BioShock Infinite Review: A Head in the Clouds

[Kuredan]

I was able to "Pre-load" the game on Steam last night. I convinced myself I just wanted a taste of the game and the setting so I began to play when it unlocked at 1200 EST.

My very first impression of the game is that it simply gorgeous, especially with the light diffusion settings and details turned on. This may be the game that causes me to get a 120hz monitor.

The opening of the game is organic, allowing players to wander about, poke around, and gives a general objective, but doesn't push you along. Some may not like the lack of structure at the outset, but I think, if anything, it encourages that exploration and allows the game to show off its graphical chops. I spent more than an hour before progressing the story, mimicking the reverence of the characters I met along the way. I overheard conversations, explored the world around me and tried my best to "blend in" I can't think of any time in a game that I've tried to do that. I wanted to be a part of that world because I knew that the peaceful setting wouldn't last. I took it slow; I meandered down streets and browsed shops, stood and listened with crowds to various music performances (one of which was an awesome surprise), eavesdropped on people in cafes and park benches, and (because I am a pack rat)I picked up everything I could.

Here's something strange: in one of those shops, the proprietor was out and left an honor system pay basket. I found myself actually leaving money in it for the things I picked up, wondering if the other browsers would have noticed my theft and I decided not to chance it.

As I aimlessly roamed around I began to wonder whether the visuals I was seeing were an accurate representation of the world circa 1912 or if it was a product of my previously held assumptions about the era. I had an idea in my mind of the "salad days" of America at the turn of the 20th century; of patriotic bunting and white marble, of broad expanses of village greens with picnickers with parasols, and of an abundance of flowers, birds, and butterflies. The game certainly did not disappoint on that front, serving these pastoral images all under a beautiful sunny sky replete with fluffy white clouds. I was inclined to believe I was indeed in "heaven."

I was loathe to leave this beatific postcard, but I knew it must end: I decided to progress the game. The first twist in the game hit me by surprise, was very uncomfortable, and changed this world in an instant. As I progressed I began to see the darkness hiding in all this light and it made the setting all the more poignant in stark contrast to the tone. The game doesn't always push these inconsistencies in your face; you have to find them, but when you do, the world will begin fray at the edges and tarnish.

I ended up staying up till 3:44, having long since abandoned my pretense of getting "just a taste." I didn't need that much sleep, right? That's what caffeine is for! I am now eagerly anticipating being able to play when I get home. I can't remember the last time I decided to forgo sleep for a video game. Oh wait, it was Bioshock. Figures.

 

[MikeWehner]

Ah, okay. I got it now. Sorry for bothering you, Susan. When you jumped into the conversation, it distracted me.

Mike Wehner:

1: When your health reaches zero, does Elizabeth revive you in the same spot where you died?

2: Are there a limit to the number of times Elizabeth will revive you before it's Game Over and you lose some sort of progress?

3: When Elizabeth revives you, do the enemies you were fighting heal/respawn?

4: On average, how long does it take for Elizabeth to revive you after your health reaches zero?

5: Is it possible to play the game into a state where beating the game becomes impossible as a result of dying too much?

6: What, if anything, makes cunning planning and skilled execution a more optimal strategy for beating the game than just blasting your way through the fights without paying attention to whether or not the player dies a lot?

7: What extrinsic rewards are there for dying less? (For example, getting 100% completion like in Kirby's Epic Yarn?)

8: Is there anything else you think I should know about the mechanics and dynamics of the revival system in Bioshock Infinite, which would make the game more appealing to someone who thinks the Vita Chambers made Bioshock "too easy?"

If you cherry-pick which of the previous questions to answer, the people reading this will probably assume that you were hiding something unflattering about the game. I threw you some tomatoes at the end there to make it easy for you to set the record straight if you feel like honest answers to the earlier questions paint the game in too negative a light. It is to your advantage to answer all of the questions. And it definitely helps your readers to have an accurate understanding of how the newest Bioshock game handles the issue of challenge and difficulty.

Sweet baby jesus, I'm sitting here waiting for a GDC panel to start and I can't believe I'm actually going to answer all of these, but here it goes.

1. Sometimes. I have no idea what determines whether or not she revives you. In my case, she failed to revive me more often than not. If she doesn't revive you, you respawn in a manner similar to the original bioshock, only this time instead of vita chambers, it's just a virtual room that you walk out of.

2. Like I said above, she doesn't seem to have a set pattern, it might just be if she's close enough to get to you in time.

3. After you respawn (whether by elizabeth healing you, or respawning in the virtual room) the enemies you were fighting get full health (or close to it) and you obviously lose all of the ammo/salts you wasted fighting them the first time.

