Bioshock Infinite

Bioshock Series is back and this time we are not going underwater but actually shooting up for the skies . Better hold on tight bcos this ain't going to be a smooth ride :D . Bioshock series was initially created back in October 2008 and created a new genre in first person shooting which made game companies realize that for a FPS game , not only is the graphics important but the story makes one hell of a impact too . Bioshock the Original was praised for its superb story telling that made the Gamers Jaw drop when they finally reached the inevitable twist in the story at the end of the game . And the beauty of it is that the hints were always there , but we just won t realize it  . For Gamers who go Nuts over conspiracy theories and such , Bioshock was such a treat then .

Later in 2010 the sequel to Bioshock titled as Bioshock 2 hit the streets . Although the story wasn't jaw dropping exactly like the first , this game packed another new feature that was yet to have come in to FPS genre at that time . Based upon your decisions to save or cultivate the small girls you get to meet in the underwater world of Rapture , the entire nature of the story shifts and as a result the ending will be different for different Gamers . There were 2 endings to the game which got such a huge response that the game was considered a bigger hit .. And also instead of playing as a human you play now as the Big Daddy . Still the ending was huge and many were impressed by it .

So now 2 years from that Bioshock Infinite has come into the Gaming World . Is it intense and Jaw dropping as its predecessors ?? Lets find out  .

Plot ::

Bioshock Infinite starts with you taking up the role of Mr.Booker Dewitt  a disgraced former agent of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. As part of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, he had performed brutal acts against native American Indians at the Battle of Wounded Knee . He continues to work as a private investigator from New York City, referring to himself as an " Independent contractor". You are dropped of at the same Lighthouse that came in the first Bioshock and asked to get the girl back and to wipe away all your debts . Booker enters the lighthouse and like the Bathysphere , activates a mechanism makes the  chair to slowly transform into a rocket pod which launches him up high into the sky and into the world and  the floating City , Columbia . Now its upto Booker to find the Girl and get the hell out of the place before TRUTH catches upto him . Who is this Girl and how can getting her back is ever going to solve Booker's problems is  a mystery that you get to unravel slowly as you travel through the game and ultimately to its end . I won t spoil the ending , so if you want to know what happens, play the game ;)

Gameplay :: 

 You have the usual Gun on your right left hand and Plasmids (genetic alterations)that can be used via Right hand ( Players of Bioshock will know what I am talking about .) Although in this game its known as Vigors , which can be found in bottles scattered throughout Columbia which gives you some extraordinary powers that can be used to your advantage. But whats impressive and new is the Hook which you get in the game . Instead of the Drill that was used by Big Daddy in Bioshock 2 you have a new tool called the HOOK which can be used as a melee weapon to lend out some really impressive Takedowns , and the best part of this is its ability to catch on to a Sky - Line . Since the entire city floats in the air , they use a complex system of rail roads to transfer cargo crates etc. And with the help of the Hook , Booker gets to slide along them and to reach distant destinations . Damn impressive to use in combat situations too . You will love it once you get the hang of it .

Brutal Melee Takedown

And a big aspect of the original FPS genre have been brought back  .Health does not regenerate :P Excellent . That was what made the old FPS games such a hit . Only then you will really worry that your health is dropping and be scared and pray to get a health kit soon . That tension and nervousness have been taken out of the present gen Games . Thanks to Gears of War and Crysis 2007 which introduced the auto regeneration Ritual  which later on became a thing . So sad . The only thing missing in this game was the QUICK SAVE option . If that had been included too then this game would be pretty sweet ;-)

Sky hook Assassination from Top

Another major New feature in the gameplay is the inclusion of Elizabeth in our combat . At first When she started following me , I feared that I have to keep her out of harms way like we did for FARAH in  Prince of Persia : The Sands of time . But thank god , as the game progressed I realized she is more of like of ELKA of Prince of Persia . Or to tell the truth she is much more helpful that Elka . If you remember correctly Elka helps you around mainly in navigation and can save you when you fall to your death . Elizabeth on the other hand is helpful like finding us ammo/ Salts at situations when you are running out of them , Although it may sound its pretty simple and not much of a help , when you play the game you will get to realize as to what I am talking about .

