Games

It's safe to say that not many people pick up a Triple-A first-person shooter in the hopes of being treated to a storyline concerning metaphysics and the nature of choice. But that's just what Irrational Games has delivered with this blockbuster sequel.

Like the original BioShock, this follow-up is as much about the world it creates as it is about the characters who inhabit it. But, while Rapture was a decaying undersea labyrinth, BioShock Infinite's Columbia is a thriving and resplendent jewel in the sky – although one thing that the floating city shares with its predecessor is that it too is an expansion of one man's will, in this case religious fanatic Father Zachary Hale Comstock. As a hired-gun, it's your mission to rescue Comstock's daughter Elizabeth from imprisonment that drives the game's narrative forward.

And what a game it is. While some people might complain that BioShock Infinite's weaponry feels a little weedy compared to other FPS games, they're missing the point that real power is provided by the 'Vigors' that bolster your combat abilities. The fact that it also looks and sounds better than 90 per cent of other games out there is just the icing on this particularly action-packed and thought-provoking cake. Something very special indeed is going to have to come along to stop BioShock Infinite being crowned HCC's 2013 Game of the Year.

BioShock Infinite, Take 2 Interactive, Xbox 360/PS3/PC, £40 Approx
HCC VERDICT: 5/5