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. Rickin10
    Apr 2, 2013
    6
    Did I miss something? Did Ken Levine on his extended promo tour utter the words, 'Would you kindly give my game an obscenely high score please Mr Reviewer?' Or could it be because the game actually offers us something thought provoking, even profound that screams I AM ART! I AM WORTHY! that reviewers everywhere have been blinded to the GAME'S shortcomings, or scared that they'l be seenDid I miss something? Did Ken Levine on his extended promo tour utter the words, 'Would you kindly give my game an obscenely high score please Mr Reviewer?' Or could it be because the game actually offers us something thought provoking, even profound that screams I AM ART! I AM WORTHY! that reviewers everywhere have been blinded to the GAME'S shortcomings, or scared that they'l be seen as lobotomized COD fan-boys if they fail to gush over this work of art?
    The game starts intriguingly and you'll be in awe the first time you enter Columbia and it's beautifully detailed environment. But once you realise the inhabitants are all a similar, barely functioning model and all your plans of freely soaring along the skylines to reach far off islands is not possible, the whole world is revealed as limited and lifeless as you obediently plod along linear paths with blurry floating boxes hanging teasingly in the distance. When they actually do appear, skylines are limited in their usefulness and just aren't as prevalent or as essential as they should have been. You can't carry any supplies and there is a stupid 2-gun limit which leads to infuriating uncertainty to which guns you should pick, and use your money to upgrade. While we're on the subject, if you want to upgrade these and get the more powerful evolutions of the vigors, be prepared to spend upwards of 40% of the game speed-humping tables, boxes and cupboards, spamming the 'a' button to collect loot between every.single.fight. This is made utterly infuriating in conjunction with one of the most obnoxious autosaves in living memory. There is no manual save and forget about being able to save when you want to quit to, y'know do life stuff. After a while the repetitive formula of fight, ransack, search for items, upgrade, fight, ransack.... becomes excruciating and to your regret you'll start whizzing past all the little details that you know you should be admiring.
    The combat is relentlessly frantic, with uninspired enemies who all have 100% accuracy that mostly just brainless rush you which feels rather archaic. Vigors are fun powered up and when you have enough Salt to utilise them properly but there are few of them that have much effect on the Heavy-Hitters, who are very poor relations to the BIg Daddies of Bioshock.
    The much-hyped Elizabeth is a mixed bag. She is amazingly alive and her facial expressions are great, as are the tears she creates for you in combat, even if again they are rather constrained. Her ability to not need protecting, not get in your way, and throw you much needed supplies during combat initially seems impressive...until you remember that in Bioshock it actually allowed you to carry stuff like health and Eve so you didn't need this artificial crutch. She is also by far the best,most well developed character in the game, constantly evolving like her moods. Refreshingly, she is never treated as a sex-object, and even when she does have a damsel moment, it is merely for you to unshackle her to allow her use her powers again. Even so, the players feels a huge sense of responsibility and protection towards her. However, talk of her as 'revolutionary' is pure hyperbole. The rest of the cast are underused and underdeveloped throughout, only Booker and Comstock receiving any kind of real explanation and satisfactory ending If I had to describe B.I. in one word it would be: limited. Everything in the previews promised genuine gaming evolution, creativity and freedom. Yet somewhere along the way everything seems to have been reined in. Was this down to the much documented troubles in development, this gen's aging hardware, or simply bad design choices. Who knows. What we've ended up with is Bioshock in the sky with some interesting but disappointingly underdeveloped new mechanics, playing second-fiddle to a genuinely profound story. A simultaneously good but hugely disappointing game that fails to live up to what it promised, and is the most critically overrated game since GTA4.    … Expand
  2. ReBilly
    Apr 1, 2013
    5
    The scores you are seeing are very inflated. This is not a bad game. But it's not a 10, it's not a 9, not an 8 or even a 7. It's a 6 at best, 4 at worst. The story is good. The game play is above average. The graphics are average. The game mechanics are below average.

    I found myself laboring over finding loose change for half the game yet it didn't seem to matter much in the result. The    The scores you are seeing are very inflated. This is not a bad game. But it's not a 10, it's not a 9, not an 8 or even a 7. It's a 6 at best, 4 at worst. The story is good. The game play is above average. The graphics are average. The game mechanics are below average.

    I found myself laboring over finding loose change for half the game yet it didn't seem to matter much in the result. The vigors are a bit nerfed so, it's not like you have that fun superhuman feeling as in last games. The experience is less creepy than previous editions.

    I did have fun blowing stuff up and sniping at times. But the enemies got repetitive, and the hook thing was less useful than I had hoped.

    I can't for the life of me understand how many 10 reviews this game got here. It's worth playing, but the execution just didn't meat the lofty ideas behind it. It was a good game but underwhelming overall. I am convinced that many of these reviews are planted. There's NO WAY this is a potential game of the year, or a game changer, or historically significant. It's just another Bioshock with some changes. Some good and some bad.    … Expand
  3. SkipTheCutscene
    Mar 27, 2013
    5
    The beginning is great, and I was immediately blown away by the art design, but after a while, the constant checking every prop in the game, every crate, cabinet, and desk (God the desks, so many desks rooms filled with desks. Desks on top of desks...) looking for coins becomes... a... grind. You spend half the game pointing at every piece of furniture, and if it glows you press the xThe beginning is great, and I was immediately blown away by the art design, but after a while, the constant checking every prop in the game, every crate, cabinet, and desk (God the desks, so many desks rooms filled with desks. Desks on top of desks...) looking for coins becomes... a... grind. You spend half the game pointing at every piece of furniture, and if it glows you press the x button. Woo-hoo! I think the game took me about ten hours. That's roughly five hours of looking and pointing at furniture. Bioshock? How about Interior Decorator shock? "Furniture: Infinity." But money is scarce, and upgrades are expensive, and the thought of screwing up and having to wade through another molasses paced in-game cutscene kept me motivated to always be checking for loose change. And there are so. many. desks. to check. If the intention was to force players to slow down and take in the incredible architecture/lighting/design, I confess it worked. At first. After awhile though, it had the opposite effect. I started just running past all the crates/cabinets/desks to get the checking done so I could get back to the fun stuff. But this gave me the worst possible vantage point to take in the scenery; just skimming, flush along the furniture, spamming the search button to grab loose change or sometimes cake or pineapple. Why so many decrepit desks seemed to have edible cake or pineapple in them was perhaps explained in an audio log I failed to listen to. Maybe that same audio log explained why I could eat fruit out of an old decrepit desk but often lost the ability to eat fruit that was sitting on a fruit stand. Anyway, yeah, I spent much of the game pressed up against stuff looking for change and fruit, and speeding past textures that probably look better a few steps back.

    Here's the thing: when I started the game, I vowed to take it slow. I was gonna look at all the in-game movies and listen to all the audio logs. The movies were the first thing I gave up on. They were mostly redundant anyway. But eventually I stopped caring about the audio logs too. I had desks to check! I started to rationalize, "Let me get my desk checking done and I'll go back and listen to the logs", but nah, never got around to it. I never cared enough about the story. The best thing about the game is the concept, an alternate 1912, combined with genius art direction. The plot points and dialogue, in true video game fashion, were all kind of meh. Trite. Derivative. A medley of various cliches, except not done as well as the films and novels it borrows from. The best thing about the relationship of the two leads is that she throws you stuff during battle. It's a neat effect that never gets old. Everything else, her backstory, your backstory, the "emotional" stuff... as I said... meh. I never cared. But clearly the designers cared, because they slowed me down so I could listen to her wax on about her past and the mystery ahead. I hate games that do that one minute you're playing the game, the next, your character slows down like he's stuck in a tractor beam of boring exposition as an NPC fills you in on the "plot". If I were really part of the story my dialogue would have been, "Move! Can't you move! Why are you walking so slow?! I don't care about your relationship with your parents! I want to attack things with my magic birds but I'm stuck here listening to you! Do you have any idea how many desks need to be checked before I can get back to my birds?! Shut up already!"

    A word about the sky-hook. I know people are saying it's the best thing in the game, so this might just be me, but, yeah, no. There were two kinds of sky-hook events: area travel, and arena fighting. During area travel, my sky-hook experience went like this, "Wait, am I going the right way? Should I stop? Did I pass it? I'm going the wrong way, aren't I? I should've stopped. I passed it." I did not enjoy sky-hook travel. During my arena fighting, my sky-hook went more like, "Wait, where is everybody? Where are the bad guys? Am I going the right way? There they are! I'm shooting, I'm shooting! Where'd they go? Wait, where is everybody?" The sky-hook had it's moments, but mostly it was frustrating, discombobulating, and not to my liking. Every once and a while I managed to time a button press that had me automatically hurl myself off the rail onto an enemy, but way more often I just sort of fell off onto a roof somewhere and tried to get my bearings and get back into the game.

    I'm giving the game a five, because when I wasn't slogging through the boring parts the spells were fun, though fighting in general was less tactical than I expected. Should I use lightning or fire? Eh, either is fine. Should I have the girl warp in some cover or set up a turret? Eh, either. It all kinda plays out like a chaotic Borderlands 2 style mess. Which is fun I love that kind of thing. But at least Borderlands had the decency to leave out an additional five hours of furniture browsing.    … Expand
  4. MajorTom03
    Mar 27, 2013
    6
    Bioshock Infinite feels like the 1st year sociology major that has decided to talk to you and you are sort of interested in what they are saying but they go on & on and you end up losing interest and then realise that they don't really understand what they are talking about and don't have a point but just enjoy hearing themselves talk about social theory and concepts ect. Also they are noBioshock Infinite feels like the 1st year sociology major that has decided to talk to you and you are sort of interested in what they are saying but they go on & on and you end up losing interest and then realise that they don't really understand what they are talking about and don't have a point but just enjoy hearing themselves talk about social theory and concepts ect. Also they are no fun. This is Bioshock Infinite, has a lot to say, starts off interesting but fails to maintain interest and ends up being a conversation that you are keen to finish. Infinite can be fun at times,I was very much looking forward to the sky hook tool, but the shooting is very clunky (probably more accurate with a mouse) and the sky hook, when you're allowed to use it, is just not as enjoyable as it should be. Draw distance is meh and the graphics overall do not compliment the sweeping vistas that are associated with a city in the clouds. The atmosphere of the first Bioshock is not apparent after the first hour of gameplay, the sense of wonder is lost and the "city in the sky" is merely a set of boxes in the sky connected by elevators and sometimes sky rails. Plasmids, or vigors, are noticibly less usefull than in previous games, markedly in the number available (8), and the types available. I loved the freezing, telekenisis and insect plasmids and they are now gone, replaced with mediocre ones which I didn't end up using or upgrading. Also the weapons do not physically change when upgraded, something I really enjoyed in the 1st game. There is an exact point when I realise I am not having fun playing a game when I open up the achievements menu and count how many chapters or special/ secret achievements I have to go until I finish the game and this happened about 4 hours into Infinite. I still finished it and the ending is interesting however nonsensical and the combat can be very fun at times. But the hacking, sense of exploration, creepyness, a great antagonist and well presented story is gone. Definitely worth a play and undoubtabley some people will LOVE the themes explored and the occasional fun combat and level design but my opinion is that it is a messy game without clear direction, ended up being a chore and the sky hook should have been awesome. 6/10. Also Elizabeth's ability to open time but ONLY at a certain place, and ONLY bringing in certain objects is rubbish compared to what was shown at E3.… Expand
  5. NYfree83
    Apr 2, 2013
    6
    I loved the first two Bioshock games. I have read everyone talking about the first Bioshock but I hope you all played Bioshock 2 as well. As far as Bioshock Infinite goes, I am still playing it. If i'm going to run out and spend $60 on a game, I'm going to take it slow and get my money's worth. To start off, this game's first impression was great graphics. I love the detail and the earlyI loved the first two Bioshock games. I have read everyone talking about the first Bioshock but I hope you all played Bioshock 2 as well. As far as Bioshock Infinite goes, I am still playing it. If i'm going to run out and spend $60 on a game, I'm going to take it slow and get my money's worth. To start off, this game's first impression was great graphics. I love the detail and the early century artwork. LOVE IT. So far the story seems ok. I am however disappointed.

