When it comes down to it though Bioshock Infinite is a labour of love, a staggeringly impressive achievement and an example of the invention and singularity of vision that so many big budget games lack. It is a game everyone should play and that will be written about and analysed for years to come.

Sky-high with character, conspiracy, controversy and chaos. A great all-round shooter, even if it doesn't innovate as much as expected.

Brilliantly-realised setting; with a real sense of foreboding; Razor-sharp shooting - the best in the series; Bold and intelligent story

Lacks some of the magic of the original BioShock

Bioshock Infinite places you as Booker De-Witt, a grumpy hired gun and veteran of the U.S. Cavalry, owing too much to too many wrong people, but there's a chance to wipe the slate clean by rescuing Elizabeth, a girl who's been imprisoned high up in the flying city of Columbia, suspended in the air...

So finally we're at the closing point of my review; the point where I'm left to conclude this masterpiece -- but I'm stuck. I don't know how else to tell you that this is the game videogames were made for. It's the game every other designer wishes they could make.

Remember Natalya Simonova? She'd constantly get you killed. It didn't matter that you'd already taken out a nuclear facility, stormed a Siberian bunker solo, and totted up a body count in the hundreds.

Outstanding voice work; Columbia is a jaw-dropping setting; particularly on PC; Art direction is superb; Skyrails are lots of fun; Elizabeth's AI is fantastic; Story is alost dangerously engrossing

Tear mechanic never quite lives up to its potential; Combat proves a little uninspired; particularly in the guns themselves; One or two narrative missteps; Wasted Songbird; How the hell will DLC work? What is that Season Pass even for

One of the trends of this console generation is that shooters have become as disposable as sports games, quickly forgotten and discarded every Christmas in favour of an updated model. Not so BioShock .

Elizabeth is the most believable and affecting AI companion in years; Columbia's an incredible setting that sits comfortably alongside Rapture; The ending will leave your head spinning and you won't want it to stop

Some of the weapons are a little unimaginative; Vigors aren't that different to plasmids; It lacks a knock-you-down "Would You Kindly?" moment; although it comes close

A masterpiece. It's Bioshock what did you expect? The game is like no other. Highly recommend to fans of any genre. Nothing in this game makes me want to stop playing, this is quality that we haven't seen in games lately.

Bioshock Infinite has been highly anticipated since it was first teased. It takes the setting of the original games and raises expectation massively. A wildly different setting as the game moves from Rapture, deep under the ocean, to Columbia way up in the clouds.

Set in 1912, BioShock Infinite introduces an entirely new narrative experience that lifts players out of the familiar confines of Rapture and rockets them to Columbia, an immense city in the sky.

I had a number of problems with the original Bioshock . Barring the fact that it completely fell apart near the end, I didn't really feel like Irrational delivered a truly unique experience once you were past the cool looking setting.