Bioshock: Infinite

"To the infinite and beyond..."




Developer: Irrational Games
Publisher: 2k Games
Release Date: TBA 2012
Platform(s): PC, PS3, X360
Genre: Sci-Fi First Person Shooter




BioShock is one of the finest games of this generation. We're not talking about the textures or effects in the title, but the incredible aesthetic tremendously inspired by the Art Deco style that impresses anyone. The direction in this game from Irrational Games is really fabulous, setting a new benchmark for the industry. And to top it off, with the stunning visual impact caused by BioShock, the developer still managed to produce an excellent gameplay in the first-person perspective. In short, we had a remarkable way with a memorable storyline and several other elements that consolidated it as one of the greatest games of this generation.


Irrational Games surprises us with the announcement of a new title in the franchise. Bioshock Infinite, name given to the game, should bring fresh air to the franchise with a completely different plot and an even more daring setting. In the early games, we explored the city of Rapture in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Now, let's literally to the sky with Columbia, your new home in BioShock.

 

You embody protagonist Booker DeWitt, a Pinkerton agent who is famous for being able to work something out on anything for a price. During a normal day in his "office", a dirty room in a Manhattan bar, a mysterious man comes bringing him a new mission for DeWitt: To rescue a girl named Elizabeth. Later, you discover that the victim is in Columbia, the legendary city that floats above the clouds.

Elizabeth has mysterious powers that make it a highly sought after figure in Columbia. If nothing else, DeWitt also discovers that he is capable of possessing extraordinary abilities as well. During the game you must match their movements with those of Elizabeth, generating attacks and powerful actions that are indispensable to their journey.


During PAX East, Ken Levine and other members of the development team talked about the game production. The designers at Irrational have devoted much of their speech at PAX East to explain the nuances of Columbia, the new landscape of Infinite. Ken Levine has made it clear that while it bears the Bioshock name - and address issues as striking as those of its predecessors - Infinite is a completely different game.

 

Basically, the city is the materialization of the concept that the United States is an "illuminated city on a hill," a free territory of the historical inequities that affect other countries. Although controversial, the theory was widespread during the early decades of the twentieth century. Thus, the dark and damp corridors of Rapture would not serve to create the proper ambiance. Columbia abuses of color and light to deliver an evocative backdrop of lighting.


In short, the look of the new BioShock title will be as impressive as its predecessors. The art deco style of the first titles gives rise to typical elements of the belle époque - filled with references to Impressionism and Art Nouveau. Some purists may object, but steampunk elements (technological dystopia Gothic-Victorian) are also present in the design of the game. Ken Levine said that the very narrative of Infinite coordinated much of the art direction. The title is set in an alternate version of 1912, when the "exceptionalism" the U.S. was in full swing and new technologies indicated a bright path for the future.


Like Rapture, the floating city of Columbia is a failed utopia. However, the reasons for the destabilization of Columbia are a little different. As far as can be seen in the first trailer of the game, various factions began to fight for control of the city, suggesting that the current democracy was replaced by a theocracy "jingoistic" xenophobic. Preaching Nazi concepts typical of ultra-nationalism, the new government of Columbia is to defend the racial cleansing and the strengthening of the new war. Immigrants aboard the city are being cataloged and are subsequently hunted by the government.
 

Under the dictatorial rule of the ultranationalist Saltonstall, the city becomes an inhospitable place for all the immoral people. Angered, the oppressed people of Columbia formed the group Vox Populi (voice of the people), a resistance force fighting for freedom and restitution of civil rights to all inhabitants of the city.


Ken Levine explained that the gameplay has several new features. Since Columbia is an open city, the player will have more freedom to explore the scenario. The title follows a linear narrative, but this time you can leave and take a different route to explore the next building. The melee combat will also have some differences, and will also tie in to the sky lines, the regular way of travelling around Columbia. Back at E3, we know that Elizabeth has such powers and that it will be integrated into the gameplay, such as the tears you see as you progress. During battle, Elizabeth will ask you which tear she should bring out so better take care of enemies. The choices you make in the game seem ambiguous, further straying from the good/evil polarization the first 2 Bioshock games had.


BioShock: Infinite is expected for 2012 and will have copies for the PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360.




Marco Cecilio, NoobFeed