Bioshocked

As you likely saw, there was no blog last week, because I'd done something amazing. I preordered a game to pick up on release day. Specifically I preordered Bioshock Infinite. This is a significant occurrence, it's the first game I've actually gone out and ordered since Final Fantasy VIII, which was also, incidentally, the one time I've ever gone out of my way to get the collectors edition of a game. Anyway, the stars aligned for me on the runup to Bioshock Day. I got some interest on my savings the week before release, and the review on IGN appeared a couple of days after that. The score was amazing so I ordered.

I was slightly thrown by the actual release day. When did games start being released on a Tuesday? I've clearly missed something here. I thought games got released on a Friday so you can ignore all your friends and play all weekend. Not anymore it seems! Nevertheless, it was fortunate that I also had release day off. I played all day, again, something I don't do often. It was wonderful.

If you haven't played it yet, I urge you to do so. Go out in your lunch hour, pick it up tomorrow. It doesn't matter what format you choose. It's beautiful in every possible way. It's light is blinding, it's colours deeply saturated. It animates beautifully. Columbia feels lived in, a world held up by the sheer force of belief of it's inhabitants. The voice acting is stellar. The use of it's licensed music is unique. Elizabeth is utterly, utterly wonderful, the most believable AI companion I've seen since Alyx Vance. She will stir genuine emotions in you. The villains are memorable and the Songbird is terrifyingly powerful. Best of all, the story is fabulously dense, covering a myriad of themes, building to a melon twisting gut punch of an ending. Basically I'm saying if you don't play this, you are missing out on what will probably be the best release of this year and in all likelihood the best game of this console generation.

The first thing I wanted to do when I finished it was start it again.

There's so much buried in Columbia you'll never find everything on your first playthrough unless you use a guide. Do yourself a favour, play it like a real gamer and leave the guide in the shop. Take pleasure in the exploring, the discovery. If you buy a guide, you're basically buying spoilers, the screenshots will steal the
awe from every new area. I will be buying the other companion book however. The Art of Bioshock Infinite, a near 200 page hardcover full of concept art from the game. If you decide to do the same, wait til you finish the game. You don't want spoilers, the game has so much impact when you see it with fresh eyes. (Update: The book arrived today, and it's beautiful, chock full of amazing art. Best of all is the cover under the dust jacket, a shot of Elizabeth and the Songbird embossed in what might just be gold leaf. As you can probably tell, I'm very pleased with it. As a both fan of the game and a book nut, I can honestly say this is an essential purchase.)

So again. Buy Bioshock Infinite! It means Irrational Games will make a ton of money which they can plough into making Ken Levine's next opus. The world needs more games like this, and gaming as a whole needs more men like Ken Levine. He's like a gaming Chris Nolan, somehow making the unapologetically high concept suitable for the mass market. Just as film has it's easily recognisable auteurs, gaming is starting to gain a few of its own too.

Make sure you stay for the credits too, there's a nice little surprise from around the midpoint.

Now go buy it!