BioShock Infinite, the Irrational Games sequel to the acclaimed original BioShock, was released today and critics are raving about its intellectual prowess and immersive story telling.

Fans are eager to get their hands on BioShock Infinite today, and with good reason. It's been five years since the original BioShock came out, and after several false starts and the loss of many of its programmers along the way, BioShock Infinite is finally here. Nobody is complaining.

The game's creative director Ken Levine is known as something of a perfectionist, and though not perfect, BioShock Infinite's ratings are through the roof. Regardless of which gaming magazine is review it the, the new game is consistently scoring at least a 90% on reviews. IGN even went so far as to give it a 9.4/10.

"The mind of the subject will desperately struggle to create memories where none exist." -Rosalind Letuce

That is the quote that throws you out into the floating city of Columbia and BioShock Infinite's imaginative universe. This game serves up food for thought early and often. Even the very first line of dialogue should give one pause, "are you afraid of God?" I don't know, should we?

Game reviewers have also cited numerous other questions that the game raises, none easily answered. Why do we absolve our sins just to sin again? Does any man have the capability for endless virtue? How does a society react when its core values are threatened? As the Guardian's Nick Cowen observes, BioShock Infinite is far from your average shooting game.

"Taken at face value, BioShock Infinite is a ripping science-fiction yarn, a beautiful art show and a tactically layered shooter. Dig a little deeper, however, and you start wandering into the sort of high-minded philosophical territory that could fuel a dozen or so PhD dissertations."

To be sure, the scenery is absolutely stunning. The landscape of the city of Columbia, a beautiful floating city in the sky, is something to behold. Its inhabitants are equally graceful upon first observation, but slowly the façade of utopia starts to crumble. When that happens, BioShock Infinite opens up a world of stunning intrigue and countless questions that can fuel the most philosophical gamer with food for thought many times over.