RESIDENT EVIL 6

Manufacturer: Capcom

My Rating: 

Resident Evil 6 info

Release date:	Oct 02 2012 - Xbox 360, PC, PS3 (US)
Available Platforms:	Xbox 360, PC, PS3
Genre:	Action
Published by:	Capcom
Developed by:	Capcom
Franchise:	Resident Evil
ESRB Rating:	Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

CPU:	Intel® CoreTM 2 Quad 2.7 Ghz or better, AMD PhenomTM II X4 3 Ghz or better
RAM:	4 GB RAM
VGA:	NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560 or better
DX:	9.0c or greater
OS:	Windows Vista®/XP, Windows 7, Windows 8
HDD:	16 GB free hard drive space
Sound:	Standard audio device

                                

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RESIDENT EVIL 6: Official Trailer

||VIDEO WHILE GAMEPLAY||

THE REVIEW

Resident Evil’s enemies have evolved in parallel to the series’ pacing: They started off slow, shambling, and scary with the first three before breaking into an all-out run by the fourth and fifth. Resident Evil 6 typical enemies, called J’avo, grow tentacle arms, claw hands, and massive moth wings mid-battle as their limbs are blown off. They’re annoying and remarkable--and yes, that’s about as good an analogy for Resident Evil 6 as you’re going to get.

Resident Evil 6 shuns the series’ standard narrative path in favor of containing three different, consecutive cooperative campaigns following a viral threat on a global scale. Leon Kennedy teams up with agent Helena Harper to deal with the G-virus as it breaks out in a small American town in one campaign, Chris Redfield and Piers Nivans fight Bio Organic Weapons as they spread through China in another, and Jake Muller and Sherry Birkin attempt to escape mercenaries and mutants in Eastern Europe in the third. There’s also a fourth--following Ada Wong--that is unlocked after the other three are completed, though the first trio can be handled in any order the player wishes.

Though all of the campaigns feel similar in terms of their basic components and pacing, they all have their own styles and idiosyncrasies. To put it in the plainest terms possible, Leon’s plays like an action-heavy Resident Evil, Chris’s plays like a Resident Evil military shooter, and Jake’s plays like a more cinematic, Uncharted-inspired Resident Evil. None play all that much like a traditional Resident Evil, or even an RE4/5 era game--they’re much faster and more explosive, trading fear for gunfire without actually addressing the fact that it’s no longer a survival horror gameThe split campaign works well for the most part, and does a great job of creating a massive, epic story without making each character feel like a super soldier. Capcom did a fantastic job of keeping each segment separate while still including instances that help flesh out the plot of the other campaigns and add context to situations. Instead of feeling like different chapters of the same story, Resident Evil 6’s campaigns feel like stand-alone experiences complemented by the existence of other, related moments. That said, it can also create a somewhat uneven game when played straight through, as you’ll be met with four introductions, four climaxes, and four conclusions, as well as a fair share of repeated plot points and gameplay mechanics. Some things, like the new skill and experience system, transfer between, but otherwise they're their own beasts.

Fans of shorter single-player stories will undoubtedly enjoy the ability to blow through any of the campaigns in five to seven hours, whereas those who prefer longer narratives will still be greeted with a single tale that lasts around 25 hours. That’s over two-dozen hours without digging into The Mercenaries, a score-grind mode; Agent Hunt, a feature that lets you jump into the body of an enemy in a stranger’s game; or attempting to go back through cooperatively or to hunt down all of the hidden Serpent emblems.

Better yet, the campaigns occasionally cross over into the others as the different plotlines converge and diverge, creating some of the most memorable moments the series has seen in years. These aren’t just cutscenes, either--when you play as Leon you’ll run into a section where you’ll fight side-by-side with Chris, prompting the game to search for players currently playing Chris’s campaign to pull into your game (after a brief, skippable waiting period). Intertwining stories can mean brief, fleeting segments of four-player co-op interspersed throughout, making RE6’s already grand, overarching story feel more impressive. It also means, however, that some battles or moments are repeated in later campaigns, which can be an issue if the segment wasn’t all that good in the first place.

