BioShock Infinite

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1990 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,653 out of 1990
  2. Mixed: 180 out of 1990
  3. Negative: 157 out of 1990
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  1. Ravenous
    May 9, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bioshock Infinite was a HUGE disappointment. One of the most overrated games ever. Here's why:

    The weapon/ammo system was FAR less engaging than in the previous Bioshock. I was bored to death with Infinite’s extremely limited combat mechanics.

    Sadly, there was none of the cool gadget-type stuff that helped make the previous game so much fun: no hacking, no trap ammo, etc. I wanted to be using all kinds of different ammo, setting traps with my weapons (trap rivets, spear traps, etc.), hacking lots of machines to fly around and help me out…. but none of that was in this game. I couldn’t believe it.

    The powers/perks system was pretty boring this time around too. No ice power so you could freeze enemies? WTF?

    The enemies themselves were also boring as hell. There was nowhere near the variety of interesting splicers and whatnot from the previous game. Most of the time it seemed like you just fought regular-type dudes, and every once in a while you’d fight a robot patriot guy. YAAAAAAWN. The enemy selection for Infinite was downright awful.

    No Big Daddies/Little Sisters? That is a Bioshock trademark, and yet they took that out and replaced it with really lackluster enemies. Unbelievable.

    Lastly, Elizabeth was there to do the rogue-ish stuff (i.e. pick locks), but a huge flaw was that she didn’t really contribute much to the actual fighting. She should have been able to use her powers to damage/confuse enemies, but instead she just threw you ammo every once in a while and allowed you to open “tears” which weren’t very interesting.

