In 2010, Kevin Levine, the mind behind that masterful first Bioshock that shocked the gamer community, announced a new installment of the franchise where the dark Rapture was changed by the nebula Columbia. After three years of development and with important people entering and leaving the project in the middle of its development, it finally arrives BioShock Infinite.
Will it be the beginning of a new stage for the franchise? Will have achieved Infinite surpass the original in greatness? We invite you to discover it in our analysis of MundiVideogames about this long awaited title.
The history of BioShock Infinite introduces us into the shoes of private detective Booker DeWitt, who has incurred high debts that can only be paid off by storming the flying city of Columbia and kidnapping the enigmatic Elizabeth. The beginning of the game is striking, a nod to the very beginning of the first BioShock, and as you can imagine, instead of plunging into the darkness of the ocean, we will be thrown into the air, literally.
As I was saying, the main stage where the game takes place, Columbia, is suspended in the air and was built and launched in 1900 by the US government, destined to be a symbol of exceptionalism. Some time after its launch, but before the events of the game, it was revealed as a well-armed battleship that is involved in an international incident for opening fire on a group of Chinese civilians during the Boxer Rebellion. The city was overruled by the US government and all traces of it were soon lost. As a result of the city's isolation, a civil war finally broke out between the different factions of Columbia, each trying to take control on their own.
The point from which the plot starts, a priori, seems simple, but be careful, as we move forward things will twist and we will have moments of looking at the screen wondering what the hell is happening in this place. Of course, the narrative of the game is supported by voice records, silent films and a setting that accurately recreates the year in which everything happens: 1912. However, do not expect to experience that feeling of oppression and loneliness of the old Rapture , here the tonic is quite different.
Before talking about the graphic section, I must clarify that the version analyzed for Mundi Videogames It is the console one and I already anticipate that the overall result comes out better on PC. As for consoles, the truth is that it is somewhat disappointing to find somewhat simplistic models, but the last straw is the poor quality of the texturing in many details, which border on levels of almost two generations ago and without exaggeration. Certainly, effects such as fog or flashes of light are used that try to camouflage these deficiencies, but this, for a game of the triple A caliber and in the middle of 2013, is not acceptable.
The AI is not very prodigious either - enemies are often left bare-chested shooting like crazy, just plain - and the animations are sometimes too artificial. Regarding the artistic section, it is noted that the development team has documented itself to recreate the time well, however, it is quite difficult to objectively analyze this aspect, since there will be people who find it to their liking, with its cartoon and characters with deformed proportions, while others prefer the opposite style or even that of the above BioShock, darker and more realistic looking. The soundtrack is quite spoiled, with pieces and classics that everyone will love and that come like a glove to the game, regarding the dubbing, the voices are of quality and the usual ones that we usually hear.
Playable, we have the same base of the old games, with their medicine cabinets, item to regenerate powers -called invigorating on this occasion and we will have up to eight different ones-, scenarios to investigate -although the linearity is very marked and the depth of exploration is short- , positions to improve weapons and powers ... An important nuance is the fact that this time we cannot carry all the weapons we want, only two, and the main characteristic of this installment is to walk through Columbia next to Elizabeth, the girl at that we have to rescue, and that it will give us support in different ways -such as supplying us with ammunition or first aid kits-, but of course nothing to do with the possibilities seen in those first videos of the game.
The great thing that I have come across in the playable section, in addition to those already mentioned in terms of linearity and lack of exploration, is that the gunplay is not satisfactory. Situations are overused with waves of enemies that come out from everywhere and that force us to move from one side to another and use the invigorators as a rip, making the experience too heavy and sometimes not fun. Undoubtedly, for those of us who play the previous BioShock, we are quite shocked by this change. Add that it is curious that a system of damage and health for the enemies similar to that of Borderlands.
When it comes to replaying BioShock Infinite we have little chance. Although, we can try to spend the adventure at higher difficulty levels (although the normal duration is about 10 hours) or even try the 1999 mode, in which decisions can be made and the program is more demanding. As for multiplayer possibilities, say that they are null, because finally, after several attempts to introduce this modality in the game, it has not been implemented. Regarding downloadable content, it is expected that new chapters and stories about Columbia will arrive via dlc in the future, with new protagonists.
BioShock Infinite it's a game you're going to love or hate, I assure you. The artistic section is too particular, the change of setting is very radical, the gameplay does not leave a good taste in the mouth, the plot, after all, will be quite obvious for those used to reading science fiction, and to this, add that the version of consoles suffers from a more than striking texturing problem. It is a very different experience in terms of setting if we compare it with the first BioShock, a title that still seems to me far superior to this Infinite and a classic in the world of video games. There were good intentions, but the end result does not match the expectations placed on this BioShock Infinite.
FINAL NOTE MVJ 7
Right now I was going to write the analysis thinking that yours would go more like the 99% published analyzes, but I see that we agree that it is several steps behind the first Bioshock.
No longer a story with an "easy" ending, predictable to a certain extent and that leaves certain incongruities in the plot nexus, if not a step back in gameplay issues (it has a better gunplay without being a good gunplay) such as the absence of puzzles like the pirates, of various endings according to our actions, etc.
Mind you, I don't think I love him or hate him. I think it just left me cold and indifferent.