The first story-based DLC for Bioshock Infinite, Buried at Sea part 1, will be released on Nov. 12, but the reviews are already starting to come in for the extra content. While most reviews are positive, the majority point out how the DLC fails to live up to its $15 price tag and short length (reportedly between and an hour and a half to three hours).
Irrational has recreated the underwater city of Rapture, but Eurogamer notes that the Rapture of the DLC has a sort of artificial feel to it, especially at the beginning of the game:
"This is Rapture as a museum exhibit, then: evocative, awe-inspiring and semi-sacred, but largely out of reach and certainly not meant for extensive handling. Too soon, it ends. Finding a key to unlock a door to go in search of a girl named Sally brings the Glory of Rapture section of the tour to a close. Aware that you might be expecting more, Irrational makes sure to flag up the fact that once you cross the threshold to meet with a familiar face, there's no going back for a second viewing. The ride ends here, follow the signs to the exit, no re-admittance allowed."
IGN stated that the combat for the game has a different feel to it than in Bioshock Infinity, but this does not necessarily mean that the DLC's combat is better:
"Skyhooks and vigors converge with a Big Daddy fight in the undersea utopia-gone-bad, with potent results. The combat feels faster than the first game, but that's not to say you have the upper hand. Nor does it make Burial at Sea's enemy encounters better than BioShock's. It just makes them different. When you're yanked down from a skyline by the Big Daddy's drillbit-tipped grappling hook, it's clear that the battle isn't to be taken lightly. Meanwhile, Infinite's arsenal of shotguns and vigor powers feel sadistically good against the splicers of yore."
Overall, Buried at Sea seems to fail to live up to the promise that the DLC was supposed to deliver (at least during part 1) and does not enhance Bioshock Infinite in any meaningful way according to Gamespot:
"BioShock Infinite's ending implied an endless multiverse of possibilities. Infinite men. Infinite worlds. Infinite stories of oppression, self-discovery, and redemption to tell. Columbia itself is an intriguing place soaked in history and delusion, with a lifetime of tales its citizens might have told. Rather than telling those tales, Irrational Games focused on a flawed what-if scenario and crafted an equally flawed story to fit it. Burial at Sea seems a prime example of the tail wagging the dog, and the result is an adventure with fantastic sights and sounds that don't come together in a meaningful way."