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BioShock Infinite: Clash in the Clouds DLC review (out today)

Z

zakislam

Member
Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaSBd2YiSUs

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-30-bioshock-infinite-clash-in-the-clouds-review

7/10

First things first: this is not the story-driven new BioShock Infinite adventure for which you were probably hoping. That will come in two parts, the first of which is called Burial at Sea and should be out later this year, and it's there that your dreams will really come true - Booker's a private dick, Elizabeth's a dame with a problem, the two haven't met before, and did I mention it takes place in Rapture before the fall? The fact I'm not making this up is extremely cool.

Before that, though, there's Clash in the Clouds, a five-dollar stopgap that promises a little bit of fan service around the edges, but which is mostly a set of challenges that aim to bring the best out of Infinite's combat, unrelated to the main game except through shared assets and mechanics. If you endured rather than enjoyed the fighty bits of BioShock Infinite, then you might prefer just to look up the secret stuff on YouTube. Me? I loved the combat in Infinite, so this should be right up my street.

Clash in the Clouds is a wave-based arena game, then, where Booker and Elizabeth - now rather mute - team up to see off increasingly devilish combinations of enemies over four maps that have been modelled on, but not directly lifted from, familiar sections of Columbia. Finishing off enemies in creative ways earns points and cash - points go towards fighting your way up a leaderboard, while cash can be ploughed into weapon and vigor upgrades at the hub area you visit between waves.
Click to expand...

Even leaving aside what Clash in the Clouds isn't, however, the reaction may still be mixed. It's pretty good value at just $5, and if you feel as though you mastered the combat in BioShock Infinite and fancy a new, more competitive challenge, it will feel even more valuable and keep you going for quite some time. But while I enjoyed the early sections, prancing around trying the various approaches the blue ribbon challenges nudged me towards, by the end I was too brutalised to continue experimenting and mostly just playing to unlock things.

It's a shame the designers couldn't find a way to keep things casual as well for players who just want to embrace that combat creativity, so potent in the early waves on Ops Zeal. Instead the balance is quickly tipped away from us and Clash in the Clouds becomes another hardcore mode. That's fine, but there was the potential here to draw out the elusive richness of BioShock Infinite's combat and turn it into a series of madcap slapstick challenges. Going hardcore again feels like a narrow interpretation of what made this part of the game good.

As stopgaps go, I'll still take it, but I'm also conscious that I could very well leave it, and simply settle in for the hopefully not-too-long wait for Burial at Sea.
Click to expand...

More at link.
 
To be honest, for 400 MSP it is pretty good value, but like I said, you will get maximum pleasure out of this only if you like(d) Infinite's combat.

I'm glad I did.
 
Clash in the Clouds is a wave-based arena game
Click to expand...
Yes, this is exactly what I want out of Bioshock. More of the monotony that pretty much alone kept me from replaying the game in the first place.
 
I'm also a fan of Infinite's gunplay, but I'm never gonna play this DLC (I bought the season pass.) There's just not enough time between other games. I'll hold off until Buried at Sea.
 
this is ken's master plan; bore everyone to sleep with this combat dlc until burial at sea is ready

good show
 
Yikes. Can't say I'm too keen on this. Good thing I stayed away from the Season Pass.
 
7/10 How appropriate that's what the game should have gotten.
Surprised this wasn't in the base game considering the last mission was a wave based hoard mode...
 
Forsythia said:
It is, unfortunately. What a great way to keep that promise of 3 packs: one hordemode and one storyline split into two packs.
Click to expand...

How is that storyline split into two packs a bad thing? It means the story can be more substantial, Dishonored did the same thing, don't see that as a negative.
 
Avallon said:
Who do I believe!?
Click to expand...

The person that isn't clearly burnt out on shooters and would have disliked the shooting in Infinite even if it was tighter than Call of Duty, also known as around 50% of GAF. The shooting in Infinite is fantastic, and the skyline/vigors push it over the edge.
 
I'll probably pick up the season pass. I enjoyed the combat in Infinite so I may get my money's worth out of this plus the future story content.
 
[QUOTE="God's Beard!";73773183]I'd probably get more fun out of a single booster pack of magic cards and a Costco hotdog for five bucks.[/QUOTE]

Eat any good adequately priced Italian food lately? lol
 
DukeBobby said:
Hmm, I'll give this a go, but I can't imagine it keeping me entertained for more than 30 minutes.
Click to expand...

There is far more depth to this mode the what 'horde' entails.

I'm really surprised by how much fun I'm having on this be honest.

The hub is fantastic in presentation, you don't unlock all the levels straight away either.