Repetition is common during RE6’s many boss battles, where stories overlap the most--and the encounters only become more tedious every time you replay them. It’s not because of the actual mechanics of the gameplay, though--those are stronger in RE6 than they have been in any of the past games. Resident Evil 6 sports the largest upgrades to the Resident Evil style since RE4. An emphasis is placed on fluidity and movement--a huge departure from the tank-like controls of previous games. The welcome ability to move and shoot is joined by sliding, crawling, upgraded melee, and a cover system that never seems to work right (but, thankfully, is never really necessary). There are still some moments of slowly plodding through moody corridors, waiting for enemies to leap out and scream, but they’re weaved between cinematic moments and large-scale shootouts.

The issue, though, is with conflicted gameplay; more specifically, scarcity of ammo and an annoying inventory system. Resident Evil 6 doesn’t blend horror and explosive action, it simply sits awkwardly between them, leaving you with facing too many enemies with too few bullets. Needing to mix herbs and pick and choose which items to collect might have made sense in the past, but now it feels somewhat redundant, held back even more by inventory management that doesn't fit. You’ll often face situations that seem bred specifically to trick you into wasting ammo (and time), such as near-immortal enemies that need a cutscene to trigger before they can be harmed. These segments aren’t well telegraphed, and it’s often hard to know if the foe you’re wasting precious ammo on can be hurt at all, or if the game is simply biding its time until a quick-time event is triggered.

Quick-time events aren’t new to the series, but they were used much more sparingly in the past than they are in RE6. Now everything from opening a door to punching an enemy has the potential to trigger an event that’ll have you slamming random buttons or smacking the analog stick back and forth. Sometimes they’re simply annoying, and other times they’re overly difficult. Never, though, are they enjoyable, and it's a shame to see interesting moments that might have served better as cutscenes or fully interactive segments be chained to QTEs.

So much of Resident Evil 6 is wonderful. The story is intense and ambitious, and the separate campaigns--and the way they interact with each other--is an achievement in interactive storytelling. Even the changes to the gameplay are strong, and you’ll likely spend a majority of the game enjoying the weird, unexpected ride that it takes you on. When you do run into issues, though, they’ll be related to the half measures taken in other areas of the gameplay, proving that flat-out abandoning some tropes while clinging on to others doesn’t always make for great sequels. Though rough around the edges, Resident Evil 6 is still a remarkable creature, and like the J’avo, it’s an interesting transformation, even if it’s not necessarily the prettiest one.

Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs INFO

Release date:	Aug 14 2012 - PC Oct 14 2014 - Xbox One Aug 14 2012 - PS3 Oct 14 2014 - PS4 Aug 14 2012 - Xbox 360 (US)
Available Platforms:	PC, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360
Genre:	Action
Published by:	Square Enix
ESRB Rating:	Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Sexual Content

System Requirements

CPU:	Quad-core Intel or AMD CPU
RAM:	4GB
VGA:	DirectX 11 Nvidia or AMD ATI card, Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 or ATI Radeon 6950
DX:	11
OS:	Windows 7
HDD:	15GB
Sound:	DirectX compatible sound card

                          

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Sleeping Dogs Review

Open-world games are marvels of modern technology and, as such, they usually have issues that are often condoned in favor of the bigger picture. Simplistic melee, sloppy gunplay, or loose driving can be ignored if everything else is strong. Sleeping Dogs made no such concessions on its original release on Xbox 360, PC and PS3, attempting to top the rest by borrowing from the best in the genre, taking cues from many contemporaneous open-world games - from Arkham City to Just Cause 2 - to make for an extremely sexy Frankenstein’s Monster of a game. While the two years since its original release have undoubtedly lessened its impact, the Definitive Edition makes this slickness even slicker--so check out the boxout below for exactly what the new version offers over the original experience reviewed below.

