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Bioshock Infinite |OT| No Gods, Kings, or Irrational Games

Finished on 1999 mode! That wasn't nearly as difficult as I was expecting it to be. Fully upgraded Possession is pretty much essential, once I'd done that I just focused on scavenging enough money to upgrade MoC. That combination alone can dominate most encounters. I literally only used Charge against
Lady Comstock
. Charge + Volley Gun/Hail Fire = dead in 10 seconds. Seriously. The Undertow and Return to Sender Vigors were essential in the last battle though. Without those, it's just an incredibly irritating fight, with... well, it almost feels like cheating, lol.
 

CloudWolf

Member
Might be in a massive minority here, so don't shoot me down but after an hour or so with the game, the combat is the worst part. After roaming the streets and see all the things going on, as soon as the combat kicks in it just feels like another shooter. Part of me wishes that they had gone for an RPG or Adventure instead of a shooter. Will keep playing though to see how I get on but the shooting part is doing nothing for me.
You are far from the only one that voiced this complaint. I agree, gameplaywise Irrational should have just stuck with the formula of BioShock. I really miss the smaller encounters, the crafting mechanism, the hacking and the collectible med packs/eve hypos.
 

Raide

Member
You are far from the only one that voiced this complaint. I agree, gameplaywise Irrational should have just stuck with the formula of BioShock. I really miss the smaller encounters, the crafting mechanism, the hacking and the collectible med packs/eve hypos.

They obviously put a massive amount of thought into crafting a story but it feels a little wasted. Game is still great but the shooter feel just turns me off and not just Bioshock. Would love to see them do an RPG down the line.
 
Is Winter Gear good? Because I just got it and I remembered some discussion about it in this Thread. At first glance, it doesn't look that special to me.

Winter gear is one of the coveted. Some of the hardest fights in the game have sky rails, and winter gear makes you the boss during them. Any of the gears that make you temporarily invulnerable are very valuable on higher difficulty modes.
 

Truant

Member
The game could have benefited from the systemic nature of the previous Shock games. Hub worlds, more AI's that actually interact with the world and the player besides shooting at him, more optional areas, more things to do in the game (crafting, hacking, research etc).
 
Might be in a massive minority here, so don't shoot me down but after an hour or so with the game, the combat is the worst part. After roaming the streets and see all the things going on, as soon as the combat kicks in it just feels like another shooter. Part of me wishes that they had gone for an RPG or Adventure instead of a shooter. Will keep playing though to see how I get on but the shooting part is doing nothing for me.

Think what separates it is using the vigors. They're fun to use. Saying that I'm pretty far into the game and just not feeling it the same as the original Bioshock. Using Big Daddys was a joy in the first game and there's nothing quite like it. I know the girl constantly throwing me stuff is supposed to help but it's starting to become a nuisance and the whole theme of the game seems a rehash with a slightly different flavour. Enjoying it but not as much as I thought I would.
 

Ce-Lin

Member
Might be in a massive minority here, so don't shoot me down but after an hour or so with the game, the combat is the worst part. After roaming the streets and see all the things going on, as soon as the combat kicks in it just feels like another shooter. Part of me wishes that they had gone for an RPG or Adventure instead of a shooter. Will keep playing though to see how I get on but the shooting part is doing nothing for me.

another shooter ? not sure, see -->

 

Gbraga

Member
Winter gear is one of the coveted. Some of the hardest fights in the game have sky rails, and winter gear makes you the boss during them. Any of the gears that make you temporarily invulnerable are very valuable on higher difficulty modes.

Yup, the game became a walk in the park after I got the invulnerability after collecting health items gear.
 

Bumhead

Banned
Might be in a massive minority here, so don't shoot me down but after an hour or so with the game, the combat is the worst part. After roaming the streets and see all the things going on, as soon as the combat kicks in it just feels like another shooter. Part of me wishes that they had gone for an RPG or Adventure instead of a shooter. Will keep playing though to see how I get on but the shooting part is doing nothing for me.

I absolutely love BioShock Infinite for what it is. But as much as I love the version of the game we got, I'd equally love to play a version of Infinite which isn't a first person shooter.

I think even if absolutely everything about the game was exactly the same, but there were no guns and instead you had a seperate Vigour in each hand, that would make a big difference. I mean, chaining vigours and combinations is already a thing. Using 2 at a time with no guns feels like something that would change the complexion of the combat quite a bit. Certainly at least rid it of some of the FPS criticism.
 

