Gamer's Paradise: Read Before You Buy

"Are you afraid of God, Booker?" - Elizabeth

"No, but I'm afraid of you" - Booker Dewitt

From the start of the game, you want to know why exactly that is, and boy does it tell you.

*Minor Spoilers ahead*

Bioshock Infinite is the third installment in the Bioshock series, but is somewhat of a spin off in comparison to the first two. Bioshock took place in the underwater city of Rapture, and had you playing the game from the viewpoint of a Big Daddy, the care takers of the Little Sisters. Bioshock 2 also took place in Rapture, but had you play as a plane crash survivor who coincidentally ended up in the city after almost dying.

Without getting too much into that, Bioshock Infinite takes place in the floating city of Columbia, and players take on the role of Booker Dewitt, a war veteran of the battle of Wounded Knee.

The initial start of the game has Booker in a row boat with two other people, taking him to the same Lighthouse that makes an appearance in the previous Bioshocks but with a different purpose. Upon arriving at the lighthouse, a letter addressed to Dewitt is pinned to the door that says: "Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt", one of the main recurring themes of the game.

As he travels to the top, he comes across a room with a chair in the center. Another letter tells him to sit in the chair, and after doing so a countdown sequence initiates and he is propelled into the sky to the beautiful city of Columbia. A little fast forwarding, the game progresses to the point where the player becomes aware through various propaganda across the city that a man called the False Shepherd will be the destruction of the city, and the sign of his coming is a brand on the mans hand with the initials A.D., the same initials on Booker's right hand.

Needless to say, within a short amount of time all hell breaks loose and Booker must fight his way to the tower imprisoning the girl he must bring back: Elizabeth.

The combat in Bioshock Infinite is similar to its predecessors, but much more versatile and possibly even more gory . Skylines make an appearance in the game which become a mode of transport for the player and enemies alike using magnetized hooks and have a major impact on combat if used properly. Once dealing enough damage to an enemy, the player has the option to brutally execute them with the Skyhook and take their weapon. Another twist on combat is the addition of Gear, articles of clothing found during the game that enhance a certain aspect of Booker's combat ability (i.e. jumping off a skyline causes explosive damage, aiming down the sight of your gun increases damage by x %, etc).

The weapon system has been altered as well, instead of being able to carry multiple weapons like in previous Bioshocks, the player can only carry two at any given time with the ability to switch between any dropped or found weapons during the course of the game.

Plasmids, or more accurately labeled Vigors now, make their return. Vigors are drinks that alter one's DNA to give them supernatural abilities, such as shooting explosive magma or electricity from their hands, and are activated by using Salts (Eve). Players can still switch between the use of Vigors and guns much in the same way as Bioshock 2, but the chosen Vigor is not always actively shown in the left hand as before.

Back to the story, Booker manages to find his way to Elizabeth's tower, and soon realizes that she is unknowingly being imprisoned within it by a man called Zachary Comstock, the founder and Prophetic Leader of Columbia. As Booker unlocks the door to the exit, the tower begins to shake and Songbird, a huge mechanical bird and warden of the tower, begins to tear it apart in order to take Elizabeth back.

The two manage to escape, and Booker convinces Elizabeth to accompany him on the premise that he will take her to Paris. It soon becomes known that Elizabeth is not a normal human being, even with the presence of Vigors. She has the ability to make tears in space and time to locations around the world and even alternate realities, which is why she was being held inside the tower as a way to investigate her powers. The two become somewhat close as they travel through Columbia, unraveling the secrets behind the city and Elizabeth herself.

All in all, the game is a great change of pace from previous installments. The first two games had a very heavy doom and gloom setting, and although the mood of Infinite is far from cheery, its somewhat brighter and uplifting. Player related choices no longer have any effect on the game's ending, only minor changes during certain cutscenes. The conspiracy revolving around Elizabeth and even Booker himself draws players into the story, and when not fighting off massive giants similar to Big Daddys or other Vigor wielding enemies, players are trying to unravel the mystery behind the meaning of Booker's self inflicted brand of A.D. on his hand and especially Elizabeth's powers.

Bioshock Infinite: 9 stars out of 10.

My only gripe with the game is that it did not have a multiplayer mode like Bioshock 2 did. They could have done so much with it but they opted out. The closest thing to multiplayer they have is the addition of the Infinite Clouds arena mode, where Booker and Elizabeth fight waves of enemies in an attempt to climb the leaderboards.

For those fanatics of past Rapture adventures, Infinite is slated for a Burial at Sea dlc that is set on the day before the fall of Rapture (New Years Eve, 1958), and you play as Booker in one part, Elizabeth in the second in which are clearly alternate versions of the ones from Columbia.