In a recent interview with Game File, Strauss Zelnick said he is “deeply disappointed” that a new BioShock game has not been released in over a decade.
People said the same thing when Infinite was announced as not even taking place in Rapture and yet many (most?) people consider it the best in the series
Infitinite’s public perception was a rollercoaster. From announcement to prerelease longplay to release to post-mortem. I think the fact that it’s had so many different wildly positive and wildly negative analyses over the decade is testament enough that it’s a great work, though I’m pretty sure public sentiment has settled on “it’s bad and stupid”
Public sentiment is that it’s bad and stupid? The game is hovering around a 90% positive rating on Steam. That’s 3% less than Bioshock and 3% more than Bioshock 2. Surely it can’t be that bad.
What falls apart? I have plenty of gripes with the gameplay (the skyhook is underutilized and half the vigors are introduced way too late-game to leave an impression, most players have their combat strategy locked in by the time they get “Undertow”) but the story and world building are near-perfect and bulletbulletproof IMO. I have literally never heard this criticism before
Meh, suspension of disbelief is how fiction works. Surely in a game where you can drink a magic potion to throw literal fireballs in a world of flying buildings and homicidal robots, some plot holes aren’t that big a deal.
Now it’s from a new studio, new creators. At least 13 years since Infinite’s release. Even if they kept Irrational together with Ken Levine, I wouldn’t expect it to fit well. Like the last Matrix movie. People get older and change. Better a new IP without having to be constrained to the expectations of what a BioShock game should be. It’s nostalgia bait
Going in, I had to question whether Infinite could live up to the BioShock name after having discarded its signature world of Rapture, with its Big Daddies and Little Sisters and warring philosophies, and starting from scratch. On the way out, I’m forced to seriously question which is the better game.
I just think the story is better and I have a kind of autistic fascination with the Tea Party movement. I genuinely love Bioshock but I’d rather just re-read Atlas Shrugged and it’s twist at the end is one step above “it was all a dream” IMO
Admittedly, I never read reviews from game journalists so I’m not sure what critic perception is like. I’m going off my anecdotal experience knowing many people that love the first game and were lukewarm on Infinite.
Ultimately, though, the story and overall atmosphere of BS1 suited my tastes but I can imagine some prefer those same aspects in Infinite. This is just the first time I’ve heard anyone suggest that Infinite is as good as the first entry, much less considered to be the best. It’s certainly a good game in my eyes, though, so I’m happy you enjoy it as much as you do
Yes we need more of those, everyone loves eternal retcons and multiverse plots. Anything to keep us safe from the horror of “new IP” or “new plots and characters”.
The series told its story. It doesn’t need another game
People said the same thing when Infinite was announced as not even taking place in Rapture and yet many (most?) people consider it the best in the series
Infitinite’s public perception was a rollercoaster. From announcement to prerelease longplay to release to post-mortem. I think the fact that it’s had so many different wildly positive and wildly negative analyses over the decade is testament enough that it’s a great work, though I’m pretty sure public sentiment has settled on “it’s bad and stupid”
Public sentiment is that it’s bad and stupid? The game is hovering around a 90% positive rating on Steam. That’s 3% less than Bioshock and 3% more than Bioshock 2. Surely it can’t be that bad.
It isn’t. And please, don’t call me Shirley.
If you turn your brain off its beautiful, if you think about it for more than 5 seconds it falls apart. Works way better if it were a movie imo.
What falls apart? I have plenty of gripes with the gameplay (the skyhook is underutilized and half the vigors are introduced way too late-game to leave an impression, most players have their combat strategy locked in by the time they get “Undertow”) but the story and world building are near-perfect and bulletbulletproof IMO. I have literally never heard this criticism before
Meh, suspension of disbelief is how fiction works. Surely in a game where you can drink a magic potion to throw literal fireballs in a world of flying buildings and homicidal robots, some plot holes aren’t that big a deal.
Now it’s from a new studio, new creators. At least 13 years since Infinite’s release. Even if they kept Irrational together with Ken Levine, I wouldn’t expect it to fit well. Like the last Matrix movie. People get older and change. Better a new IP without having to be constrained to the expectations of what a BioShock game should be. It’s nostalgia bait
I’d think most consider the first Bioshock to be the best. I thought Infinite was forgettable until Matthewmatosis convinced me it was bad.
I’ve never heard anyone say it’s the best in the series and would be surprised if I did.
I say that based on preference and here’s an IGN review from 2013 saying
I just think the story is better and I have a kind of autistic fascination with the Tea Party movement. I genuinely love Bioshock but I’d rather just re-read Atlas Shrugged and it’s twist at the end is one step above “it was all a dream” IMO
Admittedly, I never read reviews from game journalists so I’m not sure what critic perception is like. I’m going off my anecdotal experience knowing many people that love the first game and were lukewarm on Infinite.
Ultimately, though, the story and overall atmosphere of BS1 suited my tastes but I can imagine some prefer those same aspects in Infinite. This is just the first time I’ve heard anyone suggest that Infinite is as good as the first entry, much less considered to be the best. It’s certainly a good game in my eyes, though, so I’m happy you enjoy it as much as you do
True. However it did tie its sell back to rapture with one of the dlcs
Wasn’t it a multiverse so they can reboot it in whatever state they like?
Yes we need more of those, everyone loves eternal retcons and multiverse plots. Anything to keep us safe from the horror of “new IP” or “new plots and characters”.
Just saying it’s possible plot wise 🤷🏽♂️
Especially considering that Bioshock was a reboot of the System Shock series.