BIOSHOCK INFINITE

Irrational Studios have brought us some great games over the years and have always prided themselves on bringing rich and spanning worlds with plot twisting stories. After being purchased by 2K back in 2006 it wasn't long before they released the masterpiece that was Bioshock. Set in the underwater city of Rapture the protagonist would have to battle their way through hordes of Splicers and Big Daddy's in order to reach their goal. The game did remarkably well and was a great take on the FPS genre. Soon Bioshock 2 would brace our homes and its spiritual successor Bioshock Infinite. While in the first two games we were treated to a vast underwater city but this time we're taking to the skies in an interesting take on the floating city of British Columbia circa 1912. It's definitely been a while since I've seen such a pretty game. The contrast of colours and characters throughout the game is stunning with the world of Infinite slowly being turned upside-down as you learn more and more about it's twisted past.

The story itself is well paced and there was never a dull moment; I was always wanting to find out more and would find it very hard to put the controller down. Enter our main protagonist Booker Dewitt who is sent to Columbia to rescue a girl and 'wipe the slate clean' essentially erasing everything bad from his past he's so desperately trying to escape. Booker soon becomes caught up in the mess as the people of Columbia believe he is the 'False Shepard' and has come to lead their precious lamb astray. The main villain, Father Comstock is relentless in ensuring that Booker has the hardest time trying to rescue Elizabeth all the while being pursued by the police, the Songbird (Elizabeth's flying mechanical protector) and the Vox, a band rebels intent on their freedom and liberation of Columbia. There's a lot going on in Infinite and with the introduction of trans-dimensional shifting about quarter of the way through the game one does ask the question: 'Does this all make sense?' Fortunately Infinite does a remarkable jobs of covering all the loose ends and ensures that everything gets wrapped up in a neat little package, a little package that blew my mind at the end of the game, but neat none the less.

The great thing about Infinite is that it recognises that yes it is a floating city in the sky and does explain just how everything works. Getting around the city is great when utilising the skyhook rail system. Flying along at break neck speeds then launching off and landing on enemies is immensely satisfying and does make me happy on the inside just that little bit more. It's been a long time since I've developed an emotional attachment to characters this great. You can relate to everyone in the game but especially Booker and Elizabeth and that's where Bioshock wins me over completely. Everything melds seamlessly together and it is a great adventure. Anyone who's played a Bioshock knows the style of game to expect and this does just that but takes it that extra mile. I can't stress enough that everyone should play this game; it's a worthy addition to the Bioshock series and to my library of games. Until next time...

Genre: FSP Action / Adventure
Platforms: PC, PS3 & 360
Score: 9.7 / 10