BioShock Infinite (PC Game)

BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter video game developed by Irrational Games, and published by 2K Games. Previously known as "Project Icarus" in development, it was released worldwide on the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 platforms on March 26, 2013. BioShock Infinite is the third installment in the BioShock series, and though it is not part of the storyline of previous BioShock games, it does feature similar gameplay concepts and themes. The game's concept and setting were developed by Irrational's creative lead, Ken Levine, who took inspiration from both historical events at the turn of the 20th century, as well as more recent ones at the time such as the "Occupy" protests.
Set in 1912 during the growth of American exceptionalism, the game has protagonist, former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to the floating air-city of Columbia to find a young woman, Elizabeth, who has been held captive there for most of her life. Though Booker rescues Elizabeth, the two are pursued by the city's warring factions: the nativist and elite Founders that strive to keep the city for pure Americans, and the Vox Populi, rebels representing the common people. Booker finds Elizabeth to be central to this conflict, and learns that she possesses strange powers to manipulate rifts in the space-time continuum that ravage Columbia.
The player controls Booker throughout the game, eventually working with the AI-controlled Elizabeth. Like previous BioShock games, the player uses a combination of weapons, gear, and psychokinetic powers granted through vigors. Elizabeth's powers can also be used to help fight hostile forces. In contrast to the limited spaces of the underwater city of Rapture, the open-air city of Columbia provides for more combat challenges, including combat that takes place aboard the city's Skyline rollercoaster-like rail system. The game also features an optional "1999 Mode", harking back to games like System Shock 2 where decisions made by the player have a more permanent impact on the game.
BioShock Infinite won numerous pre-release awards for its display at E3 2011, including Best of Show from the Game Critics Awards. Upon release, the game received critical acclaim and was favorably compared to, with some even considering it had surpassed, the original BioShock game. The game's plot and visual aesthetics were particularly praised (with its ending sparking debates across internet forums), while the combat received a divided response with some praising its new additions and others criticizing its simplicity. Its themes of political and religious beliefs, and the use of excessive violent imagery have also raised controversy. Take Two has reported that over 3.7 million retail copies have shipped within the first two months of the game's release.

BioShock Infinite (PC Game) Rating.

BioShock Infinite (PC Game) Screenshot

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Gameplay

Like BioShock and BioShock 2, BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter with role-playing elements. As Booker, the player moves around Columbia both on foot and by using a grappling hook on a series of railways connecting the buildings called the Skyline. The player will gain weapons which can be used in numerous ways, including on the Skyline,although the player is only able to carry two weapons at once. Booker gains powers and abilities by using vigors, the equivalent of BioShock's plasmids and tonics, and wearing gear, all scattered around Columbia. Vigors grant activated powers such as telekinesis, electricity manipulation, and animal control (as shown by the manipulation of a murder of crows in the gameplay demo); gear grant passive abilities that can improve the player's strength or damage resistance. Vigors require Salt, the equivalent of magic points or BioShock's EVE, for powering their abilities. Vigors have upgrade paths that can be purchased from vending machines, and alternate-fire capabilities. With gear, the player only has four available slots, and has to make decisions on which combination of offensive and defensive capabilities work for them.

Once reunited with Elizabeth, the player must work with her to escape Columbia. Elizabeth stays out of battle, scavenging the area for ammo, health packs, Salt, and other items, and tossing them to Booker as needed. She can also use her tear-opening powers to aid the player, bringing in weapons, health, Salts, environmental features such as cover or a ledge for higher ground, and automated defense units. Only one tear can be opened at a time, making the player decide between the available options to suit the battle. The player will not directly control Elizabeth, but instead she will react to the player and the current situation in a manner similar to the AI Director in Left 4 Dead, according to Levine. The player will need to protect Elizabeth, but will not need "to babysit and hand-hold" her through the game. Levine has stated that "in no way, shape, or form is this an escort mission", noting that players reacted negatively to a late-game stage in the original BioShock in which they were tasked with protecting a Little Sister.

Several different human forces are at work opposed to the player's progress within the city, including forces representing the Founders and the Vox Populi. Furthermore, the player and Elizabeth are chased by Songbird (sometimes simply referred to as "Him"), who attempts to snatch Elizabeth from the player after being her guardian and companion for the last twelve years. Four types of larger mechanical enemies created by the Founders, dubbed "Heavy Hitters," act as mini-bosses throughout the game, demanding new tactics from the player. One type of such enemies is named Handymen, so named for their large porcelain doll-like hands; they are robotic-like monsters housing a human heart and head, with the ability to jump far distances and easily throw player- and non-player characters alike. A second class is the Motorized Patriots, once used as tour guides for the city, decorated in patriotic colors and wearing a wax mask of a Founding Father of the United States; they assault foes with a "peppermill" automatic machine gun. The Boys of Silence are men in foppish outfits locked into a metal helmet with giant ears; the humans inside are blind but, due to their helmet, have super-human hearing and act as Columbia's security system, requiring the player to choose carefully between stealth and a direct assault, whereupon the Boys can scream to call in backup. Finally, the Siren is a mysterious, completely enshrouded female figure, based on the Spiritualism movement near the end of the 19th century, that can revive defeated foes during combat, requiring the player to decide whether to concentrate attacks on the Siren or the newly revived enemies. The player has several options of approaching the Heavy Hitters, such as by using stealth to bypass the encounter, or to hack into the machine and take control of the units.

The Skyline is a rail-based system (originally designed for moving cargo around Columbia but later used for personal transport) similar to the concept found in the Ratchet & Clank games and described by Levine as "a roller coaster, over another roller coaster, over another roller coaster"; players activate a wrist-mounted tool that Booker and enemies wear to jump and hang onto the self-powered tracks. Players can jump onto, off of, and between Skyline tracks at any time, and may face enemies that use the system to attack; the player can use one-handed weapons in Booker's free hand while using the Skyline. Freedom of movement along the Skyline allows for several varieties of combat, including flanking, cover, and area-of-effect attacks through creative uses of the system. Levine considered the Skyline to introduce new options in combat, in the same manner that the use of jetpacks in Tribes or the vehicles in Halo had done, which had helped make those games unique entries in the first-person-shooter genre.

Irrational Games has stated that the game's set pieces are not heavily scripted; they made this statement in response to reaction to a gameplay preview video released during the week of September 21, 2010, which, within ten minutes, demonstrated numerous elements of the game. The development team called the game's pacing "like BioShock 1", and that while there will be some scripted set pieces, the developers want the player to be able to explore Columbia at their own pace. Unlike Jack or Delta, the silent protagonists of BioShock and BioShock 2 respectively, and who are guided by radio commands from a third party, Booker is a vocal character, with dialogue designed to aid the player in leading Booker to complete his mission. Players in Infinite will revisit areas from earlier in the game, in the same manner of BioShock. However, to create a better narrative, the Irrational team borrowed ideas from Batman: Arkham Asylum, a similar open-world game in which players, on return to previous areas, would find new elements that would advance the plot and gameplay.

In addition to the normal game mode, BioShock Infinite includes a "1999 Mode," so named for the release year of System Shock 2, a game worked on by Levine and several other Irrational Games developers. 1999 Mode is a more challenging version of the game, requiring the player to make mutually exclusive specialization choices, such as choosing Booker's proficiency with certain weapon types, which may make later parts of the game difficult to complete and may require the player to reload from earlier saved games to manage his/her resources more efficiently.