Fully realized from start to finish
Instantaneous. That's the speed at which you'll become sucked into Bioshock Infinite. If I didn't know better, I'd say the first part of this game is a history lesson straight from a college course on Early 1900 American History. Topics covered include: American imperialism and radical conservatism. Other topics include: racism and classism. These themes drive the first act and work to create a fully fleshed-out political landscape complete with its characteristic Bioshock extremism.
Speaking of its predecessor, the gameplay is very much similar to Bioshock in that you will spend a good amount of time exploring the city's different quarters. For players that enjoy this slow, deliberate exploration, this game has much to offer. Once you progress further into the game, the combat starts picking up. The enemies are there to stop you (and often will) while the Heavy Hitters (minibosses) are powerful and ruthless. One of the minibosses forced me change my strategy on the hardest difficulty (I won't say which, but he's got large hands). For combat, I broke it down accordingly:
Guns 3/5
Gun-play felt lacking. Restricting your ammo reserves and limiting the availability of weapons can make you wonder why do some guns even exist? The weapon upgrades do little to help. However, Irrational deserves credit for occasionally making the weapons fit in as part of the story.
Vigors 5/5
Fun to use and worth upgrading. The vigors felt powerful and even necessary to tackle some of the harder encounters. Using them as traps can help you out immensely during those sections where you're having trouble as well as providing an added boost in effectiveness.
Sky Rails 5/5
The choices offered by the sky rail are extremely rewarding. The access to a huge mobility boost and tactics-switching mid-fight from the sky rail is very well done and fits the theme of a floating city.
While Elizabeth isn't a combatant, her support can affect the outcome of battles situations regularly. Traditional NPCs don't serve much function besides plot but Elizabeth surprisingly drives the flow of combat just as well as she drives the plot.
After about 10 hours of solid playing, the emphasis on exploration is dropped and the end game starts. The focus returns to the main conflict and thoroughly explores the relationship between Booker, Elizabeth, and Comstock. The finale is hands down the best ending I could have imagined. After game one, would you kindly start a new game? Replaying with the added clarity of a second playthrough can really help if you had any confusion the first time around (like the Twins). Overall, a rich, compelling game and a strong recommendation for 2013. Keeping making great games Irrational.
