I did something when I first got to Columbia that I never do when I play games. I wandered around in awe, just taking in the visuals. Whereas in most games I rush to get the initial intros over with so I can get to some gaming, with Bioshock Infinite I just walked around. I wanted to let this amazing world they created overtake me, and that is just what it did.
What you need to understand about the intro paragraph to this list is that it is what really happened to me when I played this game. The longer I walked around the fair they were having, the more it bled into my own world. It may have just been the visuals, at first, but after twenty minutes, I swear I could smell peanuts being roasted. I could hear the birds, literally, overhead. It really took over my senses and transported me to a world unlike any I had been before. Well, I actually liked Rapture a bit more, but still.
Columbia was less amazing than discovering Rapture, but I will tell you that the two feelings are pretty damn close, and work as perfect examples as to why both of these games will prove to be timeless. Say what you want about the combat being shallow in this game, but that first hour or two was a fucking vacation away from real life, and I will never forget it.
Also, just as a side note, I almost put the ending of BioShock Infinte on this list too, but I didn’t want to spoil that for the few of you who may not have experienced it yet.