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
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  1. KB33
    Apr 13, 2013
    7
    Story was great...game looks good...tons of thought went into the universe...but gameplay was repetitive. Seriously those rails are the worst idea ever...they added nothing but frustration to the experience. I get why people dig it...not for me...

    I was counting down the minutes to watching the credits roll
  2. Minigun
    Apr 1, 2013
    7
    Worst disappointment in years. But still, not that bad. Graphics: very nice, although I've seen better. Sounds: fine, but not top of the line. Soundtrack: annoying. The music was great, but it's just that when there is zero original music and you already have all the soundtrack's classical songs on CD, you don't want to hear them in a game like this. It destroys the atmosphere and gets oldWorst disappointment in years. But still, not that bad. Graphics: very nice, although I've seen better. Sounds: fine, but not top of the line. Soundtrack: annoying. The music was great, but it's just that when there is zero original music and you already have all the soundtrack's classical songs on CD, you don't want to hear them in a game like this. It destroys the atmosphere and gets old really fast. It's fine to use a popular song a couple of times in a game, but not all the time. For those who want to buy the soundtrack... how about just buying the original records? Controls: mediocre for a PC game, but nothing seriously wrong. Plot: a mixed bag. I felt like the writing was both imaginative and lazy at the same time kind of goes with the general idea of the game... I was disappointed in the end, however. You know the feeling you get when a story ends in "...but it was all just a dream" that's almost the feeling I got from the ending. Then there is the action: mediocre at best. Boring enemies, mostly boring firefights, generic shooting most of the time. Hide behind crates while loading your shields, shoot waves of brainless enemies pretty much just running towards you and throw in a couple of spells (vigors) if you have mana (salt). Sound original? Not really. How about a cyborg (handyman) every now and then so that it kills you instantly after you respawn, because you happen to respawn at its feet. Sound like fun? Not really. I played on hard difficulty level, and most of the game was quite easy, but suddenly there were scenes where you died a few times in a row, which did not feel that well balanced as a gaming experience. Years after finishing them, I'm still thinking of how great games Bioshock 1 and 2 were, how smooth and fun the action was, how good and crazy the characters and story was. I just finished Bioshock Infinite an hour ago, and I can't really think of any interactive scenes worth remembering. If you are new to the series, definitely go for the previous two rather than this. If you are a Bioshock fan, try this one out but ready yourself for disappointment.… Expand
  3. TheUnbeholden
    Apr 12, 2013
    7
    This game is very beautiful and richly detailed, a environment unique that I really haven't seen before. Voice acting is nice to.
    Problem is your character although voiced this time around, he doesn't really interact with characters. Alot of the places while spectacularly beautiful don't contain nearly enough interesting stories. Also the whole alternate timeline cracks that you can peak    This game is very beautiful and richly detailed, a environment unique that I really haven't seen before. Voice acting is nice to.
    Problem is your character although voiced this time around, he doesn't really interact with characters. Alot of the places while spectacularly beautiful don't contain nearly enough interesting stories. Also the whole alternate timeline cracks that you can peak through don't show characters so you don't know who's talking to whom. Thats not a improvement over audiotapes, its the same thing!
    The gameplay improvements we where shown in videos are not here, Elizabeth's power to alter reality like make yourself a door or pull in a train to squash all the enemies is mysteriously gone in the released version. They Scaled back what she can do, completely making this otherwise unique and interesting concept pretty dull on execution. In fact even when you do move into alternate realities all there seems to be is the same posters, the same turrets and sky hooks, which is pretty damn unimaginative.

    Bioshock infinite has made the gameplay a tad weaker with less depth to the abilities (ie just lots of ways to kill and no real utility stuff) but they more than made up for it by making it challenging, a 1999 difficulty setting. Shooting guns is what these games are about. Long game is good. Hard boss fight is good, that is the point, testing all the skills you've learned so far.
    The game also carries over a issue we've seen before, the lack of choice. We don't really make any meaningful choices in fact we are barred from doing so when they would logically make sense.

