Soon after BioShock Infinite was first announced, we worked with Game Informer to come up with three unique covers that “…showcase what a video game magazine might have looked like on Columbia in the early 1900s.” Each of our three Game Informer covers was created by none other than Senior Character Concept Artist, Robb Waters. Putting his incredible talent on display, his individual covers became many fans first look at the art-style and direction for what BioShock Infinite would become.
Recently, we released a handful of alternate covers for our fans to download and print, but we thought we could go one step further. We asked Robb to create a one-of-a-kind piece, and after distilling his vigor, he’s created the amazing custom PlayStation 3 inlay seen below.
Yes, that is the Handyman with his little pet (Bella), and this is the only one that will exist, ever. This is not a photocopy or a lithograph print—this is an original graphite-on-paper drawing, and Robb even signed a certificate of authenticity denoting this as the only one in existence. Created within the same dimensions as a PlayStation 3 inlay, this will be trimmed and placed inside a US PlayStation 3 version of the game for shipping.
We’re spinning this web of a story because one of our lucky fans will become the only person in the world to own this unique artwork. For your chance to win, post a comment below, and tell us about your favorite moment with the Handyman from BioShock Infinite.
See the full official rules below.
All entries must be posted by May 20th, 2013 @ 11:59PM ET to be considered. Irrational Games will pick one (1) random commenter from all entrants to win the listed prize. Only one entry per username is permitted for this giveaway, and each individual may only have one IrrationalGames.com account. You must be aged 17 and older, and not a Take Two / 2K Games / Irrational Games employee, or affiliated with an Irrational Games employee to be eligible. Winner will be contacted via private message on their registered IrrationalGames.com account to claim their prize.
joeruscio | May 13, 2013 2:23 pm
That time I killed him good, I liked that time.
vilanova | May 13, 2013 2:27 pm
For me it was when you 1st face him and you just dont know what to expect and then you take a closer look at him and see what is powering him.
Oh boy was that a memorable event!
shayleenhulbert | May 13, 2013 2:27 pm
He kept screaming and shouting at me about how much it hurt and to stop it, so I always felt bad for the poor bloke, and whenever i defeated him i almost felt happy that he didn’t have to live like that anymore. I’m such a sap!
tulip | May 13, 2013 2:27 pm
Loved when he sneak-attacks you as you’re chasing Elizabeth, scared the crap out of me when that 1000 lb. abomination jumped me.
jlbiggs | May 13, 2013 2:29 pm
love this drawing 🙂
addyjosh | May 13, 2013 2:29 pm
When I killed that one inside the airship on the way to confront Comstock. Zipping around on the rails while trying to kill the big guy while being shot at by a lot of other guys in an enclosed space was the most thrilling moment in the game for me.
gnovello | May 13, 2013 2:29 pm
Honestly, it was the first time I saw him in the game. So many hours thinking about how it would be and when he first appeared, you see him from above, and even then, he seems far superior. Gives an air of great anxiety and fear at the same time and it’s so awesome! I couldn’t wait to fight him!
civicheart | May 13, 2013 2:30 pm
jumping from rail to rail trying to kill him in battles. Also seeing him for the first time at the small carnival
goshadole | May 13, 2013 2:30 pm
I think just the first site of him is my favorite part. When you first see a handyman in the festival. You get a sense that he is conflicted about what hes set out to do. Really good way to establish the character as a circus freak.
youruglyclone | May 13, 2013 2:30 pm
Finally killing it by only shooting that “specific” part to nab that trophy…
falcnuts | May 13, 2013 2:31 pm
The first encounter with him and I had no idea what to expect, the challenging fight culminated with him begging me to stop, I really wanted to, but he kept attacking me so I had to put him down. Miss that guy.
mvidaure | May 13, 2013 2:32 pm
The very first time you see one being demonstrated at the fair. I saw him and immediately thought “Yea, that guy’s going to be trouble”, and the fact that it seemed so uncomfortable on that stage made me all the more interested in not only fighting them but learning about their creation.
dan51 | May 13, 2013 2:33 pm
Don’t know if this counts, but in the very first trailer where he throws booker out the window and you see Columbia for the first time, was amazing.
If it needs to be in game, then where you see him on the podium being demonstrated at the fair, and you realise you’re gonna have to fight that thing at some point!
tbirdabsurd | May 13, 2013 2:34 pm
I’d say my favorite part was at the fair when the Handyman was getting his picture taken and he got startled from the camera’s flash. It was cool to get up close and get a good look at him.
akomei | May 13, 2013 2:34 pm
The moment you first view the Handyman at the fair demonstration was actually the most striking memory for me. While later on he becomes completely rabid you must destroy him to progress, there is the appeal to him that he still retains a form of humanity. Pain, suffering, fear, forced entanglement into battles he never chose. It almost resembles the struggles of Booker and Elizabeth in her cage. More unfortunate is that the Handyman’s cage being its own body. Watching him on that stage being paraded set the tone of this character, and those watching offered so much insight into its perceived ‘strength’ as a curse.
nah32 | May 13, 2013 2:34 pm
I would have to say when you first see the handyman at the carnival. You ear the bystanders commenting about how sad he looks, and it reveals a different side to him as an enemy. He doesn’t want to be what he is, so it makes the handyman pretty tragic, and it’s something I always remembered later on in the game.
MonkeyShadow | May 13, 2013 2:34 pm
I had pity for the Handyman at the funfair…
But I loved the impressive speed of him while fighting and its abilities to electrocute the skylines.
epiczebra123 | May 13, 2013 2:34 pm
My most memorable time with a handyman was when you first come across one because it scared the crap out of me.
theblackbandit | May 13, 2013 2:34 pm
There’s that excellent moment with the Vox posing for a photograph by the body of a Handyman they’ve killed. It really reminds me of the photographs taken after big game hunts, and the fact that there’s a pretty heartbreaking audio diary nearby makes the player feel even worse for killing Handymen.
tofuslaw | May 13, 2013 2:35 pm
I thought I was so clever when I had the idea to grab onto a skyhook the first time I fought him. Then he jumped at me and shocked me to death. The way he can close a huge gap in just one leap is terrifying.
robbiesexbang | May 13, 2013 2:35 pm
For me there isn’t really a “moment” as such. More so every battle with a Handyman is my favourite moment. The way that they tell you to leave them alone and keep asking why you’re hurting them made me feel incredibly bad for having to kill them. That’s why those fights are so great. Their dialogue makes you want to save him, but their deadliness requires you kill them, for survival and Elizabeth.
arcamonolith | May 13, 2013 2:35 pm
The time when he jumped in my face from a platform below and managed to knock me off my platform to the far depths of mere mortalville. aka I died.hard.
kevin360 | May 13, 2013 2:35 pm
The absolute rage that I felt when I walked up on the Vox Populi members posing next to Samuel. Listening to the Voxophone clutched in his arms, and hearing his wife saying her goodbyes, “When we meet again on that eternal shore…”
narratedoffhand | May 13, 2013 2:35 pm
Seeing my friend try to beat him on 1999 mode, while I was still on my first play through and hadn’t come to him yet. The volume was off, so he couldn’t hear any of the cues as to when the Handyman was after him. He had died so many times he was out of money, and couldn’t buy any more ammo. He was screaming as if he was playing a horror game. It made me so nervous for my first time, but was hilarious.
