Bioshock Infinite

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Ptangmatik
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Bioshock Infinite

Postby Ptangmatik » 26 Mar 2013, 16:21

(Note: opinions expressed herein are my own. You are welcome to disagree)

Once reviews started coming out I couldn't resist any longer, I preordered this in the final day and got the xcom bonus.

I won't even put serious spoilers in spoiler tags, it's just THAT good, THAT detailed. For instance: listen to the music at the beach. If that doesn't make you beam, nothing will.

I haven't got particularly far yet, I enjoy tooling around too much, absorbing the atmosphere. but the continuous references to water that hark back to the 1st game are brilliant, Elizabeth and DeWitt's banter is believable and natural

One or two minor issues though:
The fairground at the start was a bit bugged, One of the shooting galleries froze me to the spot. Also I can't for the life of me figure out how to switch out 'vigors' and the 2 weapon system, while MUCH more realistic is annoying, though that last one's just my personal taste

Anyone else playing this currently or planning to soon?
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Kapol » 26 Mar 2013, 16:37

I ended up preordering it on Amazon while I was on the train home. They had, as a preorder bonus, the following:

-The Industrial Revolution pack
-A Kindle copy of the little book
-$30 credit on any 2K game
-Xcom: Enemy Unknown

So I figured that I'd get it. I've yet to install it yet... need to do that right now. Just need to get my code.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Ptangmatik » 28 Mar 2013, 14:29

Oh man, just finished it. I loved the ending, I'm hearing around the web that people found it confusing but I thought it was brilliant. I was being derp about switching vigors, you just need to hold down q.

I'm gonna go try out xcom now and leave infinite for a while, go back to it at some point in the future.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Kapol » 28 Mar 2013, 14:31

I'm not too far into it, but so far it's pretty good. I just rescued Elizabeth myself. My only major complaint is that sometimes the game just freezes up on PC. I'm running on the highest setting, but it's not really a problem with frame-rate. I seem to be getting a good 30+. It just randomly freezes up, usually with audio still playing in the background.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby JackSlack » 28 Mar 2013, 14:33

So... I'm not very far into it. And maybe this is therefore an unrepresentative part of the game, but...

Image

Seriously. It's got no ebb and flow to it. It's an endless stream of guys running at you and shooting. I'm bored witless.

There was a piece on Destructoid about someone's mother playing it:

At first, she excused the awkward beats in action (waiting for a door to open, characters disappearing from a scene), but once the game presented itself as a first-person shooter instead of the adventure she suspected it may be, she lost interest.

“It has taken a gruesome bloody, twisted turn … and I was just enjoying the serenity of it all,” she wrote on the laptop I gave her.

The rich visuals and detailed art direction continue to carry her interests, but the gun fights continued to bore her. Yet, this is supposed to be the crossover hit that would get everyone’s Grandma to buy an Xbox 360! Ok, Levine and Irrational never said that but BioShock Infinite may be the closest we ever get to a first-person shooter that is about more than just the shooting -- yet having the shooting (and so much of it) is enough to turn away my mom. No mystery, story, or visuals can ever be enough to get away from the inherit disgust and boredom that prolonged firefights summon in her.


I cannot disagree with her. The game's most interesting part is easily before the shooting starts. Once you start shooting, the game plummets into pure boredom.

I'll keep fighting with it, but so far? I'm deeply unimpressed.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Kapol » 28 Mar 2013, 14:36

Jack, what part are you at right now? Further than me? I will admit that it feels like we weren't given much time to really get into the atmosphere of the world before things just started shooting. Though I personally like the little side conversations that you can hear. I normally stopped and listened since they helped add to the world a bit.

I will say that, at the moment, I'm not nearly impressed with it as some people. I'm enjoying it. But it's not amazing yet.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby JackSlack » 28 Mar 2013, 14:52

I've just gotten through the weird temple devoted to John Wilkes Boothe. So yeah, not very far in at all. That's why I'll keep fighting. But it's just such a game mismatch. This feels like it should be an adventure game; minimal shooting, more stealth maybe. The whole setup is pure film noir, after all. Disgraced detective, moral ambiguity, etc. Plus, these aren't crazed splicers I'm shooting! They're people, good people, and I'm murdering them! Just... blah.

