So, I've finally given Bioshock Infinite a chance. [SPOILERS]

[SmallHatLogan]

I really don't get why people find the combat so poor. Compared to the standard modern military shooter, Infinite has a lot more going for it IMO.

I can't speak for anyone else but I don't use modern military shooters as a benchmark. What I did compare this game to was the first Bioshock, and apart from the skyrails (which were pretty cool but not used nearly enough), and the fact that you didn't have to switch between weapons and vigors I thought it was a huge step back.

That said I actually enjoyed Clash in the Clouds. Mainly due to the fast pace, variation of enemies, availability of sky rails and the fact that there was no story for the combat to get in the way of. Because that was what the combat felt like to me in the main game: an annoying obstacle that was stopping the narrative from progressing.

 

[Lilani]

Thanks for the answers. Well, I guess since I'm really that far, I'm gonna get to the end just for the sake of it. I'm not really getting my hopes up, though, and seems like for a good reason. The whole thing is kinda disappointing, though, since I really wanted to like this game, but it didn't let me.

I felt much more engaged in the story when I slowed down and looked at all the scenery. There are a lot of things to see and explore in the game if you look for them. Lots of conversations to overhear, lots of voxophones and kinetoscopes to find, lots of little stories which don't really affect the plot but really make you feel grounded in a real place with real people.

 

[ninja666]

Have fun with that motherfucking ghost.

I died two or three times on it, but can't say it was that much of a pain.

Just out of curiosity, what difficulty are you playing on?

Normal. For some time it was too easy, but now that I'm at the end I don't regret not picking hard cause the amount of enemies makes the last sections hard as hell, and not in a fun way.

I felt much more engaged in the story when I slowed down and looked at all the scenery. There are a lot of things to see and explore in the game if you look for them. Lots of conversations to overhear, lots of voxophones and kinetoscopes to find, lots of little stories which don't really affect the plot but really make you feel grounded in a real place with real people.

I explored a lot and found lots and lots of these. I agree, they bring some scraps of life to the otherwise bland world, but it's not enough for me to care a lot.

Honestly. Just return or give away the game. The ending has a massive plot hole due to the whole infinite universes thing.

I'm at the last battle (I think; I'm on the battleship and fighting against the Vox Populi using the Songbird), so I think I'll finish it first. After calming down from anger because of the game throwing me to a checkpoint saved 20 minutes from when I died, that is. Boy, do I miss manual saving.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

Just out of curiosity, what difficulty are you playing on?

Normal. For some time it was too easy, but now that I'm at the end I don't regret not picking hard cause the amount of enemies makes the last sections hard as hell, and not in a fun way.

I saw you mention a lack of skyrails before. In my experience there was plenty, among other things to jump to. Not sure what to say mate, guess it's just not your game.

 

[CannibalCorpses]

I'm kinda glad someone else feels like i did when i played this tedious over-hyped generic rubbish. The story is complete crap and the gameplay is basic at best. It doesn't even get any better on the hardest difficulty just the bullet sponge becomes more pronounced. I'd say that the last battle is probably the only part of the game that you could call challenging and i was surprised at how easy it was the second time around.

So, crap gameplay, crap story, crap setting and crap challenge...but at least the graphics are nice (typical modern trash)

 

[ninja666]

So, crap gameplay, crap story, crap setting and crap challenge...but at least the graphics are nice (typical modern trash)

Still, you finished it twice. I can't bring myself to finish it even once.

 

[Fox12]

Eh, the game just assumes that you would care because Elizabeth is a pretty, free spirited girl. It doesn't get any better, and though the ending is interesting, it doesn't hold up if you actually think about it. A mediocre game won't suddenly become good. Honestly, it's a total mess, and the more I think about it, the less I like it. You'd best be served elsewhere.

 

[ninja666]

Just got motivated enough to finish the game. Oh god, that ending... so terrible, stupid, and pointlessly convoluted. The game took so many twists and turns during the last 10 minutes, even the creators contradicted themselves during it. Why? Well, you learn that there's an infinite amount of universes where the same people exist independently, sometimes with small changes, yet at the scene of baptism you see all of the Elizabeths cease to exist because Booker decided to die. Why all of them? According to the thing they shoved down your throat a few minutes before, only one of them was supposed to die because you only stopped existing in one of the infinite parallel worlds. Other ones should still exist instead of vanishing because there's still a shitton of universes where both Booker and Comstock still exist and the exchange still happens.

 

[Lilikins]

Now while I type this, keep in mind Im not personally trying to get into your hobbies, or tell you what you like or dont like. Every post youve had where you got oppinions or recommendations for games you've always said your not interested, the games ranged everywhere from rpg's to fps's..etc etc. You just seem unhappy with 'almost' every game. Now here comes the question from me personally, and as spoken, do keep in mind its not meant rude whatsoever, so please dont take it that way ok ?

