For the most part, Infinite does not disappoint. The gameplay takes a cue from Bioshock 2 and doesn't turn power use into a chore. The writing is more consistent without an entire act of the game being filler.
Infinite's own worst enemy is itself, especially for those of us who kept up with its development. Elizabeth is an extremely compelling character but anyone who saw the previews was waiting for her to start helping directly in battle, only to be disappointed. It's a shame that so much effort went into her and the end result is little more than item retrieval and scripted environmental effects. Having her actually tag along with Booker so she can progress as naturally through the story as he does is amazing in its own right, but in gameplay she falls flat. As simpler as it was, calling Eleanor to my side in Bioshock 2, basically summoning the game's Boss in Mook Clothing flagged as friendly, felt far more satisfying. Also, why have we gone to a two-weapon system? I find it hard to believe Ken Levine looked at the last two games' inventories and said "Needs more Halo," yet here we are.
Elizabeth may fall flat in gameplay, but it's a joy to have her around for the entire game simply because she's a brilliantly realized character. Her interaction with Booker feels natural. The Lutece twins also steal the show whenever they show up.
While the writing doesn't have the first game's pacing problems, it has an entirely different pacing problem; the ending is incredibly rushed. The vague nuances of it that have seen so much discussion is really the result of this, not the result of actual depth. The ending is obtuse for the sake of being obtuse. At a certain point, the ending stops being about the characters and starts being about how long the characters can talk about quantum mechanics. Additionally, the setting and the conflict set up is very quickly thrown into the background, given only cursory relevance as an obstacle preventing Elizabeth and Booker from leaving Columbia. American exceptionalism is never explored beyond the fact that Comstock is batshit nanners. The KKK {Expy} that one will spend all of ten minutes seeing seems shoehorned in.
Despite some problems, Infinite is much better than the first game, but, and I know this opinion isn't popular, not as good as Bioshock 2.
Not The Best, But Excellent
For the most part, Infinite does not disappoint. The gameplay takes a cue from Bioshock 2 and doesn't turn power use into a chore. The writing is more consistent without an entire act of the game being filler.
Infinite's own worst enemy is itself, especially for those of us who kept up with its development. Elizabeth is an extremely compelling character but anyone who saw the previews was waiting for her to start helping directly in battle, only to be disappointed. It's a shame that so much effort went into her and the end result is little more than item retrieval and scripted environmental effects. Having her actually tag along with Booker so she can progress as naturally through the story as he does is amazing in its own right, but in gameplay she falls flat. As simpler as it was, calling Eleanor to my side in Bioshock 2, basically summoning the game's Boss in Mook Clothing flagged as friendly, felt far more satisfying. Also, why have we gone to a two-weapon system? I find it hard to believe Ken Levine looked at the last two games' inventories and said "Needs more Halo," yet here we are.
Elizabeth may fall flat in gameplay, but it's a joy to have her around for the entire game simply because she's a brilliantly realized character. Her interaction with Booker feels natural. The Lutece twins also steal the show whenever they show up.
While the writing doesn't have the first game's pacing problems, it has an entirely different pacing problem; the ending is incredibly rushed. The vague nuances of it that have seen so much discussion is really the result of this, not the result of actual depth. The ending is obtuse for the sake of being obtuse. At a certain point, the ending stops being about the characters and starts being about how long the characters can talk about quantum mechanics. Additionally, the setting and the conflict set up is very quickly thrown into the background, given only cursory relevance as an obstacle preventing Elizabeth and Booker from leaving Columbia. American exceptionalism is never explored beyond the fact that Comstock is batshit nanners. The KKK {Expy} that one will spend all of ten minutes seeing seems shoehorned in.
Despite some problems, Infinite is much better than the first game, but, and I know this opinion isn't popular, not as good as Bioshock 2.