    A lot of things are not explained, like Vigors and handyman, but I don't care about that. Some non-sensical things happen like Elizabeth going right passed angry mobs that kill you onsight, eh oversight right there but I can forgive that. Overall I enjoyed the game but it really didn't connect with me philosophically or imagination wise.    … Expand
  4. chero666
    May 14, 2013
    7
    -------tldr: "Underwhelming"-------

    As someone who played through System Shock 1, System Shock 2, Bioshock, and Bioshock 2 (enjoying each one, flaws and all), I was prepared for another interesting step in the "Shock" series (as advertised to me by every reviewer I've seen) but what I got instead was something closer to "disappointment." Everyone tried to tell me that the combat is    -------tldr: "Underwhelming"-------

    As someone who played through System Shock 1, System Shock 2, Bioshock, and Bioshock 2 (enjoying each one, flaws and all), I was prepared for another interesting step in the "Shock" series (as advertised to me by every reviewer I've seen) but what I got instead was something closer to "disappointment." Everyone tried to tell me that the combat is great... it's not. I personally don't enjoy seeing a series that once gave you freedom of choice as far as character building through either various upgrades & Plasmids/Psychic-Powers (each power is versatile and each weapon has 3 different types of ammunition) just boiled down to "see guy... shoot him with 1 of your 2 gunz. Want cool? Use special power that feels almost like the previous power you were using earlier, except with different graphix." Not to mention that the meaningful fights against mutated humans, many which still hold enough humanity in them to almost make each encounter seem tragic, have been replace by drooling, raving Racists that have no regard for their personal well-being while throwing logic to the curb and suicide run themselves towards your Regenerating-Shielded self. The enemies, with no logic behind it, are just regular humans that can absorb multiple bullets to the face in any difficulty that's higher than "Normal." (The mutated creatures got away with that in SS2/BS1-2 because there was still a in-game Leveling System through the Cyber-Modules/Camera that increase your abilities). The story also left the worst taste in my mouth. What started with a very interesting look at both racism and American "super-Jingoism," is quickly forgotten about. midway through the game, opting out for an episode of Sliders/Doctor Who. They've squandered the city they created, the side-characters they've introduced, the compelling themes at the beginning of the game, and what could've been a great look on the effects of both racism and the consequences of the "Revolution" that has been going on, and rendered them all moot by the last half of the game. I'm still not 100% sure what can be considered "Art" in video games, but in my honest opinion, this isn't it. Nothing is being said. Nothing is learned. Nothing is gained. 7/10 for still being kind of fun most of the time, but failing to meet up with the expectations given to me and having less meaningful content than its predecessors     … Expand
  5. spenpinner
    Jun 14, 2013
    7
    This game is insanely average.
    The gun fights have been reduced to just a wave of enemies at every checkpoint with very little diversity of enemies (1 out 15 enemies use vigor, or plasmids, while the rest use guns) making the game feel like another CoD campaign. To add insult to injury the final mission is almost endless waves of the same enemies that you have killed countless of times    This game is insanely average.
    The gun fights have been reduced to just a wave of enemies at every checkpoint with very little diversity of enemies (1 out 15 enemies use vigor, or plasmids, while the rest use guns) making the game feel like another CoD campaign. To add insult to injury the final mission is almost endless waves of the same enemies that you have killed countless of times before.

    When you're not gunning down enemies while ignoring useless vigors the game seems empty of exploration and decision making.

    The storyline is linear, forced, short, anticlimactic, poorly explained, and a knock-off of a show called Fringe. I'm not joking about that. You can watch the show and get the same story as infinite.

    The difficulty of the game is a joke. They put vendors and items in what seems like every corner of the map having you constantly upgraded on weapons, stocked with money, and full on salts.

    Then they try to keep you entertained with gimmicks such as Elizabeth handing you vigor salts, coins, and ammo (not to mention the unnecessary sound effects that follow it) as well as the sky-lines which you are most likely only going to use in areas that you have to.

