Bioshock Infinite

Cantatus

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,437
79
An arena? are you fucking kidding me?

Someone over there just doesn't get the gameplay is NOT why anyone plays these games.
Arenas have always struck me as a lazy way of doing DLC. If you want to include these different types of combat scenarios, why not do it in a way that works within the story? It disappoints me that Irrational decided to add this as DLC. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't feel like having this robs us of another piece of story-driven DLC. I wish it separate and not part of the season pass. Not that I won't play it and have fun, but it's not terribly exciting.

As far as Burial at Sea, I'm both excited to be able to return to Rapture and experience its downfall, while also being a little sad that it doesn't look like we're going to get to see more of Columbia. Though, I can't say as I'm surprised the story is separate from Infinite. Ken Levine seemed adamant that you wouldn't need to buy the DLC to get the complete story.
 

LiquidDeath

Magnus Deadlift the Fucktiger
4,961
11,514
Arenas have always struck me as a lazy way of doing DLC. If you want to include these different types of combat scenarios, why not do it in a way that works within the story? It disappoints me that Irrational decided to add this as DLC. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't feel like having this robs us of another piece of story-driven DLC. I wish it separate and not part of the season pass. Not that I won't play it and have fun, but it's not terribly exciting.

As far as Burial at Sea, I'm both excited to be able to return to Rapture and experience its downfall, while also being a little sad that it doesn't look like we're going to get to see more of Columbia. Though, I can't say as I'm surprised the story is separate from Infinite. Ken Levine seemed adamant that you wouldn't need to buy the DLC to get the complete story.
I think that is the cool thing about this, though. You don't need the DLC to complete the Columbia storyline, but it is definitely in line with the Infinite story line. There is always a man and always a city. This time the city is Rapture. I'm pumped.
 

OU Ariakas

Diet Dr. Pepper Enjoyer
<Silver Donator>
7,066
19,466
I think that is the cool thing about this, though. You don't need the DLC to complete the Columbia storyline, but it is definitely in line with the Infinite story line. There is always a man and always a city. This time the city is Rapture. I'm pumped.
FUCK THAT. Rapture has a man and his city had a brilliant story and satisfying ending that explained most of its quirks in an intelligent and satisfying manner (voice captures). The second man was explained but the story of his city was fucking lost along the way. It would have been better if they said "there is always a man and a woman" because then you could see BS 1 as the story of Jack and the little sisters to BS:I's story of Booker and Elizabeth. I want the story of Columbia and it looks like we're not going to get it.
 

Sean_sl

shitlord
4,735
11
Arena crap for my season pass? Fuck you, Ken Levine. I don't want this garbage. The season pass was supposed to be for 3 Story DLCs, not this nonsense.
 

The Ancient_sl

shitlord
7,386
16
FUCK THAT. Rapture has a man and his city had a brilliant story and satisfying ending that explained most of its quirks in an intelligent and satisfying manner (voice captures). The second man was explained but the story of his city was fucking lost along the way. It would have been better if they said "there is always a man and a woman" because then you could see BS 1 as the story of Jack and the little sisters to BS:I's story of Booker and Elizabeth. I want the story of Columbia and it looks like we're not going to get it.
?
 

Sean_sl

shitlord
4,735
11
Anyone have the original advertising for the season pass? Fairly certain that it was sold under the pretense of there being 3 story DLCs and that this has been some blatantly false advertising.
 

Caliane

Avatar of War Slayer
14,679
10,243
yeah.

My thoughts on the matter in more depth and with less venom.

DLC is contracted. like, when they make the game, they agree with microsoft, and 2k that there will be 3 dlcs.
So, when actually making them, they have to sit there and make choices on resources. And this is what we get. 1 shitty one first, to by more time. as each DLC very likely also had a contracted timeline for release.
And the two good ones, will come later.
Horde mode dlc just seems so incredibly lazy.

More Rapture vs Columbia. I'm also on the "I wanted more Columbia" side. Lutece's, the Vox, etc. there was alot of room for Columbia stories that had nothing to do with Comstock or Elizabeth.


