Bioshock Infinite: The First 15 Minutes

Hey Gamers,

After thinking about Bioshock all week, I figured I would go back and capture the first 15 minutes so you can all experience the master pieces that is Infinite. The awesomeness speaks for itself so check it out and enjoy!

BioShock Infinite Review

I finally finished BioShock Infinte (some of us have to wait until the title is released before they can review it…) and all I can say is, Well done 2k Games and Irrational games…Well done! Bioshock Infinite had me completely interested and on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I laughed, I cried, and I even jumped from time to time. Bioshock Infinite is a current gen master piece and the story deserves to be explored and experienced by all. The team have really out done themselves this time by creating a vibrant, beautiful (yet violent), and misguided world which is just waiting to be explored!

“Bring us the Girl and wipe away the debt” – Mysterious Voice. This is what you are tasked with; go to Columbia, find Elizabeth and bring her back to New York City. The second you step into Columbia you can tell that something is off. This floating city is a deeply religious, deeply purist (which is a nice way of saying racist) society. The racism was so intense at points that I was a bit uncomfortable playing! However this is done intentionally to raise social warrens on real world problems. I think it worked, I was astonished at how I felt after witnessing acts of racism in the game! Any way back to the story… As you look for the girl you learn that she is the daughter of the prophet of Columbia, Zachary Hale Comstock. The prophet, like all self righteous lunatics, believes he has seen the perfect world and knows exactly what is best for his people, and will stop at nothing to keep his daughter safe from you, the one hes has deemed “False Shepard”. As you attempt to bring Elizabeth back to New York you begin to feel sorry for her and make it your task to stop what has happened to her and to stop the suffering that you have witnessed in Columbia. This brings you closer and closer to the truth behind Columbia and its origins!

The perfect world?….Not likely!

The Story of Bioshock Infinite was enough to make me play the game. However it was the extras that kept me coming back and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The developers went the extra mile to make sure that Infinite was a truly unique game, and focused on the world around you, as well as the story. The use of colour in Infinite was an amazing touch to the game. 2k has used colour to describe the mood that should be felt. For example, in instances of sad or depressing times during the story they would use a septa colour filter over the game. The team would use of greys and blacks in place of the vivid blues and greens you would normally see outside during exploration. The developers seem to be using colour like a movie would use music to let the player know how he or she should be feeling…and it works. Although the game could look cartoonish (which i am fine with!) in sections there was no lack of blood and gore. The gore was so intense at parts I couldn’t help but laugh! Colour aside, there is still a lot more to see in Infinite. The attention to detail is absolutely amazing! By attention to detail I mean the little things that most people don’t even bother to put in a game. The best example of this can be seen by just watching Elizabeth for a bit. When the player stops moving she begins to look around the room, she will read posters on the wall or files on desks. If there is nothing interesting in the room she will find something to lean on. This may not sound like much, but I found it really help draw me into the game. This may be the first time I have seen an NPC follower in a game having as much interest in the world around her as I did. At times she may even point out some loot that you may have left behind! Elizabeth was the best follower/Companion I have seen in a game…I mean after Ashely in Resident Evil I never wanted a companion again! As the game progresses and you and Elizabeth fight to escape, you can even start to notice that what she is wearing is starting to tear and become damaged. Elizabeth begins to look as if she is actually going through this adventure with you. Again, this has no actual effect on the game play, but it is an added dimension to the game that most developers leave out! How many adventure games are there where the Hero or following NPCs look as if they have just come from the spa? The visuals used to depict this utopia were a very nice touch. Every little detail helps draw the player into the world of Columbia, pushing you to explore and progress just to see what may change. These visuals really helped me believe I was in the flying city of Columbia, a city so advanced for its time that it exists 15,000 feet above sea level…in the clouds. A city where anyone can go to wash away their sins and live in peace and harmony…at least this is what antagonist Comstock would have you believe.

Just Nasty!

What good is an amazing beautifully coloured world to explore without filling it with interesting characters? Interesting characters are key to a good single player story, and with that Bioshock delivers 10 times over. The conversations you over hear in the game are so interesting and unique that I found myself stopping to listen to see what was being said. Even the first two people you meet in the game have a very in depth interesting conversation about choices and why they are made, and if there is even a point to them…they were simple people tasked with rowing you to a dock! As the game progresses it is easy to notice the characters acting and reacting to the changes going on. This is what really dragged me into the game, and made me want to continue. The Main Characters Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth Comstock both evolve as the story progress, both showing fear, emotion, and empathy. Booker begins to regret the decisions of the past where as Elizabeth slowly starts to see what the world is actually like…There are times I actually felt like a monster for things she would say! There are other times I would be laughing out loud over the commentary between the two of them “Pfft, A city….under the ocean…Ridiculous!!” – Booker DeWitt.

“Heads or tails, its all the same”

Interesting game and story mechanics can only take a game so far however, the rest relies on game play…which was also nailed! The game felt like an open world FPS, but it was never difficult to know where you should be going. The game was also packed with side missions and items to find, which added its own level of challenge. The side mission relied heavily on the player exploring every room, building, and chest. If you were simply too lazy to look, the game would not tell you or give you hints on where to go. These missions however would often reward the player with loot and upgrades…which are very needed on the harder difficulties. The best part about the missions and the fighting was the ability and freedom to do it how you like. Every situation would have a number of ways to complete it, whether you like sniping from a distance, running and opening fire, or using your sky hook to melee your way through, Bioshock offered something for every play stile. This was mainly possible thanks to a mechanic that was introduced into the game play which allowed the player to phase shift weapons, allies, health, cover, and means of escape into the physical world. This was absolutely key to progressing! The ability to phase shift different elements into the game really got me thinking about the best way to complete a challenge with my play stile. Another interesting game play mechanic was Elizabeth’s ability to find loot in the heat of a battle. She would let you know she has found health, ammo, or salts and toss them to you in battle to keep you going. The ammo would always be in the form of a fully loaded gun, which would be the same weapon that you currently have equipped. This was a very useful feature to keep you stocked in the longer fights….and there were some LONG fights!