sexyjesus | May 13, 2013 2:36 pm
I thought it was cool when you go to meet Daisy as she kills Fink and then you get swarmed by the Vox Populi. The Handyman screaming at me as I flew around on the rails trying to get away from him and dodge gunfire was exilarating.
docpepper | May 13, 2013 2:36 pm
mvidaure beat me to it. I have to agree that my favorite interaction with the Handyman was at the fair. He was so pitiable. There trully was a “Frankenstien’s monster” thing going on. What’s worst was I knew that I was going to have to fight him later. I really didn’t want to, seeing as how he was just a suffering person who other people were controlling.
godusil | May 13, 2013 2:36 pm
My favorite moment was when I was extremely low on health and didn’t have enough time to recharge my shield, so I ran around a corner and pretty much accepted my death sentence.. But then I heard the wonderful ”Where did you go?” from him, so I cautiously peeked, saw him quite a distance away, and started sniping. He wasn’t moving. It was glorious.
tomasso17 | May 13, 2013 2:37 pm
Just watching him die as i was ending 1999 mode…well that was old school difficulty, i really enjoyed that!
nick09 | May 13, 2013 2:38 pm
My favorite moment was when you picked up the voxophone in the Industrial District and heard the man’s wife talk about her husband’s transformation into the Handyman. It was presented in a believable way that I connected with emotionally, yet also made me nervously anticipate having to fight him.
jonasinjo | May 13, 2013 2:38 pm
That moment when you finaly kill him the first time and feel like you just killed a god
starzee | May 13, 2013 2:39 pm
Like a few people here that have mentioned where you first see the handyman in the carnival.
In a sense it stuck out to me because of how his reaction was with the crowd almost frightened of everything. Then later on in the game he’s quite a vicious adversary. But the connection I made with him was almost seemed like a reference to the old movie “King Kong”.
(Minus the rampaging tower climbing taking the damsel in distress on that aspect. )
But it was the fear, of what the Ape experienced in that movie where he was being showcased to the public, is what makes that into handyman’s impression when you first see him in the carnival.
And that’s, my moment with him.
nomooremercy | May 13, 2013 2:39 pm
Before the game even released there was talk of another big enemy that would really f*** you up if you played against it on a higher difficulty! And my god it did. It destroyed me soooo many times. How it ravaged through Fink Manufacturing was glorious.
ascendednarwhal | May 13, 2013 2:39 pm
Such amazing art.
undedmanbearpig | May 13, 2013 2:39 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is when you encounter the first one in the game who is being showed off to a crowd. He is a beast, but you can tell that dead inside, barely anything that he used to be. There is a couple near by and the women says “He looks so sad”. The man replies “When you’re that strong, whats there to be sad about?” and you realize the ignorance of (some of) the people who have no idea what they are going through.
armoredinred | May 13, 2013 2:40 pm
When I first encountered the handyman and I was using the Sky-lines and he happened to just electrocute the entire line. I was terrified of this guy because he is so damn quick!!
downloadablegod | May 13, 2013 2:40 pm
My favorite part was seeing him at the fair. He looked so sad but god he was scary. Then the first time I fought him. I was running away half the time.
xybot | May 13, 2013 2:40 pm
Definitely seeing him at the fair … I spent a few minutes walking around the stage and him trying to see if I could trigger him awake. I thought it was a very King Kong-esque moment … the creature on display for the crowd.
ender83 | May 13, 2013 2:40 pm
Best moment was whilst watching the one on stage at the very beginning of the game. Greatest opening to a game I’ve played so far, and I was able to soak in the atmosphere whilst seeing what was waiting for me later in the game and trying to look for weak spots. Knowing the peaceful monster in front of me would soon be kicking my arse…..priceless!
fireandblood | May 13, 2013 2:40 pm
I loved learning the backstory of the Handy(men?). Where the technology came from, the pain they endure, the enslavement. It really made it so that I almost felt bad killing them. Then he slapped me and I died and that feeling went away very quickly
ezio41 | May 13, 2013 2:40 pm
The first time I encountered him i didn’t know what to expect he was very powerful and a formidable opponent I used everything I had and playing on 1999 mode made this brute that much more empowering but all and all the handyman is the most misunderstood character for he is no more hostile than booker or Elizabeth with that being said this game was amazing in character and plot development great job irratiomal
trunglefever | May 13, 2013 2:40 pm
I WANT IT
shadowofcyrano | May 13, 2013 2:41 pm
Finding the voxophone from what I assumed to be his wife, hoping that when the madness of becoming a handyman took over, he’d still remember her.
I played that one a couple times while staring at him. It was a moment.
mponicsan | May 13, 2013 2:41 pm
I was playing through the game the first time on Normal, I’ve since acquired a Platinum Trophy. I was at the last area in the game (no spoilers) and I like many others was forced to do battle with a handy man whilst being attacked by many other soldiers. Much to my disbelief I was able to put the handy man down in only a handful of shots, and shortly after he dropped I was awarded with the HeartBreaker trophy! I couldn’t believe that every shot I had fired landed directly on his heart! I literally laughed hysterically because I couldn’t believe my good
fortune. This is easily one of my most memorable moments involving a handy man, and one of my favorites in the game as a whole!
kasperh123456 | May 13, 2013 2:41 pm
the time where fitzroy holds you out of the zeppelin and you see him for the first time. the only thought going through my head there was “please dont drop me so i have to fight this guy”
chronodiver | May 13, 2013 2:41 pm
What amazing artwork! It’s kind of nice to see that kind of side from a handyman, considering how violent they are in the game XD. Incredible
izzohead | May 13, 2013 2:41 pm
When I picked up the hand cannon in the fink manufacturing yard I kept it on the back burner because I didn’t want to waste the ammo all willy nilly. then the handyman showed up, and I unleashed the beast on him, getting in real close to get a good shot at him. seeing his heart in the glass case was always so chilling.
jumpinjamey | May 13, 2013 2:41 pm
For me, it was upon finally exploring columbia, before getting your first vigor, you see all the people taking photos of him and you feel actually sorry for him, you know what hes capable of as an enemy yet its the only scene you see the human emotion he is giving off, its almost like hes been lied to on how fink industries was gonna fix his handicaps to make him human again but ultimately hes turned into nothing more then an ad and what he can only think of himself as a monster, he reminds me of Quasimodo
tyetus | May 13, 2013 2:41 pm
This is … awesome D: I’m hoping to spend my birthday playing this game (less about … 19 days D:)
rhydian | May 13, 2013 2:42 pm
the first time you see his hearth pumping, and realizing this man made machine was once a beautifull human being.
sniperzik | May 13, 2013 2:42 pm
Thanks
heliyum | May 13, 2013 2:42 pm
First, that art is absolutely beautiful, good job, Robb.
Anyway, I’ll try to post mine without saying too much, but, finding the Voxphone; “That Eternal Shore” next to the Vox Populi and the dead Handyman.
