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High in the Clouds: Bioshock Goes Infinite

Irrational Games promises to return the Bioshock series to red, white, and blue form with Bioshock Infinite. The sea is so three years ago. Come visit the city in the clouds.

2K Marin departed Bioshock from its original creative talent for the lesser praised sequel, but the company is graciously stepping aside for the third installment in the series, a property that Irrational Games has reclaimed. 2K president Christoph Hartmann recently announced, “We believe that Irrational Games will lend their meticulous attention to detail and unique storytelling expertise to make BioShock Infinite an incredible entertainment experience that will immerse new and diehard fans of BioShock alike.”

Bioshock Infinite trades the underwater view for that of Columbia, a construction symbolizing the ideals of a world power-emerging United States. Drifting ceremoniously off distant shores, the grand city eventually floats into the sky.

Gamers will play as former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, tasked with saving a young woman named Elizabeth, who has been held captive in Columbia since childhood. Together, Booker and Elizabeth must pair their abilities in order to escape from the falling city. New weapons and powers will aid players as they engage in high-speed Sky-Line battles and traverse Columbia inside and out.

Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games, explained the team’s approach to the title. “We only had one rule: No sacred cows. This game is both true to what people love about the series and unafraid to question every assumption.”

Levine hints at what innovations fans can expect. “In order to explore the floating city of Columbia,” he reported, “we needed an entirely new engine. To bring Elizabeth to life, we had to build brand-new animation and AI systems. To create wide-ranging indoor and outdoor firefights at 30,000 feet, we had to rethink, rebuild and expand the BioShock arsenal. The only thing gamers can be certain of is this: the rules of the BioShock universe are about to change.”

A big promise, but it could be just the lift the series needs. Bioshock Infinite will arrive on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2012.

Do you have faith in Infinite’s potential, or should the first-person shooter retire before it’s old goods?