Bioshock Infinite

I love me some Bioshock, yes I do, still, no love is unrequited. Bioshock Infinite is a decent game, I played through it, and even enjoyed some of the DLC, however it doesn't meet the bar set by Bioshock 1 or 2. I'd love to know how it would have fared if it didn't have the "Bioshock" legacy attached, I think it would be dropped and forgotten. Set as a prequel/sequel to Bioshock 1 and 2 (play the game to find out how that works) I was highly anticipating this game, maybe it's perceived failure is my fault.

I've given this considerable thought and come to the conclusion that it left the parts that really made it work in Rapture and tried to forge a path into country that wasn't built for paths. Rapture was dark, shadowy, claustrophobic, and scary, the very city itself made you feel like it would kill you without a second thought: Columbia is often bright and airy, and, at times, cheery. Yes, the further you get into the game the darker it gets, figuratively and literally, but it still feels too open, I never got a sense of danger from anything environmental. I did respect the thematic religious overtones of the game, they were a great metaphor, but ultimately did nothing for me on a personal level, it felt more like window dressing;I actually identified with Andrew Ryan and his Libertarian agenda in Rapture, helping me invest in the experience.

Although it is not without its charms...

Game play is solid, if uninspired, I played the bulk of the game using almost no vigors, using only guns on many levels, for which a great deal of ammo can be either found or bought, taking away survivalist urgency. In place of Big Daddies you had vigor equipped bad guys who made things tougher, but since there were so many you got desensitized to them and never really came to dread them, like you did when facing down a Big Daddy. Finally, despite her helpfulnesses and no requirement to defend, I never got used to having Elizabeth with me, it made the whole game feel like one long escort mission.

If you get this cheap, pick it up, I'll give it a 6/10, it's not a bad game, but it amounts to little more than a time filler, not an experience. A much better name for this would have been Bioshock: Call of Duty, it's just another big budget project that can't forget it's past success.