    Overall, the story/characters/graphics were very good, but the gameplay was downright TERRIBLE. Bioshock Infinite just wasn’t fun at all.    … Expand
  2. Aonien
    Mar 29, 2013
    4
    Honestly disappointed in this game. I was expecting alot more, but wasn't satisfied. While the story, graphics, music and voice acting is incredible, the gameplay seems to lag behind everything else. There are only 8 vigors, as opposed to the 11 plasmids from the first game, and only about 8 weapons, most of which are useless and boring to use. The hacking puzzles that I personally enjoyedHonestly disappointed in this game. I was expecting alot more, but wasn't satisfied. While the story, graphics, music and voice acting is incredible, the gameplay seems to lag behind everything else. There are only 8 vigors, as opposed to the 11 plasmids from the first game, and only about 8 weapons, most of which are useless and boring to use. The hacking puzzles that I personally enjoyed are gone. Weapon upgrading is nowhere near as good as it was in the first two games, The Sky-Hook, though, was really awesome and cool. Landing those fatalities with the weapon was so satisfying. The last thing I'll say about this game is that the ending was a huge disappointment, and not rewarding at all. But hey, alot of people seem to be calling this game their GOTY contender, so keep playing. I still think it sucks, I still think it's stupid, but keep playing.… Expand
  3. Husk989
    Apr 7, 2013
    4
    This game is visually stunning. However it doesn't bring anything new to the genre and in fact is worse features wise compared to the earlier games. In infinite the entire story is on rails you make no decisions that effect the ending there is no mechanic based on morality. Games in the same series that offer less than the previous games for the sake of better graphics are not better games.
  4. DribbleGribble
    Apr 20, 2013
    4
    What happened to the gameplay following on from the great Bioshock 1 and 2?
    Bioshock Infinite has no right to have the word Bioshock in the title! Where's the choices and consequences? Where's the scares? Where's the excitement? This is the most dissappointing game I have ever played, based on my expectations!
  5. fedro
    Jul 31, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The bioshock franchise has been blinded and overpraised by this new trend that "Videogames are art". Looking at this game gameplay-wise makes it a very average game and a disgrace for a series so praised as bioshsock. I don't have any problems with the change of genre but why this particular game doesn't get the same flame as many other games saying they are flooding the market with FPS and CoD rip-offs,and this game had no reason to change from a vintage health bar to a cover and wait shield; there is no point on changing. It also changes to a two weapon mechaninc... sounds familiar. But if the gameplay is different it should be better right? But all the strategy and real challenge the previous games had were torn appart into a dumbed down shoot-run-hide CoD ripoff. The weapons you use change because you become tired of using one and you want to change to another and there is no real point on thinking what weapon you should use in these particular scenario, given that all "battles" are virtualy the same being as I said shoot-run-hide-repeat. The weapons aren't memorable and you just stop using some of them to use just, well, better weapons. The same happens witht he vigoors, until you get a particular vigoor, you only need one permanet which is the mind control one and the other slot you can use whichever you feel like it. I know there are some enemies that have a weakness to a specific vigoor but you can still use the bronco one and pass the game as a breeze. And the upgrade path has been also dumbed down into a three way no brainer and upgrading your weapons and vigoors have no strategy whatsoever specially the vigoors as the traps have no purpose in a battle heavy FPS. Also, you don't get the option to unlock the poorly excuse of a vita chamber here so dying is only an issue in 1999 mode which gets me to my other point. There were claims that the 1999 mode was going to bring challenge again to the gamers but it just lets you die like a normal game and it offends the name challenge by making the enemies bullet sponges and with an unhuman acuracy. In bioshock 1 and 2 it made sense that the splicers have this king of acuracy and resistance given that they augmented their body to the point they went mad. So if you are going to change the whole mechanics of the game, you should also change the AI of the enemies for a fair challenge. It is still the easiest of the franchise but also the most frustrating. You can tell they didn't change the AI because the frikin policemen attack you the same way a splicer would; rushing in and shouting like a mad men without thinking a bit. So like many reviews had said the thing that stands the most are the skylines but it doens' change the fact that the gameplay was butcherd then grouped around some CoD and then pasted again with our next topic which is the fake gold or pyrite which is the artistic design. of the game. In every review I had heard of this game, half of it is about the plot and character design. Which people praise for reasons I can't explain. The plot is transdimencional that just explains EVERYTHING with multiple unvierses and isn't interesting at all. Also at the middle of the game all you have done to get somewhere is trowned to the trash and just go to another universe that changes everything which is just dumb. And remember, when I say everything is explained with multiple universes, I MEAN EVERYTHING even stupid things like ghosts. And compared to the depth and scientific acuracy of what was bioshock 1 and 2 this one has some serious problems and inacuracies for me, a 17 year old guy who just happens to love physics and know about some topics. It just says quantum particles which stay at a fixed height and doesn't go into depth to what it does or how it is powered. There is also NO explanation for the vigoors. Seriously, non, go and try to find out. And now with the characters, they are simply generic characters that doesn't compare a little to the characters of bioshock. I don't want to go in depth with all as I would never finish so lets go with the most overrated character of the game if not a contender for gordon freeman and master chief, Elizabeth. She is a one-dimensional generic women that does what all animes do, generate a waifu. A bland character based on millions behind her which can be or very over the top or a quiet character. Elizabeth isn't either as she is not Japanese, but her character is a copy paste from the most one dimensional characters that this world could ever imagine, a disney princess. This is not just the obvious, not, there are intreviews where they say their character is based on Bella of Beauty and the Beast. So, NO, Elizabeth is as bland as princess Toadstool. And finally, the "super deep satire and criticism of the US". I will wrap it up saying that thisdoesn't complement the plot. At theend it is just "look we're racis"t without a point just squashed into it.But the graphics are good meh ugly faces… Expand
  6. Cjbarbrill
    Aug 20, 2013
    4
    I loved the first bioshock and when I saw the trailers for this game I set my expectations WAY to high,
    so the fact that this game BLEW ME AWAY should be a you need to know. The game is beautiful even though its on Xbox and the art style is one of the best I've seen in any game ever. The gameplay is SO much fun, it's fast paced, balanced, fluid, and addictive. I don't know why people    I loved the first bioshock and when I saw the trailers for this game I set my expectations WAY to high,
    so the fact that this game BLEW ME AWAY should be a you need to know. The game is beautiful even though its on Xbox and the art style is one of the best I've seen in any game ever. The gameplay is SO much fun, it's fast paced, balanced, fluid, and addictive. I don't know why people complain about it "not being revolutionary" when it introduced awesome features in the skyline system, tear manipulation, and had one of the best, if not THE best, companion characters. Speaking of characters they're all fantastic, each one of them had such depth. And lastly the story which was just phenomenal, I'm not going to say any more about it. This game is must play and it's the only game I've ever played that I'd give 10/10. It's my favorite game and you NEED to play it if you own any type of console.    … Expand
  7. CC_Andyman
    Jul 25, 2022
    4
    Infinitely irritating, more like. It's a potentially great game utterly ruined by the absolutely obnoxious religious atmosphere. Yeah, yeah... Comstock is the prophet and the Columbia residents are his cult followers. I got the message the first time. You don't need to cram it down my throat every three seconds. Let's head back down to Rapture for the next game, complete with the love andInfinitely irritating, more like. It's a potentially great game utterly ruined by the absolutely obnoxious religious atmosphere. Yeah, yeah... Comstock is the prophet and the Columbia residents are his cult followers. I got the message the first time. You don't need to cram it down my throat every three seconds. Let's head back down to Rapture for the next game, complete with the love and care put into the first BioShock game. Is that too much to ask?… Expand
  8. Boltfrowah
    Apr 2, 2013
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Yeah, we got it, the artistic content is good. But at what point did Bioshock become a solid shooter? This game required very little focus on the vigor abilities, and pretty much quickly devolved into a run-and-gun with some content such as flying across rails and what not. The vigor abilities were not as useful as previous Bioshocks, and the weapon customization was unimaginative at best. As for the plot, whoooo boy. The developers decided to do the "Inception" approach that basically just kept changing what was going on through the use of "tears". Do I like plot devices that are imaginative and lend themselves to games? Yes. Do I like games that have pretentious plot devices that insist upon themselves to make a completely innocuous ending? Hell to the no!… Expand
  9. tsargon420
    Mar 26, 2013
    3
    Extraordinarily poor shooting, an aggravatingly egotistical narrative, and a complete lack of player agency means this game's a real aaa stinker. I gave it a 3 though because I do like the music and some of the visuals are pretty good.
  10. ActRaiser
    Jul 10, 2013
    3
    An incredibly overrated game. It absolutely baffles me why this title has received so much praise. I am a huge fan of Irrational Games having only just played through the fantastic System Shock 2 on PC for the first time. That game was released in 1999 and absolutely stomps all over this mediocrity.