Gbraga

Member
And I also agree that it's not "just another shooter". The rails system and the vigor system are great and make it a ton of fun to play, I'm really enjoying the combat in this game and I hope they'll give us some great combat-focused DLC with crazy ass rail designs.
 

spekkeh

Banned
Might be in a massive minority here, so don't shoot me down but after an hour or so with the game, the combat is the worst part. After roaming the streets and see all the things going on, as soon as the combat kicks in it just feels like another shooter. Part of me wishes that they had gone for an RPG or Adventure instead of a shooter. Will keep playing though to see how I get on but the shooting part is doing nothing for me.

I think that transition was just also really poorly executed. In an instant it went from wow this game is really special to oh it's just one of those games.

If they had gone for an adventure or a bit more stealthy premise, you'd also have attributed more meaning to the environment, instead of something you run through for cover. The combat does get a bit better later on as you get more vigors.
 

ScOULaris

Member
Has anyone else started reading The Devil in the White City? It's mentioned in the wiki for the Infinite as part of the inspiration for the game. I'm about half way through and it's really great. Well worth picking up.

Yep. I started reading it the day after I beat Infinite, and I am also about halfway through. It is a fantastic book that I recommend to anyone with even a passing interesting in either American history or serial killers.

Might be in a massive minority here, so don't shoot me down but after an hour or so with the game, the combat is the worst part. After roaming the streets and see all the things going on, as soon as the combat kicks in it just feels like another shooter. Part of me wishes that they had gone for an RPG or Adventure instead of a shooter. Will keep playing though to see how I get on but the shooting part is doing nothing for me.

If you even are in the minority, it's a sizable one. Much talk has already transpired over how Infinite is held back by its tedious combat segments and how implementing recharging health is largely to blame for the more mindless combat scenario design.
 

JB1981

Member
Yep. I started reading it the day after I beat Infinite, and I am also about halfway through. It is a fantastic book that I recommend to anyone with even a passing interesting in either American history or serial killers.



If you even are in the minority, it's a sizable one. Much talk has already transpired over how Infinite is held back by its tedious combat segments and how implementing recharging health is largely to blame for the more mindless combat scenario design.

The game doesn't have recharging health.
 

MoGamesXNA

Unconfirmed Member
Might be in a massive minority here, so don't shoot me down but after an hour or so with the game, the combat is the worst part. After roaming the streets and see all the things going on, as soon as the combat kicks in it just feels like another shooter. Part of me wishes that they had gone for an RPG or Adventure instead of a shooter. Will keep playing though to see how I get on but the shooting part is doing nothing for me.

That reflected my initial impression as well. After completing my second play through on Hard though, I wouldn't want the game to play any differently than it does now. I absolutely love it.

Hopefully the combat 'clicks' with you in time.

Yep. I started reading it the day after I beat Infinite, and I am also about halfway through. It is a fantastic book that I recommend to anyone with even a passing interesting in either American history or serial killers.

It's good that someone else is enjoying it too. I'm not really a fan of serial killer fiction or crime stories but I'm really drawn into it. I find it occasionally hilarious how it seems to drop in the fact that a murder has occurred so casually. It's also eye opening how different the world was just a few life times ago. If I had a time machine, 1893 Chicago and the World's Columbian Exposition would now be on top of my list of places/events to see. I'm glad that Ken Levine mentioned it as an inspiration for Infinite, I would have never have picked it up otherwise.
 

ArynCrinn

Banned
Anybody ever play with the combat subtitles on? It's kind of funny, I almost want the NBA Jam announcer to pop out and exclaim "SKYLINE HEADSHOT FROM DOWNTOWN SHANTYTOWN" or something similar.

Whatever happened to awesome announcers in games anyway?
 

Kajiba

Member
Have you guys watched Lapslappin's videos? His Far Cry 3 videos were incredible, and his Bioshock Infinite videos are also pretty good:

Vigor Test 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w81QmjRamts

Vigor Test 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRIHwJgoOd4

Rail Battle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNdv42-dytg

May contain spoilers depending on what you consider a spoiler. No cutscenes though, only combat.

Awesome stuff. Like that shock jockey trap on floor and pull them in with undertow combo.
 

JB1981

Member
I am fighting
the ghost of Lady Comstock
on Hard and I am this close to putting my controller through the TV.

Can someone please explain to me how Return to Sender is supposed to work? What is the charged fiery ball you throw it? And any tips to beat this boss? thanks

I also like how when you die in this sequence the game designers spawn you in the middle of a spawn trap right smack in the middle of the garden. This game pisses me off more than any game in recent memory. The combat is garbage in certain places.
 