    I suppose from the end of Bioshock 2 you can't really continue the story line much, but you could always go back in time and explore the beginning of Rapture, maybe before everyone went nuts if you want a lighter story. I feel this would be a better story to carry the name Bioshock. I don't feel that this game really should be named Bioshock. It is similar, but about as similar as Rockstar games are to each other. This game is what L.A. Noire is to Grand Theft Auto.

    To reiterate what another poster said, THE DESKS! Oh my god, the desks! ENOUGH WITH THE SAVAGING OF THE DESKS ALREADY. Another little thing that bothers me is the extras. They must have only had like 4 to choose from. Every male citizen you go up to looks like the same dude... and that dude looks like me... it's freaking me the hell out! Why waste so much effort in structural detail and design just to skimp on the characters living there?

    As far as the weapons go, WEAK. If there were no prior games to compare this too, it wouldn't be so bad, but sorry, don't get lazy now guys. The "plasmids" are not nearly as fun or powerful. Plus the "Eve" seems to run out so much faster in this game. The new scale that your bars operate on to deplete and refill is also a little confusing. Two shots in the beginning and your out. The Gene Tonics have been replaced with articles of clothing, which to me seem confusing and offer too little. The gun handling is not what you would expect in a FPS either. It's very choppy and hard to aim accurately, quickly. I too dislike the weaponry, the inability to progressively modify your weapon. That was really cool in the past Bioshocks. That kind of makes a player a feel like he's earned something for his time. A little merit badge. A friend comes over and say's "Hey how did you get your shotgun to look so crazy?", and you get to show him the blisters on your fingers.