At first, it certainly does appear to be inspired by Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series, with protagonist Wei Shen thrown into a life of crime and asked to do horrendous things to progress the plot. But quickly it reveals itself to be much more than that. Early on it's explained that Shen is actually an undercover cop, sent into Hong Kong to climb the ranks of the Triads and take them down from the inside, creating a conflicted protagonist that's easy to sympathize with.

This small detail makes a big difference, both in terms of story and gameplay. Shen has understandable motives that extend far beyond simply trying to make a bunch of money. He’s not an amoral killer--he’s a cop thrown into the middle of something big, and that stress gets to him quickly, creating a well-developed, likable character.You’ll constantly be passed between different members of the Triad as you work your way towards the top of the food chain, all the while needing to balance out your work with the police, making for entertaining (albeit slightly repetitive) missions. The characters you work for lack the colorful flare of those found in games like Grand Theft Auto and you'll never feel all that connected to any of them, even if you fall for the undercover cop angle, which definitely adds to the tried and true open-world story formula.

As a player, it also means trying to balance the Cop and Triad side of things, with different missions rewarding you with bonus points depending on how the levels are played. Kill everyone and destroy everything and your brutal actions will earn you Triad points, which can be used to access powerful, brutal abilities, whereas playing things more professionally will unlock equally-powerful Cop abilities. New melee attacks, awesome weapon skills, and driving bonuses are just some of the upgrades Wei gains access to in his quest to earn the trust of his fellow gang members (and police officers).Each element has some rough edges, from an occasionally finicky camera to sometimes inconsistent collision detection, but the problems were never enough to keep us down for more than a few seconds. Melee is as brutal as it is well-developed--Wei can take on limitless foes, waiting until they’re about to strike before executing a brutal counter-attack. He can go on the offensive, too, using dozens of abilities and combos to break the arms and legs of his opponents. The more varied his attacks are the higher his Face meter rises, eventually causing his enemies to flinch once they’ve seen exactly how powerful the Triad member is.

What’s more, grappling enemies opens up additional options, allowing Wei to drag his enemies over to objects for environmental kills, or to just throw them off ledges or into enemies. This flexibility makes for highly entertaining melee battles, and no matter how many times you're thrown into a room with a dozen enemies to defeat you'll always enjoy your time doing it.Sleeping Dogs gunplay is robust, even if it is deemphasized in favor of fists (or knives, or tire-irons, or fish). The combat features a cover system and slow-motion that triggers whenever you leap over an object in the environment, allowing you to clear rooms without an issue. It’s always fast, it’s always rewarding, and it’s always fun, pulling from the best in the genre. Better yet, using melee on an enemy while holding a weapon triggers unique attacks, like Shen running up his foe’s chest and then kicking off in slow motion for an awesome action-movie attack.And, of course, there’s driving, which is much smoother than it is in most others in the genre. Besides being able to drift around corners and shoot out enemies’ tires (causing them to flip through the air and explode, obviously), Wei can also smash into enemy vehicles to disable them, or even leap from one car to another, carjacking them while they’re speeding down the highway. It’s extremely amusing to jump from car to car, making the driving segments of the game much more enjoyable than those found in other open-world games.When all of these elements mix together (with a dash of parkour thrown in for good measure), Sleeping Dogs rises to the top, surpassing nearly every other sandbox-style game. Every single action is so entertaining that we’d go looking for trouble just as an excuse to use our fun melee takedowns, awesome gunplay, and fantastic driving skills. Thankfully, the game provides bountiful opportunities to use these skills, both in the game’s lengthy campaign--which takes some 15 hours to complete--and the plentiful side missions, which can easily tack on another 10. Doing favors for pedestrians or busting drug-dealers kept us constantly engaged, making it difficult to ever put down the controller.

