[Megathread] Bioshock Infinite

[Venziir]

Just completed it.... And eh....

While not a bad game at all, for from it, I think 10/10 is way too much. Maybe like 7/10 or 8/10. Overall I prefered the other two games much, much more. "Infinite" was too short, too focused and too linear, despite starting out very open. The story was fine, but too obvious in man ways - though I loved the Luteses. I never really felt that Comstock was THE VILLAIN compared to say Lamb, Ryan or Fontaine. Booker annoyed me some times, and the lack of customization compared to Jack and Delta really bothered me. As did the fights, which were often too many and too long. And the Tears... Never been a fan of the whole "alternate universe" aspect or time traveling.

So while a good day, I still prefered the other two. Oh and Rapture in general. While Columbia sure did scare me at first, since I'm terrified of heights, after a while I kinda forgot that I was in a flying city where as you never forgot that you were in a giant aquarium in the other two games.

[Jamber]

Well, technically there aren't "infinite universes". There are only unlimited numbers of them. If there were actually infinite numbers of them then that chalkboard at the start counting heads and tails would never be able to keep the count since that would be infinite too.

Otherwise you may be right about the clarification on nosebleeds

Infinite, unlimited, what is this, semantics class? Unless you meant "a limited", which may or may not be the case. But, the point about the chalkboard: If there are an unknown number of universes, if you ever picked any specific one, that one is real, and in it, has a definite value. The Booker we played happened to be the 123rd mark on the chalkboard, the 123rd time the Luteces had gone back to another reality and dragged a Booker into a universe where a Booker was a Comstock (because they can transcend universes now).

OH, this just occured to me. The reason Booker never heard about Colombia, and that "he must be behind the news" is because he's from a universe that didn't have Comstock. Replaying the game keeps bringing up all the little bits of info.

[Zatheyll]

OH, this just occured to me. The reason Booker never heard about Colombia, and that "he must be behind the news" is because he's from a universe that didn't have Comstock. Replaying the game keeps bringing up all the little bits of info.

If Booker is Comstock and Comstock is Booker no matter what, then a world with Comstock wouldn't have Booker and a world with Booker wouldn't have Comstock. So the world where you are the main character, Booker, wouldn't have a Colombia that Comstock created.

[Jamber]

If Booker is Comstock and Comstock is Booker no matter what, then a world with Comstock wouldn't have Booker and a world with Booker wouldn't have Comstock. So the world where you are the main character, Booker, wouldn't have a Colombia that Comstock created.

Yes, that's true. Now, to figure out that Booker was brought to a Comstock universe, or a Comstock went back to a Booker universe everytime to create Colombia is up to interpretation. But, I assume the former is simpler, and thus may be true. I tend to complicate things when they needn't be complicated.

[SirRobin]

Yeah, I would say the nosebleeds have more to do with remembering, or almost remembering, what was in your "home" version of reality. Than dying or anything like that. Those two guards weren't nosebleeding because they were dead in another reality. They were nosebleeding because they remember being dead.

[Very Tired]

The Bioshock makers may have some sort of lighthouse fetish...

[Deleted]

What a cracking game that was and an EPIC ending 10/10 from me

[BLSTMASTER]

Yes, that's true. Now, to figure out that Booker was brought to a Comstock universe, or a Comstock went back to a Booker universe everytime to create Colombia is up to interpretation. But, I assume the former is simpler, and thus may be true. I tend to complicate things when they needn't be complicated.

The former is implied at the ending.

The we see Booker on the floor of a dock (where the boat ride starts) and the Luteces watching over him as Booker forms a new memory to 'fit' in the new universe

Also, I think the nosebleed is caused when there is a contradiction to memory and/or when hes trying to remember what he overwrote. Kind of like the movie butterfly effect in away.

[Blackdecker]

Played from 9AM to 6PM, loved it.
Gameplay is so good, graphics are amazing, awesome ambientation (is actually fun to listen to people and play these shoot games.)
10/10.

If you liked these time lines, you should watch Steins;Gate.

