Bioshock Infinite: Ultimate Songbird Edition - Xbox 360

Bioshock Infinite is the game of the year, and the new benchmark for what games should be from this point on. I have beaten the game on Hard, and am just about done on 1999 mode, and the experience is even better the second time around. Let me say this though, while this game is incredible, game changing, and other positive twenty dollar words, it does have problems. These problems in no way stop it from being the best thing out there, but they are there.You play as Booker Dewitt, an former soldier and ex Pinkerton. To pay off his gambling debts he has been told to "Bring us the girl, wipe away the debt". Unfortunately for Mr. Dewitt, "the girl" is in the floating city of Columbia, under lock and key. I won't be spoiling anything when I tell you that you do get the girl, Elizabeth, and she is one of the best video game character ever. She is everything a character should be: engaging, likeable, sympathetic, strong, and real. Of course getting to her was easy; the hard part will be getting her out.Bioshock Infinite's story is jaw dropping. It is intelligent, touching, and absolutely heart breaking. it touches on everything from race, class, family, religion, and destiny, without ever being preachy. I won't dare ruin it for you, because now that this game exists it should become mandatory playing for anyone who is even thinking of taking up story telling in a video game. The ending is incredibly powerful, and in a first for me, actually enhances repeat playthroughs.The visuals are gob-smacking for two reasons. Firstly, the game is absolutely gorgeous. I played it on the 360 and apparently the graphics are even better on PC, which I can hardly imagine. Secondly, the art design is breathtaking. Everything in this world is alive. Columbia is an amazing city, full of amazing architecture, that has a style all its own, instead of aping known design. I spent half the game gazing at the incredible detail that went into creating this world. From the posters to the people, everything is bursting with character.The sound design is so amazing, I am actually mentioning the sound design. The music in Bioshock Infinite is perfect, and if you got the Ultimate Songbird Edition you will be able to enjoy it anytime thanks to the digital download. The music perfectly captures the feel of the 1912 setting, with some very cool surprise songs for those who explore.The first Bioshock, while excellent, had very real gameplay issues. Switching between weapons and plasmids was an unnecessary complication, and the unnecessary animation attached to refilling said plasmids was a problem. Bioshock 2 fixed one of these problems by introducing dual wielding, and Bioshock Infinite takes it a step further by eliminating the superfluous "refill" animation, perfectly fixing what was broken, with the combat, from the first game.Gameplay in Bioshock Infinite is fast, fluid, and fun. I have to say, I wish the weapons were a little more exciting, but the Vigors more than make up for the rather standard array of armaments. The vigors, Bioshock Infinite's equivalent to plasmids, are wonderfully designed and an absolute blast to use. "Bucking Bronco" lifts your foes off the ground, leaving them helpless to your next attack, while "Charge" is a wind powered tackle that can send even the heartiest enemy flying. Even better is the fact that you can combine the effects of certain vigors for even more spectacular effects.Throughout the game you will come across containers that hold a random item of clothing, or "gear", that enhances Booker in some way. My personal favorites are "Storm" which allows you to chain the effects of your vigors, making the combos especially devastating, and "Urgent Care" which lowers the recharge time on your shield and hastens the charge time. For those that get the Songbird Edition, you will receive three exclusive pieces of gear: "Bull Rush" makes your melee attacks send your foes flying through the air and ideally right off the stage, "Extra Extra" gives you cash every time you pick up a voxaphone (Bioshock Infinite's version of audio diaries), and "Betrayer" which makes it so the possessed enemies you kill explode damaging those around them. If you purchase the season pass now, you will also receive extra gear, best of which, in my opinion, are the "Burning Halo" gear which grants your melee a 70% chance of lighting your opponent on fire, and "Ammo Advantage" which allows you to carry 75% more ammo in every one of your weapons clip.Now for the less that perfect parts of the game. The enemy A.I. is, in a word, dumb. The majority of the time they will simply charge you with no concern for their safety. While this certainly makes using your various vigor combinations on them far more enjoyable, I would have preferred more of a challenge. Ironically enough, the other problem is that there a a couple of parts in the game where the difficulty spikes, needlessly. Well into the game, you will have to fight a boss, three separate times. Now, anyone who played through the first Bioshock knows that the final boss there was boring, and unnecessary. Unfortunately the boss in Bioshock Infinite raises the stakes by being equal parts unenjoyable and very frustrating, especially on the higher difficulties.Had this been a single unenjoyable encounter, that would have been an annoyance, and nothing more. The problem lies in the fact that you have to face this boss three separate times, with each encounter becoming more difficult. I have beaten it on hard and 1999 mode, so my complaint isn't that it's too hard, but that it is unnecessary. That brings me right to my biggest problem with the game, which is the final conflict.After the terrible sequence of boss fights, the game kicks into high gear, and delivers one of the most gut tearing, soul wrenching sequences I have ever experienced. The connection that you form with the characters makes the climb to the top of the tower excruciating, but amazing. After all is said and done, you have stormed the enemy fort, so to speak, and are victorious. All that is left is to get the answers that the game has been dangling in front of you like water to a man in the desert. Just as the answers you have been seeking for so long are just in reach, you are forced into a totally unnecessary conflict that has LITERALLY not story value. It happens, out of the blue, and feels very forced. To make it worse, said conflict is, like the boss fight, unnecessarily difficult and in no way enjoyable.The first Bioshock had these same exact problems, so it makes no sense that they should be repeated here. The string of fights against that same boss, and the final conflict both break the flow of the narrative, and only serve to pad the gameplay. If you cut them out of the game, the experience would be stronger for it.Now, for those who purchased the Ultimate Songbird Edition, the selling point was the Songbird Statue that comes with it. On that front, it is well worth it. The statue is beautifully crafted and comes in a well designed box the perfectly showcases it. The add on gear and avatar outfits are nice, the digital soundtrack is well worth it, though a certain song by a quartet in the game is conspicuously absent, the art book is nice, and all the other knick knacks are equally cool. Honestly, if you aren't interested in the statue, I would suggest just getting the regular version of the game.As intensely as I dislike those conflicts, in the end, they are but two very small parts of an otherwise marvelous game. In no way do they change the fact that this is one of, if not the, best game I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Bioshock Infinite is the game of the year. It is a leap forward in gaming, and should serve as the blueprint for developers to follow going forward. It is proof that not only can games stand shoulder to shoulder with television, movies, and books but, when executed as masterfully as Bioshock Infinite, they can deliver an experience that no other genre could hope to replicate. I can't say enough wonderful things about Bioshock Infinite. It is a masterpiece and an absolute buy.

