Bioshock Infinite (1999 Mode) - Completion

Is A Better Home Awaiting In The Sky?

Just a warning, there gonna be some pretty heavy spoilers here! If you haven't played Bioshock Infinite yet, 1] what the hell is wrong with you? And 2] only read on if you don't care about playing the game.

The seed of the prophet shall sit the throne...

First thing, 1999 Mode takes some hard swings at times. Was kind of strolling through with little to no problems until the last couple of battles then I was dying left, right and centre. However, I persevered through anger and stress to complete the game, in about 15 hours, if Steam is to be believed. Shockingly, not actually that far off my playthrough on Normal difficulty, so maybe I've gotten better at video games recently. Or muscle memory kicked in through some fights and helped a lot.

Unlike a lot of people, I loved the gunplay in Infinite. While, it's nothing groundbreaking, the game does a good job of slowly dishing out new weapons and vigors a pace that allows to experiment with the new things you acquire, before making you choice to keep it or get something new. Finding the right combination your playstyle isn't hard, but greatly increases the enjoyment of them. It was really satisfying popping someone in the air with a vigor and watching them drop like a sack of potatoes when I put a bullet in them...that sounds a tad sadistic.

...and drown, in flames, the mountains of man

So, let's talk about the elephant in the room: the plot. I've avoided the main plot points in previous updates because spoilers are a touchy subject, but I'm gonna blow the doors off here, so be prepared. Ignoring my problems with Fitzroy (not really relevant to the main story), I only have one gripe with the main story, and that's why does drowning Booker stop every single Booker in the alternate dimensions becoming Comstock. Unless I missed a fairly substantial plot point, this makes no sense. If there really are infinite possibilities, why is this one Booker Dewitt different to any of the other?

I know people lament the whole Booker is Comstock plot point, but it makes sense. The whole mixed identities narrative was in the original Bioshock too, so it makes sense for it to be here too. I don't think the "But they look nothing alike!" argument has any ground because, well...it's a fucking video game! It's called suspension of disbelief. Seriously, the people who nitpicked about this mustn't enjoy any form of fiction.

The names may be different, but the story is the same

While the last half an hour of Infinite is just one piece of exposition after another, it makes sense. Elizabeth can take Booker to any point in history, where anything could've happened. Hell, they go to Rapture, and it's awesome! It links the stories in a way that was missing from Bioshock 2, probably because it wasn't written by Ken Levine, and it finally gives reason to the 'Bioshock' name. And, in my eyes, it links up perfectly. I think the story works, reasons are given for all the major aspects, barring the one plot hole I pointed out earlier.

Overall, Bioshock Infinite is a generation defining game, even more so than the original. Irrational Games have crafted a perfect world, perfect characters, and, near enough, a perfect game. I'll always look back on my time in Columbia with fond joy, because, while there's a problem with the ending, it's not about that; it's about the journey. And it's a damn incredible journey.

Will the circle be unbroken?

Next up...Blocks That Matter!