    I found the combat dull, the RPG elements non-existent, the looting unsatisfying, and    An incredibly overrated game. It absolutely baffles me why this title has received so much praise. I am a huge fan of Irrational Games having only just played through the fantastic System Shock 2 on PC for the first time. That game was released in 1999 and absolutely stomps all over this mediocrity.

    I found the combat dull, the RPG elements non-existent, the looting unsatisfying, and the story where this game seems to get all the pretentious reviewers in a dizzy spin exceptionally boring. It contains the usual modern FPS flaws a slow running speed, an ability to only hold 2 weapons, a recharging shield (making the game incredibly easy), and tedious forced cutscenes where you have to listen to the unlikable characters waffling on and on, blocking your path.

    I was completely unimpressed with this game and have put it on Ebay and (begrudgingly) completing it. The game has zero replayability and I will never give it another go.. which cannot be said for far far superior games such as Half-Life 2, Dishonored, System Shock 2 and Deus EX.

    Rubbish and extremely over rated. I can only imagine that 'professional reviewers' feel obliged to give the games high ratings as they are given free, early copies to playtest. Either that or they are being paid, or are easily impressed.    … Expand
  11. chillgreg1
    Apr 1, 2013
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So bad it hurts.

    Watch the last 30 minutes of The Lord Of The Rings where you think it finished about 18 times. That's how playing this game feels. I feel a deep sense of betrayal and confusion and disappointment after playing this

    The story is weird and tries too hard to be way too intellectual.. Reading all the reviews, my jaw didn't drop once, Elizabet's head is too big for her body so she looks strange. The guy you're supposed to shoot in the heart is so fast and strong it's silly. So I ran into a sideroom on the airship and he lost sight of me and when I came out he was gone. So wth was that all about? And part of the story is Columbia attacking the USA? Then it's Cyndi Lauper in the future with "Columbia" (CBS) and Merry Melodies... Devine must of been on a heavy trip when he wrote this story, cause it's like he got a blender and filled it with religious and social stereotypes and cliches. And out spewed this mess. Oh and then it's Rapture. The only reason my jaw might have even twitched would have been at the absurdly predictable and bombastic self-congratulations this story kept piling upon itself. I was in disbelief at not how good it was, but how atrociously bad. Oh the stars are all doorways to different universes. Did Levine raid the bargain bin at Comicon?

