

BioShock infinite launched earlier this year for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 and if you didn’t pick it up for any of those platforms you might be pleasantly surprised that you can pick it up for Mac OSX. When comparing platforms and games, PC users already know that computers have a wide advantage over consoles. The Mac version of BioShock infinite is nothing short of stunning.



The game itself is still one of the highest rated games on Metacritic, has received numerous, awards and is easily a Game of the Year of the year contender. This is but the latest installment to the BioShock franchise created by Irrational Games and brought to Mac by the always stellar work of Aspyr, the driving force behind Mac games. In the game players will travel to Columbia, the city in the clouds, decorated and designed in a steampunk setting. Filled with amazing views, stellar set design and incredible characters, BioShock Infinite is the pinnacle of the BioShock franchise



At its heart BioShock is a first person shooter, but the developers at Irrational Games are always demanding that the player questions his or her moral choices, forcing the player to think about their actions and the consequences that they bring. The story is half sci-fi and half-satire, bringing real-world issues and political topics into a gaming platform and story. As with games in the past, Irrational games also brings religious topics into the storyline.







The game itself is set in 1912, players will assume the role of a private investigator was named Booker DeWitt who is on his way to Columbia for the first time to rescue a young-girl named Elizabeth. Elizabeth of course is no ordinary young girl, she has special powers that enable her to manipulate reality and time, which becomes a major plot-point later on in the game. Much of what makes BioShock infinite so engaging is the incredible story and character progression, so I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot for you in a review.



For those of you that have played BioShock games in the past I don’t have to tell you about the standard dystopian society and Irrational Games likes to build. Unlike previous games however Columbia is a bit more functional, and players are introduced to the city that’s actually maintaining some sort of day-to-day life. This small change allows the user to become more of an integral part of Columbia’s history, rather than previous games where you were there afterwards, only to uncover what had happened.



Since this game launched a few months ago many people are probably familiar with BioShock, BioShock Infinite and the incredible story and gameplay that it brings. So instead I want to focus on the Mac-Centric features and gameplay you can expect when downloading it onto your Mac OSX. Now if you are considering buying the game I highly recommend using Aspyr’s own GameAgent website which I’ve listed below. Not only is the game on sale while I’m writing this, it also will scan your Mac and tell you what kind of experience you can expect if you download the game.



Most of the specs are on the low end of system requirements but just like so many other games, it will come down to the video card that you have in your Mac, that will really determine your gameplay experience. If you have a new or high-end Mac then you shouldn’t have any problems with this game, Aspyr did an amazing job bringing it from PC and the system and gameplay is identical to anything that you would play on any other platform, if not better than consoles.



The processors on the low-end the operating system is older than most mac owners probably have but the video card requirements are going to require that you have an upgraded system. If you are using the Intel HD 3000 graphics card processor, which was very common in earlier Mac laptops, then you should be able to run the game, but you will most likely have to turn down the settings and you may run into a few few issues during the game. Now with the Intel HD 3000 graphics card you can improve the video-memory with a Ram upgrade (since it is shared) but you would have to go to 16GB of RAM to reach the 512MB that is suggested.



Now the story is fantastic, and I think it’s something that everyone that enjoys first-person shooters should experience, if a lower setting doesn’t bother you. On the other-hand, the title looks amazing and if you have a higher-end Mac, this should definitely be on your list as one of the best games to play 2013. So if you are interested in the Mac version I’ve listed the website below where you can check out BioShock Infinite at Game Agent. From there you can use the Mac match software to see if your computer will be able to handle the game and then you are one click away from Columbia.



more info: aspyr/gameagent, appstore