Most of the perfect-scoring reviews I've read openly address the technical and design shortcomings and excuse them/pass them in the face of where the game does excel - story, concepts, A.I., characters and aesthetics.
I disagree with the notion that the game's story is predictable, especially the story beats in the final quarter of the game.
Even though I had pieced together where the story was going by that point there were several moments that took me COMPLETELY by surprise.
I do think that the shooting mechanics suffer from the game having gone back to the drawing board several times. It feels like a product that struggled to be tuned and never really became a pitch-perfect shooter.
I think Bioshock 1 was a better paced FPS and Bioshock 2 was EXTREMELY refined in the FPS mechanics of the first game.
Still, I'm with the reviewers that love the complete package. It's imperfect but I love it despite any outright flaws. The good outweighs the bad IMO.
I can't wait to play through a second time now that I know the whole of the story.
"And the book says: 'We may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us.'"
I loved the first one, second one was just sort of there for me.
I think the first is the strongest, but oddly makes the same mistakes if speaking generally. After killing five Big Daddies, they lost all of their luster. Why are they a threat to me anymore? I just killed two of them using a wrench. There's no fear anymore, no presence or weight to their existence.
Infinite's shooting mechanics are the most refined of the series. Great sense of impact, and less chaotic, but there's too much of it.
Columbia's atmosphere was much less creepy than Rapture's. Maybe because Rapture had already collapsed and Columbia hadn't, it was getting even stronger?
I don't know.
I just bought a new video card just because of this game. Oddly enough, the new video card came with it for free!
Atari: 2600, Jaguar
Microsoft: XBox, XBox 360
Nintendo: NES, GB, GBC, SNES, N64, GameCube, GBA SP, Wii, New 3DS, Wii U
Sega: SMS, Genesis, Game Gear, Nomad, Sega CD, 32X, Saturn, Dreamcast
Sony: PS1, PS2, PS3
Wanted: 7800, Neo Geo CD
So far it's been okay. I don't really feel like its a Bioshock game. Other than the use of the "vigors" it really doesn't have the same feel the other two entries had. Maybe its because like another poster said that Columbia wasn't in a state of degradation. Its interesting and enjoyable yes; but not the best Bioshock ever as some reviews are stating.... Maybe as I get into it more my opinion will change though.
Update:
I finished the game the other day and other than a little something later in the game (which i will not spoil) I just don't get the same feeling from it that I did with the other two games. I would recommend it as a pickup for anyone who liked the first two remotely but I stand by my statement about it feeling like the other two. It definitely shouldn't be part of the main series.