    Trying to access all the gear setups and vigor combinations is a joke. No presets can be saved and the Dpad with a bumper could have made it as easy as a keyboard. Bleh.

    Released at about the same time, Tomb Raider is brilliant in comparison. I don't normally consider myself a knuckle-dragger, but I must be because the average review scores and comments seem like my case had the wrong disc in it. The fact that I bought the season pass makes me feel even more ill. The joke is definitely on me. :(

    Feel free to respond.    … Expand
  12. MsLibra
    Apr 5, 2013
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a diehard Bioshock fan, I was awaiting the game with anticipation and purchased as soon as released.

    The game is playable and for those that have not completed previous versions, it is probably a decent 5 day play however, In comparison to previous versions it sucks BIGTIME. No imagination with the enemy's/bosses, no crazy people appearing out of nowhere, no splicers crawling up the walls (and you only knowing they are there because of the sound of their knives climbing). No mini turrets, no ability to go invisible or to kill the Big Daddies in imaginative settings, capturing your creative kills on camera for additional points.

    The weapons are unimaginative and boring and the storyline is pathetic. This game just doesn't deserve the hype.

    Pretty lazy of the developers in my opinion. Waste of money and disappointment. Just lucky enough to have completed and sold it with minimal cash difference.    … Expand
  13. Thegreatfarter
    May 6, 2013
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The original BioShock was an utterly unforgettable experience. This game, however, doesn't reach that point, nor does it come anywhere close to it. You see, what made the original BioShock a masterpiece is that it created a truly interesting and original work of fiction. Infinite, on the other hand, just reworks pieces of the 2009 star trek film along with elements of Dr Who and season one of fringe, as well as an non-existent back story, an underdeveloped setting, poorly integrated/inconsistent elements (vigors, Comstock's motivation's, etc etc) and uninteresting characters. Elizabeth is loveable, but loveable and interesting are not one in the same. Only three things about BioShock Infinite are improved from the first BioShock, the shooting mechanics, better ending, and a more personalized (but still more generic) story. The political themes also aren't as well developed either, with the extent of their development being that they are mentioned in the first place. Comstock is probably the biggest disappointment with the extent of his development being that he is a racist, moronic, bad guy with non-nonsensical motivations.… Expand
  14. Rappguy
    Jul 6, 2013
    3
    This game was an extreme disappointment. I pre-ordered the game with tons of hype ready for it to come out, only to be greeted by mediocre combat, an uninteresting story, and unlikable characters. After the first hour of combat, I quickly realized that this is all that the combat was. Just shooting mindless grunts in the face, just with different weapons sometimes. I figured it would getThis game was an extreme disappointment. I pre-ordered the game with tons of hype ready for it to come out, only to be greeted by mediocre combat, an uninteresting story, and unlikable characters. After the first hour of combat, I quickly realized that this is all that the combat was. Just shooting mindless grunts in the face, just with different weapons sometimes. I figured it would get better with the new Vigors. I was wrong. After collecting all 8, which is an extremely disappointing number, I was in disbelief about how useless the majority of them were. There were only about 3 Vigors that were worth upgrading, and that left me struggling to use the useless ones just to make an attempt to make the game more interesting. This game gets an extremely low score from me for not being one of the most overrated and over-hyped games of 2013 so far, but also one of the worst.… Expand
  15. MrArtemka
    Mar 8, 2014
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. HONEST REVIEW!!!
    You know what? This review is going to be short, because if it'll be long I ain't going to watch my language.