    Aside from the negatives the game does a good job with art style and character depth, but that's about it    … Expand
  6. Tyler9568
    Apr 14, 2013
    7
    Bioshock Infinite is a good game, but not great. Combat is interesting for a while, but gets stale after a few hours of play. The story is good, but very linear, which also leads to the point of not much replay value. You feel some connection to the characters, but almost all your time is spent shooting small groups of bad guys and searching through trash cans for loot in between theseBioshock Infinite is a good game, but not great. Combat is interesting for a while, but gets stale after a few hours of play. The story is good, but very linear, which also leads to the point of not much replay value. You feel some connection to the characters, but almost all your time is spent shooting small groups of bad guys and searching through trash cans for loot in between these fights. Although I enjoyed the ending, I did feel that the freedom the first half of the game offered was better than the second half. My recommendation is to borrow it from a friend or wait for the price to drop.… Expand
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. Rugz
    Mar 31, 2013
    7
    It was generally speaking, an enjoyable game and worth playing. However i don't think the game quite lives up to the expectations that many had in mind. I agree with others who've said the plot is unnecessarily complicated at points, and the nature of the way they took the plot allows for many conceptual plot holes to arise. Further the lack of save game function leaves you wondering howIt was generally speaking, an enjoyable game and worth playing. However i don't think the game quite lives up to the expectations that many had in mind. I agree with others who've said the plot is unnecessarily complicated at points, and the nature of the way they took the plot allows for many conceptual plot holes to arise. Further the lack of save game function leaves you wondering how long ago the last checkpoint was, and whether or not the things you've collected up until now will still be with you when you load back in. The combat was alright, the tears add a new element of gameplay that was enjoyable, but there is mostly nothing new. The characters are perhaps the most redeeming aspect of the game, and the voice acting was very pleasing, and while most people may find the ending and major plot points satisfying or 'deep', i think it was mostly pseudo-depth created by the unnecessary complexities and conceptual tangles it creates that makes it seem good, any close inspection on the 3rd act and ending will reveal pretty major plot holes. In the end, the game was worth playing and was definitely worth a good rating, but i hope this is not the direction they take the Bioshock series in, and certainly does not live up to the acclaim of the first… Expand
  10. polyakoviv
    Mar 26, 2013
    7
    This game is severely overrated. The visuals are ok (textures are great) but the models are low polygon for the consoles sake. In the visual department the game looks like something from 5 years ago but very polished and with good design. Gameplay is ok but the only kind of original and fun things are skylines and Elizabeth. The plot and missions are not that good to my taste. I alsoThis game is severely overrated. The visuals are ok (textures are great) but the models are low polygon for the consoles sake. In the visual department the game looks like something from 5 years ago but very polished and with good design. Gameplay is ok but the only kind of original and fun things are skylines and Elizabeth. The plot and missions are not that good to my taste. I also disliked location design in a part where you must travel some locations several times back and forth the very same way. And the game is dumb. Like really dumb. You need these boxes moved to proceed to the next level? pull the lever right beside them and that's it. No clever puzzles or any fun gameplay elements of that sort. When playing i've got a feeling that i'm playing dishonored 1.5 without the stealth, dunno why though.And the game is short. Like really short and easy even on 'hard' game setting. And i'm really glad i've got my copy for free, because the game is severely overpriced for my taste.… Expand
  11. Llaerrick
    Sep 12, 2014
    7
    a pretty good game which you would probably like if you are a fan of the franchise. game play and mechanics are not dissimilar from previous iterations but graphics are obviously better. many different ways to play through with interesting skill lines (although some feel a lot more effective than others). as with many other games that are not true fps (i.e. just running around with guns),a pretty good game which you would probably like if you are a fan of the franchise. game play and mechanics are not dissimilar from previous iterations but graphics are obviously better. many different ways to play through with interesting skill lines (although some feel a lot more effective than others). as with many other games that are not true fps (i.e. just running around with guns), this game should not be played as run-and-gun but in a more measured manner with abundant skill utilization. good voice-acting and a decent enough plot (with some interesting plot-turns).… Expand
  12. 2ndfloor
    Apr 7, 2013
    7
    The city is beautiful! The graphics and people in the streets are fantastic. Being taken back to what life in 1912 may have been like is great, and I love the idea of a city in the air!! However, I have a lot of complaints about this one and:

    Ken Levine at one point said he wanted people to play this game "their own way" and then be able to tell their friends "this is how I beat that    The city is beautiful! The graphics and people in the streets are fantastic. Being taken back to what life in 1912 may have been like is great, and I love the idea of a city in the air!! However, I have a lot of complaints about this one and:

    Ken Levine at one point said he wanted people to play this game "their own way" and then be able to tell their friends "this is how I beat that part". It was going to be about how we the players played it uniquely ourselves. But that is a joke in Bioshock Infinite. It is completely linear and very minimal sense of your own play style, nothing like Far Cry 2 anyway. The skyline is appealing, but and maybe this is what Ken Levine meant by choose your own style, but to me it didn't add enough to my choice of how to beat the game.
    Far Cry 2/3 can run on consoles, I don't understand why then we are still getting linear games like Bioshock Infinite, where all 3 platforms can handle more. Imagine an open-world Columbia, where you can truly play as you want and complete the game your own way like Far Cry 2/3. Add Infinite to the list of linear, check-point-only-save games that are all so similar these days. What a bore for gaming.

