggest downside for me is the action is often so hectic it is more less impossible to work out what is going on, enemies are thrown at you from all directions and non of the weapons/vigors seem to have any great effect against the more powerful enemies. The relentless action also makes the game very repetitive and you often feel you are playing the same section of the game over and over getting killed again and again. The constant action also stops you being able to wander and take in your surroundings which was one of the enjoyable aspects of the previous games.

    This is not a bad game but I would not pay full price for it and think it has been over hyped due to the poor standard of recent releases.    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 2013
3
#3 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
8
#8 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 68 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 68
  3. Negative: 0 out of 68
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Jun 5, 2013
    92
    Play BSI slowly, relish the moments and don’t rush to the end. It’s certain that you will have lived one of the richest gaming experiences that, as far as narration, lyricism and story are concerned, will take a lot of time to forget! [May 2013]
  2. CD-Action
    May 7, 2013
    85
    A very solid, but not revolutionary shooter in an amazing setting, with a story that struggles to convey its authors’ ambitions and is only seemingly complex. The vision is less focused than in previous Bioshocks and it does a worse job on binding the plot with gameplay. [CD-Action 05/2013, p.46]
  3. PC PowerPlay
    May 1, 2013
    80
    Problematic plotting and excessive amounts of poorly balanced combat apply friction to what is otherwise one hell of a rollercoaster. [May 2013, p.80]
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »