This review essay contains NO SPOILERS.  

Bioshock Infinite represents a crossroads in game development.  

If I can make the most basic and crude description of an action game, I’d point to the Super Mario Bros series.  Light on story, but depth of gameplay.  No experiences alike, many choices to be made every step of the way.

On the other end of that spectrum is a modern action game like Uncharted.  A game so visually striking, well directed, and controlled… it is not just like watching a movie, it is a movie. Few if any choices.  Cut scene followed by action scene with only one outcome.  A few puzzles scattered around, but the entire game is on rails.

Bioshock Infinite represents a crossroads in the genre of the action game.

In the opening moments of the game you’re introduced to the floating city of Columbia.  You’re free to walk around and see the world of 1912 hoisted above the clouds too far for peasants to see.   I think this is one of the best moments in the game.  It isn’t the only one like it, thankfully.  I could see city and listen to the people and play little carnival games for cash.

This ends after the raffle scene and the police are turned on you. Then we have an action game.  You’ll get a gun, and you’ll start shooting people before they shoot you.  In between these moments, you’ll have wonderful times exploring the world.  You’ll rescue Elizabeth and she’ll become your companion for the rest of the game.  

I joke about how many people I kill in Uncharted or Tomb Raider, but really the survivalist thing has worn out.  I can forgive Master Chief for killing the aliens, I can’t forgive Booker for killing probably 500 men and women by the end of Infinite.  This might have been forgivable except the gun play is terrible.   Too many weapons behave the same and unless you run out of ammo you could realistically just carry the pistol for the entire game.  

The other half of the action is ‘vigors’ which are basically just magic spells.  Shoot crows at a bad guy.  Or lightening.  or make him levitate helplessly for a few moments.

See I felt the combat and all the killing didn’t work with the game.  I could forgive Booker for acting in self defense, and I understand these guys want to kill me, but really this got out of hand with the world they so lovingly created.  And it was a huge distraction from the exploration part of the game.  If they took out ALL THE GUN FIGHTS and just kept the exploring and finding letters and recordings… Oh boy this would still be just as fun.  It would be half as long, but a meaningful experience.

I wish the pistol had been there for emergencies, but rarely used.  Think of Mirror’s Edge, where the game forces you to run and keep moving because the gun sucks.  

I think a lot of the game could be greatly improved by simply making those enemy encounters, where the citizens rise up and recognize you as the enemy of the prophet, into enemy escapes.  Not spending 5-10 minutes eliminating these guys while fumbling for ammo.  Turn them into puzzles where you use vigors and maybe the pistol to cover fire.  Use the vigors to stun them or trap them or send them away so you can get to the next exploring part.

Ultimately I was really impressed with the world in Bioshock Infinite, I’m just surprised that the action in an action game was the worst part.

Of course given the mind fuck twists outside the action, it would be hard to stay interested in just shooting random guys.

Looking forward to Burial At Sea anyway.  Hopefully it grants more exposition and less tedious combat.