Bioshock Infinite - The Skys the Limit

ItÕs been several months since Irrational Games announced "Bioshock Infinite". Like many others, I was initially apprehensive towards the game. I was expecting something "different". Thankfully, the thought was fleeting. What I eventually saw was not a return to Rapture, but a new vision of what "Bioshock" could be. 

Ever since the "Bioshock Infinite" was announced, it was met by a barrage of complaints that the new game should've been called "Aeroshock" or "Skyoshock", as if the "Bioshock" name has anything to do with the original game's underwater scenario. Well, it doesn't. "Bioshock Infinite" is simply an extension of the "Bioshock" concept--the name is independent of the setting. 

With that out of the way, I'd like to move on to what we know of the game. 

Far from the sea, the game's trailer presents a city in the clouds--Columbia. A Bespin to RaptureÕs Nar Shaddaa. The sky is the limit, it seems. 

While the original "Bioshock" tackled Ayn Rand's Objectivism, "Infinite" will attempt to tackle the jingoistic philosophy of Progressivism that was totally hip in the early 20th century. The flying city of Columbia is a realization of these ideals. In the world of "Bioshock Infinite", Progressivism was a dream that started at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair--and one that never ended. 

But what's the 1893 Chicago's World Fair got to do with anything, you might ask? Well, everything. "Bioshock Infinite" is a retrofuturistic attempt to recreate the ideals endorsed by men like Daniel Burnham, director of the fair and lead architect of Chicago's neoclassical "White City", erected solely for the fair. The fair was America's way of showing the world its capabilities as a world-class player in society and architecture. Just as "Bioshock" was a critique of Objectivism, "Bioshock Infinite" is a critique of the nationalistic movement that spurred America to arms in the 1900s. The game can easily be seen as a commentary on the current day Tea Party movement, which can be seen as a reincarnation of 20th century Progressivism. 

Getting back to the game, the story of "Bioshock Infinite" centers around a young woman named Elizabeth. With the inclusion of Elizabeth, a human element in the game's design, the "Infinite" has already created that much more sympathy for a character than any of its predecessors. Tasked with rescuing her from her skyward prison, the player takes on the role of an ex-Pinkerton agent by the name of Booker DeWitt. It's a huge change from the silent protagonists of "Bioshock" and its space-locked predecessor, "System Shock 2". 

The game's plot is a big departure from Irrational Games' previous narratives, and a daring change to say the least. Without a doubt, "Bioshock Infinite" has to fill the very large shoes of its predecessors in addition to delivering unique elements of its own. Where most game developers would be content with simply making the same game over and over again, Irrational Games goes against what's tried and true and attempts to set a new standard for the FPS with each of their games. 

"Infinite" is exciting, and it's arguably the next step in the FPS genre. Like the titles that came before it, every "Shock" title has served to bring the genre to greater heights, raising the bar each time. "Thief" invented a new genre--the stealth FPS. "Thief 2" perfected it. Taking place aboard a doomed space ship, "System Shock 2" introduced a gripping narrative in the form of audio logs and successfully married role-playing and survival horror elements with the first person shooter, forcing players to make tough choices over skills and weapons. In turn, "Bioshock" introduced narrative elements that went as far as to critique real world philosophies, while giving us sympathetic portrayals of characters both good and misguided, none of whom could ever fit the simplistic definition of the word 'villain'. 

Needless to say, Irrational Games is one of the few major studios leading the way with innovative designs, and their efforts to attempt the new and the revolutionary are on par with the efforts of BioWare and Valve. 

Ken Levine, the studio's principle developer, emphasized the team's focus on innovation. Every feature being put into the game would have to have a purpose--a reason for being. If any element of the game should fail to introduce a new experience that isn't already delivered by previous games, it would have no place in "Infinite". Such were his remarks about the game's multiplayer mode, which may or may not see the light of day. Levine and his team are clearly serious about delivering a brand new experience with "Infinite", and their willingness to sacrifice a staple of most FPS titles if it adds nothing new stands as a testament to their design philosophy. 

Innovation isn't all about making sacrifices and trimming away the fat, though. It's about adding something new in addition to polishing things up. With "Infinite", Irrational is introducing the inclusion of Elizabeth, a non-player character who aids the protagonist with her telekinetic abilities. More than just being another 'named NPC' with whom the player occasionally interacts with to further the story, "Infinite" forces you to interact with Elizabeth and guide her actions throughout the game. You'll be given a choice of allowing (or perhaps forcing) her to use her abilities at the cost of her health in order to overcome the obstacles in your way. Whether the effects of using her abilities are permanent remains to be seen, but Irrational tells us that the choices we make will impact her relationship with the player, and ultimately drive the outcome of the game. 

Judging from what we've seen and what Irrational's capable of, we can only hope that the choices they provide us will not be binary ones. Even though the original "Bioshock" was praised for its nuances, critics were quick to deride the game for its restrictive choices. "Infinite" carries the huge task of surpassing its predecessor in every way, and the challenge to offer a third choice with multiple consequences may be its greatest. 

At this point, the only way for "Bioshock Infinite" to go wrong would be for it to imitate "Bioshock" and repeat its mistakes without doing anything revolutionary, but really, how likely is that to happen? As I've said, every new title from the developers has introduced something new and enriching to the genre. We can only wait with bated breath to see what Irrational has in store with this one. 

Bioshock Infinite Videos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bioshock Infinite Screenshots

(Click on image to view in gallery)

More