Why do you even still play video games? Yes, its an honest question. To be fairly honest from what Ive read/seen from your posts up to now I somehow imagine that maybe something like Tabletop RPG's would seem to be more of your 'area'. Making your own adventures and coming up with your own stories/motivations etc etc. I used to played D&D with a couple friends and that was always tons of fun because it was literally 'play as you want'. Have you maybe ever thought about giving that a try?

As spoken thats atleast what Ive interprited from your posts upon seeing them up to now, if I am completely wrong please excuse me hehe, just thought I might give an idea for an alternative that you may enjoy more.

 

[ninja666]

-snip-

It may not appear as such, but I assure you - I'm still interested in video games and find them fun. Just because sometimes I can't find something meeting very specific criteria doesn't mean I have to ditch the hobby altogether.

 

[Callate]

I'm sorry to say that I suspect if you aren't invested in the characters by now, the ending twists are just going to make it worse.

 

[Lilikins]

It may not appear as such, but I assure you - I'm still interested in video games and find them fun. Just because sometimes I can't find something meeting very specific criteria doesn't mean I have to ditch the hobby altogether.

Aye, I understand that perfectly clear, and Im defo not telling you to drop it alltogether hehe. But maybe..hmm, how to put it, a short siesta in terms of video games, about everything thats been recommended at the current time is out.
So I just thought that maybe if you get into that a bit, you may find more enjoyment (atleast for the current time) and then come back to video games a bit further down the line when there are 'lots' of new titles and your very specific criteria (as you put it) may be somewhat lessened and youd have a broader aspect of titles youd be willing to play and enjoy.

Atleast for me, if Im really not enjoying something, I wont be playing/doing it. I completely can relate to how you feel, specifically how the entire world is saying Bioshock 1 is an amazing game in every shape and form, yet to this day I just couldnt bring myself to beat it because it bored me far before I could ever get properly invested. Another thing Ill probably be lynched for and wont publicy say out loud at any gamer convention is that I preferred FF12 over FF7 haha, Id probably be speared/gunned down/shield bashed/put on fire and tentacled (Im sure theres some of them at those conventions....ah-hem).

Long story short, Ive taken breaks from gaming aswell just when I didnt 'feel' like playing anything anymore, and came back and had a blast playing a title that before I may have gotten bored of. So I was just thinking that if you took a break, maybe it will have the same effect on you and you wont be trudging through everything trying to find a title that is up to your criteria.

Hope it may have been of some help and if not, I tried hehe


Captcha: Stump up....what the heck is that even sposed to mean....?

 

[happyninja42]

I got recommended this game by many people, stating it's something I'd like, even despite not liking the original Bioshock, so I decided to give it a go. So far I'm not enjoying it as much as I would've liked to, though. Sure, it's entirely different from the first Bioshock, and that made me not outright hate this game. The problem is, I find the combat in general to be extremely underwhelming and simply boring - none of the guns or vigors feel powerful enough to be satsifying to use and the game often tries to compensate for lack of decent AI by throwing stronger, more bullet sponge-y versions of enemies, like the Firemen, Motorized Patriots, or Handymen in order to fuck you up when you're doing too good. I don't have anything against stronger enemies when they're thrown in to add to the challenge and are balanced correctly. This game, however, doesn't really manage to do it correctly.

So, since I don't really enjoy the combat, the story is the only reason I keep playing. I don't really know if it's worth it, though. Currently I'm at the beginning of the Comstock House, right after the Vox Populi revolution and deaths of both Fink and Fitzroy. However, I don't really feel like I'm engaged at all - the game just goes on, events happen, and here I am asking myself constantly: "Why should I even care?". That's right, I don't care about any character I've met so far, Elizabeth included, or any of the story events occuring. Does it get better over time and there's a moment where you genuinely start to get involved, or is it one of those situations, where I should care because the game tells me to do so, and if I happen not to, the whole experience's ruined for me? Please keep your answers as spoiler-free as possible, of course.

Yeah, I didn't find the game all that compelling either. I dunno, the combat wasn't all that exiting to me, and the story too wasn't really gripping. I dunno, I guess because I have zero interest in religious zealotry and the godly deification of American History that some people actually try to do to justify their bullshit religious beliefs, really soured me on the game. Maybe I would find it more compelling if I didn't know that there were people out there who really do hold the founding fathers up on some holy pedestal like Comstock.

The story never really caught me, maybe because I already knew what the twist end was, but I don't think so. Nothing really was explained, it was all just this big mystery, that led you along like a carrot on a stick in front of your face, but the big reveal didn't actually explain anything. I personally found the game very "meh" and don't plan on playing it again. I didn't play the first Bioshock series either, cause they just didn't really appeal to me. I think it was the "we're going to shove this dystopian future down your throat at every fucking opportunity" overexposure thing that grated on my nerves.

So yeah, you're not alone in finding the game not living up to the hype.

Though I did love Elizabeth, and found her a damn handy npc to have in a fight. Having her randomly spawn you supplies in combat made her ever so useful, and couple it with her being a very well designed character in her own right, made escorting her around much more enjoyable than most games.