Listening to it gave me shivers, and actually brought a tear to my eye. Whoever wrote that scene, hats off, Mate.
idealwashington | May 13, 2013 2:42 pm
My most favorite Handyman experience is when you are fighting all of the guys inside the airship. He stood on one of the platforms below the rails. I kept hitting him as I swung around on the rail. I just thought it was hilarious.
pistoleshrimp | May 13, 2013 2:42 pm
I was just so amazed when Elizabeth was giving me tips on how to kill him when he first came out. My heart was literally racing, you guys did an amazing job on this game.
icewarden | May 13, 2013 2:42 pm
That first encounter, he just looks so cool
illacquiredtste | May 13, 2013 2:42 pm
I loved learning about his origins through voxophones. Such a sad story, and it makes it even more emotional of a fight as he shouts things such as, “Everything hurts!”
kanesthename | May 13, 2013 2:43 pm
My favourite part of Bioshock Infinite was without a doubt discovering the history behind Elizabeth’s tears, both through the twist ending and the voxophones throughout the game. It was really impressive how Irrational created so many questions for me, but tied them together so effortlessly at the end.
h41of234k | May 13, 2013 2:43 pm
That Moment at the fair, when he’s afraid by the camera…
johnnyleyenda | May 13, 2013 2:43 pm
Whenever they look hurt or that they don’t want to be there fighting you. It’s sad, and that makes the game something more than the “kill all the bad guys” kinda FPS that some people think it is.
softlyfallen | May 13, 2013 2:43 pm
Absolutely stunning, love that hes such a gentle giant in this picture….who could crush your head in that is <3 beautiful work
softlyfallen | May 13, 2013 2:45 pm
And of course listening and learning all about his history through the voxophones
spinninnzen | May 13, 2013 2:43 pm
Hehe first time I saw him because in my head I knew I would meet him again 🙂
tonythedanza | May 13, 2013 2:43 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was probably the saddest one. It was when you find the dead handyman with the voxophone outside of the Graveyard Shift and the Vox guys are taking pictures of it. I felt so bad for the poor guy and his loving wife. It was this scene that really made it sink in that these guys were people and not just monsters and it reminded me of the first bioshock when you began to realize what the big daddies were. After that I really felt bad when I had to kill one. I promptly took revenge on the vox guys and killed those jerks. What a bunch of butts.
tythan | May 13, 2013 2:43 pm
handymans are hard as hell in 1999 mode
colonelgubitz | May 13, 2013 2:43 pm
When I found out that Fink was making the Handymen by using terminally ill humans, I found out I felt a little sorry for the big guys. Every time I had to kill one after that moment, I always did it fast so I could put them out of their misery.
aleshacat | May 13, 2013 2:43 pm
The first time I saw him at all on that stage- I just watched him for the longest time. All those people taking photos of him like he was a freak, and listening to his cries, pleading them to stop. I felt so sorry for him, but scared at the same time- scared that I would have to fight him later on.
mrsaturn101 | May 13, 2013 2:44 pm
The festival scene for me too, it was the first thing that made me uneasy to lead into the raffle where everything goes crazy.
arduousandy | May 13, 2013 2:44 pm
When you first meet him at the carnival you can see the pain he goes through just for existing. Would love more of a backstory on this guy.
daillone | May 13, 2013 2:44 pm
The Handyman on the last board of the game, inside the dock or whichever. That guy is RUTHLESS, I finally beat him after going through almost $7,000 from dying.
ifuzzyguns | May 13, 2013 2:44 pm
Probably right in the beginning at the fair, when they were showcasing the Handyman! This summer I’ll be working on a Handyman cosplay. They’re very interesting, both aesthetically and as far as back story, but aside from the fair, your a little busy shooting them in the heart and running for your life to appreciate the fine-tuned details!
wtfbrambles | May 13, 2013 2:44 pm
Aw Heliyum beat me to it.. the most moving interaction with the Handyman for me was also the scene where the Voxphone is found. That music will be in my brain forever, and the imagery that accompanied it will likely be as well.
stephi | May 13, 2013 2:44 pm
I loved fighting the Handyman for the first time, trying to figure out what strategies worked best to defeat him. Learning his story through the voxophones gave it an additional emotional element that was better than any normal video game fight scene.
revlaar | May 13, 2013 2:44 pm
Every fight with a handyman was simply amazing, however my favourite was when I used him as a Human wrecking ball against the Vox Airships and soldiers on the way to Comstock House, that made that section on 1999 Much simpler, apart from the fact I then had to kill him once he’d smashed everything in his way..
renton1313 | May 13, 2013 2:45 pm
I loved seeing the Handyman at the fair and then learning their backstory throughout the game. Like with the Big Daddies, I always felt bad when I had to kill one.
shockjockey | May 13, 2013 2:45 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was fighting the first one in Finkton. My sister was on my bed reading and when the Handyman jumped down I started screaming trash talk at him and completely flipping out at the same time because he was kicking my butt from Finkton to Emporia.
When he fell I did a little victory dance and proceeded to keep smack talking his corpse.
I scared her so much with my initial reaction that she almost spilled water all over my bed.
chard5000 | May 13, 2013 2:45 pm
The festival scene. He reminded me of King Kong all chained up and scared of the flashes. So sad.
beatona | May 13, 2013 2:45 pm
My favorite moment was when I first saw him at the fair, how he was all cowered and abused like a whipped dog. That was cool
ultrapiggy | May 13, 2013 2:45 pm
The first time I encountered the Handyman, it was pretty crazy. The feeling of fear and adrenaline was exactly what I wanted at that moment. At the same time, every time he leaped at me, I would turn around like a baby and yell “NOPE NOPE NOPE” while running for any kind of cover.
Later on at a different moment, I found out that the Handyman could damage me while I was using the rails to get around. Once again, my approach to this was jump onto the rail, get where I need to get, and then “NOPE NOPE NOPE” my way to a safer area where I could deal damage to him.
Good times. Goooood times.
bushbeater26 | May 13, 2013 2:45 pm
Hmm.. Running away. Yeah, that was definitely one of my fun times, me running and him chasing me as I shot at him. We both looked so happy when we did.
kath3ra12 | May 13, 2013 2:46 pm
If I were to pick one single moment I will do just that. In just a snap, a blink, this moment occurred but I will not soon forget it. Yelling and cussing, I am sure I was the one cussing, not out of anger or fear or frustration, out of a loss of words, a jumbled ooze of sounds only some of which could be discerned as cusses flowed from my mouth. The yelling was out of the mouth of a behemoth. but it was not a thunderous verbal assault but a resonating cry, and it was chancing me. I was slowly losing strength, becoming more frantic, treading paths over again in search for nourishment that I knew was not there, but I could not regret every bullet or grain of salt that I used in a dying effort to defeat this shell of a man in the body of a beast.
jessicanunes | May 13, 2013 2:46 pm
When I first saw a Handyman at the fair being showed off. The look on his face was of pain and fear of the crowd and he was even hiding his face from the photographers. It made me feel sorry for the creature even though I knew I would have to meet and end a few of them later in the game. That’s what I love about Bioshock, there is always a backstory which makes you think about the decisions you make and what you are doing. It didn’t end me from shitting my pants when I first met one, but still.
moning1 | May 13, 2013 2:46 pm
the songbird was one of the most surreal parts of the game
jhuber | May 13, 2013 2:46 pm
I actually had two favorite moments with the Handyman and honestly he was one of the enemies that I least wanted to kill. I felt sorry for him on display at the fair and then when I listened to the Voxophone recording from Hattie Gerst I really started to sympathize with him.
lkroeker | May 13, 2013 2:46 pm
First time I was shocked off a Skyline. Pretty neat mechanic.
kirbinator | May 13, 2013 2:46 pm
When you first see a handyman in the beginning of the game, and people are gawking at him like he is less than human. I knew at a certain point I would have to destroy them, but… It was better for them that way.