Right now, the only thing holding my interest consistently is the weird couple who keep showing up. What's up with that?
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Kapol » 28 Mar 2013, 15:00

I'm not too much farther to be honest. Though that temple was pretty interesting in my opinion. Odd how it seems to glorify the man who killed Lincoln. Though the reason makes sense. They still think of black people (or anyone who isn't white and likely America) as little more than servants. So the man who killed the president who helped bring an end to slavery makes sense. I will say that I personally like how just odd the world is so far. It seems very... normal, but with the slight hint that something is very wrong below the surface (besides what's made obvious so far).

That said, I disagree that these are 'good' people. Hell, they try to get you to basically stone an interracial couple likely to death within the first half hour, cheering you on the entire time. it's interesting to me none the less though.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Ptangmatik » 28 Mar 2013, 15:03

The whole point of Infinite is that you're dropped into a city on the cusp of revolution, so there aren't zombies, just stressed men trying to keep the peace and downtrodden workers trying to break it.
The fighting gets much better after you meet Elizabeth, not just because the story is as much about her as it is about you, but also in fights she opens up all sorts of new tactical options and supports you with health and ammo.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby ANeMzero » 28 Mar 2013, 19:12

I hate the Gear system. It absolutely ruins the game.

The fact that gear can't be purchased and is a random drop when you find it works against the player at every turn. If I recall correctly most of the tonics you found in the world in the original Bioshock were randomized, but you still could supplement what you found with a purchasable tonic. Edit: Actually Bioshock 1 had set places for Tonics. Also, while some could only be found in the world and some only in vending machines, most could either be found or purchased. This only makes the system in BSI look infinitely worse.

Furthermore, the tonic system was more open, if you had two melee tonics you could equip two melee tonics. On the other hand if you have two melee hats and no melee shirt you're out of luck. Also, there is just no balance between gear pieces. Why the hell would I wear boots that respawn me with full health if I could (possibly) get boots that replenish my health if I kill someone while at low HP. Dying is always better than not dying.

I think the reason why some people think the combat is a boring piece of shit while others are praising it for its originality basically comes down to whether or not they got a good piece of gear that fits their playstyle (or is just flat out good in general) or if they got a piece of shit that isn't particularly good for any playstyle.
and now; back to me.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Genghis Ares » 29 Mar 2013, 00:19

I just beat it and the ending is pretty cool.

In regards to the combat, I guess it was fairly slow and plodding at the beginning, but the action really picks up in my opinion when you get Elizabeth and new enemies and vigors come into play. I think the two weapons at a time system actually makes it a little better as you have to think on your feet more in tougher situations.

And I had no problem with the gear system. They're just some extra perks and you can switch them from your character menu anytime. I don't see how they could ruin the game. I never felt like I had to play a certain way to utilize them the best way possible. I don't think any of the gear turns you into a superhuman or anything.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby n64bitgamer » 30 Mar 2013, 19:50

My main problem with BSI so far is the setting. Yes a city in the sky is awesome, but compare it to Rapture. Rapture was a city full of titans in their fields, unstable geniuses, and people driven by raw ambition to do great things. This led to characters whose backstories and falls from glory were larger than life. Like a mad surgeon, whose crazed journey to reinvent beauty led to a husk of a man, ripping up bodies to make art, or a gangster whose name still strikes terror into violently psychotic dock workers years after his "death."

Columbia on the hand is defined by what? Social Darwinism and Jingoism. Essentially, its just Vider, Texas, 3 miles in the sky. So all the characters are defined by racism and class inequality. These are well tread tropes in video games. The character roster for this one basically came down to a line up of insufferable racist jackasses. I mean, that's fine but its not particularly interesting or engaging. There weren't that many people in this game interesting enough to really hold my attention. The saving grace is that Elizabeth is actually a super interesting character especially near the end.

Still the game was quite enjoyable. Money well spent.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby JackSlack » 31 Mar 2013, 16:01

No, I've worked out what it is that bugs me: The level design. It's awful. I'm sure someone like James Portnow could do a precise analysis of the issues, but the end result is that half the time you're being shot at with no idea of where or who is shooting you, and thus no ability to create an intelligent response. It's terrible, and it's the biggest problem I have with the game in a big, big way.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Merrymaker_Mortalis » 02 Apr 2013, 01:56

JackSlack wrote:No, I've worked out what it is that bugs me: The level design. It's awful. I'm sure someone like James Portnow could do a precise analysis of the issues, but the end result is that half the time you're being shot at with no idea of where or who is shooting you, and thus no ability to create an intelligent response. It's terrible, and it's the biggest problem I have with the game in a big, big way.


