Bioshock Infinite Release Date October

The last time we heard from BioShock Infinite, Irrational Games' creative director Ken Levine was still holding major plot elements of the story under lock and key from his own development staff. The recent void of news for the game had many fans feeling the same way about a release date - and a wait until the clustered holiday season wasn't out of the question.

It's somewhat unexpected, then, that 2K Games and Irrational have chosen to beat the rush rather than be among it, and will be releasing BioShock Infinite this fall. Gamers in North America will be able to skyhook around the city of Columbia on October 16, 2012 - one week after Columbus Day. The action-packed first-person shooter will then hit shelves internationally on October 19, 2012.

Ken Levine, who has been central in the development and writing of BioShock Infinite, is eager to get the masses in on the action:

"After BioShock, we had a vision for a follow up that dwarfed the original in scope and ambition.

"BioShock Infinite has been our sole focus for the last four years, and we can’t wait for fans to get their hands on it."

BioShock Infinite October Release Irrational

The series' last installment, BioShock 2, released to a warming critical reception (including the one in our review). But at the same time, it created a divisiveness over whether or not the same creative ambition still existed from the original BioShock - a title that canonballed onto the gaming scene in 2007. Those doubts were obliterated when Irrational revealed BioShock Infinite back in August of 2010, and gamers got their first look at the mind-blowing airborne city of Columbia.

After testing the game out on several occasions during E3 2011 - going so far as to name it our Game of the Show - we'd say October is as good a time as any to dive in (or float up) to Columbia and peel back the mysterious fiction behind Elizabeth, Booker Dewitt, Songbird, and the warring Vox Populi and Founders.

[Update: As previously rumored, BioShock Infinite on PlayStation 3 will support PlayStation Move. Details on exactly how that will work are set to be revealed "soon," according to the PlayStation Blog. Of equal interest is that the original BioShock will be included with the PS3 version of BioShock Infinite - in fact, it'll be right on the same Blu-ray disc.]

Ranters, what are you looking forward to in BioShock Infinite? Does October suit the game well for beating the chaos of the holiday season?

BioShock Infinite releases on October 16, 2012 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

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