    Obviously, this game sucks. I played it on xbox and THAT much boring corridors I last time saw in Outlast and that was awful game(but I'll talk later about it). I hadn't completed it, because of its boringness!(if this word exists)
    If you want to play this game, you won't be right? if you'll buy it. This game ain't worth your's or mine money, either! Because you'll just spend time on boring story and monotonous gameplay!    … Expand
  16. fossilfuel33
    Feb 27, 2022
    3
    I’ve been meaning to play this game literally since it cane out. I loved Bioshock 1, I enjoyed the second one and really loved the dlc for it.
    But wow, I am disappointed in this game even though I knew many didn’t like it. I didn’t expect them to mess up basic mechanics the first two games got right. This game unintelligently tries to force other First Person Shooter trends and mechanics    I’ve been meaning to play this game literally since it cane out. I loved Bioshock 1, I enjoyed the second one and really loved the dlc for it.
    But wow, I am disappointed in this game even though I knew many didn’t like it. I didn’t expect them to mess up basic mechanics the first two games got right. This game unintelligently tries to force other First Person Shooter trends and mechanics into it and it just weakens what already existed in prior Bioshock games, while not in anyway capturing the feel of the games they’re trying to imitate.
    I tried to finish this game, I really did. I spent hours in it and was probably about 70% through. But good god is the combat atrocious in this game. And it was never “incredible” in the other games but there were many satisfying mechanics none the less. In this game the upgrades are so basic and boring it’s as if all the RPG elements have been removed.
    Anyway, boo. Uninstalling it from my Xbox One now.    … Expand
  17. Sesshomurai
    Apr 9, 2013
    2
    If the original Bioshock was an artistic and profoundly engaging story with decisions, atmosphere, and detailed design in a house-of-horrors-meets-jules-verne kind of way, Bioshock Infinite is a head-scratching, convoluted affair in the theme-park-design-meets-castle-wolfenstein-gameplay kind of way. It's quite clear that everything about Bioshock Infinite was "designed by committee". AIf the original Bioshock was an artistic and profoundly engaging story with decisions, atmosphere, and detailed design in a house-of-horrors-meets-jules-verne kind of way, Bioshock Infinite is a head-scratching, convoluted affair in the theme-park-design-meets-castle-wolfenstein-gameplay kind of way. It's quite clear that everything about Bioshock Infinite was "designed by committee". A roundtable of ego-centrics wanting to have their pet idea implanted in the game. Writers that practically vomit bucketloads of inane and lifted ideas on you from the beginning. Gone are the subtle undertones of ideology and dystopia. Replaced with in-your-face-eat-it dogma designed more for an audience of short-attention-span-can't-read-between-the-lines teenagers than mature audiences the title is labeled for. Much like the skylines that you simply sit-and-watch yourself zoom along like Sonic the Hedgehog (a good game), the entire game is mostly a watching event separated by periods of "find the fruit in the desk" and "dodge the angry citizen" minigames. The setting for this game is not well framed or introduced making it even more unbelievable than when you see it for the first time. Audacious and inconceivable in any alternate reality. The writers couldn't devise an acceptable set of premises to build their environment out of, so it was simply glossed over to be assumed by the player. Sorry, this is insufficient for me. One example is using your hook to jump around. No real reason how that should be physically possible. It could easily have been designed as a grappling hook or tether to root it in the realm of "possibility", but instead things just happen magically as there are no real laws of physics here. Whatever needs to happen, just does!… Expand
  18. DoctorBell
    Apr 7, 2013
    2
    I was excited for Infinite because we were back with Irrational Games and Levine. I expected an experience something like the original Bioshock. I really liked Bioshock. But Bioshock Infinite felt much more like Bioshock 2, which was a cynical money grab with no merit.

    Gameplay? It's Ratchet and Clank without the fun. But that's not what we're here for. We're here for the story. And    I was excited for Infinite because we were back with Irrational Games and Levine. I expected an experience something like the original Bioshock. I really liked Bioshock. But Bioshock Infinite felt much more like Bioshock 2, which was a cynical money grab with no merit.

    Gameplay? It's Ratchet and Clank without the fun. But that's not what we're here for.

    We're here for the story. And the story is DUMB. Just plain dumb. Offensively so. I don't think I was supposed to laugh at the ending, but I did. The same way I laughed at plan 9 from outer space. This was not the experience I was hoping for.    … Expand
  19. XBOXKLR
    Jun 11, 2013
    2
    Whack!! Got this game for my birthday brand-new 65$ I was so disappointed!! I'm next BioShock one achievements, And BioShock two was pretty good!! The problem I found with this one personally, Is the fact that it's nothing new to me it's the same old same old running around looking for things and shooting that's all you do,,, Is the same old same old.