    To sum it all up I guess I'd say this game would be great if it didn't carry the name Bioshock and along with it all the memories and expectations of the other games. It's misleading. This is not a Rapture story or anything like it. It is also less a FPS and more a First Person Scavenger and storybook. This is all fine, just not what I was expecting.    … Expand
  6. HypotheticBunny
    Apr 1, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What a Disappointment. On Xbox 360 Bioshock Infinite (BI) looks great from afar. Up close and personal it looks worse than any game in my recent memory. Textures, fonts, details, shapes of small objects all horrendous, poor, devoid of realism to a bizarre degree, lacking sharpness, depth. Please don't tell me that Xbox 360 isn't capable of showing good realistic textures. Yes, it's not a souped-up gamer PC, but I just played Dishonored, and it looked very good. I just finished Far Cry 3, it looked terrific, and you could walk from one end of the giant island to the other without loading anything.
    The gameplay.. oh, where to begin.. this is supposed to be a Bioshock, a but a bigger better one, right So, at every turn I was forced to compare BI to the original game and the conclusion was quite disheartening. As many critics point out, BI gameplay is drastically dumbed down, simplified and stripped of most elements that made it exciting in the 1st game. Rapture was full of mad splicers who attacked you without regard for their own life, but in BI you fight police, soldiers or thugs who also lack any common sense, often attacking the grenade launcher wielding you with batons instead of having a second thought. Gun fights feel very subpar, partly due to very mediocre enemy AI, partly due to vast open areas that completely killed off any sense of frantic closed quarters combat. Weapons suck, they don't visually change with upgrades, some are quite similar, most' don't even sound believable or powerful. Vigors blow as well, there less of them than plasmids and in conjunction with almost non-existent security infrastructure and inability to combine vigors you pretty much find two that suit your gameplay and stick with them. I remember having a lot of fun in original Bioshock painting big daddies as enemy and watching how small flying turrets come from all directions and drain their life. Similar vigor in BI doesn't work as well, mainly because they don't trigger multiple elements of security system which is quite rudimentary compared to the original game. There’s no equivalent of big daddies in BI, handymen don't count. Fighting a big daddy was one of the best parts of Bioshock, you could avoid him altogether, could hide from him, could jump to a side when he was charging at you, and big daddy had a reason to be in the game, a very important role to play. Handymen are inserted into BI only to provide a heavy enemy class, but they are poorly executed, too fast, have no depth to their character and fighting them is simply frustrating, and the fact that's there is only 4(!) of them in the entire game is both ridiculous and good. The Siren that was advertised as a separate enemy class is nothing of this sort, it’s a level boss you have to fight 3 times in 3 locations but that's it, only one "siren" in the game, having many would be much more exciting. Boys of Silence is a total letdown. We were led to believe that these disturbing creatures will be another creepy enemy class, but it's only five of them, they don't fight you directly and you never even get to kill any of them and watch their metal head explode. Songbird The one creature that was endlessly showcased in every promotional video and was either supposed to be a boss that you absolutely have to fight or a big daddy- type monster Forget it. You two will never cross swords, and it's not even explained what or who this is. It has a purpose, but not the one I wanted or anticipated...
    There is no hacking whatsoever, an element that was fun and could set off security system in the original game is completely removed from BI. No puzzles of any sort.No inventory which is just a travesty, you can't store anything or see it, can’t use it the way you want, can’t drop items, can’t accumulate salts for refill during combat.. why, Irrational Games, why Are you that irrational nowadays Invisible walls is another thing that separates a good game designer from a bad one, yet BI team doesn’t consider it worth the attention. Too many corners, piles of rubble, seemingly friendly structures were protected by ethereal force field. In promo videos Sky-line looked more intoxicating than I found it to be, it’s not a game changer and didn’t alter the combat in a great and useful way. Remember this http://kotaku.com/5951936/two-more-key-developers-leave-bioshock-infinite
    This is why BI has sucky AI and combat dynamics. Yes, BI has a great story, but this is not a book with beautiful pictures, it’s a game, gameplay here is paramount. I will always remember original Bioshock as one of the best games I ever played where the story was provocative and gameplay electrifying. Bioshock Infinite is a game with a great story and overall great art design ruined by hype, bad graphics (xbox/ps), uninspired combat, forgettable enemies and disregard for many key elements that made original Bioshock great. Dishonored, you win.    … Expand
  7. Alcaclarke
    Apr 23, 2013
    5
    Really? Why is this game so highly rated? It's nowhere near the calibre of Bioshock 1 or Bioshock 2. This shouldn't even be called Bioshock at all. It's something completely different. The atmosphere that Rapture provided...non existent. The suspense that was Rapture...gone! Columbia felt like just another setting. Exploration is basic at best with no surprises or significant side storiesReally? Why is this game so highly rated? It's nowhere near the calibre of Bioshock 1 or Bioshock 2. This shouldn't even be called Bioshock at all. It's something completely different. The atmosphere that Rapture provided...non existent. The suspense that was Rapture...gone! Columbia felt like just another setting. Exploration is basic at best with no surprises or significant side stories to find.
    By the upteenth hour I just wanted this game to end. B1 and B2, I played several times over. I feel bad for all you gamers who rated this high. If this is what excites you in gaming then youre just as much a sucker as I am for letting myself be hyped up over this. All I could think about while playing was starting another playthrough of Bioshock 2...
    Gone are all the elements that made Bioshock grand! And what is with all the Critic reviews? 10/10 all over the place. Huh? What?! Even the Man Jim Sterling gave it a 10. I don't get it.
    Okay, it does have some great things about it. The Tears were great. The story was good. Gameplay was alright. All I found myself doing was stripping the areas down for resources. Other than that...what was there to explore?
    I don't know.... I was very dissapointed as a Bioshock fan. You should be too...    … Expand
  8. Oxcart
    Apr 7, 2013
    7
    Few games totally upended genres as effectively as the original Bioshock. The weird amalgamation of shooter and sorcery-style gameplay, the settings, the story writing...all of it was fresh, original, and thoroughly unexpected at every turn. Bioshock 2 tried to keep up with that legacy, although didn't quite have the steam (seriously, no pun). So how did Infinite do in keeping up theFew games totally upended genres as effectively as the original Bioshock. The weird amalgamation of shooter and sorcery-style gameplay, the settings, the story writing...all of it was fresh, original, and thoroughly unexpected at every turn. Bioshock 2 tried to keep up with that legacy, although didn't quite have the steam (seriously, no pun). So how did Infinite do in keeping up the Bioshock mantle? In short, it did pretty well. Make no mistake: Infinite is a radical departure from the games that have come before. For a change, you are not in the decaying and (mostly, not quite enough) abandoned city of Rapture, but rather the vibrant and very much alive...and flying, did they mention the flying part?...city of Columbia. Columbia is sort of the mirror-universe evil twin of the America we know and love: it's a place of racial segregation, theocracy, and mindless fervor based on a cult of personality built around a "prophet" whose bolts aren't just loose, they're missing. The other quirk the game design has, and this one is unique among all the games I've seen, is that nearly the entire game is an escort mission, but escorting someone fully capable of handling problems. That someone is Elizabeth, a character so well-designed and well-written that the folks on Irrational's "Liz Squad," the tiger team put together to make sure she was a good addition to the game, clearly all deserve major congratulations and probably a raise. (Read some of the development information to learn more about them.) Let me say this: I hate, capital HATE, escort missions. They annoy me. It's constantly trying to save a brainless AI from itself. I almost decided against Infinite because of Elizabeth, but got it anyway. Glad I did, because Elizabeth isn't your usual escortee. She's tough, very helpful, and never a hindrance. Environments are well-built, thematic, and engaging, not to mention unbelievably creative. So that's a lot of praise...why a 7? A few reasons. One, where environmental graphics are good, the people inhabiting this world are not well rendered; they all have a china doll appearance which is very unsettling. Texture resolutions are generally good, but some of the level decor does suffer from decreased resolution. Interactivity with the world is variable and, while occasionally quite good, does sometimes leave the player wondering why something has no interactions. But perhaps most frustrating is the total lack of directional input on character development. You are locked into the script as it was developed by writers and have no opportunity to make choices...and, frankly, the player's character is really rather a jerk, and that didn't resonate with me at all. Finally, Infinite does follow the Bioshock 2 approach of segmented world progression, meaning that when you leave a sector, there's typically no returning. That's a departure that started with Bioshock 2 and one of my least favorite things about the game. So, points off for poor NPC graphics resolution, the inability to change your character's insufferably-bad attitude, and lack of open worldness (or even its emulation). Still, don't misunderstand: 7 is a good score, and Infinite is well worth your time. It is a true piece of originality in an ocean of the mundane and the ONLY heavy-hitter release in the last three months that didn't leave me severely disappointed (I'm looking at YOU, Colonial Marines). A good and well-earned 7 for Bioshock Infinite, the year's first actual "you really should play this" game.… Expand
  9. Steveico
    Apr 2, 2013
    7
    Bioshock infinite is a good game. It is not great but it is good. The game had beautiful visuals and a unique art style. Game play wise, the game was OK. It is like a normal FPS shooter which has a cool new feature with sky lines that you can travel through the battlefield quickly. Story wise the game is great. The end actually makes you think and actually feel some emotion for some of theBioshock infinite is a good game. It is not great but it is good. The game had beautiful visuals and a unique art style. Game play wise, the game was OK. It is like a normal FPS shooter which has a cool new feature with sky lines that you can travel through the battlefield quickly. Story wise the game is great. The end actually makes you think and actually feel some emotion for some of the characters. The reason I gave this game a seven is because I felt like it was a bait in switch from the E3 demo. The demo showed a very expansive environment that you can traverse and it made it seem like the game was sort of open world. The enemies also introduced at the E3 demo don't play a big role. The boys of silence and the siren are just bosses that appear once in a specific stage. I also got very annoyed when the game recycled the same boss three times to explain some backstory to the player. You only see the handyman four times. In my opinion the game is worth playing for story but not for gameplay.… Expand
  10. Auritone
    Aug 15, 2013
    7
    Let’s get this out of the way.
    I’m quite disappointed with Bioshock Infinite.
    I was looking forward to a big world to explore with interesting characters, a great story, and of course some satisfying action to spice things up. What we get with Infinite however, is a game of missed opportunities. Unlike the original Bioshock the beautiful world of Columbia feels more like walking    Let’s get this out of the way.
    I’m quite disappointed with Bioshock Infinite.
    I was looking forward to a big world to explore with interesting characters, a great story, and of course some satisfying action to spice things up.
    What we get with Infinite however, is a game of missed opportunities.
    Unlike the original Bioshock the beautiful world of Columbia feels more like walking through Madame Tussauds than a city. Sure people are doing things, but they all have the feeling of waxworks that you can’t interact with in any way other than listen to their conversations, or, when the action picks up, shoot them in the face.
    A big drawing point of the original Bioshock was the story, which fit perfectly with the setting and the action. In Infinite everything feels a bit disjointed. The idea of the vigors is basically a crossover of the plasmids from the original, which caused the fall of Rapture and so played a part in the original story, but in Infinite they are like most other things in Columbia, just sort of there.
    These vigors are the source of your special powers, but these powers are strangely useless. It doesn’t feel like the action was designed around them as the original was. They feel like something that is there simply because they were in the original, which makes them rather inconsequential. As a matter of fact you can go through the game without using them.
    Then there’s the story. On the surface you get a very humane story of redemption and the frailty of men and human ambitions (along with political commentary), with some very emotional and well voice acted scenes, but the minute you walk through your first tear in time and space is when the story starts to fall apart, and from tear to tear in the fabric of reality, the story opens one problem after another ending in a rather contrived mess.
    Then we have Elisabeth. Now, Elisabeth is largely a well realized character (though there are some serious problems with her in regard to the story), but her presence is both a welcomed addition, because she’s a likeable and interesting character, and a major problem in terms of gameplay. She basically acts as a default lifesaver. You run low on health, she magically finds health. Run low on vigor, she finds salts. Out of ammo, she supplies. Leave a vending machine without buying anything, a lot of coins magically appear at her feet. (For some inexplicable reason she can’t seem to pick up lockpicks even though one of her main abilities is picking locks.) This makes the game a lot easier than it needed to be and removes tension from the fights. Then there’s her ability to apparently render herself invisible to enemies. Considering that your character is there to free her, protect her, and bring her back to New York, it feels very contrived that she’s only in any danger in cutscenes where the player has absolutely no control. During fire fights, where bullets and grenades are flying all over the place, she’s in no danger what so ever. Again this simply removes tension from the fights and undermines the whole idea of you protecting her.
    So what we are left with is basically the FPS which is the main element of the game, and it unfortunately feels a little sluggish. Now, even in the original the FPS elements were not the best parts of the game, but since everything else worked so well, I sort of forgave it its shortcomings in that area. In Infinite it stands out as it’s the only thing that’s actually left for you to do. That is such a shame considering the obvious amount of work and love which went into the realization of the city in the skies and the presentation of the game as a whole. It’s not that the shooting is bad, it’s just not as good as seen in other more “focused” games.
    Now, this may sound extremely negative, but despite its shortcomings I actually enjoyed Infinite.
    It’s a good game!
    It’s a very beautiful, well presented shooter, but it could and should have been so much more.
    I still recommend it, but just realize that behind the beautiful facade there really is nothing much to uncover, and that’s a shame.    … Expand
  11. AlphaBandito
    Mar 28, 2013
    5
    So, after 4 years Levine came up with this? The game looks ugly on X360, textures and draw distance are terrible and gameplay is average at it's best. The story is excellent but that's not enough, there is no magical combination of various elements that made original Bioshock immortal, just mediocre FPS with good art direction, nothing revolutionary here.
  12. Consoledead
    Mar 27, 2013
    5
    Bioshock Infinite is a tough game to give a proper score. On one hand, it's one of the most thought provoking games to ever hit store shelves. On the other hand, it presents a story that seems noticeably absent for at least half the game. None of it really culminates into anything meaningful until the last minutes of the game, arguably where the game is at it's best since the beginningBioshock Infinite is a tough game to give a proper score. On one hand, it's one of the most thought provoking games to ever hit store shelves. On the other hand, it presents a story that seems noticeably absent for at least half the game. None of it really culminates into anything meaningful until the last minutes of the game, arguably where the game is at it's best since the beginning stroll through Columbia. While most might think that it was the most boring part of the game, it did an absolutely brilliant job of presenting the setting of both this city in the clouds and life in 1912. However, as great as the beginning of the game is, the rest of the game feels like a step back from what we got from Bioshock 1 and even 2. Why were Bioshock 1 and 2 so entertaining? Was it because the setting was just THAT good? Was it because the characters were just so memorable? Was it because they didn't hold the player's hand and let you explore large levels that could take anywhere from 1-2 hours to finish everything? Yes, but the main reason we didn't get bored was the sense of progression. When those games began, we felt weak as a player. We felt vulnerable even against 1 or 2 splicers at a time, let alone a big daddy. As we found health, EVE, weapon, plasmid, and tonic upgrades, they felt valuable like we were lucky to even have them at all. We had to put in the effort of taking down a big daddy and dealing with little sisters. Bioshock Infinite removes all sense of progression by letting the player start out as a badass capable of killing 20 or so enemies at a time. I beat the game on "hard" difficulty and not once did i ever feel challenged. The culprit of this issue is *sigh* regenerating health... yep, in a Bioshock game. This turns the game into a pseudo cover shooter. The other half is spent bum-rushing 90% of enemies with your melee attack which is ridiculously overpowered and makes the game a cake walk. Even the big daddy equivalent of Infinite, the motorized patriot, is nothing more than a push-over when spamming him with an electric punch. Infinite sports 8 "vigors" this time around which is far less than what was available in Bioshock 2. the game also has replaced "tonics" with gifts of gear. However, unlike Bioshock 1 & 2 most of the gear is useless. You will likely find yourself sticking with the same 2 or 3 pieces for the entire game and there are no upgraded versions of this gear. You can upgrade "vigors' but upgrading them and weapons alike are all done with money. Money is quite scarce for the cost of these upgrades though, so you will find yourself not upgrading many of either. Speaking of weapons you can only use 2 at a time which also makes you resort to melee most of your enemies in fear of not having ammo when you'll really need it. Also gone is hacking. Anyone who has played either of the first two remember how often you'd find yourself hacking one thing or another. Now all you do is find a lockpick and let Elizabeth pick door locks how fun for ME THE PLAYER. why am i not the one doing these things and why is something that was so prevalent in the first two taken out completely? Remember that other element that added another layer to Bioshock 1 & 2's combat the research camera? It's gone now. Researching helped alleviate the difficulty in fighting certain types of splicers but now it's all about fighting more at once than fighting enemies that feel like they spliced themselves too to become stronger opponents. The level design leaves much to be desired. In the first 2 games, each level was large and took 1-2 hours to do everything. There were countless rooms and entire areas a player didn't have to see if they didn't want just because it was optional. Infinite's level design ranges from extremely linear to quite linear. there is no sense of exploration in the game. The only actual exploration comes from having Elizabeth pick a lock that leads to a room that was blocked off along the main level so you go in, do your search for items, and resume your mission. It gets old very fast. Among the linear level design was an absence of some of the best design choices in the game. The game was heavily advertised with the sky-hook, but these section are few and far between. Any time you can use them in a combat scenario is easily the most fun part in the game but its so underused that you feel the entire game is an average on foot shooter because of it.
    Gone is inventing and gone are hypos and first aid kits. It's all been turned into an average shoot em' up where health is hardly lost and most damage is absorbed by a regenerating shield so damage against you has no real consequence. There isn't even an option to turn off being revived anymore making the game that much easier and lacks any tension. Although I pretty much ragged on this game I don't hate it. It's disappointing and as bare bones of a Bioshock game as it can get. As a Bioshock game it gets a 3, as an action game, an 8.    … Expand
  13. ForTheGames
    Mar 27, 2013
    7
    As far as a shooter goes, Infinite is fast and generally gives you something pretty to look at, but if you're looking for a "fresh" experience. I'm not sure this is one.
  14. ChuckDee33
    Apr 4, 2013
    5
    As a preface, I will say that I haven't finished the game yet. Although, I feel what I've seen thus far (about 50% or so) is enough for me to give my overall impressions and still have some weight behind them.

    GRAPHICS On a technical level they are actually pretty bad and it pains me to say that. Textures are muddy all over the place. In places it honestly looks like a late-gen    As a preface, I will say that I haven't finished the game yet. Although, I feel what I've seen thus far (about 50% or so) is enough for me to give my overall impressions and still have some weight behind them.

    GRAPHICS On a technical level they are actually pretty bad and it pains me to say that. Textures are muddy all over the place. In places it honestly looks like a late-gen original Xbox game, no joke. Moreover, I have experienced numerous graphical aberrations with water and lighting effects. I just wasn't expecting this poor quality considering the first Bioshock still looks really good and that was released in 2007. Some games hold up even as you inspect closer; not this one unfortunately. From an artistic standpoint though things improve, so I applaud the development team in that regard at least.

    SOUND Good voice acting, nothing groundbreaking though. The songs are pretty cool. Standard FPS effects. They use some similar cues from the original Bioshock which are nice.

    STORY It's probably unfair for me to rate this since I haven't finished it. So far, I can appreciate the ties into American history and the religious overtones. It seems pretty far out there but I have purposely shied away from any spoilers so far. I'm not feeling a strong sense of player agency though, as others have mentioned. Levine might have bitten off more than even he can chew here. We'll see.

