Ever since its release in late March. BioShock Infinite has wowed the game industry with its outstanding combat (mixed between guns and vigors), its illustriously designed world, and its startling story that you can read in our previously posted Spoiler Alert. It’s truly one of this year’s most remarkable gaming efforts, but the team at Irrational Games isn’t done yet.
Though the main story has come to a close, the developers are already planning on new downloadable content to the game in a series of side stories that somehow tie in with the main plot. Though Irrational hasn’t revealed just what to expect, we’ve got a few ideas on how the expansion could be handled. As our summary suggests, our ideas may not even have to involve BioShock Infinite’s protagonists Booker DeWitt or Elizabeth. It’d be nice to have them around, but they don’t necessarily have to be the focus.
Word of warning: there are some spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t beaten the game yet we advise you do that first. Otherwise, see what you think of our ideas…
New Weapons and Vigors
What better way to expand the main story of BioShock Infinite than to add new weapons and vigors to push the enemy back? There’s nothing really wrong with the weapons that are in the game now, but it’d be neat to expand the experience with anything ranging from an advanced instant ally potion to the ability to call upon a Handyman to help you out. As for guns, we’d love to see a handheld Gatling gun to do some damage with or maybe something that would shoot the Skyhook like an expansion, grabbing an enemy and then throwing them away. This seems to be the least likeliest of DLC ideas, but we won’t say multiplayer because Infinite just doesn’t need it!
The New Kid In Town?
There’s been talk that the first downloadable content for BioShock Infinite will actually feature a new character instead of Elizabeth. That has us thinking that this side story could be something that takes place earlier in Booker’s life, like during the Battle of Wounded Knee. This could easily open up speculation as to what led to the events that occurred in the game, with so many possibilities involving alternate timelines and Comstock, the guy who runs Columbia.
The side character could really be anybody, but if there’s one cryptic character we’d like to know more about it’s Anna DeWitt, Booker’s young daughter. There might be an explanation as to why he may have chosen to give her away in the hopes of working out some kind of debt, only to have an emotional changing of his mind. She could easily show up somewhere in the game and maybe even give clues as to learning more about Elizabeth’s techniques in the process.
It sounds complicated but it’d be right up Irrational Games’ alley, especially since the team has such a knack for compelling storytelling.
What Happened With Comstock?
Throughout BioShock Infinite we hear about everything that’s happened with Comstock, including the cryptic death of his wife and the mystery surrounding the Lutece twins. Though it might go a little off base when it comes to explanation and how the action could play out, Irrational Games could introduce a piece of downloadable content that sheds more light on this back story. We’d love to know more about Lady Comstock and what odds the leader had to face when it came to Elizabeth’s protection and the timely demise of his wife, shedding some light on this mysterious prophet…
The Handyman Can, Along With Others
Who says you need to play as Booker all the way through BioShock Infinite? 2K could easily introduce a new mode in which players take on the powerful Handyman and his specific abilities, like being able to smash bad guys while taking a great deal of damage. We could easily deal out justice with the Fireman as well and dare we dream about taking flight with the Songbird? It’d be interesting to see how his creation came about in the first place and what he could really do if we were put in charge of him.
What If You Played a Vox Populi Agent?
Bethesda recently released a new piece of DLC for its first-person adventure game Dishonored that put you in the shoes of Daud, the assassin who would kill the Empress at the beginning of the game. So why not introduce a similar piece of downloadable content for BioShock Infinite that has you playing as a member of the underground group Vox Populi? You could easily frame your mission a number of ways, whether it’s infiltrating a target highly guarded by Comstock, trying to steal a necessary tool to get around the city (like a Skyhook), or even taking on Booker following the death of your peers. Sometimes it pays to be in charge of the bad guy and we could easily see that happening.
What If There’s an Alternate Doorway?
We know how BioShock Infinite concludes, but we can’t help but think if the game could have ended another way had another alternate path been taken by Booker and Elizabeth. A new downloadable chapter could easily take the pair down a different path – maybe even deeper into Rapture, the world that was first introduced years ago with the original BioShock. We could even see a Little Sister or Big Daddy to boot, which would make things really interesting for Booker.
BioShock Infinite is available now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
Published: May 2, 2013 12:52 pm