    I found Bioshock 1 and 2 blew me away with how incredible and magical they were, especially the first one. That was a game!! Music, setting, combat, visuals, hacking, EVERYTHING.

    Infinite is good visually but it's not as good or fun of a game I think overall, not nearly as that of Bioshock 1 or 2. Over-rated and I hate that they connected Rapture to the story. Not what I thought it was going to be. Disappointing.    … Expand
  13. 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
  14. Z80X
    Mar 28, 2013
    7
    Bioshock Infinite has very good story and vivid character, especially the NPC. It's like the play within a play in Bioshock. But, the E3 Demo(2011 15min) is the another Bioshock series? some elements are missing in the Game. Where is it?
  15. NoBody134
    Apr 1, 2013
    7
    This game is highly overrated in my opinion for a few reasons only
    The combat system is boring, you barely have enough salts to use even your weakest spells more than 8 times.
    that and the fact that you are capable of taking with you only two weapons at every given time makes the combat in this game very weak. the storyline is awesome and the characters in this game have really likable    This game is highly overrated in my opinion for a few reasons only
    The combat system is boring, you barely have enough salts to use even your weakest spells more than 8 times.
    that and the fact that you are capable of taking with you only two weapons at every given time makes the combat in this game very weak.
    the storyline is awesome and the characters in this game have really likable personalities overall, except for booker, he was extremely generic and unappealing.
    Columbia is huge, however it's boring.
    there are some very awesome enemies in this game, but they are very repetitive and they have crapton of health, and i found this to be very irritating.
    All in All, this game is solid, however it has a lot of drawback.    … Expand
  16. royalstaircase
    Mar 31, 2013
    7
    Although I have issues with the story of this game, I found it to be very thrilling to play and filled with marvelous visuals. If you go in for the gameplay you will NOT be disappointed at all. This is an incredibly polished shooter. But the story is a whole other thing. It feels like Ken Levine put too many ingredients in the soup and starts to lose track of what he wants to make theAlthough I have issues with the story of this game, I found it to be very thrilling to play and filled with marvelous visuals. If you go in for the gameplay you will NOT be disappointed at all. This is an incredibly polished shooter. But the story is a whole other thing. It feels like Ken Levine put too many ingredients in the soup and starts to lose track of what he wants to make the story about. Almost all of the political philosophy is lost a certain way into the game due to a focus on multiverses, which is interesting on it's own but eventually reaches an ending that doesn't have anything to do with the world and politics of Columbia at all. I was disappointed because I was under the assumption that the writers were trying to fix the flaws the original bioshock had, but it does not ruin the whole game. It would be best to wait for the price to lower, but you will not have remorse if you go for it while it's still 60 dollars.… Expand
  17. temple06
    Apr 1, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bioshock Infinite is a competent FPS. However, competent doesn't mean greatness, and Infinite has a long way to go before it reaches that pedestal.

    Graphically: The game looks very pretty upon first glance. Once you actually stop to look at what's going on and pay attention to the finer details, you notice some glaring problems. First is the bloom. There's bloom everywhere, and it's far overdone. The entire environment looks over saturated. Then you get up close to the textures, and they look extremely dated. From far away, the apple boxes look full of fruit, but when you get up close you seem some 2006 era textures. Okay, well what about the NPCs? Pay attention to their faces, and you'll find that many of them not only look absurd, but they also share the exact same face. The vigor's showing their effects on your hands is a nice touch, but one is left to wonder why they removed seeing the effects of weapon upgrades.

    Gameplay: The gameplay is an absolute step back from Bioshock 1 and 2. You have access to all vigors at all times, making it so that you don't have to plan your engagements nearly as carefully. The two gun limit is also wholly unnecessary. It would work very well from a gameplay standpoint if ammo was very scarce, and you were forced to use money on vending machines or constantly switch weapons in order to survive. But because Elizabeth is always there to give you ammo, you're never in any real danger of not having ammo. There doesn't really seem to be any point in having a two gun limit. It does absolutely nothing for the game.