JB1981

Member
Semantics. The way that the shield (basically health) recharges in this game is virtually identical to how it works in Halo.

It's not semantics. Shields and health are not the same and health doesn't recharge in this game. You can't just sit there after shields charge and wait for your health to come back like Halo. You still have to scavenge for health packs.
 

v0mitg0d

Member
" I want a BioShock where we have the OPTION to resolved confrontation w/o the use of guns."


Jim Sterling quoted me from Twitter in a very intelligent and thoughtfully written piece. BTW Infinite is a game I really really like! I'm still coming down from the game's experience and was kind of thinking out loud, but I really really appreciate the discussion that's come from all this.

Thought this might be an excellent discussion here too?


http://t.co/r5e8IQa0qZ
 

conman

Member
The game doesn't have recharging health.
Utterly semantic. That's like saying the zombies in RE4 aren't zombies. It may be called a "shield," but it's just another layer of health.

I mean, hell, they didn't even bother to invent any kind of fiction to explain what that "shield" actually is. It's not like you're carrying around an actual shield. You're not wearing armor. There's no magical layer of regenerating micro-organisms protecting your vital parts. Nothing.

It's not semantics. Shields and health are not the same and health doesn't recharge in this game. You can't just sit there after shields charge and wait for your health to come back like Halo. You still have to scavenge for health packs.
It's just a yellow meter called "shield" instead of a red one called "health." Semantics.
 
Left it a couple of days, but there are a few things that just didn't connect with me in Infinite compared to Bioshock and especially Bioshock 2 - it warms my heart over the last few pages to see so many posts where people are giving Bioshock 2 the props it deserves, both from story and gameplaye perspective.

Anyway my main gameplay gripes are as follows:-

1. Tear-based Combat Arenas
The thing that disapointed me most about these wasn't the options they gave, it was that they telegraphed exactly what they are, taking a fair amount of the tension and exploration out of the game; as soon as you saw a tear it was get ready for battle time, but unlike harvesting adam from a corpse in Bioshock 2, or challenging a Big Daddy in Bioshock, you could not decide exactly when to trigger this are, it was some trip-point, so it wasn't like you could plan much. My favourite parts in Bioshock 1 and 2 were the planning of these types of battles. Much missed.

2. Lack of tension - a combination of the Checkpoint save system, point one above, the Shield, but especilally Elizabeth simply becoming the Vitachambers from Bioshock. My best playthroughs of Bioshock 1 and 2 had VitaChambers switched off, and it made a HUGE difference to the tension in the game. Hopefully 1999 mode will provide something similar.

3. Lack of claustrophobia - some other posts have highlighted this as something that improved gameplay, but I disagree, especially the Skyhook stuff, I really didn't take to it at all, and the wider range didn't lend itself to the satisfying plasmid combat I really loved in Bioshock 2. I much preferred the claustrophobia of Rapture in general, but I think it benefited the combat too. The range and size in Infinite just made me feel more like Halo (regenerating shield) and COD - scripted enemy spawn points. I think the claustrophobic nature of Rapture and Bioshock combat is something that gave it it's own identity, Infinite feels more 'me too' to an extent.

4. Lack of indirect combat strategy. Possession was nice, but there was no hacking, the gear was all damage based, there were no trap weapons, no security bots, nothing stealth related (until Comstock House). Very disappointing to me this aspect especially.

I'm definitely going to replay it but not for a while I think, I'm hoping I will enjoy the gameplay a lot more on my second run through as I now know what to expect and can try and compensate my expectations and try and enjoy it for what it is, nit for what it is not.
 
" I want a BioShock where we have the OPTION to resolved confrontation w/o the use of guns."


Jim Sterling quoted me from Twitter in a very intelligent and thoughtfully written piece. BTW Infinite is a game I really really like! I'm still coming down from the game's experience and was kind of thinking out loud, but I really really appreciate the discussion that's come from all this.

Thought this might be an excellent discussion here too?


http://t.co/r5e8IQa0qZ

This is a great article. I'm going to be linking to this in a lot of Infinite discussions in the future, I can tell. Basically says exactly what I say every time people say there's narrative dissonance in Infinite.
 
It's not Deus Ex. We aren't going to engage in protracted philosophical discussions to get enemies to stand down or give us stuff. The idea of the Shock games (despite how far Infinite has gone from System Shock 2) is to have an utterly hostile environment. As ridiculous as the "mow down literally 30 policemen in 2 minutes" first combat section was, there isn't supposed to be any sort of negotiation. Dewitt is a killer, and he's so jaded that he doesn't even think it's justified, he just puts self-preservation above anything else. The idea is that Booker is just grumpy and confused, dwelling on his past but refusing to get past it or reform in any way.