[Poppincaps]

I really wish I could go back and experience this game again for the first time. I go back and play games from my Playstation 2 and Gamecube days, years later, because I get to recapture some of the feelings I got when I first played them. I am certain that Bioshock Infinite will join Fallout 3 on the list of games I will be revisiting years from now.

[Radiss]

Just released a video documenting some aerial assassinations!

[Last Attempt]

Could someone tell me how far I am in the game % wise? I've been playing it on 1999 mode and I'd like to try to finish it tonight but don't really know how close to the end I am. I just opened the security gate in Comstocks place.

[Sargerus]

Could someone tell me how far I am in the game % wise? I've been playing it on 1999 mode and I'd like to try to finish it tonight but don't really know how close to the end I am. I just opened the security gate in Comstocks place.

About 75% complete

[Last Attempt]

About 75% complete

Ok, thanks.

[Hitei]

My take on the plot:

You have a man named Booker Dewitt who does a bunch of horrible things he isn't proud of during the American Indian wars, specifically centered around the Wounded Knee Massacre. After his time in the war is over, he proceeds to suffer from regret and shame over what he did, and eventually decides to try and redeem himself by becoming a born again Christian. This leads to the crucial moment where he goes to get baptized in a river in order to cleanse his sins, this is also the location of the main split in his timelines. One version of Booker goes through with the baptism, and becomes born again, taking the name Zachary Hale Comstock. Another version of Booker changes his mind at the last minute and leaves without being baptized, keeping the name Booker Dewitt.

The Comstock version of Booker then has prophetic visions in which he sees an archangel, who tells him of the prophecy, and how he is to make Columbia. Comstock then spends a few decades bringing this vision to life, in the process recruiting Rosalind and Robert Lutece. Who develop quantum locking technology that allows the city to fly, as well as tinkering around with their own pet project that tears rifts in space time. Comstock's dream faces a roadblock however, because his wife, the Lady Comstock, is unable to get pregnant no matter what they do. This is very serious, as the archangel tells Comstock that the prophecy can only be fulfilled while his bloodline holds the throne of Columbia. Desperate, Comstock goes to the Luteces, and together they hatch a plan to acquire a child from an alternate timeline where Comtstock has a child.

This is where the two timelines intersect, The Booker timeline has left Booker as a private investigator doing dirty/violent jobs, and as a single parent of the child Anna. He is still haunted by the things he did in the wars, and is constantly seeking a way to cleanse himself of his emotional "debts" and the shame and regret he feels. Comstock and the Luteces use the Luteces' machine to open a tear to Booker's timeline, where Comstock contacts Booker (without revealing who he is) and offers to wipe away Booker's [B]emotional[/B] debts in exchange for Anna. Booker is so ashamed of what he's done in the past that he at first agrees, and gives the child to Robert Lutece, but then realizes what he's doing is wrong and chases after the Luteces and Comstock. He catches them in the ally going through the tear, and we learn how Anna loses a finger, and ends up with Comstock.

This is the part where it gets a bit murky, and a lot of this is simply my own speculation based on the recordings found the in the game and the scenes seen at the end.

Booker essentially goes completely mad, and carves his daughter's initials into his hand. He then finds his way to the lighthouse, which he knows is connected to columbia in the Alternate world. The Lighthouse door acts as a sort of permanent tear between various worlds. After reaching the lighthouse and crossing over to Comstock's world, Booker kills a man in the lighthouse but cannot figure out how to get to Columbia, and simply goes insane, writing messages to himself that focus on the line "Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt". At this point, he starts creating false memories, and pushes Anna out of his mind, sweeping her under the rug so to speak. The Luteces find Booker on the Lighthouse island, and return him to New York, noting how he is creating false memories.

Some time later, Comstock has his wife, who knows the child is not hers and is related to the Luteces, killed. And also has Fink attempt to kill the Luteces in a way that will seem an accident. Fink sabotages the Luteces' tear machine, and the next time they try to use it, it malfunctions and "scatters" them, leaving them in a state neither dead nor alive, and stuck in-between worlds, able to move freely back and forth through tears. This malfunction also creates a large number of tears around Columbia itself.