Noir Rapture might be fun for sure. And I like that Elizabeth has ANOTHER model here yet again. Wonder if the in game model will be revised yet again, beyond this trailer model.
 

Cantatus

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,437
79
Anyone have the original advertising for the season pass? Fairly certain that it was sold under the pretense of there being 3 story DLCs and that this has been some blatantly false advertising.
Thisis the original press release. It does say that there's story content, but doesn't say that all three pieces of the DLC will necessarily contain story.

It is worth noting theClash in the Clouds DLC pagesays you unlock "concept art, Voxophones, Kinetoscopes, and more," so it is likely we'll be getting more information on Columbia through these.
 

OU Ariakas

Diet Dr. Pepper Enjoyer
<Silver Donator>
7,066
19,466
Most of those still don't explain some of the very real mysteries that you find in Columbia. I have listed them before but here are a few:

1.) Why do the citizens of Columbia worship Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin? When did it start? Was it instrumental in the war? Why wouldn't Comstock just have them worship him?
2.) What are the origins of Songbird?
3.) How is Columbia mass manufacturing "vigors" if they are just watching Rapture? Did they harvest the slugs necessary to splice the DNA? How are vigors different from plasmids?

These are all parts of Columbia that are presented to the player and then just discarded as the story starts resolving more and more around Elizabeth. Look, I loved the game and will probably play the DLC because I loved Rapture even more. However,for a franchise and creator that hang their hats on being so cerebral and having deeper meaning I think that leaving those mysteries unanswered is unfortunate and proves all the rumors about story rewrites were most likely true.
 

The Ancient_sl

shitlord
7,386
16
I know, I was just being a smartass. I think a lot of Columbia's backstory isn't answered because they don't have an answer to it. They wanted a plasmid like game mechanic so they just added vigors because they "observed rapture". Similarly the Songbird is based on Big Daddy tech. I feel like Rapture has a more feasible backstory so I don't really mind revisiting it. It's all a bit of fan service anyway.
 

TrollfaceDeux

Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
<Bronze Donator>
19,577
3,743
Most of those still don't explain some of the very real mysteries that you find in Columbia. I have listed them before but here are a few:

1.) Why do the citizens of Columbia worship Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin? When did it start? Was it instrumental in the war? Why wouldn't Comstock just have them worship him?
2.) What are the origins of Songbird?
3.) How is Columbia mass manufacturing "vigors" if they are just watching Rapture? Did they harvest the slugs necessary to splice the DNA? How are vigors different from plasmids?

These are all parts of Columbia that are presented to the player and then just discarded as the story starts resolving more and more around Elizabeth. Look, I loved the game and will probably play the DLC because I loved Rapture even more. However,for a franchise and creator that hang their hats on being so cerebral and having deeper meaning I think that leaving those mysteries unanswered is unfortunate and proves all the rumors about story rewrites were most likely true.
i think they are all explained in the game, except the vigor part.

this dlc is gay. i want my money back.
 

OU Ariakas

Diet Dr. Pepper Enjoyer
<Silver Donator>
7,066
19,466
I know, I was just being a smartass. I think a lot of Columbia's backstory isn't answered because they don't have an answer to it. They wanted a plasmid like game mechanic so they just added vigors because they "observed rapture". Similarly the Songbird is based on Big Daddy tech. I feel like Rapture has a more feasible backstory so I don't really mind revisiting it. It's all a bit of fan service anyway.
It just ticks me off at how easy it would've been to tie it all together especially when the end of the game clearly states that the man and the city are of equal importance. A voxophone saying they took a submersible down to the floor of the ocean and collected the slugs would've take about 10 minutes to slot in somewhere.
 

OU Ariakas

Diet Dr. Pepper Enjoyer
<Silver Donator>
7,066
19,466
i think they did. they saw rapture through the portal. it's in one of those voxophone by Fink.
I know that they mention seeing it through a rift, but they never talk about the actual application. In Bioshock they go to great lengths to talk about the gene splicing and how it took a special slug and a ton of testing to figure out how to do it. In BS:I they say the observe it through a rift and tada! Songbirds and Vigors. Nothing about how they were able to replicate the process or how it is different in their world. Nothing about side effects like the plasmid abuse in Rapture. It was just lazy work.
 