    Then you have the issue of Elizabeth. Bioshock 1 was great not just for its story, but for its atmosphere. Infinite doesn't have anywhere near the atmosphere that Bioshock 1 and 2 provided with Rapture. In the previous games, you were pretty much alone in this strange, dark world. In Infinite Elizabeth is not only almost constantly by your side, but she gives you things to help you along the way. You don't have to worry about managing your health, because Elizabeth gives you healthpacks when you're low. You don't have to worry about not being able to use vigors, because she gives you salts. She even gives you money and the aformentioned ammo. Halfway through the game, you have enough money to buy anything you want, even if you don't spend a lot of time looting. How does this improve the game? It doesn't, it makes it very very boring. You never have to worry about resource management, because you can't run out.

    This brings me to the shield. Here is a gameplay element that is entirely tacked on. Why do you have a shield? Why does nobody else have a shield? The shield only serves as a way for you to play like a pissed off teenager. You don't have to worry about dying, because your shield recharges. So you run in, shoot a bunch of people, and then hide while what is essentially a second health bar recharges. The AI is dumb enough to let you do this. This and Elizabeth only serve to make the game easier. Why make the game easier for no reason? Bioshock 1 and 2 weren't even that difficult to begin with. 1999 doesn't even rectify this problem, as it only makes enemies hit harder and sponge more bullets.

    Story: The story is an absolute train wreck. It starts off pretty good, but quickly goes off the rails. It all falls apart when you have to help the Vox. Okay, you don't care about the Vox and just want an airship right? Good, Booker feels the same way. Then you go through a bunch of honestly pointless crap, to show you just WHY you should sympathize with the Vox. Fink is a bad man. Minorities are horribly oppressed in Columbia. Okay, maybe I should care about the Vox. And then their leader tries to kill a child, and they end up killing as many innocents as Columbia's police force. So, wait a second here. The minorities are oppressed because they're "uncivilized savages" and to give Columbia a reason to have an army right? Then isn't the whole message of what Columbia is doing is wrong completely nullified when the minorities do exactly what the propaganda claims they'll do?

    Not only that, but Comstock is a villain who's never really done anything personally to you. The only reason to dislike him is for what he's done to Elizabeth, which honestly isn't some GREAT ATROCITY. The overarching themes here are supposed to be regret and forgiveness, yet NOBODY forgives anybody for anything in this game. Then, you get to the ending.

    Elizabeth is omniscient. She sees all realities and understands them all. If she is omniscient, then wouldn't she have known all of this would happen from the moment she loses her pinkie? If she knew all of this, why not just state it from the start? The only way for her to attain omniscience when the siphon is destroyed is if time is linear. She can attain her powers and thus know everything from that point on. But if time is linear, drowning Booker creates a grandfather paradox. Causality is kind of     … Expand
  18. MeesterShfeeste
    Apr 2, 2013
    7
    Bioshock Infinite is a beautiful looking game with an exceptional story. Although the story will confuse the heck out of you until you figure out whats going on, that's about all Bioshock Infinite has going for itself. The levels are really linear and the combat feels like a mere filler for the rest of the game. The game is essentially "keep shooting until next cutscene". Unfortunately theBioshock Infinite is a beautiful looking game with an exceptional story. Although the story will confuse the heck out of you until you figure out whats going on, that's about all Bioshock Infinite has going for itself. The levels are really linear and the combat feels like a mere filler for the rest of the game. The game is essentially "keep shooting until next cutscene". Unfortunately the gameplay lacks a lot. There aren't many situation where you are forced to put your skills and abilities to the test. Oddly enough, Booker Dewitt (you) can't stealth until a certain section at the very end of the game, which by the way, seems very out of place. In addition to multiple oddities throughout the game, there is never a point throughout the game where you feel vulnerable or exposed. This can be quite a letdown because the magnitude of the situation doesn't really seem that high.