Elka from POP

FARAH from Sands of Time

I mean especially in the firefight . You may run around attaching to sky lines and dropping on enemies and firing your shot guns and you will be so engrossed in the  battle that you wont realize that you are running out of ammo . Right when the Big guy , HANDYMAN , Jumps before you and you look at horror at your ammo content , and just when you think you are doomed , " Booker CATCH" comes a Voice and press the button to get the ammo which Elizabeth throws at you , Reload and BAM  right in his face :D :D Now tats how battles should be . I was really impressed when she helped me out at tight situations .That was really innovative too . i mean when you need health she throws you health kits , when you need ammo you get ammo and when you need salts you get salts . The prospect of running away from your enemy in the heat of the battle to scavenge items for your ammo /health is totally gone :D 

Handyman

Elizabeth has also the ability to open tears ( Temp portal that can be used to transport useful items ) in the game at your command which can be used to bring useful items form other world like a  Machine Gun / Rocket Launcher Automated Robo or Patriot or Sniper Rifles or A Freight hook or Med Kit / Salts Caches that you can use to your Advantage .

Tears into parallel Columbia 

Pretty  Elizabeth

You will totally depend on Elizabeth as you go on through the game that you will start to fall in love with her . I mean wats not to  love .She is cute , funny and pretty useful at tight corners :D She also has the knack of finding hidden coins and Lock Picks . Oh yeah!  for got to mention that Elizabeth is the one who picks the locks for you now . Than god all that hacking stuff I had to do is gone :P It was really frustrating . Especially when you hit the wrong note and the security Bots come at you in Bioshock 2 . Argh!! i hated it when that happened .

Cute Elizabeth

Graphics ::

Breathtaking Columbia

Well the original Bioshock was demanding for the cards of that time . But still there is only to some extent you can show off the gloomy interiors of a room or the dance of a flame . Bioshock infinite is completely different because for the first time in the series , you will be able to see the skies and as as a result you get to enjoy some serious Lighting effects from the sun rays and the colorful palette that is Columbia .What amazes me is that the game runs pretty smooth in any gaming PC . Although its demanding when it comes to the anti-aliasing effects , the game pulls it off without any actual strain on your hardware . And no bugs or glitches throughout the game :D , Tat is really impressive . Hats off to Irrational games for that . 

The game is a feast to the eyes . Especially the way they show the tears and your transition through them . Keep an eye  on the colors , because tats what is going to differentiate them altogether.

Weapons & Upgrades  ::

The weapons for the first time have been limited to carry only 2 , although this kind of sucks , teh game somehow carries it off when you can find  huge amount of weapons all over the place , especially when there is huge firefight going on .

1. Carbine:

My personal favorite in this game . WHY ? , you ask . Well let me tell you . Although FPS generally leans towards its traditional Assault Rifle and Pistol combo , in this game you will start to prefer Carbine ( A 12 shot reload gun ) mainly because of the abundance of bullets and also the slow dispensing of it every time your fire this baby . AS you know , ammo is one thing that is not abundant in Bioshock titles. Either you have to pilfer a body to get some or scavenge for it here and there . Anyway Pretty impressive fire power it packs , that you will find you can pull of a long distance headshot easily if  you are good with your aiming Reflexes . I am sure you will love it . 

2. Machine Gun :: 

You will find it pretty useful in some situations when you come head on with the patriot but still , this weapon dispenses of bullets like crazy . After 2 reloads of full clips expulsion you will find that the gun has run out of ammo . And the only way to get some is to go in search of a Vending machine . Because scavenging for Machine gun bullets in the middle of a firefight may yield only a few bullets that may not be enough not even to full a clip . Upgrades does help somewhat , but you will find yourself not preferring this . 

