BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

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Jaymann
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Jaymann »

naednek wrote:
skystride wrote:Elizabeth is great. I think the best part in the game so far has been right before you physically meet her. That thing that happens made me go holy crap out loud.
Spoiler:
the first time she opens a rift, and was that Tears for Fears music playing?
Something you rarely see in games, Elizabeth's skin is not flawless. You can see some pimples in close ups.
You should play the new tombraider. As time goes on, and as she piles on more injuries you start seeing scratches, bruises, dirt stains on clothes, and much more. It's really impressive.
Yeah, I actually wanted her to jump in water and clean up.

Think I will wait for a sale on BSI - and hopefully a save patch.
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YellowKing
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by YellowKing »

With two toddlers running around, my time is extremely limited. If I didn't multi-task, I'd have to choose between gaming or TV, and that's a Sophie's Choice I'm not willing to make.

You people with all your free time and your fancy shoes and your butlers and your sparkling bottled water. YOU SICKEN ME!
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Gavin
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Gavin »

I'm glad to see I'm not the only person with time juggling issues. I have so many backlogged games that I have to play first before I even think of getting this one... It's a shame when it's a game I really want.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by godhugh »

Finished it. Probably took around 13-14 hours. Combat really, really opens up as you get closer to the end and all your options are available. There are some incredibly fun arenas to fight in and I was thoroughly enjoying combat for the last 50% of the game after being kinda bored with it initially. Graphics, music, and art direction are incredible throughout.

As for the end, no spoilers, I'll just say...Woah. Holy Shit. Wow. Awesome.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Kyosho »

I apologize in advance for the language in this post...

Well fuck me. I'm just about at the end of the game. Hell, this could be the last battle of the game for all I know. But fuck. Every battle up to now has been fine. Sure, I've had close calls, but this battle? I've lost several times. I'll just say, you have to defend something and if its health meter goes to zero, you lose. And no matter what I do, I can't pull it off. I've done it six times now and each time takes several minutes. I've tried different strategies with different weapons and different tactics, but no. Why the fuck would they design a game that stays mildly challenging throughout (other than the first 5 hours or so) and then ramp up the difficulty SO FUCKING HIGH? I understand it could possibly be the endgame fight, but fuck. No game should do this. Having to retry something over and over is NOT fun. In some cases it can be, but NOT like this. Not when it takes you completely out of the experience, out of the story, out of the game, and turns into a slog fest. Fuck. I have to take a break or I'm going to smash something to pieces.

I really don't get why games do this. It's happened plenty of times before. It's so especially bad in story-centric games. Whatever emotional state the game has put you in prior to this happening, whatever events occurred, whatever transpired, gets wiped out clean out of your mind by pure frustration. It's a complete disservice to the story and narrative in general. It's hard to get back into the mindset of the story after slogging through a battle like this. It's like... imagine you're watching really good film for the first time, and you're REALLY into it but then your significant other comes home and picks a fight with you. And it gets heated and you get really angry and shit. You try to sit back down and finish the movie but..can you? I mean, do you even fucking feel like it?


godhugh, and anyone else who has finished it, is there much more after this?
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by godhugh »

Kyosho wrote:I apologize in advance for the language in this post...

Well fuck me. I'm just about at the end of the game. Hell, this could be the last battle of the game for all I know. But fuck. Every battle up to now has been fine. Sure, I've had close calls, but this battle? I've lost several times. I'll just say, you have to defend something and if its health meter goes to zero, you lose. And no matter what I do, I can't pull it off. I've done it six times now and each time takes several minutes. I've tried different strategies with different weapons and different tactics, but no. Why the fuck would they design a game that stays mildly challenging throughout (other than the first 5 hours or so) and then ramp up the difficulty SO FUCKING HIGH? I understand it could possibly be the endgame fight, but fuck. No game should do this. Having to retry something over and over is NOT fun. In some cases it can be, but NOT like this. Not when it takes you completely out of the experience, out of the story, out of the game, and turns into a slog fest. Fuck. I have to take a break or I'm going to smash something to pieces.