4. Again, I have no idea how the game determines whether or not she revives you. In my playthrough I died probably 10 times. She came to the rescue maybe 3 of those times.

5. If you waste all your ammo/salt in the first fight, and spawn back, you need to scavenge to find stuff to fight with (or pray that elizabeth has found something useful for you). If you can't make it happen the second time, you can try a third time and a fourth and a fifth, but you're going to have less resources to use each time. You could play it into a corner and have to restart an entire section or level if you can't complete a fight.

6. If you die once, the next time you take on those enemies (whether it be by an elizabeth revive or the virtual door method) things get a lot harder. Plus the battles themselves are not short, and you can waste a good 15 minutes on a fight and end up losing, which is a pain in the ass.

7. I'm not sure, but i imagine there are trophies/acheivements for doing this (the review build didn't let me browse locked rewards like this), but that's about it I guess.

8. BioShock as a series has always been about the story. The games themselves are not particularly difficult, and if that's a problem for you, then you'll probably not like the fact that you can be revived and so on. There's nothing I can say about that other than that it doesn't bother me whatsoever. That said, Infinite is significantly more difficult on normal difficulty (IMO) than either BioShock 1 or 2. Your health can disappear in a second. You do not have the ability to store and hold health boosts like you could in Bio 1 and 2 (you can't just spam a "heal" button when you get low, because there is no such button, you have X amount of health and X amount of shield, and that is IT, until you find more on your own).

 

[WarpZone]

Sweet baby jesus, I'm sitting here waiting for a GDC panel to start and I can't believe I'm actually going to answer all of these, but here it goes.

*slow clap*

Sounds good to me, guys.

Mike, you've been awesome. Beyond awesome, in fact. Go kick ass at GDC!

It really does sound interesting except for one little detail, the revival system. From all i´ve read it sounds like a really cool and fun game with plenty of choices, but the revival system just makes me regret my preorder. In the worst case scenario It´s like with Bioshock back when it orignally launched, i loved everyting about it but the Vita Chambers desstroyed all tension and i ended up selling the game. Hopefully the revival stuff is better balanced in this game, because it sounds like it´s too easy to come back to life with only minor penalties.

Hope the information in Mike's previous post helps.

 

[Karoshi]

1. Sometimes. I have no idea what determines whether or not she revives you. In my case, she failed to revive me more often than not. If she doesn't revive you, you respawn in a manner similar to the original bioshock, only this time instead of vita chambers, it's just a virtual room that you walk out of.

I'm pretty sure that it depends on whether Elizabeth is with you or not. The room appears only when she isn't there to help you, whereas in all other times she helps you to your feet.

In both cases you it makes no difference and you "wake up" about 10-15 feet away, so you have time to regroup and don't get immediately mowed down by enemies.

4: On average, about how long does it take for your to be revived after your health reaches zero?

2-3 seconds? It's pretty fast and doesn't get annoying.

6: What, if anything, makes cunning planning and skilled execution a more optimal strategy for beating the game than just blasting your way through the fights without paying attention to whether or not the player dies a lot?

Honestly? Nothing, except for bruised pride. Especially in the beginning I died 3-4 times almost on the same spot and those enemies weren't even particulary numerous or strong! It takes some time to get to know the layout, recognize where you can find cover and how the enemy AI works.

When you do get it right, it's immensely satisfying.

8: Is there anything else you think I should know about the mechanics and dynamics of the revival system in Bioshock Infinite, which would make the game more appealing to someone who thinks the Vita Chambers made Bioshock "too easy?

Bioshock 1 didn't have even a small fraction battle strategy that Bioshock Infinite has - even if you ignore mechanics like the Tears and Skyrails. You die very easily on Hard and you can't just pop a health potion to heal yourself. You either run or try scavenging on the move, which might get you killed or save your life.

The enemies are aggressive, but not mindlessly charging at you. The levels are always designed that they can flank you, flush you from your hiding spot and then you are running into enemy fire or turrets.

I have no clue how the 1999 difficulty works and gonna try it out as soon as I finish the game.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Anyone else think that the times Elizabeth throws supplies to you are so predictable that it sort of ruins your immersion?
I always expect her to give me some money after I exit a shop, or give me some salts if I'm low (same with health). Sometimes if I was in a bad spot I would just go into cover and wait for her to throw something to me (she has super-human accuracy with her throwing skills). They should have just made the three things she gave you randomized with greater intervals instead of making them happen at certain times.

