2. Bioshock Infinite
If You Like... Dark City, The Matrix It begins mysteriously in a lighthouse off the coast of Maine. Booker DeWitt is delivered to the location and is informed that he needs to bring back a girl from a strange location in order to wipe away a past debt. Perched within the lighthouse is a rocket ship that leads Booker to a city in the sky - a utopian society free from the social norms restraining the normal world. The city is Columbia, built around a fantasy concept of America that never was. The girl, Elizabeth, is locked away in a tower, much like a princess in a fairy tale. Once freed, Elizabeth is revealed to have a special power - one which allows her to rip holes into the fabric of reality itself and manipulate different versions of the same world. Elizabeth uses her ability to assist Booker, but altering reality - as we know - has its consequences. Much like films such as Dark City, The Truman Show and The Matrix, Bioshock uses science-fiction to explore deep philosophical concepts. The game main thesis is one of the dangers of libertarianism and idealism run amok. In fact, the game - in its broadest terms - can be seen a critique of American individualism and religious devotion. Bioshock isn't subtle in its ham fisted demagoguery, but it works in the context of the story. One of the best aspects of this game is in its setting and the relationship between the characters. Columbia has the feel of a steampunk Oz, stirred together with Grimm fairytale whimsy. One can't help but think that the giant from Jack and The Beanstalk might be lurking around the corner. The surreal nature of the game recalls such films as Brazil and City of the Lost Children. Columbia is a feast for the senses in much the same way the aforementioned films are - much like Enslaved, Bioshock Infinite features a two-character dynamic that asks you make use of individual abilities. Ultimately, this increases your emotional investment in the characters and the story's outcome.