107retrostationQThe bionic budgie Songbird is a relentless pursuer. QUsing the Sky-Hook to ride Columbia’s rails is ace. QElizabeth can tear holes in reality. Paris ahoy!
very now and then a
game comes along with
a setting so evocative it
burns itself into your brain
forever. That Irrational’s
spiritual sci-fi shooter
trilogy contains two all-time
amazing worlds is downright unfair
to all the other blasters. While the
submerged terrors of the original’s
Rapture remain a bona fide watery
wonder, BioShock Infinite’s astonishing
Columbia matches the aquatic kingdom
blow for blow.
A captivating, early-20th-century city
in the sky, this steampunk metropolis is
an utter delight to explore. Suspended
high above the clouds by a fancy
physics technique called “quantum
levitation”, its various districts and
islands float thanks to a combination
of blimps and balloons. In motion, the
constantly levitating city provides
scintillating sights few PS4 titles can
match, let alone your average PS3
game back in 2013.
Like the original’s knockout opening,
Infinite has a truly belting intro. Over
the half-decade since the classic FPS
shot its way onto the scene, few games
have come close to rivalling its majestic,
dreamy, seductively spiritual first half-
hour. After being catapulted into the
clouds following yet another creepy
lighthouse encounter, you end up being
baptised and taking part in carnival
games, before being ousted as “The
False Shepherd” by Columbia’s bigoted
locals. Intro acts don’t come any more
eclectic or electric than Infinite’s
astonishing opening.
Stepping into the shoes of disgraced
detective Booker DeWitt – who’s voiced
by an especially on-form Troy Baker –
you’re given one simple task: “bring us
the girl and wipe away the debt.” The
girl in question is no helpless damsel,
though. Instead, Elizabeth is a reality-
ripping badass who proves an essential
ally in combat as she and Booker work
together to escape Columbia and
the sinister cultists who serve the
enigmatic, overbearing prophet known
as Comstock.
As a classic PlayStation pairing,
DeWitt and Lizzie are right up there
with Ratchet & Clank, Ico and Princess
Yorda, and even Joel and Ellie from The
Last Of Us, such is their constantly
surprising, gently moving partnership.As the adventure unfolds Booker’s
weary cynicism is worn down by the
much younger Elizabeth’s wide-eyed
enthusiasm, and overall Infinite spins
a more complete, satisfying yarn
than even the first BioShock and its
legendary third-act twist.
It’s no surprise then that when both
story and setting are so stellar, they
slightly overshadow the game’s (still
excellent) shooting. Booker’s arsenal
of rifles and old-timey pistols crunch
and crackle, but it’s an invigorating
set of paranormal power-ups that
really elevate enemy encounters. A
slight twist on the original’s Plasmids,
Infinite’s Vigors allow DeWitt to burn,
levitate, and hypnotise his foes. Hell,
you can even take a page out of
Alfred Hitchcock’s pecky playbook and
overwhelm bad guys with murders of
merciless crows, à la The Birds.INFINITE APPEAL
Is Infinite as effortlessly iconic as the
masterful original? Not quite. No single
moment in this game can topple that
“Would you kindly?” shocker, though
Booker and Elizabeth’s adventure
definitely has a more compelling ending
than Jack’s. There’s also no single
enemy to rival the first game’s Big
Daddy, even if the Motorized Patriot
(imagine if George Washington and the
Terminator sired a maniacal, motorised
offspring) comes mighty close. But
we’re talking about one excellent game
surpassing another nearly as good
here. Despite slightly living in Rapture’s
submerged shadow, BioShock Infinite
with its enthralling Columbia remains
a sky-high classic.Every month we celebrate the most important,
innovative or just plain great games from
PlayStation’s past. This issue we take to the clouds
for skyward slaughter in one of PS3’s cleverest,
captivating and memorable shooters
High flyer
BioShock Infinite
CLASSIC GAMEAS A CLASSIC
PAIRING, DEWITT AND
LIZZIE ARE UP THERE
WITH JOEL AND ELLIE.