I really don't get why games do this. It's happened plenty of times before. It's so especially bad in story-centric games. Whatever emotional state the game has put you in prior to this happening, whatever events occurred, whatever transpired, gets wiped out clean out of your mind by pure frustration. It's a complete disservice to the story and narrative in general. It's hard to get back into the mindset of the story after slogging through a battle like this. It's like... imagine you're watching really good film for the first time, and you're REALLY into it but then your significant other comes home and picks a fight with you. And it gets heated and you get really angry and shit. You try to sit back down and finish the movie but..can you? I mean, do you even fucking feel like it?


godhugh, and anyone else who has finished it, is there much more after this?
From a combat perspective, no. That's the last big fight.

And yeah, that's a toughie. I think it took me 4 tries on Hard mode. Here's what I did to beat it:

END GAME SPOILERS!
Spoiler:
You can destroy the basic gunships with an RPG pretty easily. These are the ones that fire rockets at the ship, but they don't actually do much damage to the zeppelin, they're really just annoying. So, I had Songbird focus on keeping the deck clear while I took the ships out. He regenerates really fast that way and you can hold up the Patriots with Shock Traps and Possession if you need too. For the Flak Guys, I just used Undertow to knock them off the ship. Once the two Zeppelins show up, have Songbird take them out as soon as you get a chance (ie: he's regenerated and there aren't any Patriots on your deck or they're at least far away from the core). If you only have one Zeppelin left, go out and take it out regardless of what it on your deck as once it blows up your decks are cleared and you can move on.

Hope that makes some sense.
Try not to let it bog you down, it's worth it in the end :).
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Kyosho »

Thank you, thank you, thank you! That strategy worked perfectly.

And yeah, that ending, man. Damn, that was pretty awesome.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Daehawk »

Lots of hidden music from different eras in it. ill leave finding that video up to you. I did like the tears for Fears one haha.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken (Choral Version) This is from near the beginning when you first arrive and are in the church like area. Haunting. Though I noticed they left all the parts about God in it.
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Kyosho
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Kyosho »

This one is better. Has all the ooohs and stuff. Not just the cropped song. Also, has the awesome reverb.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Lordnine »

Just finished the game. I stand by my complaints but the last third of the game is brilliant enough that I would still recommend the game whole heartedly.

The tonal shifts that occur around the halfway point make me wonder if they went with the intro section as it was because they were afraid of scaring people off. In my opinion the Patriotic ideology really doesn’t fit with the rest of the game and if they had gone with a pure religious tone I think the game would have been stronger for it.

I had actually been expecting the ending revelation for quite a while. They still handled it in a clever and satisfying fashion so high marks to them for that.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Turtle »

Lordnine wrote:Just finished the game. I stand by my complaints but the last third of the game is brilliant enough that I would still recommend the game whole heartedly.

The tonal shifts that occur around the halfway point make me wonder if they went with the intro section as it was because they were afraid of scaring people off. In my opinion the Patriotic ideology really doesn’t fit with the rest of the game and if they had gone with a pure religious tone I think the game would have been stronger for it.

I had actually been expecting the ending revelation for quite a while. They still handled it in a clever and satisfying fashion so high marks to them for that.
So:
Spoiler:
What did you think of the rapture cameo? I didn't think it was going to be that extensive, rather I just expected to see it show up through a tear, instead of being in it.

I primarily used the Hand Cannon when I could find ammo and usually some backup weapon that could clear groups. Together with the Overkill gear, it meant I could keep nearby enemies stunned by popping the weaker enemies.

Possession was great skill to start out with, powerful, but not too powerful. A very good choice from the developers and used a lot.