soliddanii | May 13, 2013 2:46 pm
my favorite part was when i first saw him at the beginning of the game. He couldnt hurt you xD
bookerjewitt | May 13, 2013 2:46 pm
pulling their ass over with undertow and using shock jockey to finish them because when you get into a tussle with a handyman that shit’s fucking punishment
loddy87 | May 13, 2013 2:46 pm
Nice Work
justinator | May 13, 2013 2:47 pm
It’s really a tragic backstory to a character, portrayed quite well. The initial encounter was something that really struck a chord with me, as the emotional aspect of the handymen is something the game developers thought well into. You don’t see a character very often that you can actually pity while being forced to kill them. Some crazy fun fights with this one.
thegoozah | May 13, 2013 2:47 pm
Just after the elevator crash! That moment I realized he was a great addition to the gameplay! The constant hopping between rails, ground, shooting, gathering ammo… It required some skills and was one of few enemies I’ve ever battled in all these years I really was eager to encounter. Great job guys!
smashbang | May 13, 2013 2:47 pm
My favorite moment was the 5th or 6th time he killed me!
silentnukee | May 13, 2013 2:47 pm
Definitely the first time I’ve encountered one, I blew it up thinking nothing of it but then I started learning more about them through voxophones… That was rather sad. I actually feel bad for them.
epeterson | May 13, 2013 2:47 pm
The moment that has always stood out to me was the second time you see the Handyman. Booker is riding a small transport and looks down to see what resembles a slave ship full of workers, with a Handyman at the rear overseeing, who then looks up and makes eye contact. Such a contrast to the first sight of the cowering figure at the fair earlier on. One of the early moments that gave insight into the underlying, masked terror of Columbia. This will always be a defining image of the Handyman for me.
taffer | May 13, 2013 2:48 pm
The first time you face off against him is definitely intense, although every encounter was nerve-wracking.
I feel bad for the guy. The stuff that he shouts as you as you fight him is so tragic. Felt like I had to put him down just to put him out of his misery.
lencho2012 | May 13, 2013 2:48 pm
The first time I encountered him, run far away, think I’m safe, and he leaps almost completely across and is practically right in front of me, That moment, I felt fudged.
eipoul | May 13, 2013 2:48 pm
The first time you see one in the festival at the beginning, while he’s prettending to be harmless, i bet they have feelings too.
heykooolaid | May 13, 2013 2:49 pm
The whole unveiling of the handyman in that first mission where they introduce it was by far my favorite. The way all the citizens look to it as this “protector” is just amazing.
zombiecherry | May 13, 2013 2:49 pm
My favorite moment is the first time you see it in the faire because he looks human and ashamed of what he’s become but also because he’s not trying to kill me. I love their background history and Hattie Gerst’s voxophones are heartbreaking because they remind us that at least one of the handymans was once a human who was loved and cared about.
scorbett1994 | May 13, 2013 2:49 pm
That one time, where I was riding the sky rails, and learned he can shock them, and had to manually run away from him, because my shotgun was out of ammo, and all I had was a sniper rifle. I still have NO idea how I killed him.
pogohoudine | May 13, 2013 2:49 pm
When I first saw the Handyman being presented by the man in the beginning of the game. The sadness in the character’s eyes, and the way I felt guilty for killing him made an impact on the way I played. I tried looking at the Handyman as a Big Daddy; when they attacked one had to die and I couldn’t let it be me (especially not in 1999 mode), but I could relate to their anger and understand their grief.
ragnaar | May 13, 2013 2:49 pm
The handyman was always tragic to me. The sad expression on their face said it all.
laurenlaurenlau | May 13, 2013 2:49 pm
EVERY MOMENT WAS THE BEST MOMENT.
epifire | May 13, 2013 2:49 pm
Awesome stuff. I really love how you guys do so much for your fans. Things like this really make my day.
prettyodd144 | May 13, 2013 2:49 pm
Probably the first time at the fair and through the Voxophone getting a little of his backstory. felt pretty sorry for the fella.
hulksmashhhh | May 13, 2013 2:50 pm
It would have to be when you’re at fair. When the photographer is taking pictures of him and he’s all scared. It was just rather emotional. It reminded me of King Kong
closedmartini11 | May 13, 2013 2:50 pm
Listening to his cries of agony while playing the game, it made me feel pretty bad. poor handyman….. might as well put him out of his misery
spartan333 | May 13, 2013 2:50 pm
When you’re waking up on the First Lady and see him, watching to the prisonners.
haze155 | May 13, 2013 2:51 pm
His glowing heart that i shoot is my favorite part. He loves my crows also
blueroseknight | May 13, 2013 2:51 pm
Seeing the advertisement for the handyman and hearing the voxophone about it were my two most memorable moments involving the handyman. This game was done beautifully.
brickfungus | May 13, 2013 2:51 pm
when I used my xbox to kill him… BOOM!
logan440 | May 13, 2013 2:51 pm
There’s a moment just after the Vox have taken control of the city, where a few of the Populi members are posing for photographs with a dead Handyman. Showing it off like a trophy. What makes it an even more memorable scene is the very moving Audiolog that the Handyman is clutching. You start to think of the Handymen as more than just tough, generic cannon fodder, they become their own characters with their own backstorys.
smameron | May 13, 2013 2:51 pm
I’d say my favourite scene(s) with a Handyman has to be the side-story you find out about through multiple Voxophones about the wife who almost lost her husband, but had him “repaired” as a Handyman. The story is pretty tragic, and it really hits home that these “creatures” are just humans, not given a choice of their own, and are stuck in their prolonged torment.
When the story comes to a close, and you find the woman’s husband dead, being cheered over by a group of the Vox, it really made me question the motives the Vox were going by, and made me wonder if I was the only person in the game that sympathised with the Handymen.
wardemon787 | May 13, 2013 2:51 pm
I remember first coming across the handyman, he gave me the same vibes as the Big Daddy, except the difference was the Handyman seemed to be more of an offensive foe rather than the defensive Big daddy whom only seemed aggravated when you tried to mess with his little sister. The game strikes you in the heart with the audio logs. I remember coming across the audio logs of a handyman’s wife, and she was emotionally destroyed about what had happened to her husband (Deja vu from Bioshock 2, when you follow the trail of audio logs of the father looking for his missing daughter, and is eventually “reunited” with her by getting turned into a big daddy himself; it always seems like a bitter sweet ending). I defiantly enjoyed battle with him. I have a few rare games I can really say are my “favorite” but If I had a top 5 list, Bioshock 1 and Infinite are in that category…hands down. I’m honestly so happy to have enjoyed this adventure, I was really starting to lose hope in gaming. Thank you everybody at irrational games! You guys rock!
majorburns | May 13, 2013 2:51 pm
Wow, this is awesome.