The museum collectibles are priced in such away that it encourages plenty of replay to fill the area with everything, and there is a lot of stuff!

I intially thought it was waved base, as in you clear a wave then get ready for another etc. But not entirely, each wave is set up like a challenge room of sort and it's up to you to dispatch the enemies in the best way possible.

The caveat here is that the more you enjoyed the BI combat, that is guns, plasmid and sky rails, the more enjoyment you will get out of it.

Completing rooms gives you loot, doing it in creative ways equals more loot. Completing blue ribbon challenges gives you a great bonus, and some of them are real tricky such as clear the wave without shooting anyone in the heart or head etc.

There is plenty of time between waves to choose what weapon you want to take into the following wave, what weapon and vigor to upgrade. You also get gear and infusions handed down every wave but they are random.

All in, more fun and deeper then I gave it credit for.
 
Got the season pass at a discount so I'm already in this whether the DLC is good or not. Will probably play this for a day or two, but I'm much more excited for Burial at Sea.
 
ElzarTheBam said:
There is far more depth to this mode the what 'horde' entails.

I'm really surprised by how much fun I'm having on this be honest.

The hub is fantastic in presentation, you don't unlock all the levels straight away either.

The museum collectibles are priced in such away that it encourages plenty of replay to fill the area with everything, and there is a lot of stuff!

I intially thought it was waved base, as in you clear a wave then get ready for another etc. But not entirely, each was is set up like a challenge room of sort and it up to you to dispatch the enemies is the best way possible.

the caveat here is that the more you enjoyed BI combat, that is guns, plasmid and sky rails, the more enjoyment you will get out of it.

Completing rooms gives you loot, doing it in creative ways equals more loot. Completed blue ribbon challenges gives you a great bonus, and some of then are real tricky such as clear the wave without shooting anyone in the heart or head etc.

There is plenty of time between waves to choose what weapon you want to take into the following wave, what weapon and vigor to upgrade. You also get gear and infusions handed down every wave but they are random.

All in, more fun and deeper then I gave it credit for.
Click to expand...

Well this actually sounds kinda cool...
 
ElzarTheBam said:
There is far more depth to this mode the what 'horde' entails.

I'm really surprised by how much fun I'm having on this be honest.

The hub is fantastic in presentation, you don't unlock all the levels straight away either.

The museum collectibles are priced in such away that it encourages plenty of replay to fill the area with everything, and there is a lot of stuff!

I intially thought it was waved base, as in you clear a wave then get ready for another etc. But not entirely, each wave is set up like a challenge room of sort and it's up to you to dispatch the enemies is the best way possible.

The caveat here is that the more you enjoyed the BI combat, that is guns, plasmid and sky rails, the more enjoyment you will get out of it.

Completing rooms gives you loot, doing it in creative ways equals more loot. Completing blue ribbon challenges gives you a great bonus, and some of them are real tricky such as clear the wave without shooting anyone in the heart or head etc.

There is plenty of time between waves to choose what weapon you want to take into the following wave, what weapon and vigor to upgrade. You also get gear and infusions handed down every wave but they are random.

All in, more fun and deeper then I gave it credit for.
Click to expand...
Sounds good. I enjoyed the combat mechanics and I'm a sucker for unlockables, so I'm down. Not a day one purchase for me but I'll be playing it when I buy the pass in the future.
 
Burial at Sea sounds pretty cool.

Not interested in some arena shootbang DLC though, not why I like the game
 
The story driven one sounds fantastic. But will probably sit out this one. Never really got into Infinites combat
 
Used my 2K credit from my Infinite preorder to buy the season pass. Hoping the DLC is hard as nails and has tons of verticality to the combat.
 
I don't think the Battle mode deserves so much hate if you got the Season Pass. Heck, the DLC part 1 alone is what $15?

I think it gives you something to do while you wait for them to finish the story driven DLC. It probably could of been shipped with the game, but who knows.

I'm hoping the Season Pass covers both parts of the story driven expansion.

rmanthorp said:
So not interested in anything more Bioshock... Infinite burned me out big time.
Click to expand...

You weren't really big into the story I take it? Which I think makes the expansion amazing. It's happening in Rapture in another part in time.
 
Forsythia said:
It is, unfortunately. What a great way to keep that promise of 3 packs: one hordemode and one storyline split into two packs.
Click to expand...

You do realize that even without this pack you're still saving $10 by getting the season pass right?

All 3 packs together =$35. Season pass =$20.
 
If I wanted tedious wave after wave of dull fighting, I'd just play Bioshock Infinite again. I can see why they kept this quiet until the last minute though.
 
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