I for one liked the game and ending (coming from someone who didn't care about Rapture and gameplay in Bioshock 1, so never finished it), and although I saw the ending coming, I thought it was well represented. However, Bioshock 1 had a better twist, that was somewhat unique, whereas Infinite's could be seen coming from a mile away for fans of particular fiction/tv shows.

Because of this, do yall think Infinite will get the Prototype 1/Dragon Age 2 treatment where they initially got pretty good reviews (Prototype 1 got 8.5 @ Gamespot and 4 stars here), and it wasn't until the GOTY discussions where everyone realized they were garbage. Do yall think time will be detrimental to Infinite as it was to these games? Also, new consoles this year! Will Infinite be completely forgotten by GOTY discussion time?

I think Infinite will be considered a classic and sure-fire GOTY contender, it's certainly in no danger of suffering the fates of games like Prototype and Dragon Age 2 :P.

System launches don't often have terribly incredible games either, I'm doubtful that either the PS4 or Nextbox will launch with a game as good as Bioshock Infinite.

I could see this game be the God of War II of this generation. One of the latest but greatest of its generation. I definitely see this game winning a lot of awards. If not because its great game, then because this year doesn't seem to have too much else to offer. GTA V maybe. Last of Us maybe. Launch titles usually don't win too much, and so far nothing too special have been shown.

Also I'm not sure I get the Prototype 1/Dragon Age 2 compassion. People mildly liked those game, people REALLY LOVE this game.

Certainly won't be my goty as the actual gameplay is lackluster, I didn't enjoy the combat but loved the beginning, reveal and ending.

Not in my book, although I'll remember some bits and snippets of it fondly.

I'm not sure what else will be my GOTY. If it's not BioShock Infinite, then it will possibly be The Witness, Broken Age, or A Machine for Pigs.

Anyway, I think it's too early for me to consolidate my feelings about the game; I definitely feel like I need a bit longer to gain a reasonable amount of perspective on it.

Time will tell but from the looks of it the world alone and the effort put into its details are enough to warrant at least a nomination to my top 10 of the year and I haven't even finished the game yet.

It certainly has the best story I've experienced in the past 2 years. No other game ending in recent memory has made me think as much or leave such a powerful impression. There were moments within the game when I genuinely cared about the characters.

I'm not prone to exaggeration and in fact I've been quite cynical about videogames for the longest time not seeing any innovation in the field - but I have to say that after Infinite it's going to be hard to go back to the regular cookie cutter plot that strings along one action sequence to the next without any deeper thought behind it.

Yeah, here's the difference, Dragon age 2 and prototype 1 were flawed, (or if you think like me, fucking awful)

this will be considered a classic, i'ts been on my mind since I finished it friday,

and I'm not going to say weather it will be the game of the year or whatever, cause there are still heaps of games to come out this year, last of us looks awesome, GTA5, watch dogs, plus others, it's gonna be a good year,

Lets say it came out in this state last year would it have been a runaway GOTY winner like Uncharted 2 was in 2009? Absolutely without a doubt. Going back to 2011 is too far in my opinion for games since lessons are learned so quickly within games development but it would've been a runaway hit there to. I mean we're asking the question if it's better than, (or as good), the much revered Bioshock, (and System shock which much less people played). I mean the ending to that game... Name me an ending in any game executed that well. Even if you did see it coming the way they did it... It still gives me chills thinking about it.

Both

Edit: WAIT WHAT?! I only wrote "Both" and left. Didn't read the OP but I come back and read that shit and I'm just in complete disbelief. How can you compare a game getting universal praise and perfect scores to games that were getting mixed reviews? WUH... HOW... JUST

Yes, I'm willing to bet it will come down to this, Last of Us and GTA V.

Even though it's my GOTY so far, I can't see it being that for everybody. The last of Us and GTA 5 will probably be strong contenders. I believe it is an instant classic though.