 

[WarpZone]

Anyone else think that the times Elizabeth throws supplies to you are so predictable that it sort of ruins your immersion?
I always expect her to give me some money after I exit a shop, or give me some salts if I'm low (same with health). Sometimes if I was in a bad spot I would just go into cover and wait for her to throw something to me (she has super-human accuracy with her throwing skills). They should have just made the three things she gave you randomized with greater intervals instead of making them happen at certain times.

Except that later in the game, she has the ability to use Tears to teleport in giant robots or chest-high walls upon demand. It makes sense that, before she unlocks that ability, she has the ability to teleport in (or at least detect, and then run and grab) some nearby salts or money.

If you were playing a 2 player game, would you expect them to bring you completely random items, or the nearest item that you were burning through? I know that when I'm playing Tekkit (a Minecraft mod,) with a good crew, we coordinate our efforts. Our engineers start using a lot of copper, the dedicated miners and spelunkers start focusing on finding copper.

 

[csoloist]

Well that was a bit worrying. Whole long gameplay description, without actually saying if core gameplay was any good or not. Considering core gameplay in the original Bioshock was *by far* the game's weakest aspect, this doesn't exactly inspire much confidence.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Anyone else think that the times Elizabeth throws supplies to you are so predictable that it sort of ruins your immersion?
I always expect her to give me some money after I exit a shop, or give me some salts if I'm low (same with health). Sometimes if I was in a bad spot I would just go into cover and wait for her to throw something to me (she has super-human accuracy with her throwing skills). They should have just made the three things she gave you randomized with greater intervals instead of making them happen at certain times.

Except that later in the game, she has the ability to use Tears to teleport in giant robots or chest-high walls upon demand. It makes sense that, before she unlocks that ability, she has the ability to teleport in (or at least detect, and then run and grab) some nearby salts or money.

If you were playing a 2 player game, would you expect them to bring you completely random items, or the nearest item that you were burning through? I know that when I'm playing Tekkit (a Minecraft mod,) with a good crew, we coordinate our efforts. Our engineers start using a lot of copper, the dedicated miners and spelunkers start focusing on finding copper.

Elizabeth still gives you supplies when you unlock the tears, and a lot of the time she says something along the lines of "I found this!". It's pretty clear she's not getting them through tears, as she can only open one tear at a time yet she can give you some salts or health whilst you have a tear open. I find it un-immersive how she always seems to say "I just found this" when she gives me a health pack, right when I'm close to death. It's a very minor gripe, so I can't be asked to argue it further. I'm going to go back to actually playing the damn game.

 

[WarpZone]

Well that was a bit worrying. Whole long gameplay description, without actually saying if core gameplay was any good or not. Considering core gameplay in the original Bioshock was *by far* the game's weakest aspect, this doesn't exactly inspire much confidence.

Karoshi and MikeWehner's comments seem to suggest good risk schedules and difficulty (despite the lack of comment on it earlier,) and the video certainly seems to suggest good movement and gunplay. "Core gameplay" is a broad topic, with many discrete working parts, and just saying "the gameplay is good" doesn't tell the reader much unless you also tell them WHY you thought it was good.

I felt Mike's review was scanty in places. My gut instinct was to assume, like you did, that the missing information implied he was hiding something. But after asking more detailed questions and having them answered, my expectations have improved.

No review is ever going to be perfect, even if it's well written. But by answering pointed questions after the review, Mike has given me a better understanding of what to expect from the game. To me, that inspires more confidence than if he'd just said "The core gameplay is good" in the review.

If you still don't know whether Bioshock Infinity improves upon what you didn't like about the original Bioshock, I encourage you to ask your own focused, pointed questions about specific features.

Looks like GDC is keeping Mike busy, but I'm sure Karoshi and others who have played the game will be willing to jump in with answers. The trick is to ask factual questions like "Does the enemy stupidly run straight towards you and get stuck on walls?" instead of subjective questions like "Is the game fun?"

 

[shrekfan246]

I've heard. I actually started it, but I was put off by how the little booths would just bring me back to life over and over again when I died. Maybe I should just blaze through it on easy for the story.

You can turn off the Vita Chambers.

OT: I've had this preordered for well over a year, glad to see it's been getting such good press. Loved both Bioshock games when I finally got around to playing them, despite the few bugbears I had about each of them, so hopefully this will be able to grab me the same way.

 

[Pinkamena]

Of course the game had to be released while I'm on my easter vacation. Fucking brilliant!

 

[WarpZone]

You can turn off the Vita Chambers.

Yes, that technically solves the problem of the Vita Chambers making the game too easy, but it does so in the cheapest, lamest, least interesting way.

I refer you to the late, great Antisocialfatman for his take on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBJUJXOxztE

 

[shrekfan246]

You can turn off the Vita Chambers.