After that, I started finding bucking bronco and the fireball one the most useful. The fireball I used for traps to cover other angles when fighting, it usually did enough damage to kill off any weak flanking enemies. Bucking bronco was to get large groups of enemies out of the way.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Kyosho »

As far as weapons, vigors, etc. used:
Spoiler:
Very early on, shotgun with machine gun. Once I got the hand cannon and sniper rifle, I went with those two the rest of the game. Except in some parts where forced to use something else. I actually would keep them if I could, even if out of ammo, because I didn't know when I'd see them again. Every other gun I tried (just shot it, without enemies around) to see what it did, but felt like those two weapons covered everything I could need. Especially with my fire melee as backup.

As for vigors, mostly the electric one. A little bit of the fire one for good measure as well. Possession one for getting the vending machines to spit out money. Which, incidentally, was a bit buggy. On a few occasions the money would go below the floor (sometimes unreachably so) which would annoy the crap out of me because I'd wasted salts on it.

With the equipment/armor/whatever.. I went with the shield recharge hat (I think it was the hat), the thing that gave you salts when people died, the fire melee thing (extremely handy, and you get it very early), and whatever random thing in the other slot.

For upgrade potion things, I completely maxed out my shield, put a few in salts, and only a couple in health. Worked well for my playstyle. Having a shield that lasted longer meant I could run around like a jackass in short bursts and not die immediately. And with the shield recharge item, I didn't have to wait long whenever I had to duck into cover.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Lordnine »

Turtle wrote:
So:
Spoiler:
What did you think of the rapture cameo? I didn't think it was going to be that extensive, rather I just expected to see it show up through a tear, instead of being in it.

I primarily used the Hand Cannon when I could find ammo and usually some backup weapon that could clear groups. Together with the Overkill gear, it meant I could keep nearby enemies stunned by popping the weaker enemies.

Possession was great skill to start out with, powerful, but not too powerful. A very good choice from the developers and used a lot.

After that, I started finding bucking bronco and the fireball one the most useful. The fireball I used for traps to cover other angles when fighting, it usually did enough damage to kill off any weak flanking enemies. Bucking bronco was to get large groups of enemies out of the way.
Spoiler:
Actually, I was expecting an even bigger role for Rapture but in a different way. Around the time Elizabeth brought the guy back to life from an alternate dimension I figured where they were going with the interconnected realities. My assumption, however, was that they were going to play on Elizabeth’s title of “Lamb”. Lamb, if you remember, was the antagonist of Bioshock 2 whose views of altruism would have fit in line with Elizabeth’s actions to save the workers in shanty town.

As for weapons and vigors; early on I stuck to the assault rifle and the RPG backed up with Possession and Electric traps. The electric traps were great because one trap could stun a group of about 5 people and then I would head shot them at me leisure.

Later on, because of the gear I was wearing (invulnerability when jumping from the travel lines, dead enemies stun nearby enemies) and because I switched to the "Return to sender" tonic, the combat became incredibly easy to the point where I stopped taking damage entirely. The return to sender tonic blocks melee damage as well, by the way. At that point I went through all the weapon achievements for kills just because I could.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Jag »

My game has been running for hours while im gone because of no save point. I really hate when they do this.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by killbot737 »

Wow you guys all differently from me (weapon and vigor wise) and yet it seems we are all cruising along.

I have a "play the game for an hour" spoiler question: Vendor-bots pay out money if you seduce them? WTF? I tried that right away (as soon as I got the vigor) and nothing ever happened so I gave up on it. Now I'm about pissed enough to open up the cheat console and give myself 1000000 cash. :evil:

-ed: I forgot to mention that the bowler-hat clenched-fist people all look exactly like a guy I grew up with. It's freaky.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Teggy »

killbot737 wrote:Wow you guys all differently from me (weapon and vigor wise) and yet it seems we are all cruising along.