1rockingamer | May 13, 2013 2:52 pm
Well, I’ve played Bioshock 1 & 2 but still haven’t played infinite, I’ve seen my cousin play it amd it only makes me want to get it even more, the handyman looks so badass though! Winning this would be so epic, and then I’D be the one laughing in my cousin’s face! Mwuahaha!
juan29zapata | May 13, 2013 2:52 pm
I loved when I fought a Handyman, because of him trying to just kill me, he was really just trying to set himself free. And that’s when I realized that the Handyman is really the best example of the clash between humanity and machinery, and how, while this combination might prove very efficient, the addition of both sides make up a Frankenstein-like thing that wants to be put down because it understands that it shouldn’t exist. It really is proven when you can hear the Handyman talk:
“I want to sleep”
“I am supposed to be dead”
starryeyedsair | May 13, 2013 2:52 pm
As a student going to school for game design, there’s nothing more I appreciate than a strong opponent that not only commands your fear, but also your sympathy. My first encounter with the Handyman that resonated with me the most was the very first time we saw them, at the fair in the beginning. They had been depicted as so fearsome and horrid, and yet I found myself sympathizing with them; they were men at some point after all, men who were sick and then were transformed into these brutes that we all know now, and to see them as more than just a “fearsome brute” was really special, and it really resonated with me as an artist and a gamer.
When it was finally the time to fight one, I had remembered how terrible I felt for them, and even as they were tearing me apart and zapping me to death on the skylines, I still couldn’t help but sympathize with them! And to me, that’s a really profound thing! I always love seeing tough characters as gentle giants, and this art almost brought me to tears! So precious! Robb Waters is outstanding, as usual! I expect nothing but the best from my idol!
benski | May 13, 2013 2:52 pm
i loved the first encounter, i had no idea how to kill it so i was just running around trying to shoot it as good as i could
raphatiyeh23 | May 13, 2013 2:53 pm
Power of meaning.
num421337 | May 13, 2013 2:53 pm
I myself thought that the handymen were underused, they’re full potential was not realized in the game and I hope future dlc can alleviate that. The game was a masterpiece i it’s own regard, but still lacked something in very many areas. I loved playing it, but some of the ideas used in the preview videos were not utilized effectively in the finished game. I would’ve loved being able to open whole new doors or pathways with tears, or to use tears to make enemies fall off skyhook rails as seen in the playtest videos….Elizabeths powers were underused, and could have been much better…..look at me ranting and raving………
gthaxor | May 13, 2013 2:53 pm
When you see one sobbing on stage being displayed
swiftmg | May 13, 2013 2:53 pm
Right when you come out of Chen Lin and Mrs. Lin in the Gunsmith Shop, when you turn the corner there. That battle was crazy because it was unexpected as are many things in BioShock usually which is what makes the game so great. Thanks for this great game you made irrational, now bring Tribes Ascend to xbox 360 please 🙂
majorasblaze | May 13, 2013 2:53 pm
The great foreshadowing seeing him on display at the fair, a tragic spectacle that helped set up that wonderful feeling of unease permeating the early part of the game. The jovial way he’s presented and observed against the grotesque reality of a mutilated man created out of medical desperation.
talesanura | May 13, 2013 2:53 pm
My favorite moment would be finally beating a Handyman on 1999 mode, encounters with one of them were definitely the hardest parts in the game because there was almost no escaping him. It took a lot of running and dieing but it was a good challenge.
kc21 | May 13, 2013 2:53 pm
When I learned that the Handyman could adjust to me abusing the handrail as a way to avoid + shoot him. He grabbed on to the rails and electrocuted them so I could not use them anymore and I was just stunned. (pun intended)
asphalt | May 13, 2013 2:53 pm
When he is afraid of the camera flash…
I prefer him when he is harmless, just like this drawing.
teejuscristo | May 13, 2013 2:53 pm
Definitely the first one, just because it was so frantic and you had Elizabeth trying to tell you how to defeat him the whole time.
boeingjet380 | May 13, 2013 2:53 pm
I’ve always been a fan of Waters’ work. Being able to actually own a piece of his is nonetheless fascinating. My favorite moment was in the very beginning where he was just passive and showing off his stuff, rather than trying to murder you in his handy-dandy ways. Combat-wise, I enjoyed the very last fight, where I still remember having no ammo left and continually passing by and dropping next to him to use a few vigors against him and whapping him with the SkyHook just to knock him down. Don’t get me wrong, it was annoying, but sooo entertaining!
boombrolaf | May 13, 2013 2:54 pm
Has to be when I accidentally getting the achievement for shooting him only in the heart. I would love a ps3 copy. Must look amazing!
acboehm | May 13, 2013 2:54 pm
My favorite moment of the Handyman was the first time I realized they could electrify rails. They were always such an intimidating foe, so when I had the chance to gain air superiority against one, I thought I had it made. Then it jumped up and shocked the rails. Columbia never fails to hold surprises.
Absolutely love the artwork, and would be honored to win.
mschaefer | May 13, 2013 2:54 pm
Outstanding! Sure to make my brother jealous!
jjaacckk620 | May 13, 2013 2:54 pm
Favorite Handyman moment? Hmmm…have to be the time I walked out of the gunsmith and as I was walking towards my next goal he drops right in front of me, and throws me far away. Thinking I have a chance i switch to Shock Jockey and zap him, although to no avail. He jumps, soaring toward me and just starts bashing me. I switch to my sniper and starting shooting at his heart over and over while Elizabeth threw me Health packs, as the Handyman fell, i felt accomplished. There as I watched, the achievement popped. What a glorious moment.
mannyebz1 | May 13, 2013 2:54 pm
The moment when all chaos breaks loose, im getting shot and health is deminishing and i try to run away by means of the skylines….but then end up still getting chased by the Handyman and him electricuting the lines and causing me more damage. Making me just turn around and just throw everything i had to survive and shoot every last bullet to his see-through chest to kill him. Too bad Booker couldnt melee the Handymen off the sides and make them fall to their deaths. I found out that i just have to aim for the heart and dont reload unless the clip is empty.
ryanasg | May 13, 2013 2:54 pm
The moment when you see the fallen Handyman being photographed outside the Graveyard Shift. That voxophone from his wife was absolutely heartbreaking, and was a perfect example why I love Bioshock so much – the hidden side-stories and complex morality. It was a great reminder that the Handymen – just like the Big Daddies before them – were once real people with real lives.
ludyee | May 13, 2013 2:55 pm
Definately the fair with the photographer. I even tried to get on the stage to shield him.
fzxguy | May 13, 2013 2:55 pm
The very first time you a Handyman at the Fair, he’s so sad and tortured. I felt pity for him every time I saw one later and felt as if killing him was actually doing him a favor.
ghostcross | May 13, 2013 2:55 pm
I think my favorite moment was after exiting Chen Lin’s shop and having the Handyman chase me around the Plaza of Zeal and sniping out his heart. It was something about seeing Mrs. Lin heartbroken then having to destroy one that stuck with me after.
hannaho | May 13, 2013 2:55 pm
Hasn’t happened yet. Soon though, when I find the time to play.
littlemissmorla | May 13, 2013 2:56 pm
My favourite moment wasn’t actually in the game, but in the first trailer released. Seeing him was reminiscent of the Big Daddies in the other Bioshock games, which I really loved.
evanbro09 | May 13, 2013 2:56 pm
Nothing quite beats that feeling when you hear the handymans heart overload and you can finally take a breath.
linkmaster | May 13, 2013 2:56 pm
The best moment was.. when i was chasing elizabeth…suddenly he appear directly at me….and i fell that i was gonna get very smashed by his enormous hands..suddenle he throw at some kind of container.. i was shocked by the surprise…it was so fucking amazing!!…best experience 🙂
dovahkim | May 13, 2013 2:57 pm
The first time you see the Handyman. It’s insanely intense and awesome. I was completely unaware and it scared the hell out of me, but finally seeing the Handyman in the game was crazy awesome.
azureredemption | May 13, 2013 2:57 pm
Can we flip for it?