Yes, that technically solves the problem of the Vita Chambers making the game too easy, but it does so in the cheapest, lamest, least interesting way.

I refer you to the late, great Antisocialfatman for his take on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBJUJXOxztE

... okay?

I didn't actually die often enough for the Vita Chambers to really "make the game too easy" anyway, and if I did I was glad they were there because my alternative would've been going back to the start of an entire area because I usually forgot to manually save, and autosaves only happened after area transitions. They were basically just checkpoints like every other game uses these days, just given an in-game representation instead of a simple text or icon pop-up that says "Checkpoint Saved".

Not really sure what the problem is, especially since the original guy I quoted said he was just put off by them simply being there. And I don't really want to spend fifty minutes watching a five-part Youtube video that's completely slagging something off for 'being a rip-off' of a much earlier game made by the same company. I see that argument often enough on these forums.

 

[WarpZone]

... okay?

I didn't actually die often enough for the Vita Chambers to really "make the game too easy" anyway, and if I did I was glad they were there because my alternative would've been going back to the start of an entire area because I usually forgot to manually save, and autosaves only happened after area transitions. They were basically just checkpoints like every other game uses these days, just given an in-game representation instead of a simple text or icon pop-up that says "Checkpoint Saved".

Not really sure what the problem is, especially since the original guy I quoted said he was just put off by them simply being there. And I don't really want to spend fifty minutes watching a five-part Youtube video that's completely slagging something off for 'being a rip-off' of a much earlier game made by the same company. I see that argument often enough on these forums.

Sorry. He's not ripping Bioshock apart, he's explaining how and why it fell short of his expectations. To do that he needs to unpack what came before it and how Bioshock measures up. And how fresh do you expect a video about the original Bioshock to be, anyway?

My only point was, "you can turn them off" doesn't work as a solution for most players, because it pushes the game too far in the opposite direction. If the previous posts about Bioshock Infinite's respawn system are accurate, it seems like Irrational agrees.

If you thought the original Bioshock's gameplay was fine, I look forward to finding out if you think Bioshock Infinite's gameplay is also fine, or if you feel like the changes ruined it.

 

[shrekfan246]

And how fresh do you expect a video about the original Bioshock to be, anyway?

Fair enough.

My only point was, "you can turn them off" doesn't work as a solution for most players, because it pushes the game too far in the opposite direction. If the previous posts about Bioshock Infinite's respawn system are accurate, it seems like Irrational agrees.

Again, fair enough, and I agree. Personally I didn't turn them off and likely wouldn't have either, because as I mentioned I frequently forget to manually save in games that actually have those save systems, so dying without the Chamber checkpoints would have been an exercise in frustration for me because I would potentially lose upwards of an hour of progress or more. I just brought it up because, again, the guy said he was put off by their inclusion.

If you thought the original Bioshock's gameplay was fine, I look forward to finding out if you think Bioshock Infinite's gameplay is also fine, or if you feel like the changes ruined it.

"Fine" is probably the best-case description I'd give of it, to be honest...

Bioshock 2 had much better gameplay, in my opinion, because the weapon and enemy balance felt infinitely tighter. In the first it was... adequate, but aiming was loose and floaty and halfway through the game none of the guns could even hold a candle to the power of the wrench anymore, because the enemies all became massive bullet-sponges.

The exploration and level design was fine and dandy, though. So I'm rather interested in seeing how I think Infinite's gameplay stacks up, as well.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

It's worth the sixty bucks just to play the beginning of the game. I've never seen a game make something so beautiful before.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

So, does Elizabeth do everything on her own? Is there some strategy or pattern to the stuff she pulls from the Tears, is it random, or can you give her orders?

Just a small question; this one definitely looks worth a buy.

There's a lot of different tears like gun pick ups, health, and cover, plus ways to get to various vantage points. You just tell her what to open, and you can have one at a time. She'll also throw you ammo and health. She literally always stays out of the way.

 

[DementedSheep]

So not just bioshock in the sky then? Good that's one of the main reason I wasn't so excited for this game.

 

[Monsterfurby]

This looks like an objectively good game, but I really REALLY dislike the first-person-jump-fight-and-sneak-adventure genre. I really wanted to like Dishonored, too, but the game just bored me out of my mind.

I guess it's just not for me.

 

[WarpZone]

This looks like an objectively good game, but I really REALLY dislike the first-person-jump-fight-and-sneak-adventure genre. I really wanted to like Dishonored, too, but the game just bored me out of my mind.

I guess it's just not for me.

Real quick, I'm just curious... do you play FPSs on consoles or on PC? I ask because it's harder to look up and down on console, so vertical elements are stripped out of many modern games seeking to be cross-platform.