I have a "play the game for an hour" spoiler question: Vendor-bots pay out money if you seduce them?
Yes, but be careful, if you do it in front of cops who are otherwise ignoring you you will be shot at.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Jag »

killbot737 wrote:I have a "play the game for an hour" spoiler question: Vendor-bots pay out money if you seduce them? WTF? I tried that right away (as soon as I got the vigor) and nothing ever happened so I gave up on it. Now I'm about pissed enough to open up the cheat console and give myself 1000000 cash. :evil:
Yeah, not only does everything attack you and the people run away, most times you don't really get much. Varies between 10-40 or so coins. Barely worth the salt it costs.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Sepiche »

Finally finished the game the other night. Really enjoyed it all the way through.
Spoiler:
Wow, that's a hell of an ending! I had a lot of the pieces put together, but the final Comstock/DeWitt reveal surprised me. I was actually starting to think they were just going to end it with the lighthouses to leave open the possibility of infinite sequels. :)

Some favorite moments:
My favorite level has to be the Hall of Heroes. I just loved the exhibits and the fun little battles all the way through. Surely this level also set some sort of record for the most racist artwork in a game. :P

I love the reveal that Albert Fink was listening to music in other dimensions and stealing the best stuff. Really clever way to mix in some good music in a way that fit the setting.

The scene where Booker picks up the guitar and accompanies Elizabeth was fantastic. Really a nice, sweet moment in all the chaos.

Columbia really grew on me once I got into the parts where the city is starting to fall to the Vox. Basically letting you see the city in it's prime and then getting to witness the collapse unlike in Bioshock where you arrive well after the big crash.

I think there's some reasonable critiques of Elizabeth to me made, but on the whole I think they created a great character and were successful in making her feel like your companion throughout the game. I wasn't annoyed at all with her passing me gear in combat and out since it took just a second, and was usually needed.
I started on a 1999 playthrough, but we'll see how far I get. I expect I'll get into it for a while, but give up on some of the later fights. Even on normal mode some of those fights with Handymen were close run things. :P
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Turtle »

Elizabeth passing your items is pretty much instrumental to making players more endeared with her, overcoming any resistance to the idea of the game being an escort mission.

It also helps that she's pretty much out of harms way at all times, and always there when you need her.

Hoo boy, that Tropes Versus Women in Video Games will have a field day with this. :P

That aside, it's still a very good mechanic because she always provides you with what you need right there and then. Running low on ammo for the gun you like to use? She'll toss you more. Firing off too many vigors and out of Salts? She's got a bottle on hand. Around some vending machines and need a little more cash? She'll flip you a coin.

But on top of that story and character of the mechanic, it also helps the player play how they want to play. You can be more aggressive, and not have to look around through every barrel.

More post-game discussion:
Spoiler:
For example, in the ghetto area, she will never hand you money because there's none to be found.

Anyone loving the stuff people are making to explain the ending? I'm not talking the wild theories, but rather the flowcharts and diagrams illustrating how things play out exactly, and many getting bits wrong. Honestly I haven't really looked at it because the exact order of events matters little.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by WarPig »

Just finished. Wow. The entire game is so cinematic and immersive. Y'all are right; they do a fantastic job of endearing you to Elizabeth. I cared about her from the moment I met her, and knowing I didn't have to worry about her during combat just meant that I wasn't annoyed by her. As to the ending...
Spoiler:
I'm not one to speculate with theories and the like, at least not while I'm still digesting the full meaning of that ending, but very well done. I almost lost it when we appeared in Rapture. I'd wish for a movie of this game if I wasn't afraid Hollywood would destroy it.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by elite »

It's a game - it don't have to be rational ;)
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by gbasden »

I think this game has to have just jumped into my top 10. I absolutely loved the story line. Maybe I'm dense, but I thought it was going in a completely different direction. The last 20 minutes just kept me on the edge of my seat.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Jag »

Just finished. I was worried about witch upgrades, vigors, gear to take, etc. but in the end it didn't really matter. I even finished the game using a different weapon than the ones I upgraded just because it was there and useful for the situation. So I wouldn't worry about upgrading stuff for the end too much.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Gavin »