It's hard to say anything about Bioshock Infinite that hasn't already been said. If you're looking for a regular multiplayer shooter this isn't the game for you. If you're looking for a game that will change everything you think you know about gaming or works of art, this is the game for you. The game examines deep philosophical questions of patriotism, religion and much more. Where the original Bioshock opened the door to the conversation of games being art, Bioshock Infinite solidifies it. Every moment of the game is filled with a great story and likable characters. The gameplay is well balanced between intense shoot outs and serene moments to soak of the atmosphere. While one could argue that the biggest downside is the lack of replayability but the game is just like a great novel where each play unveils a little more. I highly recommend this game to almost any adult gamer. It is an essential title for any video game player, not just of this generation but of all time.The extra content in this game is great. The Handyman figurine has inspired me to purchase the board game while the Murder of Crows vigor key chain is well detailed. The real show stopper is the Song Bird statue. It is a good size and solid quality. The detail is amazing and well worth the price alone. I am always a sucker for game soundtracks so to be included here is a great bonus. Everything else isn't that special but the rest makes up for it. I recommend this for the diehard Bioshock fans.

The condition of this item is absolutely atrocious. This was SO disappointing to open. The box is ripped apart and is hardly even in one piece! I can't believe this could be sold for $200!

I bought this edition for a friend for his birthday. As an avid collector of video game merchandise, I knew he would love it, and he really did, except that pulling it out of the shipping box we noticed that the top of the collector's box had a huge, noticeable tear in it. I was embarrassed. It's not a big deal for people who want all the stuff inside but like I said, it was a gift for a collector (with a special interest in Bioshock) and his collection is pristine. Wish I had been warned!