4.5/5 ★ – fabrici0sf's review of BioShock Infinite.

I'm amazed. Bioshock Infinite flips around the player's expectations when opening a Bioshock title. With the last two games being located in the atlantic city of Rapture, the difference in presentation when we fly away to Columbia is shocking, and at the same time, wonderful. It isn't to say that the game doesn't play like a Bioshock game, it still absolutely does. From plasmids' legacy being transferred to vigor, to the deep philosophical provocations, this is 100% one with the franchise. The claustrophobia built in an underwater city? Forget it. Columbia is a city in the skies, with very broad an open paysages, where the sun shines bright and the industrial wonders are just beginning. The calm 1910s' music complements it all. But you don't even need to scratch the surface to know that this is - at its Bioshockest fashion - far from a Utopia. I like to say that Elizabeth is the protagonist for most of the playthrough. She is created to captivate, and she does so very successfully, with her distinct wondrous personality and will to explore the city, raising important questions such as the necessity for Booker to act violently, she never stops calling for our attention and care. To think that there was a version where Irrational considered Elizabeth to never speak is to think that Bioshock would NOT be the great game that it is now. WE'RE BACK WITH THE RADIAL! Not the weapon radial, but at least the vigor, which is enough, since we can't carry more than two weapons at once here(Shamefully). The fast-paced combat fits just perfect in this game: enemies are diverse enough, arenas are VERY well-thought, especially with Elizabeth's tears serving as aid. I really like it. I love me a game that will make me go watch a 1h+ Youtube video on a very specific topic. For me, that was Bioshock Infinite and determinism. I love the approach here, with determinism not discarding the many worlds theory. It's all very well built and thought provoking. US folks: Columbia is how us foreigners see the US.