BioShock Infinite: Thrilling, emotional journey

Roger Ebert, the magnificent American movie critic and writer, died recently.

Very sad - the man was beautiful with words.

BioShock Infinite

From: 2K Games

For: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

Five Stars (out of five)

Sad, too, was Ebert's infamous essay a few years back in which he maintained video games could never be considered art. They had an outcome, he argued. And rules. And you could win.

Doubtless, Ebert knows more about art than someone like me, who went to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery recently, wandered through an exhibition that featured a blinking light and thought, ''Wow, it's ... a light ... blinking on and off. Very deep''.

But I honestly can not see how an art lover could play/watch the first hour or so of BioShock Infinite, the game of this year and last and probably next as well, and not accept that, for all the rules and outcomes, the game is art.

Beautiful art, too. Absolutely stunning. A glorious mix of Americana, steampunk and ''exceptionalism'' - USA! USA! etc - BioShock Infinite is a thrilling, emotional journey.

Strolling through the game, in particular its explanatory early levels, is a heart-warming, spirit-raising experience. Sorry to gush, but the flood of homogenous video games in recent years simply makes a rare piece of unique brilliance stand out even more.

There is a plot, of course. You play Booker DeWitt, a bloke sent to Columbia, a city in the sky, to find a young woman called Elizabeth, who is held captive there.

Like the first two BioShock games, Infinite's gameplay revolves around equal parts combat, exploration and minor role-playing elements.

One hand controls a weapon (pistol, shotgun, machine gun) and the other a ''vigor'', or supplementary power - telekinesis, electronic manipulation and unleashing murderous crows on an enemy, that sort of stuff.

Elizabeth, once rescued, becomes a key part of the game. You can not control her movements but she senses what you need her to do, and acts accordingly.

Looting is again a major feature, and you should explore every desk, rubbish bin and still-warm corpse for what money, food items or ''salt'' (for recharging your vigors) you can find.

A new feature is the use of ''skylines'' to get around the city, or escape the various forces who are displeased with your presence in the city. The rollercoaster-style travel system is rather exhilarating.

Some have found fault with the level of violence in the game, feeling it is jarring when placed alongside the more ethereal moments. It is fairly bloody, but if an old gamer like me - who now wants little to do with the traditional shooters - can handle it, it can't be too bad.

Saying BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter would be like saying LeBron James is a basketball player.

This is a story-driven masterpiece that elevates the genre, or more accurately, one that creates a whole new genre.