Bioshock Infinite (first impressions)

Never pre-order, they said. After the mess with SimCity it's madness to pre-order before the reviews are out (and the inevitable sales).
But with Bioshock Infinite I just couldn't wait - I was so confident that the game would be great and I just had to have it on release day. Even if the reviews were mediocre (they aren't) I would still have wanted to see for myself the game we've been waiting so long for.
The fact that GMG had such a good deal on made it a no-brainer for me.

First impressions? I'm not disappointed. Far from it.
I've played 3 or 4 hours - although I think I'm at about the point that most of the reviews describe as being "after the first hour" (I'm sneaking around and exploring everything, just like in the original)
The main thing for me is that it still feels like Bioshock. The setting is VERY different, but the creepy and surreal sense of danger, the period music (which somehow manages to be creepy too) give it the same atmosphere. I spent the first hour expecting to be attacked by splicers any second!
Maybe the start will be a little too slow paced for players who aren't already fans of the series - but I'm sure your average COD player would race through it in 5 minutes anyway (which would completely miss the point  IMNSHO)
The mechanics do seem improved on the original; it's more a slick FPS with precise and accurate targeting (using mouse and keyboard, natch). XBox controller does work OK too, but isn't precise and does seem to rely a little more on auto-targeting.
I'm particularly pleased that the action on a rail, which we've seen right since the first trailer 2(?3?) years ago isn't on rails - you do have full control and it works very well.

Obviously it's too soon to tell whether the plot will have the same depth, twists or lasting impact as the original (and it would be impossible to talk about without spoilers anyway) but so far I'm very happy indeed.