The Big Picture: Shock Treatment

[cynicalsaint1]

This sums up my feelings about things pretty well - I remember telling a friend that the game is interesting because its not about what it wants you to think its about.

I think a lot of people try to overcomplicate things - the story is about Booker's search for redemption for his actions at Wounded Knee. Of course I think a lot of people miss it because of the who "dog dog dog dog dog dog dog elephant" thing you mentioned - you think the game is about American Exceptionalism, or racism, or these weird quantum physical multi-universe things, and by the time you finally realize whats really going on you're so invested in those parts of the story that its hard to let go of them.

Its really all about Booker and Elizabeth and what Booker's sins have cost him and his daughter. This is why I believe the stinger is a happy ending - by accepting his sins and truly repenting them and allowing himself to be drowned he's granted the absolution.

His drowning is meant to be a baptism and the game always uses baptism as a symbol of a new beginning:
1) After Wounded Knee leads to the creation of Comstock
2) It marks the beginning of Booker's quest to save Elizabeth when he first arrives in Columbia

So when he's drowned at the end in a way deeply symbolic of baptism it only makes thematic sense that it would lead to another new beginning.

 

[ron1n]

I seem to be in the minority (because every single person I talk thinks Infinite's story is the best thing since sliced bread) but I was rather disappointed.

Now I understand that the point of the ending and the game is to demonstrate the futility/illusion of choice in terms of multiple dimensions etc. But I actually hated the feeling of overwhelming pointlessness I got knowing nothing I did changed anything. It just felt like a massive cop out, almost deus ex machina-like.

In fact, I can't help but wonder what the game could have been, had they eliminated the whole multiple reality/infinite loop entirely and instead embraced the amazing world they created and the powerful themes that came with it.

Perhaps it's a cliche notion, but the idea of the game truly focusing on the race/class clashes and empowering the player with some mature, difficult choices, could have been special.

For example, when you eventually witness the Vox Populi rampaging, how much more powerful and meaningful could that have been if it was the result of a series of choices?

Instead the whole uprising is rendered nothing more than an interesting background and excuse to shoot more stuff and have more guns.

But yeah, as it stands, I just came away from it feeling like I wasted my time and could have gotten the same experience by watching some cut-scenes or a lets-player go through it, especially considering how tedious and boring I found the combat.

Although on the plus side, I now need to re-watch every season of Sliders

 

[Piorn]

The Binary Choices thing REALLY got me. I like how it played with your expectations. The decision moments, the two differently colored sets of guns, etc.
But in the end, you see another booker who wasn't stabbed in the hand walking on another plank, propably with an Elizabeth with a cage-necklace...

I also love how they literally ripped open the possibilities for a sequel. They can now do everything they want, including alternate history, fantasy, Sci-Fi, you name it, as long as it contains a "man", a "city" and a "lighthouse", in the loosest sense of the words.

 

[MonkeyPunch]

Bah can't watch. Haven't finished it yet. Not sure I will either.
Just couldn't get in to it. The world is beautiful and detailed and the style is really nice... but just like Bioshock I dunno... I just find the gameplay "meh" for lack of a better explanation.
I couldn't even say it's a bad game. It just doesn't keep me interested for some reason.

Not sure if to watch this episode or not as I doubt I will finish Infinite any time soon.

Captcha: "trust me"

 

[Kenjitsuka]

Great, Bob.
Will be a while before I can play this, so now I can't view my weekly Big Picture because you're spoiling it.

Sighhh... Spoil some old stuff next time, will ya?!

 

[Padfoot13]

Is it sad that i was hoping that Moviebob was gonna talk about the Rocky Horror Picture Show sequal/equal/fecal?

 

[theyellowmeteor]

As a man who quantum leaps inside the head of a suicidal gambler who has an evil twin brother from a parallel dimension wanting to destroy the world, the story fails to make me care too much about it, when I know that there are other branching universes with worlds still standing proudly in defiance of the odds, obscure joke about the theory of randomness. I mean, if the world blows up, I can just go to another universe and see hows that Booker doing.

The fact that the game throws so many things to think about, and has neither the time nor the balls to address those issues, is what made it drop the ball for me. As I was advancing in the game I thought: "Right. If I want this shit to fly (and I did), I have to suspend it on disbelief." I interpreted the ending scene when more Lizzies show up as the game begging me to do the exact opposite, and I just kept discovering more and more unfinished plot holes to it, in which my enjoyment was leaking until none of it remained.

