BioShock Infinite
Every now and then a game comes along with a setting so evocative it burns itself into your brain forever. That Irrational’s spiritual sci-fi shooter trilogy contains two all-time amazing worlds is downright unfair to all the other blasters. While the submerged terrors of the original’s Rapture remain a bona fide watery wonder, BioShock Infinite’s astonishing Columbia matches the aquatic kingdom blow for blow.
A captivating, early-20th-century city in the sky, this steampunk metropolis is an utter delight to explore. Suspended high above the clouds by a fancy physics technique called “quantum levitation”, its various districts and islands float thanks to a combination of blimps and balloons. In motion, the constantly levitating city provides scintillating sights few PS4 titles can match, let alone your average PS3 game back in 2013.
Like the original’s knockout opening, Infinite has a truly belting intro. Over the half-decade since the classic FPS shot its way onto the scene, few games have come close to rivalling its majestic, dreamy, seductively spiritual first halfhour. After being catapulted into the clouds following yet another creepy lighthouse encounter, you end up being baptised and taking part in carnival games, before being ousted as “The False Shepherd” by Columbia’s bigoted locals. Intro acts don’t come any more eclectic or electric than Infinite’s astonishing opening.
Stepping into the shoes of disgraced detective Booker DeWitt – who’s voiced by an especially on-form Troy Baker – you’re given one simple task: “bring us the girl and wipe away the debt.” The girl in question is no helpless damsel, though. Instead, Elizabeth is a reality-ripping badass who proves an essential ally in combat as she and Booker work together to escape Columbia and the sinister cultists who serve the enigmatic, overbearing prophet known as Comstock.
As a classic PlayStation pairing, DeWitt and Lizzie are right up there with Ratchet & Clank, Ico and Princess Yorda, and even Joel and Ellie from The Last Of Us, such is their constantly surprising, gently moving partnership. As the adventure unfolds Booker’s weary cynicism is worn down by the much younger Elizabeth’s wide-eyed enthusiasm, and overall Infinite spins a more complete, satisfying yarn than even the first BioShock and its legendary third-act twist.
It’s no surprise then that when both story and setting are so stellar, they slightly overshadow the game’s (still excellent) shooting. Booker’s arsenal of rifles and old-timey pistols crunch and crackle, but it’s an invigorating set of paranormal power-ups that really elevate enemy encounters. A slight twist on the original’s Plasmids, Infinite’s Vigors allow DeWitt to burn, levitate, and hypnotise his foes. Hell, you can even take a page out of Alfred Hitchcock’s pecky playbook and overwhelm bad guys with murders of merciless crows, à la The Birds.
INFINITE APPEAL
Is Infinite as effortlessly iconic as the masterful original? Not quite. No single moment in this game can topple that “Would you kindly?” shocker, though Booker and Elizabeth’s adventure definitely has a more compelling ending than Jack’s. There’s also no single enemy to rival the first game’s Big Daddy, even if the Motorized Patriot (imagine if George Washington and the Terminator sired a maniacal, motorised offspring) comes mighty close. But we’re talking about one excellent game surpassing another nearly as good here. Despite slightly living in Rapture’s submerged shadow, BioShock Infinite with its enthralling Columbia remains a sky-high classic.
AS A CLASSIC PAIRING, DEWITT AND LIZZIE ARE UP THERE WITH JOEL AND ELLIE.