WarPig wrote: I cared about her from the moment I met her, and knowing I didn't have to worry about her during combat just meant that I wasn't annoyed by her.
I am shocked that they actually managed to make an entire game an escort mission without making it suck. What a great company, take my least favorite missions in any game and turn it into something I actually enjoy.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Daehawk »

Not sure I posted it or someone else has..ive avoided this thread since release cause I haven't gotten it yet.

but someone made a video of the opening of the game with just the music. pretty cool. even the lady who sang it left a post about how she liked it with the piano intro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYpAOY-Cy8s" target="_blank
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by YellowKing »

I've played 18 hours and I'm just now reaching the end. It's taking me a little longer because I'm playing on Hard and I'm also very thorough. I was hoping to push through and beat it tonight but I've got to get some sleep.

Funny moment I wanted to share (don't read unless you've reached the end of the game):
Spoiler:
That freaking horn-headed alarm guy in the asylum level scared the living SHIT out of me. That part where you turn around and he's just standing there? It caught me sooo off-guard, I turned around, shrieked like a girl, jumped about 2 feet back in my chair, then just emptied my entire clip into it. Seriously Irrational, you almost gave a poor old gamer a heart attack. :D
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by ScaryMike »

If you've finished the game, this thread is worth checking out. Lots of neat discoveries, and a fair bit of speculation to boot.

HEAVY SPOILERS! Only visit after you have beaten the game. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=533205" target="_blank
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by msduncan »

ScaryMike wrote:If you've finished the game, this thread is worth checking out. Lots of neat discoveries, and a fair bit of speculation to boot.

HEAVY SPOILERS! Only visit after you have beaten the game. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=533205" target="_blank
Spoiler:
I read about the Songbird screech in the 2007 Bioshock last night and it totally flipped me out.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by YellowKing »

Just finished the game on Hard. Thoughts below:
Spoiler:
The ending fight:

This one took my about 5 tries, but I'm pretty proud that I figured it out without resorting to hints or bumping the difficulty down. I figured out pretty quickly that the Patriots were by far the biggest threat, but I also figured out (the hard way) that I couldn't waste the Songbird on them because I needed him for the blimps. Once I learned to focus on taking them out as soon as they appeared, it was pretty easy. I'd use Possession on rocket guys and shock the hell out of the Patriots while shooting them in the back.

Weapons/Vigors used:

It's quite interesting to see how people differed so wildly. My primary weapon of choice was the Carbine with the Machine Gun as my secondary. I liked the Carbine for long range sniping (more so than the sniper rifle, which just had too much zoom for my taste). The Machine Gun was a good compromise weapon - I could use it in a pinch against close up targets, but it was also a viable weapon for taking out bigger bad guys.

As far as vigors go, I played this one much like I did the first two Bioshocks. Namely - I really didn't use vigors that much. I'm not a big "magic" user in any games - MMOs, fantasy titles, etc. That extends to shooters with magic-like powers. :D Early on I used Devil's Kiss and Possession quite a bit. In the later game I used Shock Jockey and Possession almost exclusively.

Difficulty:

I didn't think Hard was that challenging with the only exception being the Handy Men and the final fight. Those things were a BITCH to take down. Glad I played on Hard as I think Normal might have been a bit boring for me. Hard made you rely on the sky hooks a bit more which was a lot of fun.

The ending:

The first game ending that really blew my mind was the original Bioshock. The second one was this. I didn't fully grasp everything immediately, but after reading some of the links in this thread it all started to gel and I was like WHOAAAAA. While the idea of the multiple realities was cool in and of itself, I think the more "meta" interpretation was even cooler - namely that every player playing the game had millions of choices that differed from every other player, but ultimately they all arrived at the same conclusion. Constants and variables. One of the few complaints I've seen of the game is its similarities to the original Bioshock - it was neat to see them explain that away via the whole "constants and variables" idea as well.

I loved the Rapture cameo. While I had anticipated it might make an appearance, it was still thrilling when it happened. Just a really cool gift to people who had played the original game.

