Its cast is double the size of the previous games’, and much more nuanced. Where the first two Bioshocks made single, philosophically-intense points, Infinite makes dozens. Meanwhile, Bioshock 2 rushes through its criticism of Collectivism so quickly that it lacks meaningful stakes until its exceptional final act. The immediacy of its Ayn Rand critique is almost overwhelming in 2020: the final boss is literally a giant gold statue named Atlas. Bioshock relied too much on a single, enormous twist and frequently felt like the Coles Notes of The Fountainhead. This narrative focus is a marked improvement from the first two games. By the time it ends you’re confused but satisfied – it works because of its commitment to detail. It’s convoluted in a deeply purposeful, meticulous way. It’s also impossible to spoil because every twist of the plot is so deeply indebted to every other, coiled so tightly around the thematic core, that to reveal one or two doesn’t really ruin anything. Bioshock Infinite‘s story is much tighter than the first two games, both of which I’ve played over the last month and a half. Each of these characters serves a specific purpose, fleshing out a world otherwise populated by countless nameless soldiers, mechanical horrors and other walking, talking satires of American history. The Lutece twins are so deeply symbolic that they’re barely people at all, identical signposts guiding you toward Infinite‘s deeper truths. Elizabeth is the expressive and animated caged bird, eager to explore the outside world she’s been denied. Father Comstock is the racist, fanatical Christian cult leader, hell-bent on fulfilling his own prophecies for reasons that become agonizingly clear. Fink is the ruthless capitalist, Columbia’s fixer and brother to a talented plagiarist musician. There are, in fact, only about ten or so named characters at all – not counting the ghosts you find in audio-logs – and each serves a distinct purpose. There’s no optional content to dither around in, no lengthy non-interactive expository sequences, and no named characters that don’t feature extensively in the game’s themes. One notable thing about Infinite is that it really has no bloat. Hold that thought, we’ll circle back to it. It also has significant issues in its depictions of people of colour. There are a great number of things it does outstandingly well, even seven years later.īioshock Infinite has earned its place in the canon, whatever that means. I loved the experience of playing Infinite, the way it messed with time and space to tell a story much larger than it initially appears, and the ways it unfolds that story into a larger meditation on causality and agency. It is capital-A ‘Art’, it works very hard to be. Others have pointed out how much fun it is, and they’re right: I’m not sure there’s much we still have to say about it, review-wise.īioshock Infinite is very good and you should play it. Smarter people than I have tackled its approaches to quantum mechanics, the uncomfortable dissonance of its storytelling and trademark gore, and its glowing, terrifying vision of white supremacist Americana. It’s also unapologetically violent, politically forthright and deeply, mind-bendingly surreal. As an immersive spectacle it’s basically unparalleled. Felt like a downgrade from the previous entries in multiple ways.Bioshock Infinite is fascinating, engaging, and a hell of a lot of fun to play. "Game sparks no remembrance at all when it comes to specific gameplay moments or genre innovation. And it doesn't even give me any Bioshock vibes." User feels similarly, "6/10, and like 5 of the points it manages are art and environment design (not level design)," they write. This game has no soul, it's just a product." Meanwhile, gives it a 6/10 saying, "the only good thing from this game is Elizabeth. User writes, "Even though this is the most beautiful game on UE3 I didn't like it at all and my score is 5/10. Others have found some positive points but are still unimpressed with Bioshock Infinite overall. I was getting really sick of it around the 8 hour mark." Another writes, "It has identity issues gameplay-wise, and the plot is a messy mix of dysfunction, both sides are bad, diet racism, and aggressive self-aggrandizement. They add, "I also think the game dragged in some places. gross, even if unintentional," says one player in the comments. "It tries to make racism a 'both sides are bad' styled argument which is. Players have a multitude of reasons for rating it down, not least of which is its story. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.
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