Guys, we're 3 months into the year. Let's hold off a bit on choosing the best of the best, especially since you're throwing around games that no one has even played yet

I don't really care if others consider it a classic, or if IGN or gamebomb.ru doesn't give it game of the year. I liked it, and I will continue to buy more games like it.

Also Game of the year only means something because people think it means something. Its just like metacritic, or review scores. There is no point of Game of The Year except that every other review site does them so no review site will stop.

It's a classic. People just don't appreciate the level of quality that is around every corner when shaping a world. Go play a game that even attempts this level of world building. Columbia doesn't feel like a fake world, it feels like it's always existed. The sheer level of voice acting, story telling, and polish in Infinite is enough for it to be considered something of a classic. Kudos to Irrational for creating such a memorable game.

It'll definitely be considered a classic a few years from now, it's probably one of if not my favourite game this generation and I think regardless of your opinion on it you have to admit it is at least a special game. In the same way that Uncharted 2 or Red Dead were.

BioShock: Infinite is guaranteed to be in the discussion for GotY 2013, and I feel pretty confident in saying that when people look back on this generation of consoles, it will be one of the defining games that people talk about.

Your attempt to compare the game to Dragon Age 2 and Prototype makes absolutely no sense to me. My recollection of the critical reaction to those games was that it was maybe just slightly on the positive side of "mixed", far from the near universal praise that critics are piling on Infinite. As far as fan reaction goes, I think most people preferred inFamous to Prototype and the reaction to DA2 is probably best described with the word "backlash".

Did you really just ask if Bioshock would be comparable to Prototype/DA II?

Yeah, GOTY will probably be one of these 3. Also, yeah, Infinite will go down as a classic.

From what I played so far, I can see it being the front-runner for GOTY. Classic... not really sure about that.

I think it'll end up being a classic, maybe not to everyone, but people will hold in that regard down the line I'm sure.

As for GOTY, I think it's the front runner right now, it's only real competition at this point would be Tomb Raider and I don't see that winning. Though Last of Us could be a huge surprise, Naughty Dog's A team is pretty great.

It was an excellent game but not something i would ever put on my personal GOTY list.

It's both a classic and a personal GOTY contender. The world building is just phenomenal. Columbia as a setting engaged me more fully than any game world since the original Mass Effect (and that game didn't also have the stunning visual design that Infinite does).

I loved the gameplay and story as well. And this is all coming from a guy who didn't care for BioShock the first (or I couldn't like it. It just gave me too much anxiety to be able to enjoy it, and I ended up quitting the first game after a couple hours).

The world, the characters, the combat, the story, and those moments (like picking up that guitar in the Shantytown bar basement...). This is a game that will stick strong in my mind.

Yeah, comparing this game to Prototype and DA2 is a bit of a stretch.

EDIT: This game will be remembered as a high point for this generation, to be sure.

I think that the Bioshock and Infinite will be considered as a good opening and ending to a generation.

P.S. Honestly, can we use a little common sense. Bioshock Infinite is by no means comparable to Prototype and Dragon Age 2. Both of which I mean as far as their critical success.

If this is the best game to come out this year then video games are dead.

A little game called GTA V also coming out this year.

GOTY candidate for sure and to me and, even just finishing it an hour ago, a true classic. So well crafted.

LOL

It will be a classic for me andI don't see it being forgotten, it will most likely be a heavy weight when the year comes to an end. I don't see alot of competition except for the Last of Us (which i hope is awesome).

It'll be Bioshock Infinite or GTA5 as GOTY for most places. Though The Last of Us may get a few nods. That is unless an unknown system launch title blows people away.

Games released in the first half of the year have a harder time getting recognition over games last in the year.

It'll undoubtedly be a GOTY contender, but I don't think it will be the classic that Bioshock became because it breaks no new ground. There's nothing to really set it apart from other games, it's just solidly executed.

However, later this year might be a sea of launch titles. It's difficult to imagine games of the typical caliber of a launch title knocking Infinite out of contention for plaudits.

