Out of all the games I saw at E3 2011, one was a cut above the rest: BioShock Infinite. There’s a lot of change happening in the industry, with games becoming more social, quick time events permeating every genre, and games getting more casual. From what I saw at the show, BioShock Infinite is the ultimate realization of what enthusiast gamers currently consider a videogame to be.
BioShock Infinite takes place on the floating island of Columbia in 1912 — a stark contrast to the underwater world of the original game. Columbia is like a traveling World’s Fair, but armed to the bone. It flies around the world terrorizing other nations. Within Columbia there are two factions vying for power: the Founders and the Vox Populi. You play the role of Booker DeWitt, a disgraced Pinkerton detective that has been tasked with the job of rescuing a young woman named Elizabeth.
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During the demo I noticed a lot more characterization than in the previous BioShock games. Booker and Elizabeth talk a lot. Some of it is idle chatter that helps you learn more about the characters, the world, and more. Some of the talk gives you combat cues. Elizabeth has mysterious powers that can be used for combat combinations.
One portion of the game had Elizabeth using her powers to heal a horse. Instead she ripped space and time, causing the game to fast forward to 1983. A movie theater playing Revenge of the Jedi was in the background. I’m going to guess that time travel, choices between the Founders and Vox Populi, and your treatment of Elizabeth are just some of variables that will help determine which ending you get.
The action was very fast, with a great sense of speed and scale. In addition to shooting, Booker can use telekinesis, electricity, and other powers. There’s a substantial role-playing element behind the action, as you’d expect from an Irrational title. What was different and surprising was the skyline system. Booker can use this above-ground rail system to zip around environments and reach optimal positions for combat. Swinging on the skyline via grappling hook is super fast and gives you an exhilarating feeling. You really get a sense of each level’s size and the art style does a great job of conveying a “sky” feeling that’s a sharp contrast to the “water” feeling of the previous games.
BioShock Infinite looks like it will deliver outstanding quality on several levels. The graphics, powered by a modified version of Unreal Engine 3, are stylish and technically impressive. The gameplay looks thrilling and deep. Although only a few details of the game’s story and setting have been revealed, it’s already more compelling than standard videogame narratives. Like I said earlier, it’s shaping up to be the ultimate realization of what gamers currently consider a videogame to be.
I’m a big fan of Irrational Games and Ken Levine. With that in mind, I was surprised that my expectations were exceeded by BioShock Infinite. It was so good that I caught the demo twice — I didn’t do that for any other game at E3 2011. Even though I only caught a small portion of the game, I’m confident that BioShock Infinite will be great. Hell, there’s a good chance that it will end up being one of the best games this console generation. I can’t wait to see more!
– It’s always excellent seeing old industry friends, especially ones you haven’t seen for a long time and ones you’ve had a crush on for years (Annette Cardwell). It’s always excellent meeting new, cool people too. Emily from 5th Cell (Scribblenauts) and Cat from Red Box are awesome.
