Thoughts on Bioshock Infinite

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Well first of all the main reason they're in the game is Plasmids/Vigors are mostly a staple of the series.

Yeah if I understood the blog post correctly, that's exactly what he was criticising. Elements like Plasmids and vending machines were in the game just because they "belong" in a Bioshock game, with no thought given on whether it makes sense or not. Almost as if they wanted to make something new but at the same time were afraid of straying too far from familiar territory, resulting in the disconnected feel he's describing. Of course I can't say if he's right, since I haven't played the game yet...

I'd really like to see some discussion of the action-story relationship done with a game like Dishonored, as a parallel to something like Bioshock Infinite. That said, I couldn't agree more with the Combat Design segment.

Oh yes, I'd love to read a comparing article about that, too. Like I said, I haven't played Infinite yet, but I feel that in Dishonored, combat fits very well with the story. It's an integral part of what defines Corvo as a character, in a way - when playing a mostly lethal run, I actually roleplayed him as being so struck by grief and bitter anger over the loss of his love, that he had lost a lot of his sanity and humanity. It was a very engaging experience!

Also the close and personal nature of the killing methods and the fact that you can choose how to deal with an area full of enemies (combat, non-lethal takedowns, stealth, exploring for alternate routes...) helps to avoid a feeling of "clear this room of baddies, then advance with the story".

Last but not least, the powers have a very strong connection to the world and the lore behind it. I only wished they had put more focus on this aspect of the games setting and backstory (with the Outsider and everything) and Corvo's personal motivations instead of focussing on the fairly shallow and boring rebel characters that mainly serve to give you orders.

Now, on to playing Infinite so I can compare them myself!