    GAMEPLAY Obviously the most important aspect of any game and this bring my biggest complaints to this title. I can easily encapsulate my feelings here: I'm not dying to pick up the controller and play this again. There is hardly anything here that I haven't done a thousand times in other games. Basically run around looking in trash cans and looting from dead bodies, madly pressing the X button. That is in no way FUN. Then stopping for a pretty standard gun/tonic battle against some mediocre intelligence level bad guys who seldom have any charisma or stand out personality traits. The fact that the levels are floating in the sky doesn't really do anything for me. If the developers were trying to create a sense of wonder and suspense from this, then they failed in my mind. Case in point, if you accidentally or even on purpose jump or fall over an edge you just magically teleport right back to safety. That just kills so much of the world for me right there. And yeah I was expecting the same kind of thing when you died, you just get placed in an area a little bit back from where you died and lose some cash. But it's just jarring when you die like 8 times in the span of one firefight and you see the exact same sequence with Elizabeth every time. I could go on about other specific ways I think the gameplay is stale, just as a FPS/adventure game in general and also compared with the original Bioshock, but I won't.

    In summation, I'm pretty disappointed with this game. It feels tedious rather than fun to play in and explore the world. In my time with it so far there have been a few moments that were neat and made me smile, but few are far between. It offers maybe one new gameplay mechanic (sky hooks). The tears are not very original as a mechanic. No inventory, limited choices in how you manage things, unoriginal upgrades and weapons. I'd rather go back and play Tomb Raider again 9 times out of 10. That's just my two or three cents.    … Expand
  15. Bo33y
    Apr 2, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I will go middle road on this game. Mainly due to being hugely impressed by story, graphics and concepts. Although these don't make a good game, it is the game play. This game really didn't have much game play. The story was so short, the campaign lasting as little as 6 hours max 10 hours in 2 playthrough's. The AI was no existent committing suicide, getting stuck, or running away. While your guns and a lot of the vigor's were for the most part the same or very similar. Ammo, health, salt were in huge abundance, making this game so easy. While you had those massive I win buttons, through gear and vigor killing all enemy very easily. Upon death if you where very unlucky, enemies retained the same loss of health and any killed remained so most oftenly. Lack of any real in game choices apart, from the rpg element of leveling vigor and guns. Nothing in the story line apart from flip a coin and choice of pendant. Which you had to play a certain way always going forward rarely returning to the same area's once progressing. For the most part it was a crime that this games, game play, played like poo. Away from these very bad elements the game had some favourable points. It was a lot of fun, this came from collecting all the collectibles which each had there own story. Exploring each location to find all of the collectibles. While playing a very engaging thought provoking story. Using vigor and Skyrail system was also very fun. Having Elizabeth as support again was great. Great graphics, humour, and concepts. Although ultimately what a complete and utter rip off that really should be avoided. It is so criminal to support a game that has a very small story and where the AI is practically non-existent and also the game play is far to easy. At least wait until all content is available while the game is at hugely discounted price. Undoubtedly a DLC will arrive later with a mass effect 3 scenario. Freaking rip off lame. Do the critic's even play these games?… Expand
  16. VonSeux
    May 17, 2013
    6
    I started playing today and found the ambiance of the game very weak. Once it reaches Columbia we see a very rich scenario and many people talking, but it is not possible to interact with any of them Even the kid who is selling newspapers. Several games do it why can't I talk to nobody happens here?? I got the feeling that my character was an invisible ghost. Soon after, at the racismI started playing today and found the ambiance of the game very weak. Once it reaches Columbia we see a very rich scenario and many people talking, but it is not possible to interact with any of them Even the kid who is selling newspapers. Several games do it why can't I talk to nobody happens here?? I got the feeling that my character was an invisible ghost. Soon after, at the racism rock scene we have to make a choice but no matter the choice the result will be the same and the city immediately turns into a ghost place where there are only policemen appearing one after another, CoD style, without any trace of virtual intelligence; on these aspects Dihonored is infinitely better and more developed.… Expand
  17. bingbongbananas
    May 13, 2013
    6
    Bioshock Infinite has the pleasure of being an incredibly good looking game with interesting movement mechanics (skyhooks) and a relatively likable support character (no small feat for a video game). However, it has the misfortune of having some of the most shallow gunplay this year, complete with two-weapon slots and a pointless upgrade system. The voice acting is a particular low-point,Bioshock Infinite has the pleasure of being an incredibly good looking game with interesting movement mechanics (skyhooks) and a relatively likable support character (no small feat for a video game). However, it has the misfortune of having some of the most shallow gunplay this year, complete with two-weapon slots and a pointless upgrade system. The voice acting is a particular low-point, since Troy Baker's impression of a gruff detective needs to have dull, blasé responses for everything, his ennui neatly mirroring my own. The story has a habit of being on-off. When the story is its strongest, we fight to rescue Elizabeth. At its worst, the game pushes half-assed agendas that wouldn't be subtle to even the CoD-playing, lowest common denominator of gamer. These types of "grandiose" ideas take you out of the story, since it no longer focuses on the survival and dependency of two decent characters in gaming. All in all, Infinite is decent but lazy; since most of the time is spent on combat (acceptable FPS combat, in all fairness), the lame political dialog often feels jarring and is painful to have to sit through.… Expand
  18. Tzar95
    Dec 5, 2013
    7
    This game is overrated, A good game, not a great one. Critics report it to be on par with half life 2 and the original Bioshock, but Infinite does not deliver. Combat is decent, the game looks good, but its main selling point, the plot, is only slightly better than average.

    At many points the game gives you fake choices, something that seems as it will matter but in reality does not    This game is overrated, A good game, not a great one. Critics report it to be on par with half life 2 and the original Bioshock, but Infinite does not deliver. Combat is decent, the game looks good, but its main selling point, the plot, is only slightly better than average.

    At many points the game gives you fake choices, something that seems as it will matter but in reality does not affect the story. Not even weapon upgrades matter, as they do very little to improve the gun and the upgrade isn't felt like it was in the first two games. Combat has taken a step back, with a two weapon limit, shields, and no health kit or eve/salts storage.

    The main crime this game commits is adding vigors for no good particular reason. In Bioshock, the insanity of it fit perfectly. In infinite, they don't make sense in the context and aren't necessary for combat like they were in the original.

    This game is good, not great, and not to be modeled off of.    … Expand
  19. Sevendust94
    Mar 27, 2013
    7
    When you fire up this game, you can tell immediately that a lot of money, thought, and time has been put into this game, There are many things that stand out or are innovative. What stands out the most to me? i would say the backdrops and scenery. These are the most detailed surroundings in a game I have ever seen. The graphics are very well done and the game controls are very well done,When you fire up this game, you can tell immediately that a lot of money, thought, and time has been put into this game, There are many things that stand out or are innovative. What stands out the most to me? i would say the backdrops and scenery. These are the most detailed surroundings in a game I have ever seen. The graphics are very well done and the game controls are very well done, although aiming is similar to Bioshock 1, and so it still feels rather imprecise. So why only a 7? You might be surprised, but it is the story that is a letdown. It is the same, tired themes, straight out of evry college and university classroom across America. "America is evil", "the founding fathers were corrupt men", and the super-played out "religion can go too far and is dangerous, especially Christianity"......those narratives are not taking a risk, they are now MAINSTREAM. If you want to be innovative and unique in storytelling, you can spew the same stuff we could easily see or hear on MSNBC, or the BBC, or any college classroom, or Assassins Creed, or movies, or almost any tv series or drama being broadcast today. We have ALREADY seen societies without God or organized religion. The Soviet Union and China in the 1900's? 100 MILLION PEOPLE DEAD.......THOSE ARE THE FALSE UTOPIAS......but sadly, Ken Levine must remind us and drone on about the evils of Christian fundamentalists and so on......what a non risk this is. So tired, so lame, so done a million times before, so false, so silly, so egotistical, an so the easy choice. This isnt new, this isnt being daring....IT IS MAINSTREAM and it has been for years. Remember when young people would rebel against mainstream thought and chose to be different? Young people are not like this anymore. Every college kid thinks the same way now, and they all drink the same kool-aid dished out by their professors, and it seems Ken Levine is no different. Way to be on the cutting edge there Ken.… Expand
  20. MikeGamer4Life
    Mar 27, 2013
    6
    The graphics are a small improvement on the last two in the series but nothing too impressive. I was more impressed by Crysis 3 and its graphics. Bioshock Infinite is somewhat of a let down, the gameplay and combat isn't too innovative from the others besides some new powers and a new story and the story falls flat on its face a few times. It takes too long to get u interested in playingThe graphics are a small improvement on the last two in the series but nothing too impressive. I was more impressed by Crysis 3 and its graphics. Bioshock Infinite is somewhat of a let down, the gameplay and combat isn't too innovative from the others besides some new powers and a new story and the story falls flat on its face a few times. It takes too long to get u interested in playing it. Still its somewhat decent when u want to kill some time but if u want an innovatie shooter then go pick up titles like Crysis 3, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel or wait until Defiance comes out because its looking pretty good. But Bioshock Infinite might be a pass for the price of 65 dollars and the other editions u can get aren't worth the 80-150 dollars for the items that come bundled with it… Expand
  21. aadms
    Apr 3, 2013
    7
    The story is quite extraordinary, and that's what carries the entire game but the frustrating game mechanics and shooting is below par to give this any higher of a score. I recommend this game as a rental, or buying it half-priced. It takes about 15 hours to play (I died a lot on normal setting), which is better than the average first person shooter, but its ending is such that you'llThe story is quite extraordinary, and that's what carries the entire game but the frustrating game mechanics and shooting is below par to give this any higher of a score. I recommend this game as a rental, or buying it half-priced. It takes about 15 hours to play (I died a lot on normal setting), which is better than the average first person shooter, but its ending is such that you'll never want to play it again. The first person camera frame is too narrow to get an appreciation of your surroundings when you are being attacked from all directions. I haven't seen a camera frame this narrow since Dead Island.. The floating islands of the city are quite spectacular, but your path through it is linear. The populace in the city are all the same and non-interactive. The bottom line is the story is great but is it a fun game to play? No, not really.… Expand
  22. RunAwayDonut
    Mar 26, 2013
    7
    Bioshock Infinite has great potential, but somehow disappointing at the same time. For me, it a very awesome game, however after you played it, you just feel that something has gone very wrong about the game. The E3 footage has absolutely gone, they weren't in the game. Because if they are, the game might become so much better in presentation because those footage has so much potential.Bioshock Infinite has great potential, but somehow disappointing at the same time. For me, it a very awesome game, however after you played it, you just feel that something has gone very wrong about the game. The E3 footage has absolutely gone, they weren't in the game. Because if they are, the game might become so much better in presentation because those footage has so much potential. What the E3 has shown us is so different than the final presentation of the whole game. For me, I think the original sound effect are awesome, they don't need to change it. The reason is because the sound effect that they are finally using is the same sound effect we have heard over in many games. The E3 Demo shows a store, has gone. I'm so excited to see that store to be honest, but now nothing left. And the postman scene, has also gone as well which disappointed the heck out of me.

