BioShock Infinite Rundown

BioShock Infinite was original announced back in 2008 under the name ‘Project Icarus’ and is a FPS being developed by Irrational Games. This will actually be the third instalment in the BioShock series but only the second by the legendary Ken Levine, creator of the original premise, he also directly involved in this new addition to the series.

Due for release at the end of 2012 on all major platforms (Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC) but without a specific date takes place before both of the previous games. Set in 1912 the game takes place on a flying city called Columbia but does not directly link to either of the previous games. There is an entirely fresh set of characters and locations.

The trailers and snippets of information already released shows the main protagonist, Booker DeWitt, and the heroine, Elizabeth, running from a wide variety of interesting characters in a colourful but industrial styled world. The other main ‘character’ noted from the pre-released information is the Songbird whom previously protected Elizabeth from harm.

The standard premise is that the former detective Booker, controlled by the player, is sent to Columbia to recover a young girl called Elizabeth. As his mission progresses he gets caught up in a civil war which will set the pace for this adult story about finding your own place in a world of destruction.

While BioShock Infinite follows the BioShock lineage of being an FPS there are many new elements of note. The game actually steps away from the ever popular Plasmid route and opts for a choice between limited-use Vigors and Nostrums. Vigors grant special abilities that the player can uses to alter the tide of battles. Nostrums on the other hand are passive abilities that can improve attributes like strength or health.  Each choice can be found at various points throughout the game but have finite uses to stop people spamming their advantages

One of the most interesting aspects of the story comes in the form of the metal beast called Songbird (mentioned above). This is probably the closest equivalent to a Big Daddy in this floating metropolis and looks to give the player a real hallenge in battle. The Songbird’s previous duty was to protect Elizabeth but since her escape the creature feels betrayed and follows the protagonist through various sections of the story trying to get her back. Also present are characters known as Handymen; these large metal encased humanoids possess great speed and strength and look to enforce a sort of mini boss style effect to the gameplay.

An interesting side note on this world is the inclusion of a zip line style system that allows the player to traverse great distances but at the risk of falling to ones death. Various enemies also utilise this form of transport and make this one of the most hazardous ways of transport.

So far no news on multiplayer either….though BioShock 2 had one of the worse FPS multiplayer I can think of so it might not be a bad idea to exclude it.