Today well talk about one of the most expected games for 2013, a piece of creative imagination and

a living proof that there are still hopes for the gaming industry. Indeed, today were going to analyze Bioshock: Infinite, a brand new adventure that has little to do with the past Bioshock games but a lot to do with a good game.

The birth of a city Columbia, the feminine personification of the American spirit. What better name for one of the greatest achievements that the former English colonies have ever made. A huge flying city, meant to shot to the entire world how great and powerful are the United States. A great attraction of the World Expo held in the New World, something that fits perfectly in the parallel universe created by the guys at Irrational Games. It almost seem impossible for us today to imagine such a thing, but back in the 1900s, when Jules Verne was writing about travelling to the moon or going deep under water, all seemed possible. And yes, in some ways, the world that gave us Columbia is nothing else but a mirror of our own universe, and like in any other mirror, sometimes things can get a bit different in the reflection. Anyway, as the story goes, after the whole city got airborne, the citadel turned into a sort of international ambassador of the United States across the whole globe. Passing from one country to another, this huge flying wonder was considered a miracle until one day when it intervened in the boxers rebellion in China, creating an international incident. From that moment on, the United States recalled Columbia back home, only for its leaders to break any ties with the New World. And so, the mighty city in the skies became independent and disappeared in the clouds, presumably forever. It may have been the high air or just the insanity of their isolation that triggered it but soon after going off radar, a civil war broke loose in the city. There were two sides to this conflict and as it turned out, a lot of victims. On one side of the barricade there were the founders, the traditional leaders of Columbia, lead by Zahary Hale Comstock and on the other side, the Vox Populi lead by Daisy Fitzroy. The first were aiming for a complete isolation of the American natives from the other nations present aboard Columbia and the second fought for equality among the inhabitants of Columbia, but in time their struggle turned into a rage based wave of violence. And for all of you that have played other Bioshock games before, dont expect to see anything as familiar as the enviorment in Rapture. But keeping that in mind, there are some similarities between the two locations, their dystopian universes and their founders.

So there is a story, a very thick and credible one in fact, but thats only the base of the game, a strange adventure that spans thru multiple location and universes straight to an incredible ending that will generate many controversies. A dangerous debt Floating on a high sea, the small boat that transports DeWitt and other two unknown people is heading to a small island that holds one of those old lighthouses like you can sometimes see in movies. Booker is just studying a small box he received from the mysterious couple. Inside theres a gun, some spare change and the photo of a young girlElizabeth. Were in 1912 and Booker DeWitt that had worked in the past for the famous Pinkerton investigation agency has finally come face to face with his largest challenge everand he doesnt even know it. Suddenly, the island appears in front of the boat and Booker leaves the relative safety of the boat just to discover that things could get much weirder. Entering the lighthouse and getting to the top of the building, DeWitt discovers a small puzzle with three bells that must be touched in the right order. Five minutes later, with the puzzle solved, the sky around the lighthouse get reddish and an intricate mechanism lifts to reveal a special chair with restraints for the hands and feet. So our hero sits down just to discover that the whole lighthouse is in fact a big rocket that will propel him into the big unknown. Finally reaching the mysterious flying city, it doesnt take much effort for our hero to understand that like Dorothy in Oz hes far away from home. Around him, dozens of large buildings are held in place only by huge balloons or rockets but theres no time to sit and wonder what all these thing are. Because, as it seems, someone knew about his arrival and the strange marking tattooed on his hand is a big clue for the Columbians that Booker is some kind of Antichrist, arrived there to destroy their city. And this little discovery is just the tip of the iceberg, a small part of the intrigue that develops around Elizabeth, the young girl that Booker DeWitt was sent to find. The Citys mysteries Columbia is a fascinating place that you cant ignore in its beauty and complexity. But if Bioshock: Infinite teaches us something that is you can always expect the unexpected. For the first hour, the city in the clouds seems like a true heaven, full of roses and with the clearest sky you have ever seen. But at a closer inspection, the details are showing something else, the mysteries behind this citadel: While the Founder Fathers of the US of A are regarded with respect, their

depiction looks a lot like the Holy Trinity being the bearers of three special symbols the key, the sword and the gun. Also, Comstocks statue that guards one of the citys larger markets, is huge and imposing, a sign that he is more than just the leader of Columbia. And slowly, the clouds that are surrounding the mighty city of Columbia are starting to turn into shadows and darkness as the players evolve down the storyline. In fact, the whole technological paradise is only a mask for something chaotic, a place where violence is natural and the ruff scenes are sending a hard message. Elizabeth seems the only normal presence in this insane world but shes no ordinary girl as she possesses the ability to open tears in space and time, sometimes even offering DeWitt resources picked this way from other dimensions. But despite her AI driven intelligence, shes never in the wrong place at the wrong time, she never enters the line of fire and knows how to protect herself from her enemies. Elizabeth is the perfect companion in every possible way. And, as you would expect, Booker doesnt rely in battle only on what the girl can give him. In fact, along with the wide selection of guns, machineguns and even canons. But thats regular stuff for any shooter. Whats really special are the Vigors. Apparently magical potions that offer speed, force, electric abilities or why not the power of summoning a group of ravens that will violently attack your foes. Gameplay Its true that most of the elements that Bioshock: Infinite was built around are common to most of the other modern games. But still, theres an undenied attention of details, a vivid imagination that doesnt leave any loose ends in its attempt to create a virtual world complete with as many elements as possible. In any case, the guys at Irrational and 2K did a tremendous job at creating a dynamic world filled with non linear levels that seem almost too real to appear in a video game. And there are two ways of going thru Bioshock: Infinite: one is to follow the main storyline to the letter and the other one is to leave no stone unturned. Because there are a ton of side quests out there, much more than you could imagine. For example, you will find random lock picks that you need to collect. once you have enough, you can ask Elizabeth to use them and pick the lock on one of the safes you can find on almost every level. And guess whatinside youll find lots of goodies. But its not easy, just a lot of fun if youre patient enough. Sound & Light

The graphics are just extraordinary from any point of view you could take it. And the visual effect really get the great city in the bestlight possible. But thats not all because everything, down to the last shade of color was thought off in order to complement the rest, a symbiosis that you can rarely see in such kind of games. In the same line, Bioshocks sound background completes the game, offering sudden changes of rhythm as the games changes pace or in the times when the battles are at their best. Infinite experience The thing is that beyond just a well written script, the story imagined by Irrational was developed in all the ways possible. And from that point of view I must admit that I understand why there was such a long delay from the original launch date. So from my point of view, Bioshock: Infinite is one of those games that you must enjoy and try to fit in, get there, in DeWitts shoes, live every moment of it.