Review - Bioshock Infinte 
Paul Fiander
Most of my time spent in the world of first person shooters is online. I have trouble getting to grips with a story that is in my eyes but it's not my name. It's an odd complaint but I prefer my storytelling in the third person that way I am more of an contributory observer to the story. There have however been a few games in the recent past that have broken this trend. The Borderlands franchise is a universe I can inhabit with absolute glee but it's not just the story that keeps my attention its the action and of course guns. Also we have had Far Cry 3 another story intense fps with a bit less appeal (for me at least) then the aforementioned borderlands. But still more story driven than usual fps titles.
However when a game came along with no multiplayer or no co-op, with fps mechanics I had to wonder where was the bait for me to take a bite?

The game in question was Bioshock infinite and its hook was not just fps game mechanics but also the promise of a deep and compelling story. This made me make this purchase and so my first expedition into the Bioshock universe had begun.

To start with this game comes with the hefty promise of four pieces of dlc available through a season pass or in single purchases. At the time of the review none has been released so this is just the base game.
Bioshock's story is set in 1912 on the floating, want to be utopia of Columbia. You play as Booker DeWitt a former soldier with a less than savoury past. Booker after running up some debts is hired to go to Columbia and bring a lady back to terra firma. The lady in question is called Elizabeth and to say she is the most intriguing NPC I have ever encountered is putting it mildly. From her ability to find useful pieces of equipment at precisely the time you need it to her lock picking skills and finally the skill that shall not be named (to name is to spoil). She is an actual companion with the ability to enhance your gameplay and not a hindrance and I love that about her. Too many games would give you an Elizabeth health bar but this lady knows how to look after herself and makes her presence on the story a joy. 
Although to me Elizabeth is the most intriguing part of the story unfortunately I find Booker a little bit boring. His persona suits him well and he is a very good foil for the floaty presence of Elizabeth. He did his job but  his is not the reason to play this game.
The other main character in the plot (at least to me) is the world of Colombia. The floating city is rife with amazing feats of architecture and engineering that at times is liable to take your breath away. Mix this with the varied population and you have an environment that cries out to be explored and the story mode gives you the chance to play through the entire city. The exploration is greatly helped by the transit system basically a shuttle that runs round the city but you also have use of a Sky hook. This wonderful toy becomes your melee weapon and also a novel way to circumnavigate the world. The story has a decent 12 hour or so play through time but you can near enough double that figure if you want to experience everything this game has to offer.
Unfortunately the bulk of the extra time I have mentioned seemed to mostly be made up of collecting audio logs. These give you some great background and depth to the story but I found looking for them distracted me from the task at hand and so the main story. For a narrative driven game it's something I would have preferred to read in a book while I played the game or even have a audiobook download so I could truly immerse myself in the world. Instead I would play a section then hunt around for a log this was distracting and now feels like a well worn way of fleshing out a story. I understand Bioshock was one of the main instigators of this type of storytelling but I just wish they could think of a more subtle way to integrate players into the backstory. On the positive side when it comes to audio listen out the vast array of music it's an amazing fit into the world and the story.
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Like any decent fps Bioshock also gives you the ability to massacre almost an entire population. This can be done in two ways. Firstly traditional guns these are mapped to the right side of your controller, with the right thumbstick (on PS3) allowing you to scope in. I actually found this mechanic very intuitive and got used to it very quickly, I can see some not appreciating it but the controls give the game that extra touch of uniqueness that I appreciate. The left side of the controller is where the magic happens and in this case they take the form of Vigours. From being able to throw firebombs to throwing a murder of crows at your enemies. This choice of attacks is limited to eight (each with its own alternative fire) that can be collected throughout the game. However by linking them you can create devastating attacked like a flaming murder of crows as well as other combos. You can also use the skyhook as a way to flank enemies and as a stealth takedown which is a great touch. So experiment and try to enjoy the combat as much as possible.
The enemies you face are thankfully not mindless rushers but neither are they the most difficult enemies to dispatch. However when you do die there are frequent respawn points (if Elizabeth is not on hand with a handy health pack) which is a help. I do have issue with the latter stages of the game in the enemies you face but I will not spoil those sections here. This does not detract from the game as a while but I do wish the last section was better.

Overall Bioshock infinite is a fantastic game and one I hope as many people get to experience as possible. It did have a few issues but these are greatly outweighed by its positives.

Wrap up

The good - very good story, amazing world, my favorite companion in a game ever.
The bad - audio logs, uncharismatic central character.

Score - 4.5/5
Images Courtesy of Renegade PR
Game - reviewers own copy, PS3 version