    The story is a twist, which we will expect from many games especially in the Bioshock series. To be honest I think that the story is nearly perfect if you are looking at it as a whole. The story has twisted a lot especially in the middle of the game. To be honest, the presentation of the story is a bit bad because most of the time, you are trying to fight to a place to get what you want, then run off. I still remember the level when you go into the Hall of Heros I think, to get a electric virgor which is basically lighting bolt. After the level where to take the Virgor, you found that in the next level, a bunch of them appears in front of you. A Box full of the same virgor showed up in front of you and was just there, like an accident. When I see this I was immediately like WHAT IN THE HECK. And the worst thing is that many things that we used to like about the series has gone. Hacking system has gone and replaced with a virgor which you will get in the very first level. This made me feel that the entire game is missing something very important. The game feel shallowed and empty without these great features that we used to like. And seriously, the gear system is aweful, you are allowed to wear 4 gears, but these gears are quite over powered. Unlike in Bioshock 2, you are allowed to have tons of them but its a headache to choose between them. In this case, Bioshock 2 actually has greater potential and setting systems allowing players to interact with. I found a lot more fun with bioshock 2 than in Bioshock infinite. The thing that I absolutely do not buy about the game is the representation of the storyline. The storyline is fine but the presentation just doesn't feel right. Most of the time you are going to pull, or punch, or what so ever the button, lever. And thats basically all. Oh yeah, and open doors. The voxophones aren't very interesting now, because there were absolutely not much of them. Instead they have view point which is basically a machine that you turn the thingy on the side to see an animation goes. Those aren't very interesting and it just feel like it doesn't make sense at all. Level design is not expressive like before no more, the developer focused too much in combat this time, seriously too much. The game now feels like a Call of Duty campaign. That is not Bioshock. Bioshock should have more expressive scenaries. Where are they?? The sky-lines are disappointing as well because most of the time you are just going around in circles. Picklocks are downright annoying because pick locks are hard to find out-through the world. And the ending, is just.... well... no comment.

    Its not all that bad, apparently the graphics are good, for me I think its still great in the x-box which I played on. Environment is insanely beautiful and it caught my breathe all the time. The design of places are amazing. Somehow weird if you ask me but I love it. The thing that I loved most about the game is the use of language and the propaganda art which we can find them all over the places.They are stunning and very creative. While talking about creativity, Bioshock Infinite has the most creativity that I have seen in all my gaming years. Everything are just so creative, its addicting to look at what the designer's creaivity. Voice acting are great and inspring. Its not a bad game but the developer really have to think about why people play Bioshock. The game feel like a COD campaign, not much different than it because it focuses on combat most of the time. We don't expect that. We expect Bioshock to have great atmosphere and realistic events happening throughout the game, it doesn't have many of those which can be a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT for Bioshock fans. I hope that the developers can rethink about their changes. If the game follows the footage we saw from the E3, the game might have greater value and will at least have its potential, finally feel like a Bioshock game. Thing that doesn't need to improve, has improve. (Combat) The one it needs to improve, doesn't. And there is no fresh idea either. Which is why this game is disappointing.    … Expand
  23. sparriskrigaren
    May 27, 2013
    7
    For me, this game is overrated. On the plus side, it's very pretty and has amazing art direction and design.. but on the minus side.. well, the story is not amazing. Really, it isn't. It feels cheap, and filled with obvious "whoooaaaa"- and "AHAAA"-moments. The game holds your hand all the way through and proposes no challenge except for you to push buttons and shoot enemies. You alwaysFor me, this game is overrated. On the plus side, it's very pretty and has amazing art direction and design.. but on the minus side.. well, the story is not amazing. Really, it isn't. It feels cheap, and filled with obvious "whoooaaaa"- and "AHAAA"-moments. The game holds your hand all the way through and proposes no challenge except for you to push buttons and shoot enemies. You always know where to go and the game is more than glad to tell you that. Also the areas are a little repetetive, if it wasn't so damn pretty I'd give it a score 6/10. Average. Parts of the story are really dumb and silly, in the same way "The Da Vinci Code" was. It's like it's made to make stupid people feel smart. I don't know, I'm disappointed.

    Also, the vigors are not very exciting, I ended up not using most of them. You just sort of find them at random, they doesn't feel too connected to the game or gameplay.    … Expand
  24. osprey
    Apr 8, 2013
    7
    I loved both Bioshock and Bioshock 2 and this game is very good as well but it is not a 10. There are a lot of excellent ideas and all are well executed and the game is beautiful to look at but the atmosphere that was so compelling in the other 2 games is not as rich in this one. I had a lot of fun playing this game but the achievements were a little ordinary as compared with the oldI loved both Bioshock and Bioshock 2 and this game is very good as well but it is not a 10. There are a lot of excellent ideas and all are well executed and the game is beautiful to look at but the atmosphere that was so compelling in the other 2 games is not as rich in this one. I had a lot of fun playing this game but the achievements were a little ordinary as compared with the old games. The game grabbed me most when it referenced the old games so there was some emotional impact but not nearly as much as the old games. This game is worth playing and worth buying to encourage these kind of games being made but while a good effort it lacks the magic of the first 2 games.… Expand
  25. x_ares_x
    Mar 27, 2013
    5
    The game's fine as far as story and gameplay goes, but beware! If you buy this game, don't expect autosave to actually work. Sometimes it will, sometimes it won't. Due to the lack of a manual save function, you'll be at this game's mercy for autosave to actually function properly. If you buy the game, just hope you're one of the fortunate people who don't have this problem. Calling 2K gameThe game's fine as far as story and gameplay goes, but beware! If you buy this game, don't expect autosave to actually work. Sometimes it will, sometimes it won't. Due to the lack of a manual save function, you'll be at this game's mercy for autosave to actually function properly. If you buy the game, just hope you're one of the fortunate people who don't have this problem. Calling 2K game support offers up similar frustration as they will blame you or your Xbox/PS3/PC, or weather, or temperature. Anything apart from their work/game. Had the autosave function worked properly, the game would easily be an 8-9.… Expand
  26. Dazdnconfuzed
    Apr 4, 2013
    5
    I give a 10 to the marketing department a 5 for the game. $65 for a 2 day game with no multiplayer?? No challenge at all in this game due to built in free supplies and unlimited lives. The A.I. Stood there and let me take my time to line up the head shots. I bought one upgrade the whole game on hard. Story? I think the multidimensional stuff was a cop out to many questions you might haveI give a 10 to the marketing department a 5 for the game. $65 for a 2 day game with no multiplayer?? No challenge at all in this game due to built in free supplies and unlimited lives. The A.I. Stood there and let me take my time to line up the head shots. I bought one upgrade the whole game on hard. Story? I think the multidimensional stuff was a cop out to many questions you might have about the characters. "What about this? Just add an alternate dimension to "fix" it". I'm a hardcore gamer and this game lacks any challenge. Rent it,beat it,forget it...… Expand
  27. DudeBro187
    Mar 28, 2013
    5
    Nothing spectacular about the gameplay. Typical shooter with an added sky rail gimick. Controls are not as smooth as most other shooters. The upgrade system is lacking to say the least, leaving you to comb for gear and purchase upgrades rather than grow with the abilities you tend to use the most. Combat is nothing out of the ordinary from your AVERAGE shooter and actually feels aNothing spectacular about the gameplay. Typical shooter with an added sky rail gimick. Controls are not as smooth as most other shooters. The upgrade system is lacking to say the least, leaving you to comb for gear and purchase upgrades rather than grow with the abilities you tend to use the most. Combat is nothing out of the ordinary from your AVERAGE shooter and actually feels a little dumbed down/ easy. Gameplay and mechanics get a 6/10.

    The story and sense of immersion, however, are superior to most of its peers. The environment is very well developed and the characters are colorful and full of personality. The story is a great discourse on the social climate in America both historical and present. Story and immersion get a 9/10.

    Overall the game gets an 7/10. I have seen a lot of 10/10 ratings out there. This game is not a 10. Other than the story, the game is par.    … Expand
  28. Daelus
    Apr 6, 2013
    6
    Firstly, for all those who rated this game a 10, I'm glad if you actually enjoyed it, but come on, Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption are 10's, rating this game a 10 makes mockery of ratings at all.

    That said, this game was 'Infinitely' better than the original in this series; which in my opinion was 1 of the 2 most over-rated games in history (Dark Souls being the other). Pros:    Firstly, for all those who rated this game a 10, I'm glad if you actually enjoyed it, but come on, Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption are 10's, rating this game a 10 makes mockery of ratings at all.

    That said, this game was 'Infinitely' better than the original in this series; which in my opinion was 1 of the 2 most over-rated games in history (Dark Souls being the other).

    Pros:
    Atmosphere is 1rst-rate; a trait it shared with the original Bioshock; score, sound and design are top notch and help try to draw the player into the world.
    Story is good...not great, but certainly above average.
    Gameplay is vastly improved from the original. The ability to fight from distance was appreciated.
    AI was well done...again, not nearly as great as say ME, but solid.

    Cons:
    Storyline is VERY linear and the world is VERY small. This is in no sense of the word an epic game.
    Much (most) of the game is spent searching through every piiece of furniture for coins and fruit...its ridiculous.
    2 weapons and no inventory....enough said.
    There is no element of choice that matters....you cannot veer from the story...which of the guns or powers you use is irrelevant as they're all basically the same.

    I could understand an objective user rating this game anywhere between 4 and 7...anything higher or lower says more about the rater than the game.    … Expand
  29. MrLuBurt
    Apr 6, 2013
    7
    BioShock Infinite delivers great gameplay with a wide variety of different playing styles, although I only ended up using only 1 or 2 vigors throughout the whole of the game
    The story line was awful with a very gineric plot and most of the time found myself extremely bored throughout most of the game.

    Overall, even though the plot itself was very bad, the gameplay makes up for it...
  30. WalkingDead5640
    Jul 3, 2013
    6
    When I first started playing I loved the direction and the setting, a city in the sky with all these features for your character to inhabit like magic and a melee weapon. But as I kept on playing the game started to suffer from repetitive action and events and lost interest in the game all together, even so there is cool breathtaking moments throughout, but forgettable.
  31. CAP198462
    Apr 24, 2013
    6
    Overrated, it's like walking through a living history museum, you try to make the best of a bad situation, because you never wanted to go in the first place, then you get dragged off to go look at something your friend finds fascinating, which you don't. Not a bad experience, but not 10 quality.
  32. CaptainCornhole
    May 16, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Does this game live up to all the hype? In some areas it does, in other areas it falls short. The bests aspects of the game are its characters, setting, semantics and story. While the combat is arguably one of the games lower points. In many places the combat seems terribly scripted and some of the level design is awfully generic. And sadly there isn't that much variation in the enemies, the adversaries shown off in the trailer only make brief appearances in the latter half of the game. My biggest gripe however is the plot, I won't spoil anything, but too me it seems like the developers ran out of ideas and came up with a plot twist that would extend the length of the game. Sadly though in the process they throw every thing that was important during the first half out the window, characters, setting and even semantics.

    All that said, it is still a very enjoyable experience, and despite the poor engine optimization I would highly recommend this game.    … Expand
  33. Alderon
    May 28, 2013
    6
    I wasn't really expecting much from this game since early demos made it look much more action-oriented than previous games. And it came out exactly as I expected. Basically, Bioshock Infinite has made itself as close to Call of Duty as it can. They've introduced a two weapon limit, most areas are just full of chest high cover for you to hide behind as you pick off waves of hostile enemiesI wasn't really expecting much from this game since early demos made it look much more action-oriented than previous games. And it came out exactly as I expected. Basically, Bioshock Infinite has made itself as close to Call of Duty as it can. They've introduced a two weapon limit, most areas are just full of chest high cover for you to hide behind as you pick off waves of hostile enemies and exploration is much less present than it was before. Vigors replace Plasmids, but they do it very poorly. None of them are particularly fun to use and they don't fit into the world of Columbia at all. Basically this game tries to craft a "clever" story and just pastes on Call of Duty gameplay to get the player to each revelation. And I didn't find the story very compelling either, so that made things worse.