    There's alot of praise coming in for this game, but I think that's mainly to the fact that the story is considered by many as "deep". People assumes the game is good because its difficult to understand whats going on. True, the concept of Bioshock Infinite is intriguing, and there is no game like it; but that doesn't mean it deserves the huge amount of praise it has been receiving. Though the alternate time reality concept pops up in alot of the media nowadays, Bisohock ends up pulling it off very well. Wish there was an alternate universe were the gameplay didn't seem like such a chore. Definitely not worth full price.    … Expand
  19. KrunkTX
    Apr 2, 2013
    7
    I was very excited for this game, and rightfully so. I cannot deny it's beauty, it's tummy tickling steam punk mythos and it's violent action. For the most part I had alot of fun, and enjoyed the story to an extent. Despite all the good aspects of this game, the negatives is what brings the score down below all the raves it's receiving by the majority of the gaming community. The storyI was very excited for this game, and rightfully so. I cannot deny it's beauty, it's tummy tickling steam punk mythos and it's violent action. For the most part I had alot of fun, and enjoyed the story to an extent. Despite all the good aspects of this game, the negatives is what brings the score down below all the raves it's receiving by the majority of the gaming community. The story had the chance to be something amazing, but it's pace seemed somewhat forced and monotone.... and the climatic ending(which was the only real climax) was extremely "unclimatic" in my personal opinion. I feel as if the story could have been so much more, especially with an extension of good, solid playtime. From start to finish, this game is an average of 8 to 12 hours total play time. For 60 dollars, that's a major sell short for me personally. I think the story could have bloomed into so much more, with spaced out re-visits with a better attention to details/unlocks. The lack of total storyl ine gameplay time also brings in a sense of "incompleteness" as you will be unable to fully unlock the plethora of powers/weapon upgrades that are available in the game. I understand from the devs perspective that they wanted to add replayability by choosing different weapon and power upgrades with each play through, but with the story's pace and briefness, I can only see most gamers getting 2 or 3 play throughs before putting Bioshock Infinite down for good.

    I sincerely hope that quality DLC may be able to breath that small bit of extra life into the game that it so desperately needs, but I cross my fingers that it won't be too little too late. By the time it would come around, I as I can imagine most will have moved on to new or other games which may raise the bar and overshadow this brief champion of the "now".    … Expand
  20. The_Announcer
    Apr 8, 2013
    7
    Bioshock Infinite is a good game. Not great. Just a good game. It is also over-hyped, with many giving it a 10/10 or calling it "Genre Defining" even one I've seen called it "Next to perfect". Those are wrong.

    What's Good: 1/ It's Bioshock (Yay!) 2/ Fun gameplay (Use of guns and Vigors) 3/ Reasonable graphics 4/ Good set-peices 5/ Good characters 6/ Love the Skyline What's Bad:    Bioshock Infinite is a good game. Not great. Just a good game. It is also over-hyped, with many giving it a 10/10 or calling it "Genre Defining" even one I've seen called it "Next to perfect". Those are wrong.

    What's Good:
    1/ It's Bioshock (Yay!)
    2/ Fun gameplay (Use of guns and Vigors)
    3/ Reasonable graphics
    4/ Good set-peices
    5/ Good characters
    6/ Love the Skyline

    What's Bad:
    1/ Reasonable graphics that don't really change from max settings to min. (resource whore as well...)
    2/ Can only carry two weapons at a time
    3/ Most of the Vigors are useless and lack a feeling of power
    4/ A couple of Vigors are overpowered
    5/ Easy. Even easier than the first Bioshock
    6/ The new gear system doesn't make sense
    7/ Huge info dump at the end
    8/ Red tears are never explained, what are they? What do they do? We may never know.

    But the worst thing wrong with this game is the ending.
    1/ It's nothing compared to the ending of the first (Unfair comparison, I know)
    2/The ending is predictable (No really, I guessed at most of the ending within the first hour)
    3/ Poorly thought-out ending (It ignores the base rules of time travel, ignores its own logic and is just ridiculous)

    In short. It's a good game but because of the poor ending it is not the "Genre Defining" game we all wanted. Get Bioshock Infinite but give it time to drop in price, it's not long until the Steam Summer sale.    … Expand
  21. ProgramThis
    Apr 10, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I usually keep silent, but I can't with this. I'm a game love and a programmer, so I always appreciate the gameplay and also the game construction. Graphics and story aside. I would barely call this a "modern" game in a time when player personal experience is key.