Heads…? Or tails?
secretsquirrely | May 13, 2013 2:57 pm
I am so happy to see an international opportunity here. My love for this game and its memorabilia is intense. Like everyone else I am super excited. Good luck everyone.
sashapalacio | May 13, 2013 2:57 pm
I don’t think any moment is a favorite moment with a Handyman, but I can definitely say they’re memorable. I would have to choose our first encounter(fighting) in Finkton’s Plaza of Zeal. My first thought was “Oh Shit, where is he?!” the moment I heard his voice. Besides the fact he’s clearly designed for us to shoot his heart, I remembered the trophy corresponding to killing him that way and started wailing on him. I kept running backwards and shooting at him with my Hand Cannon, but the unsteadiness made it hard to get a good shot at his heart, not to mention I was walking backwards so he punched me off Columbia a few times… After regaining my ground, I swapped out to my China Broom and shotgun-ed his heart like no tomorrow. Ding “Heartbreaker” =P
After this fight, I took to the Sky-Lines when fighting any Handyman, with the occasional drop to not get shocked to death lol
nesmrtelnost | May 13, 2013 2:58 pm
The first encounter with the Handyman is by far the most tragic element of the game where the pitiful creature is placed under scrutinizing eyes. One cannot go by without watching it/him and feeling sympathy though one knows perfectly well that what is now a sad creature will later be one of your deadliest foe. Quite distressful! By the time we have to fight and kill it/him, we come to realize how similar the Handyman and we (the player) are, fighting one another (in both cases, part man/part tool) until death – only wishing for the other to leave us alone.
trickadvertise | May 13, 2013 2:58 pm
Favorite part was the raffle when u use the skyhook for the first time
andymx93 | May 13, 2013 2:58 pm
Any fight that included the Handyman just because of how he became your priority over any other enemy you were currently fighting. And when he was finally disposed of you would feel so relieved that every other enemy would not be able to pose as much of a threat as him.
legendoniego | May 13, 2013 2:59 pm
Me running away from the handyman, running in circles and waiting for my blow in 1999 mode. With no more ammo for my hand cannon, 10 bullets in my peppermill, and no salts, searching for ammo and loot. Great!!
basilan | May 13, 2013 2:59 pm
my favorite moment with the handyman was the first time you have to fight him he came out swinging hanging of a building yelling “False Sheperd”
drkingrey | May 13, 2013 2:59 pm
I’m about to start my third play through, and this game hasn’t gotten old to me yet! I love that every time I go through this game, I can find more and more of the small details to appreciate. From the plot to how the murder of crows actually flies into the sky instead of just disappearing, thanks for such a beautiful game.
mixmastercereal | May 13, 2013 3:00 pm
The Vox posing with the downed Handyman, getting their picture taken. So awesome.
shoobstachio | May 13, 2013 3:00 pm
The part when you Vox are standing on a dead Handyman and you hear the recording that he was holding, :'(
anime0king | May 13, 2013 3:01 pm
Favorite Moment: When he shouts “Stop tormenting me” and I yell back “Then stop chasing me!”
angelacosta | May 13, 2013 3:02 pm
I love tha background sad story of the Handyman, he wasn´t evil or anything, he was just a guy who didn´t have a chance to choose side, they just took him with them, no matter what he wanted, they treated him like a machine, even when he was just a man, and even that way he would try to kill you just for a cause he maybe did or didn´t believe in, i just LOVE the handyman, but is a real son of a bitch when you fight him in 1999 Mode, wich, by the way, is freaking awesome!
sms4001 | May 13, 2013 3:02 pm
The first time you see him was the best because you really had no idea what you were in for! I need that cover!
creilly17 | May 13, 2013 3:02 pm
First I must say thank you to Robb Waters for allowing one of us to receive this amazing cover! Now as for my favorite moment with the Handyman, while I did not get to fight him, the handyman at the fair in the beginning is a memorable one for me. First time playing this game and seeing him was a humble moment for me as a gamer. With the Big Daddies it was more of an “Oh crap!” first encounter. The handyman however was more of a “I see you over there Mr. Handyman, I know I’m going to have to battle you, and when we battle, I will defeat you.” As harmless as the handyman is in that situation, its the fact that he is a future threat that makes him intimidating.
ravenk | May 13, 2013 3:02 pm
I was playing on 1999 mode and was in the factory. Out of money and down to my last heater shell, I was running (and cursing) for my life i stopped in that small hallway with the Dollar Bill to load the shell. I turned around to see him standing right in front of me with his arms raised ready to pound me into the floor. Out of shock I instinctively pulled the trigger and the heater fired my last shell into his heart. The Handyman fell and exploded and I breathed for the first time in a few minutes.
kirbyiskyaan | May 13, 2013 3:02 pm
The battle at Fink Manufacturing is probably my favorite moment with the Handyman. Besides being one of the best-designed fights of the entire game, it was when I learned about his tactic of electrifying the skyrails. This kept me from using them as a crutch and meant I had to keep switching up my tactics.
silentr0cka | May 13, 2013 3:02 pm
I had the scariest experience ever which involved a particular boy of silence… :'(
s1ngularity | May 13, 2013 3:02 pm
My favorite had to be when I encountered the final Handyman on the 3rd deck of Comstocks Zeppelin in 1999 mode. It was such a desperate battle in such a confined space, and my heart wouldn’t stop racing. That was definitely the best Handyman moment for me
sausageo | May 13, 2013 3:02 pm
Anytime you are fighting a Handyman, the battle becomes an event of its own. Easily the most challenging fights in the game included a Handyman. You had to use your Vigors wisely, stay mobile and well supplied. These were the best fights in the game.
snappyturtal | May 13, 2013 3:02 pm
When we first met him at the fair! LOVED the entire beginning of this game!
gerardogios | May 13, 2013 3:02 pm
I loved in the final fight where the handy-mans were trying to destroy the airship’s core. :]
cntzero | May 13, 2013 3:04 pm
Pick me, pick me!
tehconcrete | May 13, 2013 3:04 pm
Probably the one time when i couldn’t beat him no matter how hard I tried. The feeling of seeing him fall was so relieving.
jjdefender999 | May 13, 2013 3:04 pm
It was a sad moment when the vox were taking pictures of a dead handyman it was sadder when you listen to the recording 🙁
It brought a tear in to my eye ;(
sonofodiin | May 13, 2013 3:04 pm
Loved every moment of this game, fantastic story for the handyman, loved every encounter it always added a depth of difficulty to the game that made you panic when you were low on ammo. Best game, period.
reyo | May 13, 2013 3:04 pm
I think my favorite moment with the Handyman involves his initial introduction. At the fair, you see a gathering of people fascinated with it, as the Handyman shies away from the flashes of bulbs. It’s a running theme in the Bioshock games that monsters are never truly cut and dry villains. They’re more layered than that, they can be in turn sympathetic, tragic, and terrifying like the Handyman.
