"There's always a lighthouse... There's always a man... There's always a city..." · 12:57am Jan 19th, 2016
Those of you who have played the game can probably guess from the title of this blog that I've just finished yet another playthrough of BioShock Infinite. And as it always seems to do, the game got me thinking. But before I go into that...
As far as I can tell, The Bird... or the Cage? was on the Popular list for a whopping four days. Four days! I have never had a story up there for that long, and it's all thanks to you. To those who read it, upvoted, commented, shelved it and/or favorited it. And to those who helped me to form it and to put it all together. You know who you are, and I cannot thank you enough!
Now, onto Infinite itself. As it always does, the game had me riding an emotional roller coaster. Some moments are just laugh out loud hilarious and have me grinning from ear to ear, and yet others have my heart breaking and me on the edge of tears. Even when I know what will happen. Even when I know the ending. Of course, there are probably some players out there who do not feel these extreme emotions every time, for whom the game's impact may now be dulled because they know what to expect. And that's fine. Everyone experiences things their own way. These are my experiences.
Every time I get close to the ending of Infinite, my heart starts pounding. It sinks. I know that some major emotions are coming my way. And as I got nearer and nearer and finally went through the game's completion, I had to ask myself... why? I know what will happen. I know that the ending is inevitable, and it's going to hit hard. So why does it have this impact on me each and every time? Couldn't I just prepare myself and not feel so deeply for it?
Well, yes... and no. Yes, because I can certainly prepare for it, and I do each time. No, because this is likely the very reason why I feel so deeply for it each and every time. As I said, I know what to expect, and so I'm anticipating the emotions. They creep up on me the closer I get, and the inevitability of what comes next just makes me tense and breaks my heart. And so when I get to the ending, it has a significantly greater impact on me than even the first time I played and did not know what would happen.
This is definitely why Infinite is one of my favorite games, along with the rich world, the deep characters, and many other reasons I've highlighted before. This is why I return to many favorite things over and over again: movies, books, songs, stories in all forms. I want to feel that emotional wave each time. I want to be reminded of why I fell in love with what is presented in the first place. And I strive to apply that in even my own works, to make it so that they leave an emotional impact, to make me want to return to them again and again.
It certainly seems like I achieve this better and better with each new tale. It certainly worked with The Bird... or the Cage? And I shall keep trying to achieve this with each new story. After all, if I can find my stories emotionally engaging each and every time I read them, then hopefully those of you who read them can be so engaged as well.
So why am I saying all of this? What is the point of this blog? It is this: keep your eyes, your ears, and your heart open. There is so much that we can learn from our favorite stories, no matter how they are presented to us, and these lessons may crop up when we least expect it, or while we think that there is nothing new to learn when returning to something we have experienced many times before. Infinite certainly teaches me something new every time, gives me something to think about no matter how many times I play. Now that I have finished this playthrough, I do not know how long it will be until I decide to go back to it. But there is one thing I do know.
I cannot wait to take that journey once again.
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Oh? If I may ask, why can't you play?
And thank you, my friend. It is certainly an honor.
glad to hear it bestie, really gotta get on playing Infinite sometime soon! ^^
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I just hope that I haven't hyped it up too much. If you do play, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it when you do. 
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I shall! I'm going to GS tomorrow, though I have to get a few other things, so if I have the cash left over, it's Infinite and DMC Definitive Edition.
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Awesome! What are you going there for?
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Just shopping in the mall ^^, gotta grab a few things I'll tell yah about in PM.
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Okay, sounds great!
Holy crap last I checked it had 12 likes!
I really need to replay Infinite. I'm holding out for one of the VR headsets (Oculus Rift or something). Could you imagine Columbia in VR?
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Do you happen to have Steam on your computer? Or do you have a computer that can run Steam? I got my copy through there.
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I know! It's crazy!
And OMG that would be amazing!!! The colors, the characters, zipping around on the skylines... Floating above the clouds... So gorgeous!
Okay part one.
Awesome. Just started playing again
Part 2.
I always wanted to see (even just in a comic) what Andrew Ryan would think if the Lutece twins showed him he was just a slave. To know he never had any control. I always pictured as Jack was making his final approach on his office the Lutece's showing him what he had to do and telling him they knew he would do it.
Part 3.
Well the ending was nice but it killed me for one reason. I'll never be given complete closure. Who knows what's happened in the end. None of us can see anything coming and..,
vox vox vox vox vox VOX VOX VOX
DID YA SEE US COMING BARD
Had to had to do it
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Ooo! I knew you were a fan of them, but not that they had such an impact on you. I shall definitely have to play!
And oh no! You've discovered my secret!
In all honesty though, these thoughts are just sort of stumbled upon. 
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Woohoo! That's awesome! I'm so tempted to play Burial at Sea now. It will only be the second time I have played. That game just broke me, even more than Infinite...
Oooooooooo! That could very well be possible! But at the same time, why would the Luteces involve themselves? Their main focus is Elizabeth, and by this time she's died. Questions, questions!
And you're right about the ending, though I think that's another point the game is trying to make. Unless we take all of the events of Burial at Sea and BioShock into count. Because then we see that Elizabeth eliminated the last Comstock, she dies, but she manages to bring Jack to Rapture so he can end the cycle. But even then, there's still that end scene of Booker searching for Anna...
As for the final battle, I have another solution that works quite well! Set up tons of Shock Jockey traps around the power source, then use Undertow to push enemies off the barge or pull them into the Shock Jockey traps. Then run around replenishing Salts and Health as needed.
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Well love if you insist *slams wrench*
That is true but Elizabeth's legacy was Sally. At least the work of her labor was to bring Jack there. Perhaps after all she did they felt it was the least they could do for her.
Jack does end the cycle and as far as we know Eleanor and the little sisters might have been able to help the world. And if we're really looking in the bright possibilities perhaps Tennenbaum found a cure for ADAM sickness.
I pretty much just let the enemies herd themselves into the center then use songbird to wipe the deck. It takes the least time to reload and I can take down the zeppelins on my own.