On another topic, as big a step that the gunplay is above BioShock, it is kind of a shame that the game is so linear and there are so many hitscan enemies. The other two games tended to be too easy. BioShock gives you tons of supplies and ammo, and the only way it really instills "challenge" is with crappy bullet sponge enemies who you can just kill with the crossbow by the time they show up anyway. BioShock 2 picks up once you get the drill dash, and you're nearly invincible by the end of Siren Alley, which is maybe 2/3 through the game at best. I liked Infinite more than BioShock, but not sure if we'll ever get the game BioShock could have been.
Also don't say System Shock 2, because the shooting is still terrible in that game.
 

Ce-Lin

Member
Good luck...I wont even try this on hard lol...

using Return to Sender by
attaching traps to the Zeppelin' core
while abusing Charge + Undertow and calling
songbird
once in a while makes the last battle a walk in the park even in 1999 mode.
 
Combat at the end of the game is great. It really makes you feel unstoppable, especially when you have the clothing equipped that makes enemies electrify when you go overboard on killing them.

I also love how attacking one enemy with a vigor affects all enemies. It's great.
 

DatDude

Banned
It's not Deus Ex. We aren't going to engage in protracted philosophical discussions to get enemies to stand down or give us stuff. The idea of the Shock games (despite how far Infinite has gone from System Shock 2) is to have an utterly hostile environment. As ridiculous as the "mow down literally 30 policemen in 2 minutes" first combat section was, there isn't supposed to be any sort of negotiation. Dewitt is a killer, and he's so jaded that he doesn't even think it's justified, he just puts self-preservation above anything else. The idea is that Booker is just grumpy and confused, dwelling on his past but refusing to get past it or reform in any way.

On another topic, as big a step that the gunplay is above BioShock, it is kind of a shame that the game is so linear and there are so many hitscan enemies. The other two games tended to be too easy. BioShock gives you tons of supplies and ammo, and the only way it really instills "challenge" is with crappy bullet sponge enemies who you can just kill with the crossbow by the time they show up anyway. BioShock 2 picks up once you get the drill dash, and you're nearly invincible by the end of Siren Alley, which is maybe 2/3 through the game at best. I liked Infinite more than BioShock, but not sure if we'll ever get the game BioShock could have been.
Also don't say System Shock 2, because the shooting is still terrible in that game.

Exactly.

All gameplay in any of the bioshock games are dog crap compared to it's incredible potential.

The fact that some people are defending bio1 combat, or ss2 combat over infinite makes me just want to scream..THEY'RE ALL CRAP SO WHY DO YOU CARE?!!!

You play the game for the narrative/characters/environment anyways, so I'm not sure why this debate on which gameplay is better than which even ensues...considering they all have incredible missed potential.
 

Ricker

Member
using Return to Sender by
attaching traps to the Zeppelin' core
while abusing Charge + Undertow and calling
songbird
once in a while makes the last battle a walk in the park even in 1999 mode.

Yep,Return to Sender helped me finally beat it...On my 5th try,I layed 4 of them around the you know what lol...
 

TTG

Member
So, I've somehow accrued over 2000 in silver eagles on my 1999 playthrough, I'm now on my way back from the Hall of Heroes. Got the carbine damage boost(along with excessive damage and headmaster, I'm like death incarnate against the grunts) and measly 50$ possession boost so I can make friends... friends that will eat a shotgun, but friends!

So, how about some advice on which direction to go. Last time, shock jockey was my bread and butter. Do I just save up? I don't see myself dying 23 times in a row, but who knows!?
 

Nakayumi

Member
Don't know if it's been posted yet, but Yahtzee did a Zero Punctuation on the game this week. He
likes it.
Was a pretty good watch, one of his better ones recently.

Also, am I crazy that I want to play the game a third time? I think I've fallen in love with Columbia in a way few other single-player story games have managed to do so far. Just beat 1999 mode a few days ago, but only near the end I found use of certain vigors and combinations I didn't use before. Now I read about the usefulness of Return to Sender, which I hardly ever used at all, and I wanna try new stuff out again. There are so many memorable moments in this game as well, I just want to replay them forever.
 

~Kinggi~

Banned
I like watching Lets Plays of this game because every one of them the person is blown away and its like experiencing it all again the first time!
 

Makai

Member
Okay, beat on 1999 mode. Definitely the best shooter I've played, but man that twist was meh-worthy. That after-credits scene was rage-inducing.
 
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