We chat about videogames and videogame accessories.

Minus Infinite's awful story.

Gonna have to disagree with you there. If you read it like a straight time/dimension traveling story, then yes, there are a lot of inconsistencies and plot holes peppered throughout. But I took a step back from all of this and realized that despite all of the racism and extremism and propaganda and yelling and meta-narrative, this game was about none of those things.

It was the story of Booker and the consequences of his inability to take responsibility for his actions.

-BTW Spoilers ahoy for those who have yet to play it-

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SpoilerFrom the beginning, Booker has shown he hasn't taken any responsibility for his actions at Wounded Knee, and they were pretty damn grisly. If he decided to baptize, he would recast his sins as heroism and dictatorily enforce his way as the right way. If he decided to not baptize, he became a Pinkerton thug and an a gamber, racking up a debt so bad that he was willing to sell his daughter.

In Columbia, Booker is shown to be extremely destructive. As Comstock, he enforces a white power society through the blood of immigrants. As Booker, he goes through murdering people in very violent ways (buzzsaw decapitation, anyone?). Even though we play the game from Booker's perspective, we have an odd disconnect from his actions and the fact that he is supposed to be the protagonist. If Booker is truly the good guy, then why are we treated to some of the most excessively violent kills in gaming?

We see several times throughout the story where Booker refuses to take part in the surroundings. We see acts of extreme and hate, and as the player, we feel inclined to help them, but Booker doesn't even try. Even in the timeline where he joins the Vox, he only does so for his own motivations. And even in the end, it incited a furious rage in the Vox that leads to them practically bringing chaos into Columbia. And throughout all of this, Booker is still trying to escape from the things he caused just so he can finish his job, clear his debts, and probably drink the rest of his life away.

But the biggest casualty in all of this is Booker's daughter, Anna DeWitt, or as we know her, Elizabeth Comstock. Even before we learn about Anna, Booker has brought Elizabeth through some crazy shit. She has been forcibly locked up in the tower for nearly her entire life. Later, Booker kills a whole room of people in front of her. Booker (tries) to trick her and take her to New York to clear his own debts instead of trying to save her. But the worst of it is when he witnesses Elizabeth kill Daisy Fitzroy. Booker's past actions have literally taken away Elizabeth's happiness, as she is forced to mature in a world of violence and hate.

At the end, even after Booker kills Comstock, he doesn't even feel catharsis. He realizes that somehow, it still isn't over. It is when we are taken through a tour of Booker's past that Booker sees that everything has originated from him: the hatred of Columbia, the deaths of countless soldiers and peoples, the eventual attack on the world below. He returns to the baptism pool, where he now has three choices.

Run away from the results of this past actions.

Deny the evil of his past actions.

Stay and take responsibility, ending in his death.

Of course, this is what I took away from it, but yeah, I pretty much enjoyed Infinite.