4/5 ★ – Endless_backlog's review of Bioshock Infinite: The Complete Edition.

14hrs After playing Bioshock 1&2, Bioshock Infinite came as almost a suprise to me. The first two games are set in the underwater city of Rapture, with similar gameplay and characters. Bioshock infinite completely changes the setting for somewhere new in “Columbia”, the city in the skies. You play as Henry DeWitt, a man tasked with heading to Columbia to retrieve a wanted girl, with the reward of having his punishing debt wiped from him. Infinite displays fantastic cinematography in its unveiling of the floating city, as it done previously with Rapture. Along with the underwater world itself, the use of key characters such as big daddy’s and little sisters, of which the first two games were integral, are replaced with new character models. As the story develops, this perfect image propaganda of 1913 steampunk USA shows its true colours as the racism and capitalism are unveiled. Segregated bathrooms and workers who only get paid in credits for the factory they work in are just small examples of these. Plasmids from Bioshock 2 are replaced with “Vigors”, of which there are plenty. Collecting them gradually throughout the game, you will gain abilities such as summoning a murder of crows to attack enemies or possessing enemy machines to attack their own people. There is also a good selection of guns although my biggest concern with the combat was only being able to carry 2 Vigors and 2 weapons at any one time. This felt like it was robbing me of the freedom to take down enemies with variety. What Bioshock Infinite does differently is the addition of a rail system across the city skyline. Booker is equipped with a claw like arm attachment which is not only useful for melee, but also joy riding the rails to traverse the city. The game flows effortlessly with quick revivals and a good checkpoint system. The girl you are escorting, Elizabeth, is controlled with clever AI and keeps up with you with no issues. She holds her own in combat and you are not required to protect her. She also supplies you with ammo and health when you are running low, which made the difficulty quite easy and would have been a better challenge if this was scaled back. Bioshock infinite is such a switch up from the survival horror of Rapture to the bright and busy city of Columbia and while some think it doesn’t fit the trilogy I personally thought it was great and if anything wish Bioshock 2 offered more individuality. The two lead characters are captivating, the game mechanics are fluid and a blast, the set pieces are iconic (the songbird in particular) and the story and twist despite waiting to the final third to reveal its cards is unforgettable.