 

[Kittyhawk]

If you are playing it late, you might not grab it as much (its tale takes some explaining, so if you are younger you might not get it as much, perhaps). What I would like to know first is did you play and complete Bioshcok and Bioshock 2? If you haven't I suggest playing them first, then coming back to Bio Infinite. Trust when I say that you'll understand a lot more after playing them in order. Once you've finished Bio Infinite, don't forget to Buried At Sea DLC, which rounds the story out much more, that you will get why the trilogy is so awesome. Infinite, I still found a blast anyway.

Maybe you don't have a soul. I found Elizabeth to be one of the most charming games characters of 2013. She might get in the way sometimes, but she was fun to hang with. She was designed to be like a trapped disney princess released into the world (a bird from a cage if you will). I'll leave the rest for you to discover on your own. There's a lot that other games designers can learn to make npcs better, through what 2K did with Infinite.

Anyway, keep going and embrace it for what it is, not what it isn't.

 

[ninja666]

If you are playing it late, you might not grab it as much (its tale takes some explaining, so if you are younger you might not get it as much, perhaps).

So, I didn't like it = I didn't get it and I'm too young to understand its beauty? Please, don't make me laugh... The story wasn't really complicated and hard to understand either. It was only convoluted to an unnecessary degree. And that doesn't make it good by any means.

Maybe you don't have a soul. I found Elizabeth to be one of the most charming games characters of 2013. She might get in the way sometimes, but she was fun to hang with. She was designed to be like a trapped disney princess released into the world (a bird from a cage if you will). I'll leave the rest for you to discover on your own. There's a lot that other games designers can learn to make npcs better, through what 2K did with Infinite.

So according to you, I should love Elizabeth for being a flat, soulless, Disney princess-like husk of a character and other game developers should learn from it and make more of stuff like that? Let's hope they won't hear you cause that would've meant the end of storytelling in gaming.

 

[happyninja42]

Maybe you don't have a soul.

Well of course she doesn't, they don't exist. Saying she doesn't appreciate a game chracter because she lacks a trait that is fictional in the first place is just silly.

Anyway, keep going and embrace it for what it is, not what it isn't.

I kept going and embraced the game for what it was, and what it was, was poorly written, in that I never felt very engaged or excited by the events taking place. I never really cared for any of the characters presented, though I did find Elizabeth somewhat enjoyable as a tag-along npc. I also found the game was overhyped, so there you go, I have embraced it for what it is. Oh wait, that's a different view than yours, it's called an opinion, which we all can have. So please don't tell her that there is basically something wrong with her because she doesn't share your opinion on a piece of fiction. Just because a lot of people like something, doesn't mean everyone will. We didn't like the game all that much, that's fine, you liked the game a lot, that's fine too. To each their own.

 

[Dansen]

I had the same issue with the combat; just bullet-hose enemies untill they got wet enough to fall down.

And the story was seemingly doing the same thing the first Bioshock did, where it spends hours referencing a side character through audio logs, and then when you finally meet this person you immediately kill them.

I got to about the Chinese weapon smith till I couldn't be bothered anymore.

For me thats when the game starts to fall apart, so you made the right call. You cant have a complicated plot centered around time travel or other dimension without it getting out of hand fast, keep it simple or don't have it.

I still respect the game though, it had some really nice set pieces and all the art assets in the game were great.

 

[Section Crow]

I finished Bioshock:Infinite about a week or so ago, I myself had a pleasant experience despite it being different from bioshock 1 and two, though I certainly did not care much for the story but I am a sucker for people with a romanticised view of the world, simply because I like to wait and watch for the fall not so much for malicious reasons, mainly out of interest of how a character develops from that point. I personally feel that Elizabeth could have a benefited a lot more then being used as a reason to go from A to B considering I had already been 'spoiled' (Watched the ending, read various information about the games story) so I already knew the gist of it.

Combat-wise, its certainly not a great shooter but I wouldn't be as critical as to say it was a bad shooter either, it ranges between decent and good depending on your own preferences of course. Biggest problem I had with the game was that I saw no reason to use other weapons until the end of the game, (Minor gameplay spoiler) where they begin to ammo starve you by greatly limiting the ammo vending machines you can visit, forcing me to sadly relinquish my revolver/rifle combo that cut bloody swaths through all of the games enemies. Same story really with vigours, upgraded crows and upgraded ram is extremely powerful while doing better than all other vigours ever could. FYI, I believe there to be an expectation for you to combine vigours, might be something worth pursuing despite it being most of the time a waste of salts. Small tidbit, I died twice the entire game on normal difficulty, I probably should have played on hard in hindsight but I have little desire to do a second playthrough.

All in all, you are quite close to the end in terms of story sequencing but it'll be longer than you would think, it may be worth nipping this one in the bud so you can call it, so to speak. I myself didn't find much solace in the ending, its one of those things you may enjoy offhandedly pondering even if you didn't like it in particular.