 

[theyellowmeteor]

I also love how they literally ripped open the possibilities for a sequel. They can now do everything they want, including alternate history, fantasy, Sci-Fi, you name it, as long as it contains a "man", a "city" and a "lighthouse", in the loosest sense of the words.

I don't think that they needed an excuse to feature more games with a man, a city, and a lighthouse, they might as well use them as the 'BioShock signature'.

 

[Reqviemus]

I'm really happy, amazed even that someone finally spoke what I thought about the theme of the game.
People tend to say that themes of racism and bigotry function poorly as the main idea of the plot.
It is true, because they are not. It's strange how many people are so focused on the racism part, that they completely overlook everything else.
All racist overtones, heck, whole city is just an extended characterization of Comstock,as we do not interact with him all that much. Columbia is him, it's sins are his and, by extension, Booker's. To me, that's the point of the city. Besides the misdirection that Bob spoke of.

 

[conanthegamer]

Shock Treatment

MovieBob gives us a spoiler filled look into the ins and outs of BioShock Infinite

Watch Video

Notice how you barely mentioned the Fitzroy narrative of freedom fighter turns into a blood lusting gang. i.e. Che, Sandinista's, Russian Revolution, etc.

 

[conanthegamer]

Shock Treatment

MovieBob gives us a spoiler filled look into the ins and outs of BioShock Infinite

Watch Video

Notice how you barely mentioned the Fitzroy narrative of freedom fighter turns into a blood lusting gang. i.e. Che, Sandinista's, Russian Revolution, etc.

 

[kailus13]

As someone who has never played the game, I am asking this out of ignorance. Wouldn't going back and stopping Booker from fighting in Wounded Knee make more sense than killing him?

 

[zombiejoe]

Interesting take on the ending. When I did play through the game, I saw the story really about the characters and their struggles with the political commentary meant more to create backdrop for them. So I guess I got to agree with some of the ideas your throwing out there.

Your take on the choices is also pretty intriguing. But to be fair, not all of the choices were completely black and white. Not killing the veteran ends with him being tortured into a vegetative state, where you have a second chance to either kill or let him live as a lobotomized version of himself.

I heard some interesting takes on the choices that state that they're really meant to represent the "two sides of the same coin" idea. Like the bird and the cage. Yeah, the bird obviously represents freedom, but look at the cage. It's empty. And no matter who you throw the ball out, the people still find out about you.

So yeah...good video.

 

[zombiejoe]

As someone who has never played the game, I am asking this out of ignorance. Wouldn't going back and stopping Booker from fighting in Wounded Knee make more sense than killing him?

Maybe it would. But imagine all the variables that would happen if they did that. For all we know Booker might not have had his baby, or maybe he'd be depressed over NOT fighting. Who knows.

But good point.

 

[PunkRex]

I guessed the twist fairly early on but the ending still surprised me with how brutal it was. Im more into artistic design when it comes to games, stuff like theming, music, visuals, etc and I can deal with a shaky narrative or boring mechanics as long as I can lose myself in the world. Bioshock Infinate isn't perfect, I found the combat system fairly dull until I got Undertow after which the game was bloody easy, but the world was damn awesome and the Lutece's are some of my new favourite God tier characters.

This will be an interesting video,
this is an interesting video,
this was an interesting video.

 

[Storm Dragon]

But what was the significance of those four gay blokes?

 

[Rad Party God]

I also love how they literally ripped open the possibilities for a sequel. They can now do everything they want, including alternate history, fantasy, Sci-Fi, you name it, as long as it contains a "man", a "city" and a "lighthouse", in the loosest sense of the words.

*ahem* Bioshock 1 & System Shock 2, nod, nod, wink, wink. "There's always a man and a city".

OT: I loved the game to pieces, but personally what I got from it (aside from the wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff), is that it kinda/sorta breaks the 4th wall, practically screaming "Hey!, remember Bioshock 1?, that counts too, you should totally play it / replay it", kinda like, there's Infinite possibilities about the stuff we as gamers do and react and how the game itself can be made, I swear, I thought that Elizabeth at one point would literally take you to the Von Braun, just for the lulz.

 

[rofltehcat]

Great analysis. I kinda like how different people seem to interpret the ending! I found the ending a bit baffling myself but the game has some fast and slow paces but somewhen just keeps accelerating and it all flips out at the end and comes crashing down so in retrospect it is not that bad

There were some (trailer?) scenes like the attempted hanging of Elizabeth that never appeared in the game... where's that stuff. It seemed awesome!

 

[TheSchaef]

Welp. Guess I'm not watching this show for another two years, until I can get it for fifteen bucks on Steam.