Finally for those of you who are up for the challenge there is the game mode “1999 mode” awarded for those who have finished the game and would like to try a new challenge. This is very similar to the survivor mode in Resident Evil remake on the Game Cube. This mode reduces over all ammo and player health, increases enemy damage, and removes the navigation arrow…oh and if you do not have enough money to re-spawn well then you get booted straight back to the game menu. 1999 mode is best described in this quote from Ken Levine, a developer for Irrational Games – “This mode is not going to feel like BioShock…Failure can be fun… Non-hardcore gamers, they’re gonna hate this mode. That’s okay– it’s not for them.” This mode gives the die hard players a chance to play through again for the greats challenge…Challenge accepted!

While on the topic of game play I would like to point out the lack of multiplayer. I was 100% ok with this, just because Bioshock infinite is a FPS does not automatically mean it needs a multiplayer mode. Let’s take a look at Far Cry 3: This was an amazing single player game with a unfinished, rushed multiplayer. In my mind this took away from the over all score of the game because it was an aspect that was included. I feel if something is going to be included it needs to be just as good as the main game, why give something out that is broken or unfinished? The fact that Infinite is a solid single player experience is enough in my books!

Overall I loved this game from start to finish, Bioshock Infinite is the perfect example of what can happen when a publisher is willing to experiment with a very polished single player game. Anyone who is a fan of the series will love it, and those who want to try something new and exciting will enjoy it just as much. The different difficulties, and abundant side missions /collectables will give plenty of replay value for those of us compelled to get a 100% completion (even if there is no achievement).

With everything said and done there is only one tiny thing I would change. When selecting your preferred storage device on 360, there is no way to re-select if you choose the wrong one…which I do almost every time I play. Since that is my own stupidity and not the fault of the developers I give Bioshock Infinite a…

Daily Haha! April 8th Edition

So so true!

Thanks to 9Gag for this one

 

Top 10 Boss Encounters

Hey Gamers,

I was thinking of my all time favorite boss encounters and figured I would do a article. So here it is, my top ten boss encounters. Enjoy!

#10: Gears of War 2 – Rift Worm

Although the Rift-worm is technically not a boss, I felt it deserved a place on the countdown because of its size and its ability to eat entire cities.  The entire worm level was an absolute blast.  This was likely because it was a bloody mess!  Cutting through the veins and arteries to stop the heart while the chamber is filling with blood was a battle I will never forget!

“First we kill it, then we cut our way out”

-Markus Fenix

#9:Ocarina of time – Volvagia

After playing through OoT again I figured this boss deserved a spot on the post because Volvagia was one of the coolest looking bosses ever.  Even now I think that Volvagia is a bad ass looking dragon that deserves to be mentioned.

#8 Sonic: The Final Hazard

Speaking of Dragons, does anyone remember the dragon space battle in sonic Adventure?  because I sure do!  It wasn’t an amazing fight, but damn was it hard!

#7 Resident Evil: Lisa

Holy Crap where do I even start with Lisa?  This was one of my childhood nightmares!  I’ll never forget the build up to this fight! Finding and reading all the journal entries about her mother,  the experiments, and the effects they were having was horrifying. Then when you finally face her for the first time in the cabin, and then again at her mothers coffin…wow the chills are still running down my spin just thinking about this!  Lisa has used fear to permanently embed her self in my top 10 memorable boss encounters.

#6 Street Fighter II: M.Bison

M. Bison makes the cut because it was always such an accomplishment to take him down at the end!

#5 Diablo: Diablo

“Not even death can save you from me”

Where do I even begin with Diablo? As a child, and even now I have faced Diablo countless times, on many different difficulties…and I still keep going back for the pain and torment that he puts me through!

#4 Borderlands 2: Handsome Jack

“I’m rackin’ my brain trying to think of a name of that diamond pony I bought. I was gonna call it ‘piss-for-brains’ in honor of you, but that just feels immature. Maybe ‘Butt Stallion’? Nah, that’s worse. Tell you what, I’ll give it some thought.”

Handsome Jack is one of the most evil, diabolical, masterminds I have ever met in a game.  His character was so well done that you loved him! He was funny and witty…but evil!  I felt so guilty laughing at some of the things he would come up with!  So naturally he makes it into the top 5!

#3 Bioshock Infinite: Lady Comstock

First Lady Comstock was an absolute terror to face in Bioshock infinite.  Although technically more of a mini boss, the description of her existence was so terrifying and well written that it will be hard to forget. “Dead, to die, will be dead, its all the same”

#2: Portals: GLaDOS

“We can put this behind us for science…you monster”

GLaDOS was never a challenging boss, but the commentary and Personality puts her in # 2 for Best boss encounters 

#1 Borderlands 2 -Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt : Professor Nakayama

Professor Nakayama is the final boss encounter of the Borderlands 2 DLC Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game hunt.  He was absolutely obsessed with Handsome Jack and completely lost it when the Vault Hunter killed him.  To replace the Giant hole in his heart he attempted to clone him.  Motives aside Professor Nakayama was my absolute favorite boss encounter for one reason…The final encounter.  Now Big Game Hunt was kind of slow, and not really worth playing though…Except for this final fight.  So for those of you that have not finished and do not plan to enjoy this video clip!

That is it for now!