(PC, PS3, Xbox 360) Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Irrational Games Release Date: Fall 2012
Where the first BioShock made us fear the ocean’s depths in its claustrophobic vision of Objectivism gone awry, its successor BioShock Infinite wants us to tremble in the floating city of Columbia. As a Pinkerton agent (circa 1912) sent to rescue a young girl trapped in the city, you’re caught in the middle of a war between Columbia’s various factions. Of course, there’s a twist: the girl in question both does and does not want rescuing. She also opens up “tears” into other dimensions (one demo shows her briefly transporting the player into an alternate 1980s) and summons weapons and architecture into being in the middle of combat. She’s developed a case of Stockholm Syndrome with her captor, the massive steampunk monstrosity known as the Songbird. If the iconic Big Daddy enemies from the first game still make you flinch, you’re going to find new expletives each time you encounter the gigantic bird-like creature later this year.