I don't know how Irrational tops this. I think it's time to just hang up the Bioshock name and move on to something new. I feel like this game was about as close to perfection as I've played in a long while. Not 100% perfect, but pretty damn close.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Skinypupy »

I'm about 3/4 of the way through, according to the FAQ I just glanced at. I'm barely surviving on Easy...I have no idea how in the hell you guys are playing on Hard. I'd be dead in about 10 seconds. :) Fun game, and I'm interested to see how it wraps up. Lots of headscratching going on at this point.

The only thing I absolutely cannot stand are those goddamn skyhook things.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by D.A.Lewis »

What can I do about the camera?

When ever I run to a corner for cover I am usually facing the sky or some other werid angle. It's almost like the camera movement is too fast and the mouse movement too sensitive. Even when I am walking it is a slightly nauseous feeling. And suggestions on how to fix this???
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by D.A.Lewis »

Skinypupy wrote:I'm about 3/4 of the way through, according to the FAQ I just glanced at. I'm barely surviving on Easy...I have no idea how in the hell you guys are playing on Hard. I'd be dead in about 10 seconds. :) Fun game, and I'm interested to see how it wraps up. Lots of headscratching going on at this point.

The only thing I absolutely cannot stand are those goddamn skyhook things.
I too had to turn it down to easy. I have almost no control over my character whenever I am in battle and can rarely shoot straight. My best option right now is to wobble over to the enemy and strike via melee. Maybe I should be playing with a controller (which I do not have)?????
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Turtle »

Lewis, did you alter your mouse sensitivity in the options yet? There's a bug with it where even putting it one notch up will cause the sensitivity to jump extremely high.

Also, check your mouse to make sure it doesn't have hair or dirt on the sensor. Wobbling while playing games is a sure sign that the sensor is dirty, it's not usually picked up in normal applications because you might not notice the cursor wobbling a few pixels when moving, but the effect is magnified when trying to aim in a shooter.

I would actually recommend a controller for Bioshock Infinte as well, although keyboard and mouse is also fine.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by IceBear »

Playing with a keyboard and mouse here and it's working fine once I turned the mouse sensitivity down. A slight touch would have me looking up at the sky or turn me all around.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Skinypupy »

I finished Bioshock Infinite last night, and I can't get that damn ending out of my head. Been mulling it over all day, and it even kept me up most of the night last night. I'm still not entirely sure I understand it all, but boy does it make you think.

The game took a while to click with me, but once it did...hoo boy. There were a few amazing moments for me:
Spoiler:
- When 'Old Elizabeth' reaches out and pulls you up on the ledge to see modern day New York burning.
- Jumping through the tear and ending up in Rapture. Maybe I'm just thick, but I did not see that coming at all. My jaw about hit the floor.
- The Booker/Comstock connection.
- The entire sequence at Comstock House where you are trying to save Elizabeth from being tortured. YK mentioned turning around to see the sentry standing behind you...I also jumped out of my seat.
- The first time I heard CCR through a tear. Also, I had been pretty much ignoring the olde-timey music coming from the phonographs until I hit Shantytown. Then I stopped for a second and thought, "Wait, isn't that 'Tainted Love'?"
As a shooter, I didn't think BI was particularly special (although I don't play many FPS games, so there's not a big frame of reference there). However, the environment, the atmosphere, the character, and the incredible story made up for any shortcomings in the shooty department. They did an amazing job crafting a world you actually felt immersed in and characters that you truly cared about, Elizabeth in particular. When I:
Spoiler:
heard her being tortured at Comstock House, there was a true sense of urgency in figuring out how to get there and save her because I didn't want to see anything bad happen to her.
Most escort characters are simply annoyances, but the way they handled Elizabeth was amazing. The pacing, the tension, the head-scratching moments (especially involving music)...all of it was brilliantly executed.

