2. Columbia
I think its pretty safe to say that Rapture is an iconic setting, it was in a way the main character of Bioshock with Jack taking in this mysterious, twisted under water city. However in keeping with the title of the franchise this next instalment moves us to another strange, bizarre setting, a city in the sky. Colombia is in complete contrast to Rapture which was a claustrophobic, isolated, dark area, shot through with art deco and diesel punk. Whereas Columbia is a bright, open setting with a steampunk aesthetic, however that by no means makes it any less dark than Rapture. The recent trailers, demos and interviews with Ken Levine have shown a city torn apart by violence, brutality and prejudice. And while the characters arent drug crazed maniacs there definitely appears to be a sort of animalistic nature in their aggression and hatred, one scene in the E3 2011 demo shows an execution and the recent trailers show plenty of blood. This for me is what makes Columbia perhaps a little more interesting than Rapture. I want to see how the creators are going to overcome what this setting appears to be on the surface and peel back those layers to reveal its dark heart. This setting also changes the gameplay as well as the themes and presentation of the series. All around Columbia are skylines which Booker can use in Infinite to travel along with his skyhook. This really looks to change the pace and feel of traversal and looks to add another very unique element to the gameplay.