But while small problems with controls and occasional glitches won't hold you back, you might become frustrated by the fact that Sleeping Dogs never fully embraces how fun Sleeping Dogs is to play. A majority of story missions are fairly basic, and though they are inherently entertaining because of how remarkably enjoyable the components are, they are never all that interesting in their own right. With such great gameplay you'd expect equally insane missions, but while there are some standout instances, a majority of the time you'll be doing the same handful of things the same way each time.It's more limiting than it needs to be, and too linear on a mission-to-mission basis. You'll get involved in a chase and wonder why you can't just shoot the tires out of the enemy you're pursuing, or wonder why you can't tackle the guy you're chasing even though you're right behind him. Sleeping Dogs lets you do plenty of cool stuff, but not letting you do it when you want to do it is sort of a buzzkill. You're given all of these awesome tools and then forced to only use them in the order the game sees fit. It’s still fun, and it’s still great, but it's just a little too conservative with its awesome abilities when it could allow for more sandbox freedom.When Sleeping Dogs grabs hold of you it absolutely refused to let go. You'll be amazed by the sheer amount of content, and how compelled you'll be to consume every drop of it. You'll want to unlock every costume, complete every side mission, and play until there isn't a single drop of Hong Kong left for you to see. After being renamed, delayed, canceled, sold, bought, and then renamed again all in the course of four years, Sleeping Dogs had every excuse in the world to be a letdown, but just like Wei Shen, it's empowered by its tumultuous past, and much more than it appears at a glance.

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Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor INFO

Release date:	Nov 18 2014 - Xbox 360, PS3 Sep 30 2014 - PS4, Xbox One, PC (US)
	Nov 21 2014 - Xbox 360, PS3 (UK)
Available Platforms:	Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Genre:	Role Playing
ESRB Rating:	Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
OS: 64-bit: Vista, Win 7, Win 8
Processor: Intel Core i5-750, 2.67 GHz | AMD Phenom II X4 965, 3.4 GHz
Memory: 3 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 | AMD Radeon HD 5850
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 25 GB available space

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Installation:
- Burn or mount the .iso
- Run setup.exe and install
- copy crack from CODEX dir to installdir
- Play

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Notes: This patch requires: CODEX release of ME: Shadow of Mordor

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Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Trailer

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor REVIEW

His name was Noruk the Assassin. When we first met, he lodged an arrow in my chest and left me for dead. This was the start of many more of my own deaths--me typically getting an explosive arrow to the neck, him getting one promotion after another for repeatedly slaying the deathless Gravewalker (that's me). But when I finally killed him and his lackeys after more than a dozen failed attempts, it felt like a part of me had died. Just as Batman and the Joker give each other purpose, Noruk's presence in Mordor was a constant reminder of my struggle to get revenge on the Uruk. Without my diametric opposite, I felt weaker.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an outstanding action game, offering a satisfying mix of stealth and melee combat that series like Assassin's Creed or Batman: Arkham have perfected. But the Nemesis system, which cleverly makes enemies grow and evolve along with the player, is what elevates Shadow of Mordor into the upper echelons of open-world excellence. Every time you die, it's personal.

I'll get back to the antagonists, but let’s talk good guys for a second. You play as Talion, a Ranger (think Aragorn) who's dead before the game even starts, forced to watch his wife and son get their throats slit before getting the same treatment. But fate gives Talion a chance for revenge when an ancient Wraith binds himself to the Ranger's corpse, giving him the gift of immortality and super awesome ghost-powers (complete with glowing blue eyes).
Talion and his live-in phantasm start out as fairly one-dimensional characters. But over the course of the 20-to-30-hour game, you'll grow to enjoy their banter, which is equal parts cynicism and good humor on both sides. And they're not the only denizens of Mordor on a mission: the supporting cast, while small, is made up of some memorable personalities, like Ratbag the turncoat Uruk; Torvin, a self-aggrandizing dwarven hunter; or that scheming imp Gollum himself.Whether or not you're a diehard Lord of the Rings fan, the sheer amount of lore--woven into the world via collectible artifacts and weapon-centric missions--is staggering. As with most open-world games, these bits of backstory and extra challenge are totally optional, strewn throughout Mordor for those times when you want a quick, enjoyable diversion from your vendetta. Pretty much right from the start, you've got the gratifying freedom to explore the picturesque hillsides, desolate quarries, ominous strongholds, and lush forests of Mordor's two sizeable regions, thinning out Sauron's army however you see fit.