    The high point of the game is simply the aesthetic of the city, it's nice to look at. That's it. The guns are average, the Vigors are average, the gameplay is average and the story is average. It's not horrible by any stretch, but it's not a great entry in the series. I had more fun playing Bioshock 2. I traded this game in after getting 1000G, which took only a few days. There is absolutely no replay value, anyone who has beaten the game will understand. Rent if you can, don't buy.    … Expand
  34. TonySum41
    May 31, 2013
    6
    I really couldn't find myself to finish this game. It was okay. I stopped at the part where Elizabeth had changed her outfit the first time. It's not as good as the first two Bioshock games. I wish they could have had something to do with the first two. It's a complete re-imagining of the series. The setting is great but there's zero acknowledgement that Rapture had ever existed. Overall,I really couldn't find myself to finish this game. It was okay. I stopped at the part where Elizabeth had changed her outfit the first time. It's not as good as the first two Bioshock games. I wish they could have had something to do with the first two. It's a complete re-imagining of the series. The setting is great but there's zero acknowledgement that Rapture had ever existed. Overall, it's okay.… Expand
  35. endings
    Jun 9, 2013
    6
    BioShock Infinite is not a bad game. The setting and game does a good job matching two of Bioshock 1's big strengths, scenery of immersion. Story-wise, I think it tries hard and comes up with something interesting, but not particularly great. The combat takes center stage in this game, with shootouts galore. The vigors/tonics you use are somewhat underwhelming, a few decent. I'm not aBioShock Infinite is not a bad game. The setting and game does a good job matching two of Bioshock 1's big strengths, scenery of immersion. Story-wise, I think it tries hard and comes up with something interesting, but not particularly great. The combat takes center stage in this game, with shootouts galore. The vigors/tonics you use are somewhat underwhelming, a few decent. I'm not a fan of the sky-hook, but that is me. Your companion through much of the game is probably the brightest part, far more engaging than Booker (your persona) and not a hassle to keep around at all. This is worth a play through, but little substance here. I could not imagine waiting for the DLC content from launch day, there is nothing to tide anyone over for a great length of time. 12 hours possibly tops, and little replay value as it stands sans-dlc.… Expand
  36. doggystyle
    Jul 21, 2013
    5
    Loved Bioshock and Bioshock 2 and thus had big expectations on this. Was totally disappointed. Long but boring. Repetitive battles and enemies. After the first third or so I was just hoping it to finish already. Also autosaving sucks bad.
  37. AliStark
    Oct 14, 2013
    6
    This is a good game but not better than the previous installments. The main disappointment is the storyline which is just too confusing to understand. All in all a good game but I prefer bioshock 2.
  38. Phantos
    Oct 13, 2014
    5
    From everything I had read up on this game prior to playing it, I was expecting an abomination on par with the likes of Duke Nukem Forever. I'm not sure "relief" is what I should feel when a big-budget, overhyped blockbuster turns out to be merely competent, if overly self-important.

    We've been over and over how the game world doesn't make a lick of sense, how the combat is a big step    From everything I had read up on this game prior to playing it, I was expecting an abomination on par with the likes of Duke Nukem Forever. I'm not sure "relief" is what I should feel when a big-budget, overhyped blockbuster turns out to be merely competent, if overly self-important.

    We've been over and over how the game world doesn't make a lick of sense, how the combat is a big step backwards from even Bioshock, itself a "streamlined(read: dumbed-down) System Shock 2. We've gone over how the plot and the BIG TWIST AT THE END (™) is actually supremely stupid and shows Ken Levine doesn't understand time travel OR the infinite universe theory he based and named his entire project on.

    I knew all of that going in.

    But I was surprised at how... bland it was. How so much time went into painting a gorgeous, if hollow world where there is little to no complexity to any of your actions, filled with nothing but racist cartoons and Ken Levine's creepy daddy fetish-I MEAN THE GREAT AND EPIC AND TRAGIC CHARACTER ELIZABETH(™).

    I also suppose I'm less upset about this game knowing it's hubris collapsed the enterprise of its' founder, a man who let himself be convinced he was a "visionary" by millions of sheep, and in trying to make the most beautiful world possible only ended up destroying everything.

    I'm sure there's an allegory for that somewhere...    … Expand
  39. Tobi_Whatever
    Nov 13, 2014
    5
    This game is nearly everything that is wrong with modern games and is by no means a worthy successor to the original Bioshock. I would even go as far to say that nothing in it justifies it's existence.
    The gameplay is that of an uninspired shooter with an unnecessary gun limit, the plasmids are all the same and copy pasted from the predecessors, Elisabeth is basically not even there and    This game is nearly everything that is wrong with modern games and is by no means a worthy successor to the original Bioshock. I would even go as far to say that nothing in it justifies it's existence.
    The gameplay is that of an uninspired shooter with an unnecessary gun limit, the plasmids are all the same and copy pasted from the predecessors, Elisabeth is basically not even there and the enemies are bullet sponges.

    The story is badly written, most of the characters don't even act rational and all the mentioned social criticism is as deep as the developers understanding of the string theory. The player is at no point required to think.

    Infinite still has a few redeeming factors.
    The world looks gorgeous, the setting is rare and fits very well. The game runs at stable 30 fps on the 360 and has no screen tearing. I didn't encounter any mayor bugs on my playthrough.

    All in all Bioshock Infinite is nothing more than a mindless casual shooter with no replay value that runs well.
    I do not recommend it in any way, but since it at least runs better than most console games of our generation I still have to give it 5/10.    … Expand
  40. MrCommonSense
    Dec 17, 2014
    6
    In all honesty this game is a cheap attempt to bleed the series for every cent they can. The game preforms well and does what it is supposed to but it is missing the charm that made the first game so great! Not to mention the EXTREME amounts of blatant racism. I managed to beat the game but I never played it again, Nor would I want to. It just isn't bioshock without the beauty of rapture. :/
  41. NightshadeRaven
    Jun 9, 2015
    7
    It may not be the best FPS ever but there's no denying that BSI is a very good game full of stylish visuals and exciting combat. It's a very satisfying game but didn't hold my interest for more than a few hours.
  42. mackenzie129
    Aug 17, 2016
    7
    This is one of those "unhelpful types" I've met so many people that have played this and not the first one. Honestly as one of those "scary fans" This game isn't as good as the older two Columbia is too lit up and happy to be in the same franchise as the dark gloomy games before. Not to mention this game is pretentious so in fact that it's like Ken had his head up his arse while writingThis is one of those "unhelpful types" I've met so many people that have played this and not the first one. Honestly as one of those "scary fans" This game isn't as good as the older two Columbia is too lit up and happy to be in the same franchise as the dark gloomy games before. Not to mention this game is pretentious so in fact that it's like Ken had his head up his arse while writing the games story. Before you wonder yes I own and have beaten it on all three platforms… Expand
  43. RealJSCarpio
    May 3, 2019
    7
    Soy muy fan de esta saga, pero este ultimo me pareció un juego super desaprovechado, a mi parecer, o deberían haber hecho el juego mas pequeño, con escenarios mas pequeños o haber retrasado su salida, en el primer trailer se mostró algo brutal, con escenarios enormes y un monton de posibilidades en ellos, finalmente en la realidad, estan vacios, practicamente no hay que hacer nada, seSoy muy fan de esta saga, pero este ultimo me pareció un juego super desaprovechado, a mi parecer, o deberían haber hecho el juego mas pequeño, con escenarios mas pequeños o haber retrasado su salida, en el primer trailer se mostró algo brutal, con escenarios enormes y un monton de posibilidades en ellos, finalmente en la realidad, estan vacios, practicamente no hay que hacer nada, se acaba convirtiendo en un matamata, donde te sobran armas y ya no hablar de los poderes, que tienes 500 y realmente le acabas dando uso a dos como mucho, con esto me refiero que la idea era brutal en cuando a jugabilidad si realmente lo hubieran hecho como el primer trailer, pero al final se quedo en eso, una idea mal implementada, poderes y escenarios desaprovechados, una especie de call of duty con lago de esencia de Bioshock, al final hasta se me estaba haciendo largo el juego, como digo no es mal juego y gráficamente es precioso, pero no pasa de ahí, un juego decente, esperaba mucho mas.… Expand
  44. Dragondoot
    Aug 9, 2013
    6
    I really loved the original Bioshock when it came out so I feel like I should really like this game and on some levels I do but on others I don't. I'll break it down for you.

    PROS: - The story is pretty well written and the ending is great - The world is pretty gorgeous considering the limitations of the Xbox 360 - The characters are well written and I really felt for Booker and    I really loved the original Bioshock when it came out so I feel like I should really like this game and on some levels I do but on others I don't. I'll break it down for you.

    PROS:
    - The story is pretty well written and the ending is great
    - The world is pretty gorgeous considering the limitations of the Xbox 360
    - The characters are well written and I really felt for Booker and Elizabeth
    - Elizabeth as a helpful NPC companion was a lot of fun, (but then I do enjoy the helpful NPCs a lot)

    CONS:
    - The game feels like it drags on a bit longer then necessary
    - Health, Salts (Mana) and shield feels too small and to extend them required a lot of pointless side missions (more filler)

    IN IT'S DEFENCE:
    - it's very linear, it is BUT its an FPS so please don't expect a RPG!
    - The graphics suck, well compared to top notch PC games definitely BUT its an XBOX 360!
    - The shooting sucks, it's not Call of Duty that's for sure but I think it was adequate.

