Bioshock Infinite.

Wooo! As excited about this game as I have been, I've been pretty skeptical about it from the day the first teaser was unveiled on through up until yesterday.

I loved Rapture, Bioshock's story, and the amazing visuals. Just about everything about that game appealed to me in some way. From the nifty steam punk environment, the dystopian setting, the music, a world sunk into utter madness, the creepy Big Daddy/Little Sister concept, to the deconstruction of Objectivism.

Infinite's storyline being completely disconnected from the original game made me very skeptical. How could it really be Bioshock?

Well, now that I have played it, I realize my skepticism was unnecessary. It is great. I find myself wanting to poke my head in every nook and cranny of Colombia, not wanting to miss a single piece of this intricate and fascinating backdrop the developers built, just like I did the first time I entered Rapture several years ago. The intrigue and mystery of trying to discover what is going on, an element I felt the second Bioshock completely lost, is totally back. And despite the bright sun shinny setting (quite a contrast from the dimly lit dreariness of Rapture), it still somehow manages to be extremely dark and creepy. Like a horror film that takes place in the daytime, but still manages to leave you extremely unsettled. Everything about this game is Bioshock, through and through. They managed to do exactly what I was sure they would be unable to do.

I was pretty sure I was going to really enjoy Infinite, but I didn't think I'd start to fall in love with it and its world like I did the first game. But here I am, totally smitten.