Bioshock: Infinite

[Sky]

There are unbelievable settings that are cool and then there is a city held aloft by hot air balloons. It's a dopey concept.

[Phred]

I looked at the city and thought it looked like a cool setting. Guess it's just me though. And fabricated sorry no come back not worth the time.

[pxib]

It's not believability per se, it's suspension of disbelief. The first game bothered me too... not with the location, but with the goofy arbitrary things "plasmids" could do. Basically the same reason the magic system in Harry Potter makes me wince: No consistency. I'm sure we all draw the "plausible impossible" line in different places, and if the balloons were larger or Columbia's architecture more obviously featherweight it might not bother me at all, but they've simply dropped 19th century masonry onto tiny airships. Every time I see it, I have to purposely ignore it again.

1950's art deco architecture was hugely over-designed: Flying buttresses came back, over-sized pillars and support beams everywhere, tiny port-hole windows on thick steel walls. It always looked like it could survive a nuclear war without sacrificing aesthetic... and it doesn't look out of place at the bottom of the sea. If they wanted to build a city on hot air balloons, I would have recommended the spiderweb windows and gingerbread balconies of the Art Nouveau 1910's and 20's. Unfortunately that never really took off in the US, so we don't have the same visceral connection to it that we do to colonial stone.

[schild]

Adam Sessler stumbles over so many words in his review while trying to be as effusive as possible while sounding as intelligent as possible.

He's so in awe of the game that I actually don't even want to play it anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jchIi-vR_js

[schild]

Seriously, I think he just discovered the adjective and it's just blowing his mind.

Edit: If you don't want to watch it, at the end he compares it to Half-Life or ... Uncharted 2? I mean, I liked Uncharted 2, but uh what?

[Rasix]

I've been looking for something to play, so I attempted to get this today off Green Man Gaming.

I either bought it 4 times or not at all.  I'm not sure which at this point.    My account says I don't own it, and I didn't receive any receipt emails, but that site took so much effort and there were so many cryptic errors during checkout and billing that I'm still not sure what happened.

Guess I'll stick to Steam and the odd GOG/Origin purchase.

[schild]

Origin. lol

[Rasix]

Bioware, man, Bioware.

I know you dislike, but I like.

[schild]

Bioware isn't even a husk of a company anymore.

[Rasix]

It's a couple of franchises remaining that I'm somewhat attached to.  I'm old.  Leave me be.

[Velorath]

I've been looking for something to play, so I attempted to get this today off Green Man Gaming.

I either bought it 4 times or not at all.  I'm not sure which at this point.    My account says I don't own it, and I didn't receive any receipt emails, but that site took so much effort and there were so many cryptic errors during checkout and billing that I'm still not sure what happened.

Guess I'll stick to Steam and the odd GOG/Origin purchase.

Maybe order the Digital Download version from Amazon (essentially just a serial code you can redeem on Steam).  They give you X-Com (which probably anyone who was interested in it already owns), and also $30 credit on another 2k Games product (not usable on Infinite's season pass or anything for preorder, but you have a year to use it).  Probably going to use mine on that upcoming Civ expansion after it releases.

[Ingmar]

It's a couple of franchises remaining that I'm somewhat attached to.  I'm old.  Leave me be.

And the writing team for DA is still intact.

[Fabricated]

So word is that it's really really good. Huh. I pre-ordered it after the pre-order shit on steam put me over the fence and I had a friend I wanted to try X-COM (who I also owed a birthday gift) so we'll see I guess.

Some cockslap of a reviewer from one of the major gamewank sites said something along the lines of "people say 'when will videogames have their citizen kane moment?', I say when will we have another Bioshock Infinite moment?" or something like that and I want to throw them out a fucking window.

[Venkman]

Yea there's been a lot of hyperbole-throwing around in the review-o-sphere over this title. I'm mostly just curious and there's a derth of other stuff now that I finished Tomb Raider and the Dishonored DLC doesn't come for a few more weeks. If it's half as good as these reviewers are falling all over themselves to claim it to be, I'll have gotten some money's worth out of it.

[Furiously]

[rk47]

Hi guys.

Just gonna drop this here.

[luckton]

Hi guys.

Just gonna drop this here.

This is not new.  Racial superiority complexes was something they advertised in previews for a while.

