The story is lost on me. Please do explain.

[himmatsj]

I like games that don't just have a surface story, but I feel Infinite took this whole "2deep4u" thing a bit too far. Most of the time, I couldn't get a hang of it, and the ending just disorientated me.

Can anybody care to briefly explain the story? Also, how clear was the story to you?

Chiefly, who are you actually? Who is Anna? Who is Elizabeth? Who is Comstock? What is the flying city?

PS: I also didn't start listening to the Voxaphones till the last 10 or so I found (total I managed to get around 65/80). Never looked at any of the black and white movies in the kinect machine as well.

Edit: Also, what happens to you at the end?

TQ!

[Yazite]

I must admit, they do throw a lot at you at the end. I found it hard to understand the first time I played it. There is a fair amount to take in, but I will try to summarize the story for you:

1. You start the game as Booker. You are sent to find a girl in Columbia. "Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt". You are initially told that you go get the girl to bring back to NY to pay back a debt, but this is not the case. I will come back to the meaning behind "Bring us the girl..." later. As you travel through Columbia you uncover secrets about Columbia and some of Comstock's past. The whole Wounded Knee thing is a big concept, seeing as it was Booker who fought in Wounded Knee, before he became Comstock. After Booker fought in Wounded Knee, he attended a Baptism and was reborn as Comstock, in order to wash away his sins. So essentially, Comstock was born at the baptism. "One man goes into the waters of baptism, a different man comes out, born again!" - Voxophone by Comstock.

2. Elizabeth is a girl locked away in the Monument island tower. Long story short. Elizabeth=Anna. Booker had a daughter, called Anna. He was in DEEP gambling debts when Anna was very young. He gave Anna away as a last resort in order to pay back his debts. "Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt." Robert/Rosalind Lutece, able to travel in time and space through tears, travelled back in time and offered to pay back Booker debts in order to have Anna. Robert/Rosalind took Anna because Comstock, back in time, needed someone from his own blood line to take the rule of Columbia. Remember Comstock is Booker, so Anna is essentially Comstock's daughter in a strange way.

3. Columbia is Columbia. There is nothing mind bending about it. Comstock created the city as he wanted to distance himself and a minority of people from the "Sodom below". Although "The seed of the prophet shall sit the thrown and drown in flames the mountains of man." Comstock wanted Elizabeth to fulfill his "ambition" so to speak. Comstock was made sterile(infertile) due to the effects of tears. He knew he wouldn't live for much longer, so he indoctrinated a version of Elizabeth to fulfill the "Dream of New York".

4. At the end Elizabeth is able to fully utilize her tear manipulating powers, due to the siphon being destroyed. Booker is enraged after the realization of everything and wants to kill Comstock before he does everything"smother him in the crib". So Elizabeth opens a door to the birth of Comstock, which leads to the baptism and as you now should know, Comstock was born at the Baptism, so Booker realizes this and accepts his fate. It is said that at this point, all realities come together and form one. So by drowning Booker, he essentially cannot become Comstock, which ends everything. Comstock is never born, Columbia never happens and so on. It is still debated as to what the after credits scene means, perhaps we will find out in BAS Ep. 2.

Hope you can understand now. Any more questions, please do ask.

P.S. I have missed one thing:

"The mind of the subject will desperately struggle to create memories where none exist".
The reason why Booker thought "Bring us the girl..." was about bringing her to NY, was because he formed this story himself. When The Luteces offered Booker a chance of redemption, to get Anna back and kill Comstock forever, he travelled through a tear, which caused him to forget giving away Elizabeth. So therefore, he initially thinks he must bring Elizabeth to NY, but in fact the reason is redemption.

[himmatsj]

I really do appreciate your lengthy response mate!

I never knew Booker was Comstock. I had a minor hunch Anna was Eli. And well....I didn't knew he died at the end.

Still, for what it's worth, a story like this feels cheap and lacks cohesiveness, for me at least. But thanks for the explanation all the same.

PS: Why did they not just go back to the crib and kill a baby Booker?

[Yazite]

Originally posted by himmatsj:

I really do appreciate your lengthy response mate!

I never knew Booker was Comstock. I had a minor hunch Anna was Eli. And well....I didn't knew he died at the end.

Still, for what it's worth, a story like this feels cheap and lacks cohesiveness, for me at least. But thanks for the explanation all the same.

PS: Why did they not just go back to the crib and kill a baby Booker?

Originally posted by himmatsj:

I really do appreciate your lengthy response mate!

I never knew Booker was Comstock. I had a minor hunch Anna was Eli. And well....I didn't knew he died at the end.

Still, for what it's worth, a story like this feels cheap and lacks cohesiveness, for me at least. But thanks for the explanation all the same.

PS: Why did they not just go back to the crib and kill a baby Booker?

Because Booker did not know that he was Comstock until the door opened to the baptism. It is said that after the siphon was destroyed, Elizabeth knows the Booker is Comstock, but this is not verified. Plus, don't you think it would be a bit dodgy strangling a baby version of yourself?

[Ivlichnov]

*Big Spoilers for the end of Bioshock Infinite.*

First, Bioshock Infinite takes place in an Infinite Multiverse, where every possibiity is played out. Elizabeth can see and open doors to these alternate possible realities.

Since Booker and Comstock are the same person from two split timelines, check out Comstock’s official timeline in the Hall of Hero’s.

The Syphon was built to limit Elizabeth’s powers, after her powers started leaking out into the City of Columbia and tears started opening to other places (like the Underwater City of Rapture).

Elizabeth says early on, that she used to be able to create tears when she was young, rather than just opening existing ones. But she finds out later that it was the Syphon that stopped her creating tears, as it leeches energy from Elizabeth.

So once the Syphon is destroyed, Liz can “see all the doors and what’s behind all the doors.” And she can see there is a version of Booker who took the baptism and became Comstock.

Also check out this You Tube video.

Bioshock Infinite : Constants and Variables : Music video / Tribute (spoilers)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRz3QCYY0pE

And this is a good summing up of the ending.

BIOSHOCK INFINITE: ENDING -EASTER EGG [HD] (Spoilers)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOQ2mSpgqc0

[RegionalDialect]

Originally posted by himmatsj:

I really do appreciate your lengthy response mate!

I never knew Booker was Comstock. I had a minor hunch Anna was Eli. And well....I didn't knew he died at the end.

Still, for what it's worth, a story like this feels cheap and lacks cohesiveness, for me at least. But thanks for the explanation all the same.

PS: Why did they not just go back to the crib and kill a baby Booker?

How did you not know Booker was Comstock? The last segment of dialogue literally is:
Elizabeth: "He's Booker"
Other Elizabeth: "He's Comstock"
Booker: "No, I'm both"

And why would they want to go and kill a baby Booker? He's a good person and doesn't deserve to just not exist. By killing him at the Baptism they only kill all of those that would become Comstock.

And after my first completion of the game I did understand the plot a good deal, but not some of the nuances. After some reading though I came to a full understanding.