![]() ![]() In the first twenty minutes, the game lays out every one of its themes – from the aforementioned American Exceptionalism to its brilliant take on alternate realities and the nature of choice – with pitch-perfect style and pacing. The player is introduced to the fantastical flying city of Colombia, its people, and ideals in one wild ride of an opening sequence that has lost none of its spellbinding magic in the past ten years. Even Colombia needed a working class to oppress, and so it brought one along with it. A superior nation, a superior class, and a race of people could not be expected to run itself the well-to-do weren’t well-to-do if they had to do their own manual labour, or clean their own toilets. ![]() A city so full of pride, so convinced of the fact that it was better than anywhere else, that its people were so vastly superior, that it eventually seceded from the United States (the country that birthed it, and whose praises it was supposed to sing) to become its own nation. This gave rise to the idea of Colombia – a floating city, a marvel of technology and religious pride – which would act as a travelling World Fair, spreading its ideologies wherever it went. Essentially, the idea that the United States of America as a nation is “ distinctive, unique, or exemplary compared to other nations” – that, for many reasons, the United States is the greatest country on Earth, and its people must, for good of all mankind, work together to spread its beliefs worldwide, whether others want to listen or not. Where the original Bioshock focused on the beliefs of Ayn Rand – specifically her thoughts on Objectivism and the idea that to succeed, a man should be driven by his selfishness – Bioshock Infinite turned its attention towards the concept of American Exceptionalism. In simple terms, where the original Bioshock looked down, casting a grim light on humanity in the deepest depths of the ocean, Bioshock Infinite looked up, exposing the seedy underbelly of nationalism and religious zealotry in the stark light of day as it floated amongst the clouds, while also shining a little hope on the human condition with the excellent Elizabeth. A statement the game makes clear from the very start. Doing its Own Thingīioshock Infinite is not Bioshock. Image: Irrational Games – The view never gets old. Whether it benefitted from this streamlining has been the point of much contention in the years since, but for a title with story and character at its heart, a more focused plot and more linear gameplay made Bioshock Infinite more than the sum of its parts. As well as to ensure there ever was a launch, to begin with. ![]() Yet despite the pressure placed upon it by fans, critics, and perhaps greatest of all, the developers themselves, the title never lacked ambition and was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release.īut while this ambition rocketed Infinite up into the stratosphere upon launch, when the smoke settled, it became clear that much had been jettisoned to streamline the experience. Coming off the massive success of the stellar original Bioshockin 2007 (and its less well-received though still successful sequel, Bioshock 2), Bioshock Infinite was in for an uphill struggle from the word go. But even ten years on, its triumphs outweigh its missteps. ![]()
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