BioShock Infinite - setting a new standard in emotional gaming

By Xbox World 360 for computerandvideogames.com

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Seen the Infinite footage showing actress Courtnee Draper crying? While it may resemble a ransom video as Troy Baker, voice of co-star Booker, shouts at her from off-screen, it highlights the value creative director Ken Levine puts on genuine emotion.

With the constraints of a videogame being quite different to those in a movie, Levine has had to rely on these strange techniques to get the most out of his actors. "The reason it was so difficult for [Courtnee] to get to that place was because... these scenes are so truncated in a lot of ways, compared to what you have in a movie," Levine revealed this month. "So that took a lot of trust on their part, but it helped a lot to get that scene done."

Playing as Booker with Elizabeth as company, the two characters will be conversing throughout the game. The idea is that the player will make a real emotional connection with them both.

It's not just the script that holds the emotional resonance either. Character animations are being sculpted with particular care, and Levine is confident the facial animation will be truly effective - it's about way more than shooting, this shooter.

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