    First play, I was easily able to get through the came on difficult level. There was such scene control for User Interface that it was more like playing a movie than a game. Modern games should be more than just a game you play once. I've heard the halflife argument and I'm a huge fan of Halflife, but this is what halflife had this doesn't: Replay-abililty! Even when Halflife was done, I would replay "fight" sequences on halflife over and over, trying different tactics. I think the game creators of bioshock INF. knew this, which is why the game seems for force you onward, not giving you a chance to replay your favorite fight sequence, because you won't have one.

    I also played the game through twice, chose all different options in the game, and it had no effect on gameplay. Terrible choice to put the game in a racially charged environment, asking the player to make a racial choice, then that choice has no effect. In a world that publicly pelts interracial couples, which side you are on makes a difference. It's insulting to have the game start with such a powerful personal choice that makes no difference! Take this as a foreshadow for the whole game whether you make careful choices or sleep you way through, the game give no greater reward. So don't bother searching you soul here, just click a choice, forget it and move onward.

    This is also reflective of the 'quantum' concept as well. They use the premise that all realities exist and therefor changing one reality can have no effect because in another reality it will happen, which is why no matter what you do doesn't stop the main character. And what was the game designers solution: change reality. What? Stopping baptism in one life doesn't stop it in another, as so stated by the game itself!

    They set up the potential that they could create a game with choices that made a difference on gameplay, yet in the end, all players end in the same place, which would feed to their quantum concept that you can't change the outcome because all outcomes exist. It almost feels like the story writers and game designers weren't working together. Like the maps and characters were make here, and the story somewhere else, so when they were put together, the story is vast and wide, and the gameplay narrow.

    They created a beautiful world with a super-charged environment, and all they had to do was create a few alter-characters that would talk to you if you made this choice or that, and that little effort would have made the game worth playing again, and choices worth making. Instead, they chose a homogenized experience in a polarized world.

