BioShock Infinite

 Xbox 360
BioShock Infinite Image
Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1990 Ratings

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  • Summary: Thrust into the year 1912, players take on the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, who has traveled to the flying city of Columbia on a rescue mission. His target is Elizabeth, a young lady imprisoned since her childhood years. During their bold escape, Booker and Elizabeth form aThrust into the year 1912, players take on the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, who has traveled to the flying city of Columbia on a rescue mission. His target is Elizabeth, a young lady imprisoned since her childhood years. During their bold escape, Booker and Elizabeth form a powerful bond -- one which lets Booker enhance his own abilities with her world-altering control over the environment. As a team, they fight from high-speed Sky-Lines, in the streets and houses of Columbia, on giant Zeppelins and in the clouds, while simultaneously learning to harness an growing arsenal of weapons and abilities.
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BioShock Infinite: The First Five Minutes

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Game Informer
    Mar 25, 2013
    100
    Infinite is more than a new setting, story, and characters; those elements are seamlessly integrated with complex themes, a mysterious plot, and entertaining combat to create an amazing experience from beginning to end. Familiar threads run through it – a lighthouse, a strange city, a charismatic antagonist – but they are homages to the past rather than attempts to recycle it. The core of Infinite is unlike anything else on land, sea, or air.
  2. Gamestyle
    Apr 1, 2013
    100
    A game you can lose yourself in for hours, only looking away to wonder where the time has gone. It is one of this generations great games, as simple as that.
  3. Console Monster
    Apr 8, 2013
    100
    BioShock Infinite is an excellent game and will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Once you finish the game it will make you play the original BioShock all over again, which is truly saying something about this release.
  4. IGN
    Mar 21, 2013
    94
    A brilliant shooter that nudges the entire genre forward with innovations in both storytelling and gameplay. It trips over itself in a couple of spots, but not in any way that should keep you from embracing it with your utmost enthusiasm.
  5. Gaming Age
    Apr 4, 2013
    91
    It’s a well-crafted experience that’s certainly more than the sum of its parts, even if those parts are by and large pretty damn good. It’s a satisfying and intriguing experience from top to bottom, and something that’s well worth checking out.
  6. Gamer Limit
    Mar 29, 2013
    90
    Elizabeth is easily one of the best characters to come out of gaming this generation, and Irrational Games, and her actress(es) did an excellent job bringing her to the small screen.
  7. Quarter to Three
    Mar 26, 2013
    60
    Bioshock Infinite attempts an Uncharted style relationship between two characters. It doesn’t work as well as it needs to. Booker DeWitt, ably if not unremarkably acted by Troy Baker, would be a fine figure in a novel or a movie. But in a game driven by his relationship with Elizabeth, Bioshock Infinite snags on the issue of a third-person protagonist in a first-person game. What does Booker look like? How does he feel? How is he reacting to what Elizabeth tells him? What does he do when I press X to “comfort Elizabeth”? Is there any subtext when he makes a choice? How do they look at each other? An actor’s face belongs here. There isn’t one.