The Luteces, realizing what they have done is wrong, and seeking both redeption and revenge, are unable to do very much in the physical world. But they hatch a plan to set things right by using Booker Dewitt's self-created false memories to create a scenario that will convince him to go to Columbia and retrieve his lost daughter, who he has forgotten. Booker at this point thinks that his debt is a real, financial debt, and that the anonymous people who hire him are going to take care of the debt in exchange for bringing "Elizabeth" to New York.

This is where the game opens, with Booker being taken to the lighthouse by the Luteces (who he doesn't know are the Luteces, and also doesn't know they hired him).

For better or worse.
I'll have to play again and pay more attention to the flashes of scenes at the very end.
Also note that this means

That Comstock's existence and Booker's existence are not dependent on each other, or at least, they are completely separate entities after the baptism. The only thing dependent on both of them existing is Elizabeth, as without Booker she wouldn't be born, and without Comstock's interference, she wouldn't have been taken to Columbia and been given her tear powers.

[Rebe7cca]

Back to being lonely and bored.

[ptwonline]

Soratrox,

I think your account is mostly correct. One thing though: Booker does not go to the lighthouse just on his own. He went there to "get the girl, wipe the debt". I believe the Lutreces are behind that, otherwise how would Booker have a picture of her? They bring him there in order to get revenge on Comstock (and perhaps to prevent their "accident"). The dead guy in the Lighthouse was killed by the Lutreces. See the note? "Be prepared, he's on his way: you must stop him. -C." I assume that "C" is Comstock, and so the note is from Comstock telling the guy to kill Booker. In an other universe where the Lutreces try to get Booker to kill Comstock, the Lighthouse man kills Booker instead. So now every time the Lutreces bring Booker to the Lighthouse they kill (or arrange to have someone else kill) the Lighthouse man first.

Their past experiences with Booker's failures are also why they warn him not to pick #77. Their experiments with the heads/tails is a clue to the player about how even though it's an alternate universe, some things change but some things do not, which is an important theme to resolving the story in a way that makes sense.

These are a few of the many examples of how the plot twist at the end was actually woven through the entire story, and so anyone who claims that it was some lame plot twist at the end added on clearly wasn't paying attention.

[Last Attempt]

Just beat it on 1999 mode, probably on the the best if not the best ending I've seen in a game. One thing though, I get the ending and I don't at the same time Booker is Comstock right?

[Simca]

If you liked these time lines, you should watch Steins;Gate.

I loved Steins;Gate. This was better.

The ending is nothing short of incredible; flat-out best video game ending I have ever seen.

Soratrox,

I think your account is mostly correct. One thing though: Booker does not go to the lighthouse just on his own. He went there to "get the girl, wipe the debt". I believe the Lutreces are behind that, otherwise how would Booker have a picture of her? They bring him there in order to get revenge on Comstock (and perhaps to prevent their "accident"). The dead guy in the Lighthouse was killed by the Lutreces. See the note? "Be prepared, he's on his way: you must stop him. -C." I assume that "C" is Comstock, and so the note is from Comstock telling the guy to kill Booker. In an other universe where the Lutreces try to get Booker to kill Comstock, the Lighthouse man kills Booker instead. So now every time the Lutreces bring Booker to the Lighthouse they kill (or arrange to have someone else kill) the Lighthouse man first.

Their past experiences with Booker's failures are also why they warn him not to pick #77. Their experiments with the heads/tails is a clue to the player about how even though it's an alternate universe, some things change but some things do not, which is an important theme to resolving the story in a way that makes sense.

These are a few of the many examples of how the plot twist at the end was actually woven through the entire story, and so anyone who claims that it was some lame plot twist at the end added on clearly wasn't paying attention.

Yes, this is what a lot of people don't understand; literally the ENTIRE GAME is written around the ending. Almost every detail has a second meaning after you see it.

[Zulandia]

ptwoonline's comment

and is the very reason the second playthrough is that much more of a mind fuck (seeing all the allusions you missed).

@Charecters Yes booker is Comstock just from a different universe