This is tough for me to write but I think I need to be honest with myself and with others.
Infinite is the weakest game in the series. That's not to say it's a bad game. Far from it, in fact. I'd still rank this as a MUST PLAY entry in general and especially for FPS and Sci-Fi fans.
Infinite abandons the charm that the shooting-combat of the first two games managed to master, and navigates down a more real-time ammo management and ADS system. On the positive side, they encourages frequent weapon changes and improvisation, but the downside is that is also pigeonholes itself into a wack-a-mole cover and peek shootouts. Although the skyhook appears to contradict this, once you get past the fake thrill of air trails wizzing by, the rails are just another form of cover where you're mostly if not entirely safe as long as your moving in a direction. Removing special ammos hamstrung what made for some of the most interesting combat elements, plasmids feel less impactful and less intuitive - I understand their desire to break away from the now potentially trite base plasmids, but there's a reason they were so beloved, they were just damn good designs!
The story massively hinges on a moment of climax. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but I can't help but feel they were chasing the high and gaming history moment of the climax of Bioshock 1, and they simply couldn't capture that shock jockey in a bottle again. Once you know what happens, the story feels very very bland and weak on repeat playthroughs, as opposed to Bioshock 1 and 2 where repeat plays give the play more empathetic and insightful ways to think about the characters and their actions and motivations with hindsight.
The art style was also, not a bad choice, but ended up feeling washed out and "Fisher Price" toy-like, a combination of the style of graphics used contrasted with the chosen aesthetic. The engine simply worked better with gritty and grimy, dark and damp of the first games, than it does with Columbia.
Some final minor notes
- Boss fights were awful
- The only Big Daddy type enemy is deeply unfun to fight, a major loss to the franchise
- Symbolism was way too on the nose
- Buffs and upgrades didn't feel as meaningful or good to get
Play this game, seriously, but take it's flaws in stride and recognize those flaws and shortcomings. Game devs could and should learn a lot from this entry, both good and bad.
Infinite is the weakest game in the series. That's not to say it's a bad game. Far from it, in fact. I'd still rank this as a MUST PLAY entry in general and especially for FPS and Sci-Fi fans.
Infinite abandons the charm that the shooting-combat of the first two games managed to master, and navigates down a more real-time ammo management and ADS system. On the positive side, they encourages frequent weapon changes and improvisation, but the downside is that is also pigeonholes itself into a wack-a-mole cover and peek shootouts. Although the skyhook appears to contradict this, once you get past the fake thrill of air trails wizzing by, the rails are just another form of cover where you're mostly if not entirely safe as long as your moving in a direction. Removing special ammos hamstrung what made for some of the most interesting combat elements, plasmids feel less impactful and less intuitive - I understand their desire to break away from the now potentially trite base plasmids, but there's a reason they were so beloved, they were just damn good designs!
The story massively hinges on a moment of climax. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but I can't help but feel they were chasing the high and gaming history moment of the climax of Bioshock 1, and they simply couldn't capture that shock jockey in a bottle again. Once you know what happens, the story feels very very bland and weak on repeat playthroughs, as opposed to Bioshock 1 and 2 where repeat plays give the play more empathetic and insightful ways to think about the characters and their actions and motivations with hindsight.
The art style was also, not a bad choice, but ended up feeling washed out and "Fisher Price" toy-like, a combination of the style of graphics used contrasted with the chosen aesthetic. The engine simply worked better with gritty and grimy, dark and damp of the first games, than it does with Columbia.
Some final minor notes
- Boss fights were awful
- The only Big Daddy type enemy is deeply unfun to fight, a major loss to the franchise
- Symbolism was way too on the nose
- Buffs and upgrades didn't feel as meaningful or good to get
Play this game, seriously, but take it's flaws in stride and recognize those flaws and shortcomings. Game devs could and should learn a lot from this entry, both good and bad.