Booker DeWitt the Fortunate Son of Columbia, has come to wipe away his debt and restart Bioshock.
Like the previous entries the story the story is such a big part of the Bioshock games that you have to pay close attention or you'll miss a key part and may become confused. In the beginning of the game read all the signs/banners/torn pages it will help setup the mood. Once in the floating city of Colombia, listen to the people and the voxaphones. The voxaphones give you a deeper look into the city, just like the audio logs in Rapture. Also listen to the music that is sung in the game. It will really surprise you which songs are played and how well they work where they are. My personal favorite song is Fortunate Son by CCR. I believe most of the songs show up more then once in the game so if you miss it the first time it may be somewhere else for you. The story would suffer if the game play was not viable.
Now the game play is the same as Bioshock 2. You get to dual wield a gun and vigor, but this time you only get to have 2 guns with you, but you get to have 2 vigors to switch between instead of only one out. The big difference is the sky rail. Boy is that fun, chaotic, and if your scared to heights (Like I am) and little terrifying. But once you get the mechanics down, you should have a blast using it to get around and fight enemies.
Graphics this time are bright, warm and almost a little more terrifying then Rapture. In Rapture you saw the destruction and decay of the city all around you. Here in Columbia you don't see that. What you get thou is a first hand experience of a city crumble around you as it falls apart. It starts off slowly and you don't see much of the city change around you, but then all of a sudden buildings are on fire and destroyed. The city looks amazing as it changes, which makes you feel like you're effecting the city more this time.
The voice acting is well done and really helps the story and game move forward. Nice to have a protagonist say what he is thinking, then just move around the world. And Elizabeth is one of the most useful escort characters I have ever seen. She doesn't just run to a safe spot and hide, she helps you when and if she can, in and out of battle. She'll give you ammo, coins, salts, and health, as well as figure out codes, and pick locks. The conversations between her and Booker feel weighted and meaningful.
The mood in this game starts off in an erie of mystery, with a light house and a quickly written note. Then for a quick moment there is the wonderful feeling of amazement as your get your first look at Columbia. Then just as quickly you start to get a creepy feeling. It could be from anything you're seeing or walking through. That creepy feeling will stay with you the whole game. It may not be front and center but it's still there. You will be in awe of the situations, the sights and sounds of the city, and curious of what is right around the corner or down in the next room. The mood may be ever changing, but that is a good thing. To be in one mood for too long and you start to get comfortable, or unnerved (If this was a horror game). An ever changing mood keeps you off balance and engaged in the world the whole time.
Bioshock Infinite is an ambitious game that does not over reach its self. I always felt like I could understand what was going on in the story line. Even thou I am not a person into Quantum Science. The ending still made sense to me and I was able to get the whole purpose of the tears and the other worlds. In a simple way thought of the film The One with Jet Li. If you know the film then you get the connection. For those of you who have not, the connection is all about the multiple yous and worlds. The key is the brother/sister Lutece and who they are to each other.
So is this game worth playing? I believe so, but I am bias in that I enjoy the series. Is this game for everyone? No, and I will not say that it is. If you're not into FPS games or Dystopia stories that you can skip this game. I enjoyed it and will enjoy it over the years. I hope that more games could have stories that were just as interesting, compelling, and thought provoking.