Bioshock Infiniteis one of the strangest AAA games ever made. Its development was as fraught with peril as the journey Infinite’s final form takes you on. Over the years, its initial acclaim has given way to many counter-arguments and detractors who think that it falls short not only of what an immersive sim should be but even the merits of what makes a greatBioshockgame.
coughPresent company included. splutter
However, even I didn’t anticipate one of its best kept secrets - a surprise bonus feature so fully integrated that it’s incredible no one bothered advertising it. Bioshock Infinite is one of the only third-party PlayStation ports with full PS Move support - not just in the campaign, but also in every DLC pack in Infinite’s season pass.
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This isn’t some gimmick side mode likeGhost Recon: Future Soldier or Tron: Evolution, but a game that’s 100% playable with motion controls. While there are a few first-party exclusives that made better use of motion controls, Infinite is by far one of the highest profile games, as well as one of the last to bother with motion inputs for years. It wouldn’t be until PlayStation VR came rolling around that developers would start experimenting with motion inputs again on PlayStation, leaving Infinite in that rare midpoint of ‘flat’ TV motion games and immersive VR experiences.
On paper, integrating motion controls makes sense. Infinite is by far the fastest-paced Bioshock game. The breathless action and constant swinging from skyrail to skyrail as you aim about you with your freehand is tailor-made for a motion gaming. The final product is, well, it’s certainly interesting.
To get the most out of the Move version, you have to modify every sensitivity to the highest possible setting. Then, after a little tuning, it works! No aiming desync, no horrendous waggling for inputs, not even gratuitous QTEs. I’d go so far as to call the controls downright natural.
One downside is that you can’t actually aim down your targeting sights. In a weird design choice, Infinite follows Resistance 3’s lead for refined aim, working more likeCounter-Strike. Instead of using the gun itself to aim, you’re granted a refined floating reticule while your gun dangles off to the side like an odd appendage. There is the ability to aim down the scope of the sniper rifle, but that makes the exclusion of the rest of the arsenal all the stranger.
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What is remarkable is how the motion controls did genuinely improve my combat capabilities. The control bindings are fairly intuitive, with only melee being bound to a thrusting of the primary PS Move wand. Everything is either as it was on console or a reasonably close substitute, such as the Move button serving as the lock-on button. Certain design decisions that disappoint on more traditional control schemes - like only wielding two guns and two vigors at once - are honestly ideal here.
This makes the higher difficulties more enticing, since you’ve a much fairer shot at success. Needing to rely on your own steady hand in Burial At Sea: Part 2’s stealth sequences is equally great, adding a welcome helping of extra weight to each choice made. The PS Move can’t save Bioshock Infinite from being a tangled mess of over-developed plot and directionless shooting, but now at least the shooting itself can be damn good fun.
Now if we could just convince 2K to patch in these controls to the Switch port of the Bioshock Collection…
(Also, can we acknowledge that two of the biggest attempts at motion FPSes heavily feature shooting alt-history versions of Founding Fathers of America in big suits of armor? Not sure where I’m going with that,but interesting, right?)