    It's like a mediocre high budget film. You'll love it for the effects, find holes in the story, and in the end best waiting until you have a slow weekend and it comes out on video to see. Ultimately, I recommend that people wait till the cost comes down, and then play it once, have fun, and expect to not want to play it again.    … Expand
  22. Sulfie
    Apr 14, 2013
    7
    Just finished Bioshock Infinite on Hard, and I have to say it's rather easy and fear the "1999" mode would only make the enemies into severe bullet sponges.
    The combat also feels relatively sluggish, the weapons seem bland, I generally chose to stick with the shotgun sniper rifle throughout the entire game, which is the same with the vigors, I tried them all multiple times but Possession    Just finished Bioshock Infinite on Hard, and I have to say it's rather easy and fear the "1999" mode would only make the enemies into severe bullet sponges.
    The combat also feels relatively sluggish, the weapons seem bland, I generally chose to stick with the shotgun sniper rifle throughout the entire game, which is the same with the vigors, I tried them all multiple times but Possession and Shock Jockey were the most useful imo.
    The gears seemed more fun and you had quite a nice selection to choose from, although again once I had certain ones I never felt I had to swap them around for different encounters etc.
    The story was nice although rather predictable, it's a great shame there was no real emphasis or implementation of choices, instead what we get is just an average on rails fps, there was so much hope for this game a year ago, and yet what could have been great was scrapped and this is what we get.    … Expand
  23. Ghost_JTF
    Apr 15, 2013
    7
    A short review: The game has an amazing story, incredibly world design and some brilliant characters, however it falls flat on it's face when it comes to combat, which utilizes a dumb two weapon system clearly designed for consoles mixed with 'vigors' which basically plasmids which are supposed to enhance the combat. It is worth noting that the skyrail system adds a bit more debth but soonA short review: The game has an amazing story, incredibly world design and some brilliant characters, however it falls flat on it's face when it comes to combat, which utilizes a dumb two weapon system clearly designed for consoles mixed with 'vigors' which basically plasmids which are supposed to enhance the combat. It is worth noting that the skyrail system adds a bit more debth but soon you will just start to ignore it unless it's necessary… Expand
  24. endzakiel
    Apr 18, 2013
    7
    Game-play and history are really disassembled... It's beautiful but if you look very closely, you can see every ugly details. One rail and the loot is really, really really invasive....
  25. Jonathan117
    Mar 23, 2014
    7
    Decent Game
    Positives:
    - Good gun play
    - Great voice actors
    - Amazing atmosphere
    Negatives:
    - Too few guns
    - Predictable ending
    - Re-Used story
    Basically, it is an ok game although I find Bioshock 2 and 1 to be way better.
  26. shupey
    Apr 24, 2013
    7
    Cool atmosphere with this game but at it's core it is just another shooter. Walk into an area and trigger an attack, rinse and repeat. Has some weird mechanics as well (catching money from companion etc...) that seem shoe horned in. It's one of those games that I am having trouble completing. Maybe I'm just getting sick of shooters. Definitely worth playing, just way over hyped in my opinion.
  27. Alexvoip
    Apr 27, 2013
    7
    When I saw the trailer for this game I thought it was going to be great. Then it got delayed, Which I have no problem with. When you start up the game its looks stunning! Then gets darker once you progress into the game which also is a good feature to bring the game more alive. The guns, once you found the guns you really like you stick with them. Which made the gameplay really boring nearWhen I saw the trailer for this game I thought it was going to be great. Then it got delayed, Which I have no problem with. When you start up the game its looks stunning! Then gets darker once you progress into the game which also is a good feature to bring the game more alive. The guns, once you found the guns you really like you stick with them. Which made the gameplay really boring near the end sequence say like the Carbine and the Sniper Rifle they worked well together which means you stick with them. Bioshock should of had more guns I do have to say. Next the vigor's, they almost felt like you didn't actually need them and more of like they were just there for show and tell. Plus once you found the right vigor for your style you stick with them which is the same with guns. The plot was really good and a bit confusing at the end. In conclusion I give this game an 7.… Expand
  28. Hobojobes
    Apr 27, 2013
    7
    As usual the gaming media, seem to be incredibly generous in scoring these AAA games. BioShock Infinite looks beautiful, stunning even on many an occasion (at least on the outdoor levels) and the voice acting is decently done. However, for an FPS its rather lacking. The enemy AI comes across as limited, with enemies rarely using cover, charging right into your sights on most occasions,As usual the gaming media, seem to be incredibly generous in scoring these AAA games. BioShock Infinite looks beautiful, stunning even on many an occasion (at least on the outdoor levels) and the voice acting is decently done. However, for an FPS its rather lacking. The enemy AI comes across as limited, with enemies rarely using cover, charging right into your sights on most occasions, vigour's/plasmids seem to lack oomph and are rather unbalanced, you'll soon find that only 1 or 2 are really worth using. The same can be said for the weapons. As with all the previous BioShocks, death is a momentary setback, before you respawn next to the half dead creatures you were previously fighting, which cheapens the whole affair.

    Overall, a solid game that's been overhyped to godly proportions. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy when the price drops.    … Expand
  29. daweyo
    Apr 29, 2013
    7
    This game is so linear it hurts to play. The coin and weapon/vigor upgrade system can be ignored. I generally play a game for a couple hours on normal and then switch to the hardest level once I get the fundamentals down. I had the fundamentals down when I first pressed start and never bothered starting it over because of how linear the game is. The story was decent, and the graphicsThis game is so linear it hurts to play. The coin and weapon/vigor upgrade system can be ignored. I generally play a game for a couple hours on normal and then switch to the hardest level once I get the fundamentals down. I had the fundamentals down when I first pressed start and never bothered starting it over because of how linear the game is. The story was decent, and the graphics were steampunk cartoonish... just ok. The game mechanics and gameplay are sound, the AI is better than most games. Once I noticed that money was worthless and I could get by without really using vigors and only upgrading the carbine, I just powered through the game without looking in every trash can for money. Elizabeth throws you rounds in a battle so its pretty much worthless to purchase rounds. They should of made the normal play called easy and notched up the toughness a little bit. But in today's day of advanced computers and seasoned programmers, why they still make such extremely linear games is beyond me. I was bored with it after about three hours of play, so I just powered through as fast as I could and beat it in 7 total hours. There is little replay worthiness for me. This game's smooth programming for AI is what you are paying for.… Expand
  30. Brendos1er
    May 7, 2013
    7
    Honestly, this game isn't half bad. It succeeds far more than it fails. However I just couldn't get into it. It's a good game but no where near a perfect 10 like I keep seeing all over the place. Worth checking out but don't expect anything truly inspired.
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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

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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]
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