By "thinning out," I mostly mean "brutally killing every Uruk in a 50-mile radius." When it comes to combat, Talion and the Wraith make quite the pair--the former being an expert swordsman and adept throat-slitting assassin, the latter with his ability to slow time and line up precision arrows direct to Uruk skulls and flammable grog caskets. The swordplay is like a much sharper, pointier version of Batman: Arkham's fistfights: free-flowing combat interspersed with counterattack button prompts. The key difference is that instead of simply knocking your opponents out, you are utterly desecrating their leathery bodies like a butcher carving up meat.

Now, as far as modern video game excesses go, Shadow of Mordor isn't gratuitously gory. But it's got all the devastating violence that swords, bows, and the giant-dog-like Caragor mounts will allow. Every instance of over-the-top carnage--beheadings, chest-slicing combos, being eaten alive, or taking a blade directly through the forehead--is sold by incredibly convincing animations that feel weighty and impactful. Even the stealth kills are vicious, with the option to brutalize an enemy with multiple stabs to the head, neck, and stomach in order to scare off all his comrades (a ruthless-but-effective tactic for isolating your target). While the savagery of the combat is sure to get your blood pumping, it can be somewhat upsetting to notice the sheer terror in an Uruk's eyes right before you invade his mind and end his life. But then you remember that Uruks are merciless slave-owners bred only for war, and you start to feel a bit better about your countless killing sprees and oil-black bloodshed.
The intricacies of combat could've simply consisted of fights against plain grunts using your supernatural abilities, and Mordor would still be a ton of aggressive fun. But the Nemesis system turns every duel to the death into so much more, giving the villains just as much personality as your hero. Warchiefs and Captains lead the forces of Sauron's army, each one randomly generated from a set of pug-ugly faces, delightfully snide voiceovers, and odd character quirks. Maybe they'll become enraged at the sight of their master's suffering, or run for their lives if you ride into battle atop a Caragor.

You can exploit these strengths and weaknesses by learning them ahead of time, interrogating some hapless minions or rescuing some eavesdropping slaves. This turns even the most incidental encounter into an exciting, significant event, through the necessary build-up and preparation. Though if your plan goes awry and one of your targets gets the jump on you, the surprise duel will trigger the fight-or-flight cortex of your brain. Whether you opt for a grueling battle or a panicked getaway, it's sure to be intense. And each time you die by a soldier's hands, he'll level up and learn some new abilities that make him that much more resilient.

What's incredibly impressive is just how distinct these randomly generated nemeses feel, thanks largely to dialogue that seems to predict your every possible action. When you encounter your rival, they'll remind you how they killed you the first time around, or mock you for chickening out during your previous encounter. Some belittle you while speaking in rhyme; others don't talk at all, choosing to snarl and scream like animals instead. All these possibilities create the kind of personal experiences that you want to share with your buddies, regaling them with stories of how your Uruk rival humiliated you during your last fight, or finally met his end after a hard-fought battle. Even the lowliest troop can rise up through the ranks if he lands the killing blow on you, which is oddly satisfying despite the fact that he, y'know, executed you.

