I borrowed the game from a friend and played it. Now, here are my thoughts on the game.
SERIOUS SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
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I'm sad to say that Bioshock Infinite was a bit of a letdown from the previous games. While it was still a decent game, there were just some elements that rubbed me the wrong way.
First, there is the lack of ANY, and I mean ANY sympathetic villains whatsoever. In fact, the only characters in the entire game that I sympathized with were Elizabeth and Booker. The first two Bioshock games both had sympathetic characters who I felt sorry for. The characters were one of the strongest elements in the games. While both of the previous games had completely unsympathetic villains like Fontain and Sofia Lamb, they also had characters like Grace Holloway who I genuinely felt sorry for, and Gilbert Alexander who's backstory is downright heartbreaking. In Infinite, however, the villains are all just a bunch of complete bastards. The Founders and the Vox Populi are both nothing but a bunch of depraves, blood-thirsty zealots. While the morality in the previous games was a lot more grey, the morality in this game is about as black and white as it can get. I was really hoping that Daisy Fitzroy would be an interesting character but she only makes a few appearances and turns out to be just as messed up as everyone else in the game. It seems like character development and an interesting plot have taken a back seat to the quantum-physics crap.
Speaking of quantum-physics crap, this is another problem I had with the game. At one point in the game, the Vox Populi hijack Booker and Elizabeth's airship and in order to get the airship back, they have to retrieve a bunch of guns for Daisy Fitzroy. Complications arise, however, and Elizabeth ultimately ends up teleporting herself and Booker into an alternate universe where they have somehow already acquired the guns. To me, this just felt like a massive ass pull on the part of the developers and writers. And this happens again near the end of the game when they teleport to Rapture to get rid of the Songbird. Again, this was a massive ass pull and a total cop out. I was looking forward to killing this monster in an epic showdown but instead, they just poof it to the bottom of the ocean and drown it. Also, what was the point in them going to Rapture? The ending seems to imply that Rapture is an alternate universe version of Columbia but did they really have to go there just to drive the point home?
Well, since I've ranted so much on the negative aspects of the game, I'm going to talk about what I DID like. The game play was pretty good. Some people complained about the fact that Vigors are only temporary and that you can only carry two guns at once, but to me, that kept the game interesting and challenging.
I really liked Elizabeth's character. She was a very fleshed-out and 3-dimensional character and I thought she was a great addition to the game. Booker was also an interesting character, though he has his moments of douchebaggery. (i.e. selling his daughter to some shady people to settle his gambling debt). Still, it was good to have a player character who is not just another boring "silent protagonist". I liked how Booker's and Elizabeth's personalities play off one another and to me, they were the strongest characters in the game.
The world of Columbia itself is quite interesting. The technology is cool also. My only complaint is that the game seems to try and hurry you along as fast as possible so you really don't get a lot of time to explore.
The Heavy Hitters (Handymen, Boys of Silence, Motorized Patriots, and The Siren) are all terrifying and challenging enemies. Their sheer creepiness factor almost makes up for the pitiful main villains.
I'm not going to discuss the ending of the game other than to say that it was a bit confusing and didn't seem to fit well with the rest of the game.
Overall, I would rate Bioshock Infinite a 7/10. I had high hopes for it but it was a bit of a disappointment. I miss Rapture already.
