Hands-on with BioShock Infinite

   

    The first view video game players get of the sky city of Columbia is probably the last place they might expect: inside a one-man capsule rocketing toward the clouds.

    It's an incredible way to initially soak in the world of BioShock Infinite, the upcoming first-person shooter from Irrational Games and publisher 2K launching March 26 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

    The opening months of 2013 have been stacked with high-profile video games, but no other title has generated more buzz and excitement than Infinite. Deservedly so, following the impact of 2007's BioShock, heralded as one of the best video games of this console cycle, and perhaps ever.

    Fast forward to Infinite, which begins with agent Booker DeWitt transported by boat to what appears to be a lighthouse off the coast of Maine in 1912. In his hands is a wooden box with his name, which carries a pistol, a postcard and a picture of a woman that reads "bring to New York unharmed."

    As DeWitt scales the lighthouse, he finds other unusual surprises, such as another note: "Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt." Once at the top, DeWitt finds a cage locked by a door with three bells, which uncovers a chair once unlocked. Thus begins the start of Infinite's journey, strapped to your seat, speeding into the sky toward Columbia.

    The opening glimpse of the city is breathtaking, and looks like what you might expect an American city in 1912 to look like, except that every structure floats in the sky, seemingly suspended in mid-air.