The only drawback to the Nemesis system is that the random traits can lose their appeal if you start noticing repeats, an unfortunate side-effect of the fact that you can slaughter the higher-ups of the Uruk army indefinitely. Shadow of Mordor's story structure gives you the freedom to kill Uruks to your heart's content, but doesn't make it entirely obvious that this will only further the Wraith-centric plot at very specific points. But just when you think you've seen it all, Talion gains the ability to brainwash the enemy forces to his side, letting you amass an army all your own. This wrinkle adds even more depth to the quest for revenge, since you can try to murder a Warchief using his own underlings, or have the last laugh over your nemesis by breaking his mind and forcing him to fight for your cause.

Another aspect of Mordor where repetition can get tiresome is the template for the slave sidequests, which always task you with liberating a group of indistinguishable captives. To help prevent these rescues from being completely monotonous, bonus objectives (like time limits or a quota for a certain execution type) help break up the pace. Still, given how much polish Shadow of Mordor affords to its other systems, it's strange to see such formulaic missions take up a third of the side-content.

But that hardly matters the overall package is this phenomenal. Shadow of Mordor isn't just the greatest Lord of the Rings game to date--it's also one of the most entertaining open-world adventures around. By the time you've concluded Talion's journey, you'll feel like you've experienced your own personal odyssey through Middle-earth, locked in a struggle against adversaries that only you truly know. The thrill of undermining the Uruks' hierarchy doesn't last forever, but the memories of the villains it generates will stay with you for a long time.

Bioshock Infinite

Bioshock Infinite Free Download

My Rating: 

Bioshock Infinite INFO

Release date:	Mar 26 2013 - PS3, Xbox 360, PC (US)
	Mar 26 2013 - PS3, Xbox 360, PC (UK)
Available Platforms:	PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre:	Shooter
Published by:	2K Games
Developed by:	Irrational Games
Franchise:	BioShock
ESRB Rating:	Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Use of Alcohol, Use of Tobacco, Mild Sexual Themes
PEGI Rating:	Rating Pending

Bioshock Infinite SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

CPU:	Intel Core 2 DUO 2.4 GHz / AMD Athlon X2 2.7 GHz

CPU Speed:	Info

RAM:	2 GB

OS:	Windows Vista Service Pack 2 32-bit

Video Card:	DirectX10 Compatible ATI Radeon HD 3870 / NVIDIA 8800 GT / Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics

Sound Card:	Yes

Free Disk Space:	20 GB

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Bioshock Infinite Trailer

Bioshock Infinite Review

Companionship. It’s one of the strongest emotions you can feel in any work of fiction. Your connection with an imaginary character seems real, born organically through a shared experience and the challenges you overcame at each other’s side. It’s the presence of companionship that elevates BioShock Infinite from being a great game to an astounding one, imbuing the exhilarating FPS gameplay with a sense of genuine humanity. Elizabeth is your only friend in the airborne city of Columbia, a twisted vision of a utopia floating in the heavens. And seeing the sights in an unfamiliar city is always more fun with a friend.

The year is 1912. You're Booker DeWitt, an ex-Pinkerton agent with the machismo of Harrison Ford, sent to extract a woman from the dizzying heights of Columbia’s aerial metropolis.

As with the previous BioShock games, this fantasy environment is stunning to behold and layered with an incredible ambience. The simple act of walking its cobbled streets and browsing through gift shops turns into a mesmerizing experience, where propaganda posters, eavesdropped conversations, and children’s toys all give you a glimpse into this society’s warped sense of patriotism. Columbia feels like an inhabited world, and your curiosity into its inner workings will be rewarded--and built up--at every turn.

You’ll also find yourself in awe as you explore Columbia. The city is downright beautiful, with striking colors and brightness in some vistas and an ominous duskiness in others. Going from a cheerful, vibrant street fair into less congenial settings (like a church of raven-worshipping cultists who idolize Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth) is surprising in all the right ways, and no two environments feel alike. The pacing of the level design is excellent, never dawdling on any one set piece for too long but giving you just enough time to appreciate their magnificence.