    XBOXKLR
  20. Pu33ylips69
    Jul 18, 2023
    2
    Absolutely terrible, boring and uninspired. Starts off great but after a few hours it's just absolute nonsense. It's a just a generic shooting gallery. Bioshock games are absolutely overrated with a dull story that's not worth your time. Great game of you need to force yourself to sleep. Avoid the whole franchise, it's a disgrace to the shock series. Do yourself a favor and play systemAbsolutely terrible, boring and uninspired. Starts off great but after a few hours it's just absolute nonsense. It's a just a generic shooting gallery. Bioshock games are absolutely overrated with a dull story that's not worth your time. Great game of you need to force yourself to sleep. Avoid the whole franchise, it's a disgrace to the shock series. Do yourself a favor and play system shock series instead.… Expand
  21. Truepsycho
    Apr 7, 2013
    1
    This game is utterly boring, the only upside is the voice acting.
    It's just the same 7 different enemies and the same environment all the time, people rating this a 10 have never played anything else but Tetris.
  22. ascoltami86
    May 27, 2013
    1
    I am very disappointed. There are many thing I hate about this game. It was like a Call of Duty. I hate shooting enemies by scope. Enemies are too far, and they have rifles. I loved previous Bioshock, it didn't need to use scope, I like to shoot enemies from close range. I loved the maniac enemies who come to kill with knifes or sticks. I loved the dark, creepiness. BioShock Infinite, tooI am very disappointed. There are many thing I hate about this game. It was like a Call of Duty. I hate shooting enemies by scope. Enemies are too far, and they have rifles. I loved previous Bioshock, it didn't need to use scope, I like to shoot enemies from close range. I loved the maniac enemies who come to kill with knifes or sticks. I loved the dark, creepiness. BioShock Infinite, too many guns, bombs flying around, places are too bright. The worst thing about this game brought the story about slavery, racist, that just made the game too serious and real.

    I love shooting enemies from close range, but not zombie games, there are too many zombie games and movies. I like enemies who are maniac humans or monsters. Aliens vs. Predator 2010 was like that, but it was a bad game, too many xenomorph,they were too annoying, a player had to run away and shoot to stay alive. And I don't like xenomorph. Metro 2033 was a perfect.    … Expand
  23. javaleno
    Sep 11, 2013
    1
    This game is terrible. The gameplay is nowhere near as good as the first Bioshock. The story is pretty good, that is why I gave this game a 1/10, because of the story. 3 points taken away because of how repetitive the gameplay was. 3 points taken away because of the limited choices of abilities. 3 points taken away because of how disappointing the enemies were, they were not as frighteningThis game is terrible. The gameplay is nowhere near as good as the first Bioshock. The story is pretty good, that is why I gave this game a 1/10, because of the story. 3 points taken away because of how repetitive the gameplay was. 3 points taken away because of the limited choices of abilities. 3 points taken away because of how disappointing the enemies were, they were not as frightening as the first game's enemies. Absolute disappointment. Overrated. People need to be honest with themselves. I will not recommend wasting your time on this game. Go on the bioshockwiki page and read the story, you'll enjoy it tenfold.… Expand
  24. Mandala
    Sep 4, 2013
    0
    Game sucks. Generic gameplay, boring, monotonous, pretentious... it's just all around stupid. The original Bioshock also sucked, so I guess it doesn't fail to be a proper sequel.
  25. norse
    Sep 28, 2013
    0
    I enjoyed the first Bioshocks (and loved the original System Shock). This game... well, the best you can say is that the graphics aren't bad. They also aren't great, but, hey. Not bad. As game mechanics go, this is your classical "run to an objective, fight the same boring wave of enemies, oh, here's a boss" tripe that gets vomited out by incompetent studios all over the globe. In thisI enjoyed the first Bioshocks (and loved the original System Shock). This game... well, the best you can say is that the graphics aren't bad. They also aren't great, but, hey. Not bad. As game mechanics go, this is your classical "run to an objective, fight the same boring wave of enemies, oh, here's a boss" tripe that gets vomited out by incompetent studios all over the globe. In this case, it's so depressingly ineptly implemented, it'd be funny if it was any worse. Aiming and targeting are finicky and look artificial, enemy animations are incredibly jerky and there is no walk-bounce. Terribly in a first-person shooter, kills immersion if you linearly float through the world. The weapon and vigor system is boring and predictable, the interaction with the world is limited to picking up salt, health and money, and the story is inconsistent, full of holes and above all boring as hell. Stay away, stay far away.… Expand
  26. jcsrplumply
    Mar 27, 2013
    0
    It doesn't deserve any hype this game has gotten for the past 2 years.
    The most overhyped game this year and not even close for game of the year category.
    The only good thing in this game is music and graphics not worth the 60$
  27. Krshwunk
    Apr 10, 2013
    0
    The story starts out promising and highbrow but it turns into a bad Star Trek episode. Too much time-travelling, alternate dimensions, and rape of the space-time continuum it was impossible to relate to and I just didn't care in the end.

