BioShock Infinite is that seldom, it is that seldom which has reincarnated how games are perceived, how games are projected and how they should be in the years to come. It is a 10/10 and, without any more seldom, let me show you why this can be 2013’s Game of the Year.The Essence of Infinite
Oh Elizabeth, those eyes!
The essence of Infinite is in a culmination, a culmination of the three most powerful elements in the game i.e. the two central characters, the city’s soul and the plot. It is the seamless integration that makes this culmination all the more legendary, in turn making the game a piece of art.The city of Columbia is another marvel Infinite throws at you. A city based in clouds, it has a rich history, a deep backdrop, a story and a soul of its own. Narrated through the means of Voxaphone recordings, the city is all the more believable, alive and a part of your journey. In a nutshell, Columbia joins the likes of Rapture of BioShock and City 17 of Half Life.
Columbia, the City in Clouds
If BioShock was a hit because of its impeccable writing, Infinite does not leave any stone unturned in rivaling its predecessor. It presents a modern view of different sides of the coin, of different forces acting in Columbia and their hidden motives. It blurs the line between right and wrong and takes you to a level where you question yourself, what would you do to keep your sanity, to what level would you fall, what atrocities would you commit? And when the game ends, it’s a mixture of shock, awe and pure pleasure. BioShock started it, but if you ask me, Infinite is a notch better than the original BioShock in terms of writing and climax. Salute, Ken Levine!Combat, Acrobatics and the Works
The fun part of Infinite lies in the ways you can interact with your surroundings and enemies. You are not limited to just pistols, machine guns or grenade launchers, there are a lot other fun things to put to use in this world. Let me start with the Skyhook, your first melee weapon-cum-travel assistant. It lets you finish off enemies in the most gruesome albeit satiating ways and doubles up as a mechanism which lets you travel on the skylines and get out of sticky situations in a jiffy.Vigors are near magical powers that can be used against enemy units, machines and bots. Zap them with a bolt of electricity, turn enemy machines into allies, throw hellfire and traps or distract your enemies with a murder of crows. Combining these with your trustworthy guns gives you a unique, fun and exciting experience every time you go up against a flurry of enemies.
With all this combined, BioShock Infinite makes a place amongst the heavyweights of the FPS genre. The only flaw that I noticed in the game was that sometimes, at some situations, it started to show lethargy. The game’s pace started dropping but, thankfully, that did not last long and it was ready with its next set of surprises. However, even this little flaw felt as if the game was preparing me for something extraordinary, setting the stage for another masterpiece, putting forward a lull before the storm.