Blended into these gorgeous locations are messages of repugnant bigotry, and the stark contrast between the idyllic cityscape and the prejudice that pervades it tells a story all by itself. Racist caricatures aren’t used for cheap shock value--they help sell the idea that most citizens in Columbia think that skin color dictates status. But Infinite’s narrative stretches far beyond a mere face-off between the forces serving the self-righteous Father Comstock and the freedom fighters of the zealous Vox Populi. The 15-to-18-hour campaign doesn’t limit itself to the ideas of right and wrong, or force you to make dichotomous moral choices; instead, it’s the kind of tale that subverts your expectations time and time again.

Central to this story is Elizabeth, your strong-willed, super-powered ally who dreams of escaping her life in captivity. Through a combination of affecting voicework, convincing facial animations, and brilliant AI, Elizabeth feels like a completely autonomous companion--a friend. Her body language delivers emotion without words; a glimmering smile at Booker when he makes promises, an averted gaze and crossed arms if he breaks them. Elizabeth’s behavior makes you forget she’s a video game character: She’ll explore environments all on her own, humming to herself or beckoning you over to point out something you might’ve missed. When patiently waiting for you to finish surveying a room, her gaze will shift to sights beyond the player, rather than fixating on your head like so many video game NPCs. Once you’ve grown accustomed to Elizabeth’s mannerisms, the vacant stares and limited reactions from lesser characters can make them feel lifeless by comparison--though no worse than any other great game.

Her incorporation into the FPS gameplay is downright ingenious. Too often, companions become a detriment in combat, in constant need of baby-sitting or instructions. But Elizabeth is the polar opposite, able to fend for herself and assist you with her supernatural abilities. You’ll be grateful when she opens inter-dimensional tears in the environment, altering the layout of a level to give you cover or create an enemy-attracting diversion. When you die, it’s Elizabeth who worriedly revives you. It makes the bond between you and Elizabeth feel that much stronger--when she’s happy, you’re happy. When she’s hurt, you’ll want to personally slaughter whoever it was that hurt her.

Elizabeth’s presence also brings the tone firmly into action territory and away from survival horror. Knowing that you won’t have to face your enemies alone will make you feel empowered--quite the switch from the original BioShock’s desolate, chilling atmosphere. Elizabeth is a reliably helpful partner, seeking out the items you need and tossing them to you just in the knick of time during an intense firefight. Her companionship acts as a lifeline instead of a liability, and effortlessly generates thrilling moments during battle.

Picture this: you’re nearing the bottom of a machine gun clip, heart pounding as swarms of Comstock’s goons charge at you. Then you hear Elizabeth shout your name, spin around to catch the ammo she’s thrown, quickly reload, and blast your assailants in the face with hot lead. These moments will overwhelm your adrenal glands, and feel like incidental heroics instead of manufactured, scripted events.

Speaking of adrenal glands, Infinite’s combat will be satisfyingly familiar for BioShock veterans. The gun-in-one-hand, magic-powers-in-the-other formula delivers exciting shootouts one after another, and lets you play to your strengths and approach enemies however you see fit. In place of Plasmids are some imaginative Vigors, which open up even more avenues for combo-based traps, and the gunplay offers a satisfying range of close-quarters firepower and long-range artillery.

But sky-lines, the suspended tracks you can use to ride through levels like a rollercoaster, turn the first-person shooting into a first-person thrillride. It delivers a new FPS experience entirely, where you hold your breath at the apex of a sky-line before screaming down the rail so fast that no bullet can touch you. You won’t have access to sky-line mobility in the lion’s share of the fights--but when you do, it’s an absolute rush.

Incredibly, BioShock Infinite delivers on your years’ worth of expectations, then exceeds them. Regardless of your affinity for the FPS genre, Infinite deserves your attention, and it’s the kind of landmark experience that happens only a few times in a gaming generation. Even after the game is over, Elizabeth--and Columbia--will stay with you.