In 2010, I was introduced into the world of BioShock by my cousin and I absolutely enjoyed it. From the moment I started playing, I was hooked. So when I first heard in E3 2011 that there would be BioShock Infinite, I was excited at the news. When the first trailer came out, my initial hopes for the game would be that I wished that there was something different between Infinite and the two previous games and boy there was! The underwater city of Rapture was no more, and the game makers decided to put the City In The Sky.
After waiting a year for the game to come out, the release date just kept pushing back until March 26, 2013. When the 26th came, I asked the gaming stores clerk if the Ultimate Songbird Edition was available, as BioShock Infinite was already stacked the store's shelves and onto some gamer's hands. There was no more Ultimate Songbird Edition, and by the time I checked Amazon, it was sold out! So I decided to get the Premium Edition instead from the department store, and now here is the review!
The size of the box was a bit smaller than what I was expecting, although the box art is very eye-catching and colorful. With the game's logo on top of the game's protagonist, Booker DeWitt, holding a shotgun with his bandaged hand and part of the American flag behind him with a background of the sky. The game also includes the first BioShock game, as seen in the cover of the game..
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The back of the box features Elizabeth, 4 screenshots of the game, and a short summary of the game.
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| Time to Open! |
The premium edition comes with the game (of course), an exclusive art book, the Devil's kiss lithograph, the Murder of Crows key chain, downloadable content for the game, PS3 themes, a digital soundtrack and a teeny tiny Handyman "figurine". All of these are also included in the Ultimate Songbird edition, which was 70$ more expensive.
The Lithograph
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| "Light the Way!" |
The Lithograph was a nice addition to the Premium Edition. It features an advertisement for the In-Game "Vigor" the Devil's Kiss. The back of the lithograph tough, is plain white, nothing written on it.
Handyman Figurine
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| A tiny box.. |
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| A much tinier figurine in a tiny box. |
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| Mr. Handyman! |
The Handyman figurine is very small, less than 2" in height. It is made out of very soft rubbery plastic, which I think is cheaply made. This was the low point of the set, as it is useless to you, only unless you purchase the board game "BioShock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia" made by Plaidhat Games.
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| The "figurine" is even smaller than Lego. |
Murder of Crows Keychain
The Vigor keychain, is a nice piece to keep of BioShock Infinite.
It has a nice sculpt, but it was smaller than I thought. The Keychain is brass (according to the official website) and it is not too heavy to keep in your keys. Among the goodies in the premium edition, it is one the cool ones and one of my favorites.
Digital Content
Usually, I don't redeem the codes of my downloadable content, but since it was BioShock Infinite, I decided to redeem the codes for my money's worth. The PS3 Theme included was amazing. It featured the skylines of Columbia transporting cargo, with a backdrop of the City and the Sky with fireworks.
The Upgrade pack included was a fine addition to the set, it includes the Bull Rush power up, the Extra! Extra! power up, and the Betrayer power up. To those who wanted these upgrades, you didn't really miss a thing, because I haven't noticed any difference in gameplay.
The Soundtrack was at first a HUGE problem for me. I had trouble redeeming it on the official website, so I had to contact 2K Support to help me with the problem. With E-Mails from them, they really try to help and satisfy their customers because they tried sending us more codes but they still did not work. Although, they really tried to find a way to help me, and in the end I was able to download the soundtrack. I was very pleased and happy with how great 2K's customer support was and I commend them for that. The songs and the scores featured in the soundtrack were astounding and sounded really good.
The Exclusive Art Book
The Cover of the Artbook features a logo of Columbia's Customs and Excise. The cover also has some darker paint around the cover to make the book look a little more old, grimy and weathered (a cool technique I might add). The book itself is not too thick, not too thin. But once you open it, you'll be pleased why you got it.
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| Mr. DeWitt |
The Art Book features a lot of beautiful concept art of what Columbia is, or what it could have been. There are many designs for each character, enemies, weapons, vigors, and landscapes of the city
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| Elizabeth's Concept Art |
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| The Songbird The Game |
The Game itself is absolutely amazing! This could be my personal game of they year. The graphics, the art style, the storyline, the gameplay, the voice acting, oh all so brilliant! BioShock Infinite has definitely become one of the best games of all time, including Batman Arkham City and the Tomb Raider Reboot.
The City in the Sky is a big contrast to the underwater depths of Rapture. Columbia is a bright and colorful world you would wish to be in. The setting also has real people you could interact with, and various items around the city you could find and collect. The story is gripping as it features an ordinary job to pay a debt turned into a mission of escape between realities. There are many twists and shocking events in the game which you would not expect (No Spoilers).
Elizabeth, the in-game companion, is a character who you can interact with! She's not like Resident Evil 4's Ashley Graham as Elizabeth can completely defend herself in times of battle. Elizabeth also gives you health, ammo, and weapons in times of need. She can also open "Tears" to bring you useful items such as Health Packs, Cover, and Automated Turrets. Elizabeth though, plays a bigger part in the story, more than you think.
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| The game has many different enemies, such as the Handyman, the Siren, or the Boys of Silence. |
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| The Lutece Twins, help you in your mission. |
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| Reverse Cover Art |
Overall: BioShock Infinite is a great game, it leaves you wanting more of it. Even if you have never tried the first two games in the series, you would still enjoy this game no matter what. For 20$ more, the Premium Edition is a good buy for those who missed out on the Ultimate Songbird Edition and to the fans who love the game. A must have in your collection.