zealin | May 13, 2013 3:04 pm
My favorite moment has to be a blind fire sniper rifle shot to a Handyman’s chest at Fink’s factory which inadvertently landed my my Heartbreaker trophy 🙂 They were the toughest boss battles but the most satisfying. They’re AI was really sharp and aggressive even more so then Big Daddies especially since you can’t be cheap and use skylines over and over without getting zapped heh. Fantastic game that will stay in my top games forever, thank you Irrational! 🙂
monkeynuts8 | May 13, 2013 3:05 pm
When seeing the handyman for the first time at the fair, you can hear a conversation about the perks/downfalls of being a handyman between a couple. I loved that little bit of back story. And his reaction to the light blubs flashing was a lovely bit or characterization that made me feel sorry for him
trunganh953 | May 13, 2013 3:05 pm
hope i will be luckiest guy in here !!!
warmor | May 13, 2013 3:05 pm
WOW! This is the greatest thing since I pre-ordered this game! Maybe can replace my original fat PS3 from launch lol! My favorite moment has to be when you first meet one… where he is on stage, and that one lady talks about how sad he looks, then we start to figure out that they are probably similar to how a Big Daddy is made, a possible soul put into this metal frame. I really enjoy the false propganda, “Hey, you’re sick? Well we can make you look like this and live forever!” and see the picture of a gentalman standing tall with just a couple wires coming out of his shoulders…. which is nothing like the real thing! My 2nd favorite moment is right after you and Elizabeth see Fitzgerald and Fink meet, and the Vox are there and that Handy Man comes at you wearing all the Vox colors and hood… scene really sticks out in my head!
blackdogone | May 13, 2013 3:05 pm
Hard to pick one single moment, but I guess it would be the one at the fair at the beginning of the game. Handyman on stage looks so lost, so out-of-this-world… and he didn’t even talk.
ashleenkloesel | May 13, 2013 3:05 pm
My favorite are the all the times you are running away and you think he lost you until he jumps right on top of you scaring the crap out of ya
gm4n | May 13, 2013 3:05 pm
Throughout the game we’re shown that the Handyman is one of the most tragic characters in the game, but when I heard the Voxophone “The Eternal Shore” on the dead Handyman by The Graveyard Shift I broke down. Every time after that event I reflected upon killing a Handyman.
thetoastyn00b | May 13, 2013 3:05 pm
Ahhhh it looks so good!!! Omnomnom
vigorsunco | May 13, 2013 3:06 pm
When Slate screamed, “Tin maaan! TIN MAAAAN!”
They may be big and maniacal looking, but hey, they’ve got hearts too! Look at that love for Bella. They’re just misunderstood! It ain’t swell pushin’ hate on ’em! :[
thelylesjordan | May 13, 2013 3:06 pm
I remember when the “First Look” teaser was all anyone had seen of Infinite– the one that started out with the fakeout of Booker’s head in the aquarium– and Booker is knocked to the floor with astonishing force. When he is scraped up from the floor, his face is up against this mechanical heart, beating in a chamber of some horrific and yet awe-inspiring contraption before he is hurled out the window by this creature. I was so drawn in by that one moment, passing by that beating heart, that I was more excited about the Handyman than any other enemy I came to hear about through development. That moment never left me.
zombieturtle | May 13, 2013 3:06 pm
The voxophone recordings showing him to be another victim of progress in Columbia.
geekwithtanline | May 13, 2013 3:06 pm
the very first time a handyman attacked me and jumped right in my face – i was terrified! not as terrified as i was of the boys of silence, though…
venturespaceman | May 13, 2013 3:06 pm
I would have to say the best moment with a handyman, for me anyway was finding the three Vox posing with the body during the revolt. It was just such an emotionally charged moment, especially if you had found all of the Voxopones regarding his back story. You understood that even though he had become this mechanical beast, he still had a life, he still had all the pains of a regular person.
ambryel | May 13, 2013 3:06 pm
My favorite moment involving the handyman is when you discover his body during the revolution down by The Graveyard Shift. It’s such a powerful moment, listening to the voxaphone while the Vox Populi parade over his body taking photographs. It’s heartbreaking, which is powerful since he is such a strong opponent.
jgwilliams | May 13, 2013 3:07 pm
The last encounter with Handyman inisde the First Lady was probably my favorite because it was such a small area which made the entire fight so intense! Even though I had upgraded my guns and vigors there was so much going on and the Handyman was right on top of me I couldn’t help but be a little scared!
theloobster | May 13, 2013 3:07 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman is the one time I shot him down from the air.
The handy man came towards me quickly, riding gracefully on the rails. The fight had been going on for a few minutes now so I was really low on ammo. I started to get a little nervous because he was getting quite close pretty fast.
While I was almost pissing my pants because I was all out of ammo Elizabeth found a Bird’s Eye sniper rifle. As I got the rifle in my hands I fired several shots at him, shooting him out of the air.
And that’s the story of how I almost pissed myself and saved by Elizabeths perfect timing, again.
mbudi | May 13, 2013 3:07 pm
The best moment was when fighting the Vox Handyman on 1999 Mode. I lost approximately 1800 Silver Eagles, due to deaths and resupplying at the Vending Machine… When I finally defeated him I had only 200 SE left.
Definitely the most difficult fight in Bioshock Infinite, and one of the most challenging experience I had in a Video Game.
actasci | May 13, 2013 3:08 pm
down in fink industries, there was nocturne in e-flat playing as a bg music. that is another reason why people love this game.
jjj754 | May 13, 2013 3:08 pm
The first time I had to fight him on 1999 mode and I was like “how in the world am I going to take him down?!?”
tcarez | May 13, 2013 3:08 pm
My all time favorite moment involving the Handyman is when you first encountered him. He was huge! Especially on 1999 mode and feeling so accomplished when I defeated him!
jakesaw01 | May 13, 2013 3:08 pm
My most memorable moment was fighting the Handyman in the Factory on 1999 mode. I was going for the scavenger hunt trophy and so I couldn’t buy any help from the vending machines. That far in to the game, being hunted and not knowing where to go or how to overcome him left me trembling with adrenaline. Especially when I could hear him screaming but didn’t know where he was.
krausemanfro | May 13, 2013 3:09 pm
A friend of mine just got out of a relationship, and a pet name he used to call her was “Kacoal”. So whenever the Handyman yells, “Every step is like coal!”, all we hear is “Every step is like Kacoal!”
u53rn4m3 | May 13, 2013 3:09 pm
I want this just so no one else can have it.
seritias | May 13, 2013 3:09 pm
Hmm, my favourite Handyman moment… Hard to choose, but I think the first time I saw a Handyman at the fair was just so impressive! After he was so powerful in the trailers, seeing him so powerless was just… wow!
swarly91 | May 13, 2013 3:09 pm
The first time I killed the Handyman in 1999 mode was one of my favourite parts of Infinite because it was extremely intense. I also liked the backstory of the Handyman from the voxaphone and it would be awesome if one of the dlc’s revolved around the making of the Handyman.
xcoaltrainxza | May 13, 2013 3:10 pm
Mine was that heart wrenching moment on 1999 mode where you just manage to kill off everyone else except the handyman just before you confront Fitzroy. Delivering that final blow to the heart while your own pounds furiously from the lack of health was something i have never felt before.
robrossipher | May 13, 2013 3:10 pm
My favorite moment was learning about the origins of the Handymen. I appreciate an enemy with a back story.
kyosho | May 13, 2013 3:10 pm
Entered. Those handy men were a real bitch in the game. In a good way.
soulcrusher87 | May 13, 2013 3:10 pm
Favorite moment with the Handyman?