Given that the quality of the gameplay is usually not a real factor in GOTY discussions, and that the visuals and story of Infinite are polished to a sheen by one of the better devs for that sort of thing, I can't see more than two or three known titles getting as much critical attention and praise as Bioshock has this year.

@mikkaq: Columbia breaks new ground with some of the mature subject matter it deals with. Racism is front and center and they don't shy away from it. Hell in most stories with racism usually the oppressed people are seen as good while the oppressors are evil. They do not let the story fall into cliches I that part is really commendable, especially for AAA games.

I think it's the best game this gen.

It's gonna be my GOTY without a doubt, and a classic in my mind.

But it's not front and center at all. Hell the entire political conflict of the game, racism included seemed like it was hurriedly pushed to the side to make way for the ending. I thought all the racial tension was interesting as being part of the setting, but the game never addressed racism or the causes of it in any meaningful way. The game really makes no point other than "Look how racist these people are!"

Even Mass Effect addresses racism more directly than this game.

I think the game assumes that you already know the causes. Can't speak for non-Americans but as an American I already knew most of the why just from going to class. Also the Voxaphone recordings delve deeper into the issue. Other than that the game isn't really about Columbia. It's about Elizabeth. Columbia is just the setting for the story they wanted to tell.

I completely forgot about GTA V. I hope people enjoy that one too, I wish they'd show more of it.

Definitely both .

I don't think it deserves it, but it seems I'm in the minority and everyone is going bat shit insane over it so I will be surprised if it's not. If you mean for GB specifically, I will reserve my judgement for after the spoilercast to see how they staff weighs in on the game.

Yeah they probably won't. It makes me antsy but I'm always there day 1 and it's awesome that the series always feels so fresh and exciting when you play it because of how "in the dark" it's kept during development.

....

Do you want the player to "solve racism" by the end of the game?

They did a good job of representing social issues (something most games don't even do) and they used those layers to weave a great story through. The game doesn't have to be about racism or inequality to show it in the narrative, that's completely ridiculous.

Yeah, I don't know if it will be GOTY but it will be high on a lot of top 10 lists at the least.

It's currently at the top of my list but I haven't played enough of Tomb Raider to decided where I land on that.

If this isn't my GOTY then this is going to be one hell of a good year for video games.

I think it should be considered a classic, it's definitely going to find its way into my top 10 games of this generation list.

this game will be remembered as dragon age 2.

I don't expect them to, but if they bring it up they should have at least commented on it somehow, which they didn't. It was literally just a factor of the world, which ended up distracting from the actual plot. It was a superfluous element that really didn't add much to the game. If they had rolled it into the theme then yes it belongs but it just seems pointless to include it as it is. Same with basically the entire Vox Populi section of the game.

I think it will definitely be seen as a classic alongside the original Bioshock, and it is definitely going to be one of the main contenders for GOTY this year. The two games that I would think will be the main competition this year would be GTAV and Last of Us, which I am really looking forward to.

Fleshing out the world with complex relationships is pointless?

The Vox Populi section was important as well. So much about the game is about realities: controlling them, creating them by crafting narratives (all the different forces do this, and Elizabeth literally does), and the Vox Populi was entirely that. You see it demonstrated with how they try to silence DeWitt in the alternate reality and also how ugly the actual uprising ends up looking (very unromantic to how uprisings are thought of these days).

A rich, multi dimensional world and narrative doesn't distract, it makes things believable. Narratives don't need to solve everything and wrap it up in a bow, this is what makes for boring, shallow, and predictable narratives.

Infinite already had plenty to work through in its plot... a racial dynamic would have muddied things. As is, it was a nice element to make the world believable and complex and absorbing.

EDIT: Considering perhaps the main idea of the game, it's namesake, is the "infinite loop", and nothing is every solved, things are repeated, etc... you are coming to the wrong game for a tightly wrapped up narrative. There are plenty of other games out there for you if you want that.

@lordxavierbritish said:

There's always gotta be that one guy. Always.