Today I Played: BioShock Infinite

I've kept spoilers to a minimum.

I understand. You're worried about the video revealing major story twists. I respect that, and if you've somehow managed to avoid all pertinent previews, trailers and tweets over the course of BioShock Infinite's protracted development, I urge you to bookmark this page and play the game.

That said, if you have read previews — specifically, those from a December demonstration of the game's first few hours — I assure you that I don't reveal anything more. While I normally try to play through the entirety of a game for Today I Played, I restrained this video to the game's first third. More than the majority of its contemporaries, BioShock Infinite pivots on its "twists," and while criticism should be free of criticism, my video shouldn't be the thing that tarnishes your experience.

Whew. Great. You're still here. So in case you haven't heard, BioShock Infinite is a pretty extraordinary game. Its story assumes players will be curious, patient and attentive enough to follow its increasingly complex sequences.

What's interesting to me, though, and what I'm still batting around my brain, is how — for all the game's creativity — it's very much a first-person shooter in which you kill human beings in a variety of unsettling ways. The story builds in beautiful and delicate ways, but some of the most dramatic moments are resolved by firing a rocket into the antagonist's face.

In that way, BioShock Infinite feels like the FPS apex. Following the experience, I want nothing more than to see gaming's best minds work on genres that don't pivot on a trigger.

As you play through the game, I invite you to return here (or the forums) and share your thoughts. Even after rambling at a camera for eight hours, I still have plenty to talk about.