Cantatus

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,437
79
1.) Why do the citizens of Columbia worship Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin? When did it start? Was it instrumental in the war? Why wouldn't Comstock just have them worship him?
Comstock is an American imperialist. He feels betrayed after America orders him back after the Boxer Rebellion and becomes convinced that the current American government has lost its way and become too far removed from what the Founding Fathers intended. He can't set himself up as a god because that would completely undermine his own ideals. It would be like Washington setting himself up as a king after the Revolutionary War. Comstock wants to bring America back to its purest form, not to set himself up as a tyrant and create something new (though, ironically, that is exactly what his fanaticism does).

As far as Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin being worshiped, I think that makes sense when you consider Comstock's own ties to religion. In his quest to restore America, he creates this sort of mythical America that never really existed, and idealizes the Founding Fathers in a way that becomes very central to Columbia. Whether it is intentional or just an evolution of his the city he builds, what better way to cement the Founding Fathers' desires than to set them up as infallible deities?

2.) What are the origins of Songbird?
I didn't mind not being fully explained. Songbird is basically a larger, stronger Big Daddy. Comstock needs someone to "protect" Elizabeth, so it makes sense that he'd be inspired by the hulking creatures that watch over the Little Sisters. Everything else I just take as "A Fink did it!" and doesn't really warrant any further explanation unless there are some questions about this I'm missing.

3.) How is Columbia mass manufacturing "vigors" if they are just watching Rapture? Did they harvest the slugs necessary to splice the DNA? How are vigors different from plasmids?
This one does bother me. According to the recordings in Bioshock, the plasmids are created when Tenenbaum witnesses a dockworker's crippled hands become healed after he is bitten by a sea slug. It is then found that implanting the sea slugs in someone's stomach produces much more ADAM, giving rise to the Little Sisters. Finally, when demand for plasmids exceeds production, Dr. Suchong discovers that ADAM can be harvested from the bodies of dead splicers. In other words, there is nothing that separates plasmids from the sea slugs, so does that mean that Fink has crossed over to Rapture and stolen the sea slugs to create vigors and salts?

But, if that is the case, how has he been able to negate the mutations (both physical and mental) that users of plasmids become victim to? Seeing as how the next two DLCs take place in Rapture, perhaps this is something we'll get an answer to, however.
 

xzi

Mouthbreather
7,526
6,763
The newest DLC just kind of came out of nowhere, and I didn't see it anywhere until I saw the trailer for Burial at Sea and checked steam immediately only to find the arena DLC. Which I personally don't mind because the combat in Infinite is pretty good and some of these blue ribbon challenges are really hard to do. I wonder if this is an official part of their 3pack DLC or if it's just something they wanted to release beforehand. Because really.. I've seen no advertising for this DLC at all.

Regardless, I'm an achievement whore so I don't mind it for now. But I reaaaaaaaally want to play Burial at Sea badly.
To me in the trailer it doesn't seem like you're just revisiting Rapture but actually getting to see Rapture in its prime and that sounds fucking cool. Can't wait for it.
 

Amzin

Lord Nagafen Raider
2,917
361
I would be shocked if this wasn't just a 'bonus' for the season pass holders. BL2 Season Pass nets you like 6 or 7 total DLC things even though it says 4, the 4 it talks about are actual expansion-style DLC and the bonuses are just cause I guess. The arena challenges is cheaper than the other DLC will probably be and sure feels like a bonus.
 

Vaclav

Bronze Baronet of the Realm
12,650
877
Eh, having fun with it regardless - and the 5 new Voxophones through the Lutece Tear (once you buy both of their statues) were some nice extra characterization for the Lutece's I appreciated. I hate how they integrated the "Puddle Tear" Easter Egg though once you get around to it - there's zero reason it should reload to the main screen after it. I guess it's meant as a cool link-in to Burial at Sea once it's out, but before it.... it's a pointless toss to main menu.