That sounds like my problem I have with Mass Effect 1's combat.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby n64bitgamer » 02 Apr 2013, 02:45

JackSlack wrote:No, I've worked out what it is that bugs me: The level design. It's awful. I'm sure someone like James Portnow could do a precise analysis of the issues, but the end result is that half the time you're being shot at with no idea of where or who is shooting you, and thus no ability to create an intelligent response. It's terrible, and it's the biggest problem I have with the game in a big, big way.


I think I got a lot of that myself, but only in the really open combat areas. I could name a few combat sequences where I only made it through because I let possessed people do most of the fighting. But those sections were few and far enough between that I didn't have much of an issue with it.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Geoff_B » 02 Apr 2013, 03:50

Finished it last night.

Yeah.

Wow.

My head hurts.

Jack? Keep playing.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby JackSlack » 03 Apr 2013, 02:51

Sorry, Geoff, but it's not happening. You know why? Because the fucking last fight.

I give up. I am not beating it. It's too hard. It's too hard in brutally unfair, bullshit ways. It's everything about the level design I decried earlier (big, open levels with no ability to keep track of a million heaps of bullshit) with added complexity in having to control another ability.

And worse, I've stopped caring.

I haven't hated a game this much in a long time.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Geoff_B » 03 Apr 2013, 03:53

I played it on easy mode and didn't have too much trouble with it. I quite enjoyed it actually.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby JackSlack » 03 Apr 2013, 14:38

Update: Beat the wretched thing.

I hate this game. Hate it, hate it, hate it. Hate the way it does its level design. Hate the way it eschews Bioshock's elegant ebbs and flows in favor of a more traditional gameflow. Hate the way it garbles its videogame commentary. Hate the fact that it's still doing videogame commentary long after Bioshock 1 made it trendy and cute. Hate that its videogame commentary only half makes goddamn sense anyway. (Yes, yes, Constants and variables, cute. But in light of the cover furor, the line that there's always a lighthouse and a man feels really on the nose. Does the multiverse have a marketing department telling them the results of their focus tests?) Hated the way it lost interest in its own political commentary halfway in.

Just... blah. I really loathed this game.

Edit: I do like that each developer got to send a line of personalised thank you in the credits. That's sweet, and quite lovely.
Last edited by JackSlack on 20 Apr 2013, 01:32, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby JackSlack » 03 Apr 2013, 16:13

Just so everyone is aware, I hated Batman: Arkham Asylum once upon a time. Some games just provoke this 'hate hate hate hate hate' response on my first playthrough, where I zero in on everything that bugs me and can't see the good points, and on subsequent playthroughs it gets inverted. Usually it's games I find very difficult that provoke the response.

So yes, I will probably wind up loving it. But not today.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Ptangmatik » 03 Apr 2013, 16:23

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Geoff_B » 04 Apr 2013, 00:34

Well at least you got through it :D

Although I admit the very end left things a bit too open-ended for my liking.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby JackSlack » 04 Apr 2013, 01:11

What do people think of the playable stinger, BTW? Is it proof that one version of Booker and Anna survived? Or is it simply Booker, pre-game, stumbling about in his office drunk and forgetting he sold his daughter? I lean to the latter, since it's still in black and white. That means it's in the past relative to the player's perspective.
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby Geoff_B » 04 Apr 2013, 03:39

See? Open-ended. I would have preferred a definite answer one way or the other. Oh well, it keeps the fanfic writers occupied at least :D
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Re: Bioshock Infinite

Postby JQuill » 04 Apr 2013, 11:42

JackSlack wrote:What do people think of the playable stinger, BTW? Is it proof that one version of Booker and Anna survived? Or is it simply Booker, pre-game, stumbling about in his office drunk and forgetting he sold his daughter? I lean to the latter, since it's still in black and white. That means it's in the past relative to the player's perspective.


Because I'm a total sap... I took that ending to be a version where Booker didn't go through with the whole baptism and then had Anna but never gave her away and they lived happily ever after

But as for the game itself, I found it an incredible experience from start to finish, one of the best games I've played in recent years. I'm not sure it quite reaches my love for the original Bioshock, but that is probably one of my 5 favorite games ever so not much does.

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