    Changes from previous Bioshock games to the weapons were idiotic: two-gun limit, no alternate ammunition, and weapons didn't look sexy anymore. In    The story starts out promising and highbrow but it turns into a bad Star Trek episode. Too much time-travelling, alternate dimensions, and rape of the space-time continuum it was impossible to relate to and I just didn't care in the end.

    Changes from previous Bioshock games to the weapons were idiotic: two-gun limit, no alternate ammunition, and weapons didn't look sexy anymore. In other words, they made it into a generic FPS (somehow, despite the great scenery, I felt like I had already played this game). I ended up only using only the shotgun and sniper. The Vigors were overpowered and yet I hardly ever needed to use them (but when I did, I only used Possession and Devil's Kiss). They also had the gall to take away telekinesis, contrary the trailers (the trailers depicted many things that didn't make it to the game). "Gears" were a limiting and forgettable substitute for tonics. There was a plethora of vending machines all over the place, making it too easy. The enemies as well were a joke, even in large numbers. Their AI was predictable and brainless, as they employed the "run up to the player and shoot him" strategy. Also, enemies were decapitated way too easily, either from melee or bullets. Kind of ridiculous.

    The Handyman just seemed like a tougher, cyborg-version of the Brute Splicers from Bioshock 2. The motorized patriots just had more "hit points" then rest of the bad guys. The Crows were the new Houdini Splicers, but they weren't that scary, since you could always see where they were teleporting to. And the Boys of Silence were just the equivalent to security cameras from the first games (and easy as sin to get past). The Songbird, the big looming monster that keeps coming after you, was another let-down. I didn't find him very scary in the least. This game was all about big waves of enemies. Been there done that. I need something more from Irrational.

    In Bioshock 1&2, it makes sense why the people around you are acting all crazy (constant use of plasmids plus the radical individualist, dog-eat-dog society of Rapture). In Infinite, it's never quite clear why people are so indescribably out of their minds. There isn't a chemical element to it this time just ideological reasons, and it's not quite believable. Furthermore, they never explain "Vigors," and it was unexplained why the enemies hardly ever used them, despite how Vigors seemed very accessible to the general Columbian populace (whereas, in Rapture, there was a greater sense of scarcity of Plasmids due to the economic conditions, so only those strong enough could get them).

    You can get hints about the history of the city of Columbia from scattered "nickelodeons," but they're all annoying, tedious, and worthless. There are the traditional audio diaries too, but somehow they weren't very compelling either.

    Where was that good old Bioshock horror? Nowhere to be seen. Not even a sense of acrophobia. It was incredibly hard to fall. And if you did, you are immediately "beamed back" onto a ledge for some cosmically anomalous reason. The Skylines were okay, but graphically quirky. Often, it seemed that Booker would magically pass through the rails of a Skyline in order to get in the right place to hook onto them. The player's character being a talkative type also made things less frightening. There was always a "music cue" in the soundtrack to tell you when all the enemies in the area are dead which ruined the suspense big time. Also, you would think that when they eliminated the ability for the player to save at any point in the game might have made things scarier but nope, it was just annoying.

    Elizabeth was perhaps my least favorite part in the game. Her character made no sense. She was sheltered, yet confident and street smart. Booker is a former Pinkerton agent, so you'd think he'd know how to pick locks, but instead the sheltered, corset-wearing girl does. She was way too invincible in battle, so I essentially didn't care about her. The tears seemed extraneous and they looked ugly. Her supplying you with money and ammunition periodically made things too easy. And her head was too big.

    I was looking forward to a new dramatic moral set of dilemmas that Bioshock is famous for. There were only a couple that had no impact on the story. The ending to the game, was long, boring, and completely disappointing mixed with imponderable, quasi-spiritual, sci-fi riddles that reminded one of the Matrix Revolutions.

    I believe the first Bioshock was the best video game ever made. Bioshock 2 was pretty decent as well. Bioshock Infinite failed to deliver in just about every way. The gameplay was generic and easy. The storyline convoluted and unrewarding. There was no sense of horror, no sense of romance, and no sense that anything made sense.