    OVERALL
    I think it's an OK game, not the masterpiece everyone claims it is but its definitely not BAD. Some people say "the journey is as important as the destination". Unfortunately for this game the journey is fairly mediocre but the destination is pretty amazing.    … Expand
  45. MikeE50
    Jul 2, 2013
    7
    Summary: 7/10, Good but not great. No spoilers review: My enjoyment of this game followed a straight line from 10/10 down to about a 3/10 by the end. The first hour or so should not be missed by any gamer. It's all downhill from there until gameplay is just a chore to endure to continue the story. There is also an unforgivable difficulty spike (yes, on easy) in the last portions. MusicSummary: 7/10, Good but not great. No spoilers review: My enjoyment of this game followed a straight line from 10/10 down to about a 3/10 by the end. The first hour or so should not be missed by any gamer. It's all downhill from there until gameplay is just a chore to endure to continue the story. There is also an unforgivable difficulty spike (yes, on easy) in the last portions. Music was excellent but the sound design had several extremely irritating elements and poor volume mixing that had me constantly muting. Visuals are mixed: most are excellent while others such as the characters are not up to par with recent games. The voice acting by the main characters was generally overshadowed by the lesser characters (Elizabeth being particularly bland--it's a bad sign when a non-talking mechanical bird is more interesting than a main character). My recommendation: play the first half, watch the rest on a video website for the story and visuals.… Expand
  46. xsonic28
    Apr 17, 2013
    7
    Here's the deal. Starts out incredibly slow, like want to throw myself off a bridge slow. Then about 1/3 of the way through it picks up and gets better. Is it the best game I ever played, no, its not even close to the best Bioshock game I've played, but it was entertaining and I did like the story. However the game mechanics leave a lot to be desired and it was WAYY to short. I feel like IHere's the deal. Starts out incredibly slow, like want to throw myself off a bridge slow. Then about 1/3 of the way through it picks up and gets better. Is it the best game I ever played, no, its not even close to the best Bioshock game I've played, but it was entertaining and I did like the story. However the game mechanics leave a lot to be desired and it was WAYY to short. I feel like I barely played it, they should have made it longer. I just think this game is getting good reviews because of the lack of quality games lately... but it doesn't deserve any lower then a 6.… Expand
  47. LiquidGamer
    Apr 24, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When reviewing a game with the Bioshock name it is important to take in to account the games that came before it. In no way does this game compare to the previous titles, but as a standalone game it is worth playing for the overall experience. However, I was not a fan of the majority of the new abilities, my favorite part of the story was the final sequences that were mainly story based with little action or excitement--visiting Rapture gave me memories of what some on Metacritic consider an "overated" game but the first Bioshock was revolutionary--not overated. In this podcaster's experience reviewing games Infinite was a good game but looking at the Critic Reviews, I feel it is overated. Listen to all my reviews on the show, Liquid Gamer Podcast http://waip.tripod.com… Expand
  48. shaun8pickles
    Jun 23, 2013
    7
    So it came out, the game everyone was waiting for. But was it worth waiting for. I say yes, and no. The game is not deserving of its critical acclaim. The game when you get down to nuts and bolts is not amazing. Its good. The story didn't really even blow me away, but it was pretty well written. And the ending was just stupid and left more questions than answers. This games hype wasSo it came out, the game everyone was waiting for. But was it worth waiting for. I say yes, and no. The game is not deserving of its critical acclaim. The game when you get down to nuts and bolts is not amazing. Its good. The story didn't really even blow me away, but it was pretty well written. And the ending was just stupid and left more questions than answers. This games hype was through the roof, and I did not find it to build up to that hype. 1. It was much, much shorter than the first two Bioshocks 2. The ending... What? 3. Replay content is pretty low and I did replay it, and I can say it wasn't worth it 4. Defending the floating ship near the end was a pain 5. The confusing story, don't even get me started. But it did have its pros, I really liked how helpful Elizabeth when she gives you ammo and such. I also liked how they kept vigors, and the enemy types are varied which I liked. I also loved the steam-punk, cartoonish design they gave this game. I also loved the floating city and it how it wasn't linear the whole way through. The games beginning was great, but kinda had a "dip" after that where I lost interest (I did beat the game twice), I honestly think they should have kept the series in Rapture. I would recommend this game to anyone who liked the first two and who like confusing stories.… Expand
  49. jameshowlett89
    Dec 14, 2020
    6
    Good gameplay, lousy storydjskdnskejwjdhdjwkejdbfiddnakejfjwkwkfnwkdjdjfkekfjdndjhd
  50. Pendragon197779
    Apr 12, 2013
    6
    Graphics are not very good and the game play is weak. Overall, I feel this game is nothing but a hyped-up first person shooter sprinkled with some semi- interesting special abilities.
  51. RaunchyRam
    Apr 5, 2013
    7
    General Fanboy Distaste
    Bioshock Infinite is a good game in and of itself. But sadly is has nothing in common with the Bioshock series/franchise, except for a single cutscene. 2K could have independently released this game with a different and cut out that singular cutscene. But it seems they rather use a already thriving name to produce greater sales. I honestly do love the other two    General Fanboy Distaste
    Bioshock Infinite is a good game in and of itself. But sadly is has nothing in common with the Bioshock series/franchise, except for a single cutscene. 2K could have independently released this game with a different and cut out that singular cutscene. But it seems they rather use a already thriving name to produce greater sales. I honestly do love the other two in the series though but this one seemed like a cash in.

    There are no horror aspects, creepy at the slightest, and definitely no "survival" aspects like the others in the series. Ammo and Health items are thrown at you like a Lays Truck that left its hatch open. Just loads and loads of crap flying at you down the freeway. The enemies pose little to no challenge at all, save for the Mechanical Patriots and Handymen. But those enemies are just as easily handled once you get a Usage Deduction Upgrade on your Possession Vigor.

    Oh and yes the Vigors a half arsed drunken wink from across the bar. The Vigors are a rehash of your old favorite Bioshock Plasmids, but they couldn't be bothered to name them what they are.

    Gameplay
    There are quite a few guns, all fill their own little niche. But you can only carry two at any given time! Here is a tip, if you don't care about achievements or trophies then only carry the Carbine and the Volley Gun. Everything else is equally balanced. Other than this small problem the gameplay is fine.

    Vigors are powerful and all equally useful. I found my self only stagnant on one Vigor, Possession. This Vigor allows you to possess machines (and later people), making them give you money or fight for you. But this took out the need for hacking, so no mini game for hacking (which I didn't notice until just now).

    Story And Characters
    The characters are attractive and appealing. Booker has such a tortured past as well as Elizabeth. I can't help but love them. And when I was playing I constantly found myself saying, "I hope neither them die, they're so likeable". And that is what is the biggest problem for me in games, finding a character I "want" to keep alive.

    There is so much story going on at one point my mind wanted to explode. But once I figured it out (through the help of recordings) I loved it. But sadly the story is mystery like and once you know the twist it makes any subsequent playthroughs equivalent to spamming buttons to skip cutscenes. The only fathomable reason I can imagine playing this again is to entertain friends who aren't good at shooters or don't like playing video games.

    Graphics
    The graphics are beautiful, and the art style of some choice enemies are very Bioshock. Everything is bright and colorful, its like I tripped face first and got a Kaleidoscope lodged in my eye. The graphics of the large scale points of interest are beautiful and detailed to great extent.

    But alot of the smaller things that you see more frequently were ignored to make big objects look better. Such as roses on a bush, if you walk past one you can see edges and the backside, they're 2D and flat. Like I cut them out myself and pasted them to the bush!

    Sound
    I never noticed much out of the ordinary. Nothing annoying, other than Songbird's screeching. The voice acting is top notch. I stop everything I'm doing when the characters are talking, so I can give them my undivided attention. Booker De Witt is got the best possible voice actor for him, I can't imagine a single other person who could do better. And the same goes for the rest of the cast.

    Controversy
    This game is RASCIST, but it can't help it, its 1912 kid. The game's setting is in a alternate 1912, on a floating city called Columbia. The man in charge hated Abraham Lincoln and his emancipation. The people of Columbia even worship John Wilkes Booth to some extent, for killing President Lincoln. So of course Black Men, Women, and Children are still slaves or at the least hard laborers with little pay. So if you have a weak stomach for words like "Colored" and other stereotypes you might want to avoid playing. (Note: Its not just blacks that are portrayed negatively, Jews, Chinese, Native Americans, Mexicans, Irish, and anyone who isn't American Caucasian.)

    Overall Opinion
    Despite the negativity, Infinite (I refuse to call it Bioshock), is a pretty good game. Another great in a genre that is beginning to run dry (Single Player Games). But if it wasn't for the numerous raving reviews I wouldn't have bought it at full price.    … Expand
  52. GrayJester
    Apr 8, 2013
    5
    Bioshock infinite what is there to say about it... well there is a lot of things to say about this game, but i will just tell you about a few of the many many things about it. First off i want to say that the game is amazing i loved playing it, i do not have many bad things to say but i just about one thing bad about it its that nobody of the enemies in the game seems to care aboutBioshock infinite what is there to say about it... well there is a lot of things to say about this game, but i will just tell you about a few of the many many things about it. First off i want to say that the game is amazing i loved playing it, i do not have many bad things to say but i just about one thing bad about it its that nobody of the enemies in the game seems to care about Elizabeth at all, sometimes she can be right in front of them and the still care about me more then her. But over to the good things, the gameplay is awesome i loved to go around levels with the sky hook and the guns and and vigors was fun and entertaining to use. The story is the best one during the past few years, it is a rich and good story that everyone should pay much attention too. I really think that this game is a MUST HAVE for everyone who is just a little bit into FPS games and if you are not this is really a good start. Thank you for reading my review of Bioshock infinite… Expand
  53. Malevi
    Apr 18, 2013
    5
    Wonderful setting and world detail.
    ~ Creative and enjoyable story.
    ~ Elizabeth is a NPC that adds to the overall experience and she's useful to boot. ~ Mediocre game play(I'm being nice). ~ lack of weapons(variation). ~ very little character customization and advancement. The immersive world off BioShock Infinite is awesome. The games unsatisfactory gameplay and subpar     Wonderful setting and world detail.
    ~ Creative and enjoyable story.
    ~ Elizabeth is a NPC that adds to the overall experience and she's useful to boot.

    ~ Mediocre game play(I'm being nice).
    ~ lack of weapons(variation).
    ~ very little character customization and advancement.

    The immersive world off BioShock Infinite is awesome. The games unsatisfactory gameplay and subpar mechanics are a real stinker. I really want to like this game but just cant.    … Expand
  54. mna158
    Apr 22, 2013
    7
    Odd as it seems and no offense to the devs, but I really wanted this to be a Bethesda game. As good a little bit absurd the story and characters were, the designers presented me with a fantastic and interesting world but constrained me to one of the more linear and repetitive games I have played. I've heard it's better on the pc but combat felt jerky at times and the enemies repetitive.Odd as it seems and no offense to the devs, but I really wanted this to be a Bethesda game. As good a little bit absurd the story and characters were, the designers presented me with a fantastic and interesting world but constrained me to one of the more linear and repetitive games I have played. I've heard it's better on the pc but combat felt jerky at times and the enemies repetitive. That said I enjoyed the guns at first and the magic (vigors) a lot. The story was just so slow and convoluted that the revelation at the end left me uncaring. Good game overall, not worth the hype or the replay.… Expand
  55. toddisballin
    Apr 28, 2013
    7
    I liked BioShock Infinite, I didn't love it.

    The gameplay is decent, sometimes it feels like a chore. The story leading up to the "twist" keeps you entertained and Elizabeth is an exciting/interesting character. Whenever I needed ammo, she was there. The ending was...okay? I don't think you can fully understand it without going online and reading 100+ forums/threads. We were    I liked BioShock Infinite, I didn't love it.

    The gameplay is decent, sometimes it feels like a chore. The story leading up to the "twist" keeps you entertained and Elizabeth is an exciting/interesting character. Whenever I needed ammo, she was there.

    The ending was...okay? I don't think you can fully understand it without going online and reading 100+ forums/threads. We were expecting the twist and it probably delivered for some...    … Expand
  56. JayBe89
    May 3, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sorry, but this game is just OVERRATED! I finished it two times, and I'm a huge bioshock fan, but there are so many flaws, that's why this game doens't deserve a good rating.
    Here a the biggest mistakes, imho:

    - poor weapon upgrades hello? bioshock's power to the people upgrades where kickass, and you could see them directly on your weapons!!!! )
    - Songbird is just.... lame?! he hasn't any own story, no character, he just shows up a few times, screams, looks angry, just to die in the end! I mean, hell, the Big Daddys where so creepy, and they had a own story, but this birdy is just a lifeless object, and obviously, the developers didn't want to give him a purpose or an own story!

    - Elisabeth: POOOOR relationship between her and the main character. She is only tossing coins and amo, and runs away one time because she is mad at you... I mean, COME ONE! Even my unborn son could construct a more emotional, deeper relationship between this to main protagonists..

