Is Bioshock Infinite really that good?

[DaRev]

Is it just me, or is Bioshock Infinite (BI) really not that excellent of a game?

First, let me just say that IMO, BI is not a bad game – I just don’t think it’s as good a game as the Reviews are making it out to be. Secondly, let me say as well that I am a Bioshock fan, and would rate the first two games 9.5 and 9.8 out of 10, with the second game getting the higher score because it felt like a polished gem, but didn’t deserve a perfect score, IMO, because it was just a sequel that really didn't take as much risk as BI does. Finally, I think I also need to mention that I haven’t finished even half of BI yet, so maybe my views are a bit premature until I’ve finished the game.

With that said, here’s what I think is the biggest problem with BI so far: The Combat.

The combat in BI I think is a mess and certainly is not as polished and methodic as in the first two games. For example, in BI you can carry around just two guns, as oppose to the previous games where you could carry something like eight guns to use depending on the situation or enemy you're facing. You also no longer have the choice of the types of ammo, e.g. armour piercing, incendiary, etc.

The lack in the choice of guns and ammo makes the combat in BI very one dimensional. Right now I just use a machine gun for far enemies and a shotgun for close encounters. Mainly, however, I end up just using my melee attack as the 80% of the enemies are so dumb they just run right up to your face, and you can kill almost every enemy with just one or two melee attacks.

Detection in the game is also very cheesy, as enemies often spot you even before you see them and are always on high alert. This means you almost always have to go in guns blazing in every situation. Robot Centuries also have super-duper far scoping detection systems, so these things spot you from a mile away and alert the other enemies of your presence, so you have to again go in guns blazing. So far the game just feels like it forces you from one firefight to another, with nothing really interesting in terms of gameplay, e.g taking down a Big Daddy, to distract you.

Ultimately, the combat in BI is just straight forward shoot anything that moves at a very frantic pace. This I think is a far cry from the more strategic gameplay of the previous games that allowed you to choose different weapons and ammo based on the situation and the enemy you’re fighting.

So far BI is holding on tight to a 7/10 in my book. Anyways, how are you finding Bioshock Infinite so far?