3. Sniper Rifle :: 

Useless at the beginning , but as you upgrade this gun packs a huge punch and can be used to take down impressive bosses easily by aiming for their heads . Only weapon that you will actually feel a difference when you upgrade . 

There are other weapons that may of be of worthy mention which include the Volley Gun ( Simply a grenade launcher ) which may take some time to get used to , Rocket Launcher ( awfully long reload times ) , Repeater , Heater , Burst gun , Hand Cannon etc..

VIGORS ::

Vigor Selection Wheel

Plasmids have now been renamed as Vigors and you require SALTS in order to use them . Don t worry there are plenty that can be found either in bottles or in food/ edible items  that you scavenge out of enemies or out of desks and tables. The ones that are worth mentioning are

1. Bucking Bronco :: 

This is the most useful Vigor that will be ever used for sure . Has the capability to levitate enemies in air for a specific amount of time while you can pick them out individually in a leisurely pace . Especially useful when swamped by minions and the Heavy guy or The Patriot . Damn useful at the place where you have to fight against Elizabeth's ghost as she makes the dead to come alive  and after you use this on the minions they can levitate for some time  , while you focus your fire on the main Villain ;-)

2. Shock Jockey :: 

Deadly against the Patriots , whose only weak point are the Cogs and Wheels at its back , but damn difficult to navigate behind them as they turn quickly . So you use this to stun them into immobility and blast away at them .

Other abilities likes Back to sender ( Shield) , Murder of Crows ( Sends a batch of crow to stun enemies ) , Possession ( Effective at first but later u will start avoiding it as it drains the salts) , Charge (Waste ) , Devil's kiss ( Again useful at tight corners alone , maybe against the Handyman ), Undertow ( Least used one )

Apart from the normal health you have the extra new one called the shield which helps you out before it gets broken . Be without getting hit for sometime and it regenerates.  Quite new and much useful too when you are really low on health .

Shield Breaking around you as a Patriot fires

The upgrade system has been changed drastically this time . The Vending machine provides you with upgrades for your weapons as well as your vigor abilities, at the cost of money of course . As usual you have to scavenge all around to collect the money , Crack safes and everything .

Health , Shield and Salt Bar upgrades are shelled out in the form of a special portion that are found hidden in some interior part of the levels . One has to be pretty thorough in the search if you are ever going to find these . Getting one gives you the option to upgrade what you think as necessary for you to survive .

Health , Shield , Salts from clockwise 

There are kinectoscope's present through out Columbia that gives you a simple picture about the history of the place in  1 minute small black & White Video . There are barges tat can be used to travel around places . Used very much by enemies who comes at you . Hitting a guy with Rocket Launcher on this thing is pretty hard . 

Pro's ::

1. Get ready to be astounded by a totally awesome story line that has an enormous Twist in the end that  smacks you right in the face least when you were expecting it .
2. Amazing Graphics , Bioshock has never looked so colorful with all the proper lighting and brightness .
3. Any mid Level Gaming PC can run the game without any Hiccups . Although it does strain ur GPU , the effects are never shown in the game .
4. Hats off to the creators who gave us an amazing game with absolute ZERO Glitches / Bugs or Errors. Tat really has to be appreciated . Hell! Even Crysis 3 had a huge game stopping bug at the end .
5. Remarkable and adrenaline pushing gameplay , Thanks to Sky lines and Elizabeth .
6. No game has ever created an A.I ally who performs with remarkable Intelligence , understanding our needs and requirements ,throughout the entire game  .Hats off to the makers of Elizabeth.
7. No Health Regeneration . Takes us back to the roots of FPS Genre .

Con's ::

1. No Quick Save .
2. No Big Boss Battles .
3. Again with Elizabeth the game is too easy .
4. Vigors / Upgrades  were a little less effective in this game .

Overall :: A must play for every FPS gamer out there . Don t worry its not a continuation of the previous Story line of the earlier Bioshock series . It can be played as a standalone without any trouble .

 Rating :: 9.4 / 10