    - Story: Okay, the end is cool, BUT! The motivations of the inhabtians of columbia to blast my head off didn't satisfied me... in Bioshock, the splicers where degenerated junkies, most of them just wanted to kill and loot me. But in Infinite, the whole City just turned mad, and it just feels kinda unrealistic...

    I give 5 points, because I still enjoyed playing this game. But after you have finished the game, and you start to reflect and think about the story, you will have to admit, that this game isn't that great, as we all thought it would be...    … Expand
  57. Viadorn
    May 9, 2013
    7
    Bioshock Infinite is an FPS, albeit one with ambition. It also has one of the most headspinning endings of any game I've ever played (and I've played more than a few). It is a game that I appreciated a great deal more after I'd finished it, and in the days that followed the ending and the story stayed in my mind much more so than the gameplay, which in my opinion was the game's primaryBioshock Infinite is an FPS, albeit one with ambition. It also has one of the most headspinning endings of any game I've ever played (and I've played more than a few). It is a game that I appreciated a great deal more after I'd finished it, and in the days that followed the ending and the story stayed in my mind much more so than the gameplay, which in my opinion was the game's primary weakness.

    The world of Bioshock Infinite Columbia together with Elizabeth, one of the key supporting characters, really bring much of the game to life. Booker, the character you play as, I found to be a very difficult character to relate to and all the way through the game I found this to be a source of frustration. After all, he's basically two arms and a gun who happens to say and do some very stupid things across the course of the game.Though this is likely deliberate.

    Back to the gameplay; in Bioshock we had Plasmids, here we have Vigors. Pretty much the same things, and some of the Vigors are pretty imaginative. And guns, lots of guns. And many, many enemies. I think the sheer volume of combat was what brought the experience down for me, if I'm honest.

    In Bioshock Infinite, you'll often wander into an area, minding your own business, when suddenly, somehow every man and his dog in a mile's radius will not only immediately recognise you, but come charging at you firing weapons, rockets, grenades and allsorts. What the hell!?! All I can say is, Columbia must have the world's greatest optician if so many people can immediately recognise someone they've never met before from 100 yards away and around the corner.

    I found the combat to be complete chaos, and the sheer volume of it made the game something of a chore in my mind. The odd thing about it is, I really enjoyed the original Bioshock, and to a lesser extent Bioshock 2. If there were one thing I could change in Bioshock Infinite, it would be the combat. Having recently finished Far Cry 3 and having enjoyed it immensely, I think Bioshock Infinite suffered somewhat in the inevitable comparison.

    Despite not loving the combat, I plowed on through it because I wanted to get to the story and although some of the twists became predictable (one or two in particular) the story for me was where it's at.

    Thinking back across the story, there's a lot of foreshadowing the events that follow that will likely make replaying the game worthwhile, and for those who can find fun in the combat there's "1999 Mode". As I spent most of the actual year 1999 in an alcohol induced stupour I was initially tempted to check this out until I realised that it was basically the same game again with greater difficulty.

    All told, there's a good time to be had with Bioshock Infinite, it's story, setting characters, and sounds are a cut above those found in the typical modern videogame, and if you like your FPSes, this is likely the game for you.    … Expand
  58. YixsXBL
    May 11, 2013
    7
    Visually amazing, but overall in my humble opinion it wasnt as amazing as everyone is saying, the reason i never ended up beating this game was because i lost 2 hours of progress due to save issues and it just happened to be the part where you backtracked in the future and different paralleled worlds.... that ruined it for me still good just wish that never happened
  59. Psyks
    Jun 1, 2013
    6
    There is only a couple things you should play this game for, and that's the Story and Art Direction. Bioshock Infinite looks beautiful and the story is nice and thought out, but if you play games mainly for the gameplay, you're gonna have a problem. 2 Guns. Ammo is not a problem anywhere in the game, you can blast away without having to worry one bit. Conserving ammo? Who needs that,There is only a couple things you should play this game for, and that's the Story and Art Direction. Bioshock Infinite looks beautiful and the story is nice and thought out, but if you play games mainly for the gameplay, you're gonna have a problem. 2 Guns. Ammo is not a problem anywhere in the game, you can blast away without having to worry one bit. Conserving ammo? Who needs that, you're like Rambo without the arsenal of guns. You'd think with such a large budget, they would've spent more on the game and not on the advertising of said game. Not to mention, even on the PC, the textures in this game are vomit inducing, and all of the foliage is done very, very poorly.… Expand
  60. kretell
    Jun 11, 2013
    7
    Id like to say straight of the bat do you think that because you can see the sky you have freedom Bioshock infinite is a good game im not knocking that but there is no freedom here. From trailers i saw I thought that you could travel around Columbia and serch every part in a similar way to a sandbox. No you sense of freedom you feel is because you are in a box that looks like theId like to say straight of the bat do you think that because you can see the sky you have freedom Bioshock infinite is a good game im not knocking that but there is no freedom here. From trailers i saw I thought that you could travel around Columbia and serch every part in a similar way to a sandbox. No you sense of freedom you feel is because you are in a box that looks like the outside. Have you ever seen the Truman show staring Jim Carey This i what bioshock is you love the game because you know no better but if you could go to the edge of that map you would realise that you in a box. yer you have room in your box but your freedom is still restricted. The skylines do not have any freedom to the either yer they can move you from place to place but not multiple places. Most of the time they are a loop anyway and you don't really even need to use them. only time i found it necessary was 2 handyman fights and that's only because i need to move away fast. Rapture in bioshock felt more free than this because even though you were walled in you were made to use every bit of space in every area and often go back for integral story. But in infinite the only time you tend to go back is to pick a lock or find upgrade potions. What im saying is the initial sense of WOW pretty ran out pretty fast for me when i realized that yet again i was playing a very linear FPS.
    Now don't misunderstand me i still enjoyed i don't dislike infinite i did enjoy my time with the game. There were things i enjoyed but nothing really stands out in my mind as memorable. Ive pretty much forgotten what happened in the story i know i was at first trying to take Elizabeth but end up saving her instead. but no moment there really stood out as a WOW moment. bioshock infinite is worth your time but rent it first or at least buy it 2nd hand. Its not as technical as the first game and the world just isnt as engaging.    … Expand
  61. ragekoi
    Jul 19, 2013
    5
    Extremely overrated. Does not hold a candle to the original, seeing as how BioShock revolutionized and paved way for future FPS game and the implementation of mature and cleverly written storytelling. This game has amazing graphics and and unique use for the sky-hooks, but that's all that's really new. It's just another FPS game with badly executed plot devices, a convoluted andExtremely overrated. Does not hold a candle to the original, seeing as how BioShock revolutionized and paved way for future FPS game and the implementation of mature and cleverly written storytelling. This game has amazing graphics and and unique use for the sky-hooks, but that's all that's really new. It's just another FPS game with badly executed plot devices, a convoluted and pretentious story, a massive amount of filler, irrelevant choices, poor design, transparent characters, and unnecessary consistency that puts a damper on the immersion and story. This game receives a lot more praise than it deserves.… Expand
  62. curlzncrush
    Aug 5, 2013
    7
    The opening is so breathtaking and splendorous that it could be played at least a dozen times before the repetitive and often frustrating combat bogs down an intriguing (if somewhat less focused than in previous titles) storyline.
  63. t3hgraemek
    Sep 22, 2013
    5
    Being a fan of the claustrophobic settings of the previous games, I was very dissapointed with the sudden transition to such a large environment, I enjoyed the older games better (just my opinion) the game did excell in gameplay and story, but it just wasn't my kind of bioshock.
  64. WinkOrDie
    Jun 25, 2014
    5
    Bioshock Infinite has received countless awards and more ten out of ten's than I can count. However, that does not make those true.

    This game a good story. Yes, good, not amazing, not life changing, but good. With no spoilers the game lasts for what seems like forever to give you just a good ending which is unacceptable. With the build up and lore of Columbia you expect a fluid, amazing    Bioshock Infinite has received countless awards and more ten out of ten's than I can count. However, that does not make those true.

    This game a good story. Yes, good, not amazing, not life changing, but good. With no spoilers the game lasts for what seems like forever to give you just a good ending which is unacceptable. With the build up and lore of Columbia you expect a fluid, amazing ending but it fails to deliver.

    The combat is terrible. The combat has resorted to the "Call of Duty Syndrome" of releasing an onslaught of enemies on you for you to kill. When that said "wave" of enemies is defeated you progress a little forward, then another wave of enemies is there for your disposal. Repeat.
    There are some sections of the game that get extremely tedious in which you have a "boss" to kill while grunts are attacking you while the "boss" is reviving the grunts you have previously killed. This is just there to pad the game...

    The mechanics you have known to love like different weapons, upgrading your weapons, hacking, vigors (formerly known as plasmids) have been reduced to an extremely basic state. The weapons have basically been doubled however, you can only hold two. Going from holding eight unique weapons with a different type of approach and feel to two similar, watered down guns ready to pump out ammo.
    Hacking is gone. Just gone.
    There are eight vigors and those too feel alike in use. The only one I had fun with was Undertow but all the others basically are auto kill or distraction.
    Upgrading your weapon is useless almost. The chance of you keeping the same two guns throughout the game are very slim because with all the enemies you go through ammo like crazy. So you have to pick up other guns that your enemies drop so when you upgrade Sniper Rifle all the way then have to switch guns makes all that money you spend go to waste.

    What does the game do well besides a good story? The graphics! I am not one to praise/fault graphics unless they enhance the experience or hinder it. This game looks gorgeous and I mean that. When you shoot up into the sky at the beginning of the game and take that first glimpse of Columbia, well its breathtaking to say the least.

    Is the game worth picking up? Not really. Just a generic FPS with amazing visuals.    … Expand
  65. savionen
    Dec 30, 2014
    7
    Amazing environments, visuals and sound.

    The gameplay gets pretty dull and has the same issues that previous Bioshock games had. They don't throw many unique scenarios at you and would rather just throw more and more enemies at you.

    One of the most overrated stories I've seen in a video game.
  66. Godudu
    Aug 16, 2022
    5
    Amazing gameplay. A sky city thematic was very cool too. That ending of the story though, it was one of the worst things ive experienced in my whole life. Enough to drop the score.
  67. FastTriton
    Apr 24, 2023
    7
    Yes, this game is a must play even after the first part. Great characters and story, music and sound effects, gameplay is basically the same. And the unique world around you is something else.
  68. Yojimbo2015
    Jul 7, 2023
    7
    The Bioshock series takes to the skies, but there's something a lot less atmospheric about airships than a claustrophobic, Jules Verne-esque undersea realm. It's still a pretty game with an interesting story but once again the Achilles heel is the profoundly irritating "respawning" that goes on when you die, which essentially makes combat a tedious exercise in trial and error rather thanThe Bioshock series takes to the skies, but there's something a lot less atmospheric about airships than a claustrophobic, Jules Verne-esque undersea realm. It's still a pretty game with an interesting story but once again the Achilles heel is the profoundly irritating "respawning" that goes on when you die, which essentially makes combat a tedious exercise in trial and error rather than skill; making enemies a nuisance rather than a threat completely undermines what an FPS is supposed to be all about. Good, but not great entirely for this reason.… Expand

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

All reviews »
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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