[Kitsune]

I'm still iffy on it so far.  It seems to be consolized even more than Bioshock 1 and 2, with regenerating shields and only being able to carry two guns and two plasmids, and no manual saving is a huge pain in the ass.  The setting is interesting thus far but has had very very few creepy moments compared to System Shock or Bioshock.

[Tannhauser]

I'm getting this today.  Really enjoyed Bioshock and I'm jonesing for a shooter/story experience again. 

[jakonovski]

Mine's preloaded but I have to wait until 8pm to play. This is going to be a long day...

[Ironwood]

"Really enjoyed Bioshock."

Does not compute.

[Surlyboi]

"Really enjoyed Bioshock."

Does not compute.

Yeah, I don't get it either. I didn't like the original all that much and didn't even bother with 2. Then again, one of my monkeys liked it so much she got half of her arm tattooed with biosshock imagery, so maybe I'm just too goddamn old to get it.

[DraconianOne]

I liked it plenty - not enough to get a tattoo of it though 

[Velorath]

"Really enjoyed Bioshock."

Does not compute.

Sometimes people like games you do not. Sometimes those people might even post in a thread about follow-ups to that game.

[Fabricated]

Bioshock again was pretty good IMO. Shallow compared to System Shock 1/2 but I think it nailed the atmosphere pretty well, had memorable set pieces, and was generally fun enough to be worth a playthrough...one playthrough. I imagine this will be the same.

[murdoc]

...two plasmids...

I have three already - the rest of what you said is true though.

After playing Far Cry for the last week, the on-rails aspect of this stands out like crazy. They have crafted a beautiful, interesting world but I can only explore the parts they want me to, when they want me to. Enemies all attack when you trigger their area. There's no different ways to play - it's move forward, uncover story (which I have to admit I'm getting more and more interested in), defeat wave of enemies, continue.

Also - I liked Bioshock. It's one of the rare games I actually finished.

Bioshock again was pretty good IMO. Shallow compared to System Shock 1/2 but I think it nailed the atmosphere pretty well, had memorable set pieces, and was generally fun enough to be worth a playthrough...one playthrough. I imagine this will be the same.

Well said - sums it up about right imo.

[Ironwood]

You finished it because it was impossible not to finish.  If you even TRIED not to finish it, it pushed you out a Vitae chamber to try again.

 

[Fabricated]

I think SS2 holds up so well because different builds have real consequences; a Psi-Ops playthrough is a WORLD away from a Marine playthrough in SS2.

Bioshock, you were a golden unstoppable god at the end even if you played completely half-assed and skipped nearly every upgrade you could.

[Samprimary]

Bioshock again was pretty good IMO. Shallow compared to System Shock 1/2 but I think it nailed the atmosphere pretty well, had memorable set pieces, and was generally fun enough to be worth a playthrough...one playthrough. I imagine this will be the same.

I better write an article about how it's GAME OF THE DECADE GAMING'S CITIZEN KANE MOMENT

[luckton]

Bioshock again was pretty good IMO. Shallow compared to System Shock 1/2 but I think it nailed the atmosphere pretty well, had memorable set pieces, and was generally fun enough to be worth a playthrough...one playthrough. I imagine this will be the same.

I better write an article about how it's GAME OF THE DECADE GAMING'S CITIZEN KANE MOMENT

Use tacos instead of nachos this time.

[Tarami]

What I expect from this game, having read a few reviews, is the popular manipulative "DUN DUN DUNNN! YOU ARE THE ENEMY!"-schtick of games that offer no choice. It seems to impress the plebs, I mean, press.

[Paelos]

You finished it because it was impossible not to finish.  If you even TRIED not to finish it, it pushed you out a Vitae chamber to try again.

 

I played it for about 3 hours, then put it down to go play Mount and Blade with a new mod.

I may finish it at some point, but my inital reaction was to just wait near this lighthouse for help. The story makes no sense to me. Why would I ever get in that sub?

[HaemishM]

I enjoyed Bioshock though thought it should have ended when you  the first time. The bolted on "IT'S A TWIST!" feeling after that moment was a let down. I did not try 2 because after the end of 1, there seemed no reason for a 2 other than $$$$$$$.

As for the positive, nay GUSHING, reviews on this one... Sim City. Even the first Bioshock got rave reviews on release that a month after the fact everyone was walking back. Also, the games press are fucking whore-y big pub cum dumpsters.

[tgr]

http://www.destructoid.com/racists-call-bioshock-infinite-a-white-killing-simulator-240586.phtml

I ... sigh. Just sigh.

[HaemishM]