    Now, of course, this is just my opinion. I'm not criticizing anyone who enjoyed the game. Nay, I envy those people.    … Expand
  28. xitis
    Apr 3, 2013
    0
    To start, I'm a big fan of the Bioshock series. Well I should say a big fan of Bioshock and while Bioshock 2 wasn't the best it was still a good game. While Infinite isn't a horrible game it is really a 5 or 6 at best. I just had to rate it lower to make a meager attempt to reduce some of what I hope are shills just rating it highly for the compay. The graphics were dated, no challange onTo start, I'm a big fan of the Bioshock series. Well I should say a big fan of Bioshock and while Bioshock 2 wasn't the best it was still a good game. While Infinite isn't a horrible game it is really a 5 or 6 at best. I just had to rate it lower to make a meager attempt to reduce some of what I hope are shills just rating it highly for the compay. The graphics were dated, no challange on the hard difficulty, all weapons and abilities were mediocre at best, storyline was a so-so and there was absolutely no ingenuity. If it hadn't been named Bioshock Infinite, reviewers would have called it a poorly done weak imitation of Bioshock 1 too many years to late and frankly i still think thats what people should say. Dishonored was 100 times the game this one was. Its worth renting if you have a day to kill but that is about it. I started to play the 1999 mode and while that is at least a little challenging, the thought or playing through with the current game mechanics and graphics another time left me too nauseous to continue. I figured it may have gotten a 7 or 8 on the boards, but I can't believe the overall praise its received. Maby the other reviewers didn't really play it or they smoked and drank too much.… Expand
  29. JohnSnow
    Apr 3, 2013
    0
    Ok, we've been had. Irrational Games lied to us for several years, feeding us pre-release "actual gameplay" videos that show abilities, powers, main (You+Elizabeth) and NPC character interaction, scale and dynamics of gameplay and maps that were great except it turns out none of that has anything to do with the game we received. Bioshock Infinite managed to receive 80 awards based onOk, we've been had. Irrational Games lied to us for several years, feeding us pre-release "actual gameplay" videos that show abilities, powers, main (You+Elizabeth) and NPC character interaction, scale and dynamics of gameplay and maps that were great except it turns out none of that has anything to do with the game we received. Bioshock Infinite managed to receive 80 awards based on pre-release footage which is the largest rip-off in the gaming history. In addition to that actual game has horrible textures and detail level, gameplay is dumbed down, no hacking, no puzzles, it's short. As a gamer i'm insulted by what Irrational Games did and by what most critics did. Please read this, it describes in detail how we've been had:
    http://billywritings.blogspot.com/2013/03/bioshock-infinite-sucks.html

    :(((((    … Expand
  30. green223388
    Apr 8, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Why is their less power-up (Vigors) options than Bioshock 2 and also less freedom to choose which gear you want compared to the tonics in Bioshock 2? I also found the story rather overly complicated and full of cliches. The guns were really nothing new and the levels were mostly empty and dead feeling. I liked the Handyman, Patriot, Fireman and Crow's from a conceptual standpoint but found the AI lacking. Also Hacking mini-game's have been completely abandoned and the sky rail system was very contrived and boring. I loved Bioshock 1 and 2 but this is a very watered down hybrid of both games set in a unique environment. The whole "religious" concept was barely explored and most of the focus quickly shifted to quantum physics and time travel which was unnecessary and over done. 1999 mode was challenging but unrewarding: no alternative ending? There were in fact NO alternative endings, another way in which the prequels were superior. after defeating 1999 mode which was basically pointless I had no other reason to play it again as the "secrets" were mostly in plain view and very uninteresting. Good luck on part 4.… Expand
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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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Gamers' Temple
    May 27, 2013
    98
    An instant classic that should be kept in a special place in every gamer's collection.
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  2. GameFocus
    May 11, 2013
    87
    BioShock Infinite is a sure-fire game-of-the-year candidate, and definitely one of the standout single-player games of this generation.
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  3. GameCritics
    Apr 19, 2013
    70
    Fuzzy-headed narrative and thematically irrelevant auxiliary mechanics make Infinite feel sloppy even when it's working. Combat increases in frequency and decreases in impact after the Hall of Heroes, so for most of its length the game sinks towards a deflated ending rather than rising towards a climax. However, that slow descent starts from a great height, so there is still much to value in Infinite even as it drowns in its own shortcomings.
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