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SPOILERS BELOW I still have not played Burial at Sea, but I have now played Bioshock 1, 2 and Infinite. So much about Infinite felt (and feels) like a puzzle I am trying to solve. I thought playing 1 and 2 would provide some answers, but I have nothing but more questions and confusion. Elizabeth said, “There’s always a man, always a lighthouse, always a city.” Obviously, we’ve got the lighthouse and the city. But who is the man? Is Booker Andrew Ryan? Jack? Delta? And what about Elizabeth? The clearest parallels seem to be between Elizabeth and Eleanor, and thus potentially between Booker and Delta. We know Delta is a diver that the people of Rapture nicknamed “Johnny Topside,” but his real name was never revealed. Then again, his name wouldn’t necessarily matter. That could be a variable. I am aware that a “Booker” exists in Burial at Sea, which just increases my confusion. Not that two versions of a man can’t exist in one universe; obviously that was all over Infinite. The other odd thing is all the links in the environment, as well as other parallel figures in the stories. Like it’s strange to me that the plasmids exist in both worlds, and the vending machines are nearly identical, and so forth. And there are similar characters like Fink and Fontaine (who could be the same man). But I could easily imagine the same personnel who would join Rapture would also find their way to Columbia. Lamb certainly reminds me of Comstock, though it would seem odd to assert that Delta and Lamb are the same person. Anyone have any theories about all this, particularly Booker and Elizabeth’s potential Rapture identities? @DylanC Tagging you again in hopes you have some thoughts to share.

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I just wrapped up my initial playthrough of Bioshock Infinite, and have thought about it pretty much nonstop ever since. SPOILERS below. Just a few reasons this game blew my mind: -A logical, well-reasoned story about the multiverse (I feel most people get the concept wrong) -A different take on the nature and value of choice than you usually see in arguments about choice v. determinism. -An unbelievably atmospheric setting. Columbia feels “real” to me still, like it’s hidden somewhere, just on the other side of a portal to another world. -Amazing character development and some of the most brilliant “show-don’t-tell” writing I’ve ever seen. By the end of the game, you know that in a pretty literal way, Booker has been battling his own demons in his own personal hell through the entire game. The setting tells the story of the man. -Seriously inspirational. The ending ripped my heart out, but at the same time, I loved it as an achievement of ultimate redemption. If you’ve played the game, please share your thoughts!

SPOILERS follow: On a replay of BioShock Infinite, I stumbled on something that confuses me. In the room on the zeppelin right before you go deal with Comstock, there is some artwork on the walls in panels that shows the journey Elizabeth and Booker have taken over the course of the game to reach that moment. I am not confused about why Comstock knows about those events—I know he was looking through tears at possible futures. My question is, why does he display beautiful artwork proudly of these events? Considering what’s about to happen to him, it’s utterly bizarre. All I can come up with is: 1-Maybe he thinks he will survive the encounter. 2-He’s tired, thinks he’ll win through Elizabeth, and doesn’t care if he survives the encounter. Or 3-He has a secret deathwish and welcomes his demise/failure. The last of those would be the most interesting possibility, though he really does seem to have put his all into killing Booker. Then again, a guy with major self-loathing issues and amazing mental compartmentalizing capabilities (consider his racism), I wouldn’t put it past . I mean, he’s literally created his own private hell in Columbia. Being as he wants to punish himself, maybe he also secretly wants to clear the debt. I thought this theory was outlandish until I just finished Burial at Sea Part 1, wherein there was at least one Comstock seeking redemption (and forgetfulness, yes--but via Sally, definitely self-improvement). Thoughts? @DylanC @skyfire

Please note: SPOILERS below. I just wrapped up my first playthrough of Bioshock Infinite. I am pretty sure there are no solid answers to these questions, but if anyone has anything they’d like to chime in, please do. Here are some things I’m unclear about: 1-Why did Booker only lose his memory while crossing between universes at the start of the game? Why not on other crosses? 2-What is the significance of his nosebleed? I get that he is dead in other realities … but we all are. 3-What are the implications of the after-credits scene? All I can come up with is that this is a surviving Booker and Anna (or a series of them) who splintered off before the baptism event (in other words, he never went there). 4-Was he drowned before or after he made the actual “decision” about the baptism? (I don’t think there is really any way to confirm when in time the “decision point” occurred) In other words, did this kill Comstock and Booker, or just Comstock?

Final Fantasy XIV I've been sinking countless hours into this one, trying to level my character's classes as far as I can to unlock their stuff as I go through the main scenario questline. I need a break. 😰 I haven't spent this much time in two weeks on one game since Stellaris... Speaking of which, the Federations expansion is coming out in less than 3 weeks. I'm looking forward to it.

@Shagger @killamch89 @kingpotato @Crazycrab @The Blackangel @Executor Akamia @DylanC - get your votes in and invite your friends to join VGR to vote for you!

I wanted to get bigger screen badly but then realized that I have no plans on getting new apartment.

Yeah, Minerva’s Den is supposed to be great so I’m looking forward to it, too. Hmm, I always thought there was an explicit explanation/connection to vigors in Infinite to the seaslugs in Bioshock. This may help and is courtesy of the Bioshock Infinite Wiki: “Although Vigors differ from Plasmids in their application (drunk rather than injected directly into the blood stream), they share the same origin. Using the Lutece Device to look at other worlds, Jeremiah Finkeventually witnessed in November of 1894 the work of the geneticist Dr. Yi Suchong in Rapture and his creation procedures for Plasmids.[1] From this point, he assembled a laboratory to research and release them as Fink Manufacturing products. Fink also organized several underwater expeditions all around the Atlantic ocean in order to acquire and study Sea Slugs, whose ADAM is the base for Plasmids and Vigors.[2] Research wasn't without risk and led to accidents, such as Devil's Kiss Vigors setting fire to a factory building in October 1900, which was then separated from the city to avoid its spread but condemned all workers trapped inside.[3] The incident was covered up by Fink Manufacturing who assured the population of the tonic's safety once released,[4] although it only resumed production eight years later by Policedemand.[5] These incidents eventually raised public concern as far as in early July 1912, and Fink reassured Columbia's fair inhabitants that it was a necessary evil for their own safety.[6] He also took the opportunity of hosting the 1912 Raffle and Fair the same month to promote and sell his products, including Bucking Bronco trials and free Possession giveaways.[7] Yet, a few people were still cautious about the next Vigors and preferred to wait for Fink to improve their stability. Fink's notes on the Vigor variations. Even with active marketing to sell Vigors, Fink was losing money due to the cost of the underwater expeditions.[2] In early June 1912, he went to think about changing the structure of his Vigors to their original form and less expensive on ADAM: injectable Plasmids. He also went to copy the design of syringes used in Rapture to cut the cost of making individual bottles for each tonic.[8]”