Regarding weapons & vigors:
Spoiler:
I was preferential to the Carbine and Burst gun. I didn't use Vigors overmuch, but was partial to either Shock Jockey or Murder of Crows. It's fascinating to me to read how we all chose very different paths in regards to weapon and vigor combinations. I think it speaks to how well crafted the game was.
I wasn't crazy about the fact that I always felt like I was low on ammo, and was practically required to search out every trash can and desk drawer to find more. That got somewhat annoying after a while, but I recognize it partially as a function of how awful I am at FPS games. I imagine I used double the amount of ammo as most of you, seeing as how I can't hit the broad side of a barn. :) I also really disliked the skyhooks, as I would get totally disoriented whenever I latched on to one.

Other than those minor gripes, I thought it was an excellent game. I think I still like the original Bioshock best, but this one comes awfully close.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by YellowKing »

As a shooter, I didn't think BI was particularly special (although I don't play many FPS games, so there's not a big frame of reference there).
I play a lot of shooters, and I thought it did have some interesting level design. Even though you are ultimately being railroaded to a specific point like most any shooter, they gave you the illusion of freedom by giving you wide open spaces to explore and play in. I've played a bunch of newish shooters recently - Max Payne 3, Spec Ops: The Line, etc. and they were much, much more linear in their level design.

The skyhook mechanic also gave you some really interesting strategic options. On Hard difficulty they were almost a necessity in fights with Handymen.

I think it's a testament to good game design, however, that it can still appeal to people who aren't necessarily big shooter fans. It's really built around story - the shooting is just to give you something to actually do while watching it unfold.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by D.A.Lewis »

Turtle wrote:Lewis, did you alter your mouse sensitivity in the options yet? There's a bug with it where even putting it one notch up will cause the sensitivity to jump extremely high.

Also, check your mouse to make sure it doesn't have hair or dirt on the sensor. Wobbling while playing games is a sure sign that the sensor is dirty, it's not usually picked up in normal applications because you might not notice the cursor wobbling a few pixels when moving, but the effect is magnified when trying to aim in a shooter.

I would actually recommend a controller for Bioshock Infinte as well, although keyboard and mouse is also fine.
Thanks
I swapped out my mouse with my work mouse and the game plays alot better. Sorta funny because the work mouse is a cheap 15 dollar jopper and the prior gaming mouse was 70 dollar gaming mouse extraordinaire.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by Turtle »

D.A.Lewis wrote: Thanks
I swapped out my mouse with my work mouse and the game plays alot better. Sorta funny because the work mouse is a cheap 15 dollar jopper and the prior gaming mouse was 70 dollar gaming mouse extraordinaire.
Did you try cleaning the sensor on your gaming mouse? Either blowing into the hole, or using a cotton swab with alcohol?
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by cheeba »

Good write-up Skinypupy, that mirrors my own thoughts pretty well. Though after much thought I'm not as impressed with the game as I was when I finished it. Some of the story mechanics don't really add up. But I can't complain much about that as it was a great ride while I was playing.

My favorite moment:
Spoiler:
When you see a guitar and you pick it up and start playing and Elizabeth sings. Really short song, but really sweet moment. They did such a great job of making you care about Elizabeth.
Oh, also
Spoiler:
HOLY SHIT THERE'S ONE OF THOSE SHINY LIGHT DUDES BEHIND ME! SHOOT HIM SHOOT HIM KILL KILL AHHHH! Probably the best game scare I've had since Freespace 2.
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Re: BioShock Infinite - from Irrational

Post by $iljanus »

skystride wrote:Elizabeth is great. I think the best part in the game so far has been right before you physically meet her. That thing that happens made me go holy crap out loud.
Spoiler:
the first time she opens a rift, and was that Tears for Fears music playing?
Something you rarely see in games, Elizabeth's skin is not flawless. You can see some pimples in close ups.
Did you happen to catch in that same scene
Spoiler:
the title of the movie playing in the movie theater in the rift? Thought that was pretty damn cool.
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