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A few days ago 2K Games released the first five minutes or so of Bioshock: Infinite. Not surprisingly, many I've spoken to avoided it for fear of spoilers; a completely understandable position. They may have erred in judgment, however, because what you see above is actually quite close to what we've seen in other Levine presentations. A swift transfer of an everyday man to an extraordinary world takes extraordinary circumstances to complete, and much like the original Bioshock, Infinite uses a few of the same tropes to get this done.
The difference is in the subtleties.
One always needs to be slightly wary of PR Produced playthroughs, but there are some aspects that simply cannot be faked or perfected through hours upon hours of playing the same area. First, the writing is exceptional, even in this short section, with character banter that seems natural, yet aged to conform to the time period in which this game takes place. It reminds me of 1940's film noir, but punctuated to further inflect character. This atmosphere is embellished even more by the use of sound to create an unsettling atmosphere through a complex mixture of neutral period music intermingled with dark visuals; a classic Levine trait.
I was hoping that sound would play an even greater role in Infinite, since it was used to effectively in the original Bioshock, and it seems that I won't be disappointed. Can we expect a return of audio recordings? I sure hope so.
We're also seeing a return of over-encompassing ideology this time around. A mixture of religion and nationalism, rather than the Ayn Rand dystopia we were treated to previously. Paul Ryan will surely be disappointed, but Levine has always had a fascination with mankind causing his own downfall through ideology. This seems to be no different.
What those avoiding this trailer are missing is that they aren't missing anything at all. The intro is classic Levine game-introduction 101, and it works perfectly. Honestly, this is exactly what I wanted to see. And besides...it looks like they cut away before the truly mindblowing stuff happens anyway.
Comments
11 years, 4 months ago
The ammount of respect to Ken and his team is very hard to describe. This game has me so excited.
11 years, 4 months ago
I'm one of those 'spoiler dudes.' I haven't even watched most of the trailers. I'll just go ahead and take your word that it's amazing.
11 years, 4 months ago
I loved the opening. the dialog at the start was awesome
11 years, 4 months ago
I'm too afraid to watch on account of spoilage, but if Joseph Christ is satisfied that good enough for me.
11 years, 4 months ago
Poop
11 years, 4 months ago
NOTE: I know nothing of video game writing, I’m just a student who has dabbled in high school level editing and contributed shallow editorials that hint at feminism and satire.
Also, I don’t mean to offend, but offer perspective and feedback you guys have asked us to give in the comments. Joseph happened to call me out on chat today, and this is my bittersweet rebuttal.
Be annoyed, sir.
Often I skim these articles and news bulletins to pass time and keep up with the video game world as well as gain a perspective on games I cannot dare to play for I am a pussy, this particular article is a snippet regarding the recent video released by 2K games: the first five minutes of Bioshock Infinite. The following is a critique of the 350 word piece, commenting on writing alone, I won’t talk about the game, or the game series, for I know nothing of that.
Immediately looking at the first paragraph, I am concerned, and this has been something that has bothered me for a while: the colloquial style. Joseph begins with “A few days ago;” yes, the video was released a few days ago, but having a specific date gives the audience an established point in time, and looking back at said article can put the piece into perspective. For example, if you give the date of the video you can compare your reaction to the game prior and post release, whether you think it was effective to release the video at that specific date (maybe I am the only one who thinks that way, but I have a lot of issues). The second comment I would like to make about the intro paragraph regards the sentence; “A swift transfer...extraordinary world takes extraordinary circumstances to complete.” Is there is a missing determiner? I think the sentence is supposed to read “…of an everyday man to an extraordinary world WHICH takes extraordinary circumstances to complete,” assuming you are talking about this “transfer.” Many articles on this site have little typos and grammatical errors that anyone can make, so I forgive you.
Moving on, I noticed that Joseph has a tendency to assume familiarity with his audience. While readers are regulars, and such a style is definitely appropriate for reviews (or him just being silly), this is an analysis of something newsworthy, so it is important to understand that someone can stumble upon this site who has no idea who the fuck any of these people are. Thus, it is a little important to be specific, in my opinion. For example, he talks about how sound should play a role in Infinite as it has in previous Bioshock games. I ask, “Well how did sound have a ‘greater role’?” I know you can in one to two sentences, you are very articulate and you have a great narrative that flows and is easy to connect to. The details can be considered “spoiler” so I understand why you may not want to be specific. You don’t have to describe point for point, but rather just highlight the moments in the video you want to talk about with a fine point, like stabbing a vital organ.
11 years, 4 months ago
PART 2 BITCHES
Finally, regarding the conclusion, your topic sentence is a little awkward, despite being capable of communicating clearly. An article regarding a game that has been deeply longed for should end on a rather encouraging note: something like “While I pity those avoiding this fantastic introduction, they aren’t missing or spoiling anything at all. (Seriously, ‘something’ like this, not actually like this sentence because I do not like this sentence myself).” You should find a way to make this particular video distinguished and a reason why someone will look forward to this game; calling it “mind-blowing” isn’t really enough, and as much as we value your opinion, Joseph, just because it’s “exactly what [you] wanted to see” does not mean I or any other reader sees it the same way. I understand a journalist is supposed to be unbiased regarding something that is “news,” but given the viewer demographic as well as your audience, you have right to express your opinion, even a little.
Overall, I hope this is helpful and actually coherent, I have not written like this on the fly and actually in a serious way in a few months. Please note that these points I make can be applicable to any article on the site, I just happen to use this as an example. The piece in itself is appropriate for the video and assures readers and gamers that Bioshock Infinite will be a badass game, and if I didn’t have a condition in which I literally cannot play first person, I would actually attempt at the Bioshock series
11 years, 4 months ago
Poop #2 :)
11 years, 4 months ago
Oh, we're calling out Joseph now? Dudebro, you misspelled Ayn Rand's name. <3
11 years, 4 months ago
So aside from the second article in the comments section. I'm not really sure how audio recordings would fit in Bioshock Infinite's world. In my opinion, it worked in the first two Bioshock games because almost everyone in those games were either dead or insane. I'm not too sure about the mental state of the inhabitants in Infinite, but aside from a tendency for violence, they seem rather alive and civil at least.
That being said, I did enjoy the audio recordings and the different ideologies that were emphasized in the previous two games. Maybe propaganda tapes would be a little more fitting?