E3 2011: Bioshock Infinite Sony Press Conference Trailer Preview

With little preamble, Jack Tretton introduced a trailer of Bioshock Infinite during the Sony press conference. The trailer of the first-person game began with the player looking at the character of Elizabeth, who was frightfully peering through a door that was cracked open. The voice of the player character, Booker DeWitt, was heard promising Elizabeth that “I will stop him.” Elizabeth replied asking Booker to promise her that, if the worst happened, he would not let the man of which they spoke take her back, dramatically placing Booker's massive hand on her tiny neck as she did so.

The preview then switched to a few quick cuts: a large machine of some kind tearing the roof off of a structure; Booker speeding along an overhead rail as a massive dirigible off to the left fired a slew of flaming projectiles in his direction; Elizabeth cowering in shadow as it sounded like a shrieking creature or machine lurked nearby; back to Booker speeding along the track as it plunged straight down at terrifying speed; Elizabeth shouting “Booker!” as a large mechanized insectoid man or machine swoops down on him. We also see a teary Elizabeth reach out for a falling Booker in slow motion, and the player using a shotgun-like weapon to blast a few foes, leaving the environment engulfed in flames. Booker then leaps off the edge of the platform on which he's standing and falls a great distance before finally using a mechanism with a spinning rotor to catch on to a rail, ending the demo.

Things happen very quickly during the trailer and there's little opportunity to bask in the game's environments, but it still shows off some nice details, like the towering billboards with old-fashioned artwork that can be seen as Booker speeds along the rails. The trailer was followed by Irrational Games' Ken Levine taking the stage and commenting that he's been known to express a negative viewpoint of motion controls. He went on to say, though, that after a recent discussion with Sony about the Move, he now sees it as offering the potential to open up the Bioshock story and world to more people. He stated that Bioshock Infinite will implement the Move in ways that won't alienate core gamers, though he didn't offer any more details just yet. For more on Bioshock Infinite, be sure to check out GameSpot's live show on the evening of Tuesday, June 7th.