See all 33 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 355 out of 460
  2. Mixed: 68 out of 460
  3. Negative: 37 out of 460
  1. bosconian87
    Mar 30, 2013
    10
    I loved the original Bioshock when it came out in 2007. That the pace of the plot evaporated after the twist mattered not one jot, the gameI loved the original Bioshock when it came out in 2007. That the pace of the plot evaporated after the twist mattered not one jot, the game delivered deep in something sadly missing from many games today atmosphere. Bioshock 2 I also enjoyed in 2010, with the way that it opened up more, and gave a spin on events in Rapture of its own accord, but it never stunned like the original. After seeing the first trailers for Bioshock Infinite 2 years ago, I was hoping for something that would deliver in all key areas of a great game i was not disappointed!! Presentation is generally excellent for the 360, the loads being minimal and fairly fast. The graphics are beautiful in the way that they are executed and the imagination behind them, and if there is the occasional pop-in of objects or textures, and an odd moment of frame rate stutter, it never affects the gameplay. Sound design is on another level though, completely the voice actors do a sterling job, the sound effects are eerie in their delivery, and coupled with the amazing soundtrack which at times evokes memories of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, amongst other things. The soundtrack is a loud, cluttered and often blustering bundle of objects that does what its supposed to it fills in the spaces that the graphics depend on to deliver the whole 'feel' so to speak. And so to the gameplay, which is where I have to state that this latest entry in the Bioshock series truly is the best so far. There are a handful of neat gimmicks put into the game at key points (the skyhooks, the tears in time), which when coupled with some familiar aspects (the vigors you may have seen before, and the weaponry), makes for some compulsive First-Person shooter gameplay however, the final ingredient, the one that makes this game truly great, and probably one of this years' best (and probably the decades I'm going to state right now!!) is the plot thundering through on some riffs from Alan Moore (think sparks of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Watchmen), and some very clear influences from Terry Gilliam (Brazil, 12 Monkeys), and many more I could mention, the whole thing moves from scene to scene, and never ever detaches the player from the game I've said this before, but if this were a book (the whole thing certainly feels like a graphic novel) you'd be up until 4 in the morning reading it!! The last time I played a game that truly made me want to get to the end, to see the whole thing, and know what was going on so much, was either Shadow of the Colossus or Half Life 2, so I think you can understand how highly I rate this game. i could write more, but alas, I'm on my second playthrough of the cursed game you see, and I want to get back to it, so I'll finish with this it is the best single-player campaign game I have played in years, it threatens to overflow with the wealth of ideas bursting forth, and even if you don't think you'll enjoy it, you have to give it at least a try. One utterly superb game.… Expand
  2. Bottom_Line
    Jul 6, 2013
    10
    From beginning to end, BioShock Infinite is one of the best experiences I've had with a game. It is easily a top 5 best game of thisFrom beginning to end, BioShock Infinite is one of the best experiences I've had with a game. It is easily a top 5 best game of this generation, and probably the last of it's kind. It is amazing how the BioShock creators took a video game series that was already among the greatest of all time, and made it even better which is what I was hoping for when I saw the trailer and gameplay preview. Almost anything that you want out of a FPS is here for the taking. The first thing you will notice when you start playing BioShock Infinite is the environment change. Instead of being in a dark, underwater city, it's actually quite the opposite. You are now sent to a very vibrant, beautiful floating city called Columbia as Booker DeWitt to find and bring back a mysterious girl that has been imprisoned in this city for years, in order to pay off your debt back home. Through this journey the environment begins to get darker and more familiar as all hell breaks loose once you are discovered. Once you find the girl, Elizabeth, you roam Columbia trying to find a way home. Throughout the game there are a number of plot twists that you have to get through with her. The graphics are great as always with BioShock games, but the color in this game has to be the best of the series. The gameplay, along with the presentation, is what really makes this game an all time great. What the BioShock creators did with the gameplay is take certain elements that they already had in the previous games, and if they didn't make them better, they at least made them different which is a good change for the series. An example of this is the health system and the "secondary hand powers" ("vigors" in BioShock Infinite). Instead of just finding health packs and "secondary hand power" viles or buying them from a vending machine and being able to keep up to a certain amount, you still get them from the same sources, but you can only fill up one meter which you can upgrade in order to hold more. The fact that you can't hold up to a certain amount of health packs or vigor viles is countered by Elizabeth giving you health, vigor, or ammunition with generation periods in between when she is looking for it when you need it. The hacking system is also incorporated into the vigors with the "Possession" vigor which allows you to possess enemy machines for only a short period of time or create salt machines (salt is what powers your vigors). Possession is 1 of 8 different types of vigors you will receive throughout the game which you can use any 1 at any time as long as you have the salt for it. The creators also added a couple of things to the gameplay. Aside from the new guns and enemies that you will encounter, Elizabeth eventually develops the ability to open "tears", creations from different worlds, of ammunition, friendly machines, and cover. The gameplay also hasn't lost it's decision making touch when it puts you in some situations where you only have 3-5 seconds to react with a game changing decision. So what the creators have done is replaced almost all old elements of gameplay in previous BioShock's with different and better elements, and added some other elements that make this game a great follow up and addition to the series. The one complaint i have with the game is the fact that some enemies just can't enter some rooms in some situations for no apparent reason. It should take about 10-12 hours to complete the story of BioShock Infinite. Overall BioShock Infinite is a game with great presentation, a good story line that won't disappoint, and new great gameplay. This is a game that you can't miss if you are a fan of the BioShock series or don't want to miss a potential game of the year/generation.… Expand
  4. Darth_Kane
    Aug 1, 2014
    10
    The best video game experience I had in the last 10 years, probably since Half-Life 2. I've just finished this game a few hours ago, and I'mThe best video game experience I had in the last 10 years, probably since Half-Life 2. I've just finished this game a few hours ago, and I'm still under the influence of the powerful story it told and the emotional impact it delivered. If we would strip it down to the core gameplay mechanics, it probably wouldn't stand out that much amongst other good games in the genre, but it would still hold its ground. Where this game leaves its mark is the unique setting and atmosphere it immerses the player in, and the incredible story that it manages to tell in a flawless way. I'm so sick of games with half-assed endings (which is around 90% of them), so it's very satisfactory to see a game that told a better story than any movie in the last few years. They will probably parade around with Bioshock Infinite as a textbook example of interactive and immersive storytelling in a video game, and other series would have much to learn from it.… Expand
  5. JfreakinD
    Apr 8, 2013
    9
    Simply amazing game, everything about it is just so polished and refined. only complaint is the some of the gun battles in the middle feel aSimply amazing game, everything about it is just so polished and refined. only complaint is the some of the gun battles in the middle feel a bit forced, overall though a fantastic experience.… Expand
  6. gentlebenno
    Jan 27, 2022
    9
    This has one of the most entertaining gameplay experiences of all time, with one of the worst overall plots in any game, period. Ken LevineThis has one of the most entertaining gameplay experiences of all time, with one of the worst overall plots in any game, period. Ken Levine clearly thinks he's a smart guy, way smarter than you. So smart he detonated his company and put his employees on the street right after they made this game and he hasn't made a thing since. Despite the stupid plot, I've replayed this game like seven times. If only it had a plot / ending I cared about, it might have then been my favorite singular game of all time.… Expand
  7. lionalio
    Apr 27, 2013
    8
    This game failed to impress me at some point: first, no map navigation, so wandering around and have no idea where to go is confusing. Second:This game failed to impress me at some point: first, no map navigation, so wandering around and have no idea where to go is confusing. Second: the large enemies are much more annoying and not so villainous as the BigDaddy, and third: No choice affect the final ending. Nevertheless, the great story and good gameplay shows that this game is a great candidate for GOTY this year. Worth playing anyway.… Expand
  8. neomoonsevin
    Jan 22, 2023
    0
    Haven't played this version of the game but I do own the Xbox one collection that's crap all 3 games are crap on Xbox one so it be the same onHaven't played this version of the game but I do own the Xbox one collection that's crap all 3 games are crap on Xbox one so it be the same on this version too… Expand

See all 460 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2013
3
#3 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2013
8
#8 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2013