That would be the time I deuled one using nothing more than my Charge vigor and a Hand Cannon. Going toe to toe, lick for lick, we traded blows for a hot minute and when it was all said and done, I walked away without scratch! After that, Columbia’s best didn’t stand a chance!!
inters | May 13, 2013 3:11 pm
my favourite part of the game was when i was all likke PEWW PEW PE WE PW EPWPWE WPEW and the guy was all like OHHH NO PEWPEWPEWWEPWP AND I WAS ALL LIKE PEWPEWWEWEWE AERND FDJAFKLJADFJADWFAS;LDFLASD;JFAD;LJD;FA
fsamacon | May 13, 2013 3:11 pm
the second encounter with the handyman in 1999 mode when you’re about to confront daisy. The handyman you have to fight in this mode was the most brutal fight of the game for me. getting instant killed on the rail while trying to run form him and then trying to figure out how to beat him without getting punched into the sky was one of the most exhilarating fights of the game.
deltapie | May 13, 2013 3:11 pm
I really enjoyed the emotions expressed with the handyman and how much thought came into the existence of the handyman
chubbymouse96 | May 13, 2013 3:11 pm
When the Vox are taking pictures with the dead handyman, and you pick up the Voxophone about his wife.
mlooch97 | May 13, 2013 3:11 pm
My favorite moment with a Handyman would be in the trailer. I liked when he popped out of nowhere, and then Elizabeth gave Booker the shotgun and killed him:)
nomailsgoodmail | May 13, 2013 3:12 pm
Aside from my constant nightmares…….My favorite moment with Handyman is towards the beginning. When he is being advertised in “Bettermen’s Autobodies”. In this scene, the Handyman is timid and shy on stage. I knew in the back of my mind, I would have to face this beast. It said it right on stage, “Live Forever”, I was like…….no way punk…….I’m getting that trophy, shot to the heart!
megacheeze | May 13, 2013 3:13 pm
Trying to get the Handyman Heartbreaker Achievement. Satisfaction the the max! Take that to the bank
gabrielluis | May 13, 2013 3:13 pm
My favorite moment is when we are in Finkton Docks and Elizabeth runs away and Booker chase her, so the Handyman call us “False Shepherd” and start to fight with Booker.
takoyakihime | May 13, 2013 3:14 pm
When you first see a handyman at the fair. Watching his reactions to the flashing cameras and what the onlookers comment remind me of King Kong.
kimnrowdy | May 13, 2013 3:15 pm
My favorite Handyman experience is when you are first introduced to the idea of him during the fair. It was interesting to see the juxtaposition of how the character was animated and how the citizens of Columbia viewed and treated him. Additionally, that character animation provided a sympathetic view of the character that made him more difficult to kill when you first encounter him in battle. I can’t help but stop and look at him for a moment amongst the pointing and jeering of the crowd, and the flashbulbs of the cameras and feel sorry for the tortured Frankenstein that he had no choice but to become. The subtleties in writing, animation, and composition make it a hauntingly beautiful thread in the frightening fabric of the world of Columbia.
12seasons | May 13, 2013 3:15 pm
Favorite moment: Two Vox taking pictures with a dead Handyman. This moment perfectly summarizes the tragedy inherent in Bioshock Infinite.
dddreamer | May 13, 2013 3:15 pm
Mine was probably when I encountered my very first handyman. While I was running for my life, I could hear him whinge and moan about his own painful existance behind me. Suddenly I realize that I have a that preorder bonus handyman killer gear that lets me deal extra damage to handymen. I went to the gear screen, intent on equipping it, but then I thought…that’s just not fair. So in the end I killed him with an ungeared shotgun blast to the heart. Poor sod.
maikeru904 | May 13, 2013 3:16 pm
My most favorite moment with Mr. Handyman, Is fighting him on 1999 mode.(spoiler alert) Where Ms. Daisy Fitzroy Kills Mr. Fink. I had almost no ammo left, the only things I was counting was the sky-line, my undertow Vigor and the sniper I had at the time, so I could get him from long distances. Also I was trying not to use the dollar bill vending machine. I had to really think about a way to kill him. I had to wait for him to jump on the sky-line so I could get a clear shot at his heart, or If he got to close I would use the undertow to stop him to get a few shots at his heart…. In the end It felt so good to finally kill him and to get the trophy for hinting him only at his heart…..It was the most annoying fight but I loved It at the same time. I thank you for that.
lacib | May 13, 2013 3:16 pm
Bioshock : Infinite is by far the best game I have played in years. My boyfriend bought this for me as a gift for my birthday. I was so excited and tried to play the “tough” girl all throughout the game. I really thought I was something until when I first seen the Handyman. I screamed, like a girl I must add, but I did manage to kick his butt. 🙂
irrationalysane | May 13, 2013 3:17 pm
MY favorite moment with the Handyman has got to be during the very first encounter you have with him at the 1912 Columbia Fair. The way that they were advertising that you could potentially live forever inside this metal body was mesmerizing, while the Handyman himself seemed to be shy and timid. It was almost as if he was trying to hide his hideous self from the crowd, I almost felt sorry for him, until I realized that I had to face this monster later on in the game.. The toughest enemy in all of Bioshock Infinite! Such a deep story behind just this one character
elut | May 13, 2013 3:18 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman has to be at the Finkton Docks, where he blindsides Booker and throws him over the edge of the floating shipyard
digbe | May 13, 2013 3:18 pm
This game caught me. I’ll see if I get it, hahaha.
cbriceno88 | May 13, 2013 3:18 pm
My favorite moment has to be when you first encounter the Handyman and the first sense of immense terror that sets in as this huge monstrosity just manages to follow you WHEREVER you go. Doesn’t matter if you sprint, jump, or even climb to higher higher levels. The Handyman will always be right behind you.
photomarc | May 13, 2013 3:18 pm
Shantytown when the Vox are taking photos over the body of a dead Handyman…just after stopping to witness this session I found the Voxophone with the message from the Handyman’s wife describing their struggles with his transformation. Engrossing to say the least.
simpsonofadown | May 13, 2013 3:18 pm
I loved when you hopped on the skyline for a strategic shot, and he shocks it. That was an intense game changer.
gbpackers25 | May 13, 2013 3:19 pm
My favorite moment had to be the first fight. Nothing like trying to figure out the best way to kill this beast of an enemy!
shadowdude | May 13, 2013 3:19 pm
My favorite moment was reloading the check point over and over again in the Hand of the Prophet until I got the Heartbreaker trophy.
fistfights | May 13, 2013 3:21 pm
My first encounter with the Handyman at the fair was my favorite.
His display at the fair accurately captured the time period that Columbia is set in. A period where people were apprehensive of the ‘unusual’, may it be the crippled or the individuals with colored skin.
He was publicly displayed as an unusual, monstrous object, and despite his cries of pain, people continued to observe him.
It was not til later that I found the voxophone from the Handyman’s wife, where she made it clear that the only way to save her husband’s life was to put him in this mechanical suit.
It was apparent that this life is not what he would have signed up for.
During combat, you can only sympathize with the Handyman after hearing his shouts of anguish. “Every step is like burning coal!” Your only wish is to put this tragic character out of his misery.
The Handyman is a reminder that underneath the exterior of a individual, may it be strange, unusual or intimidating, is still only a man.
tigga1369 | May 13, 2013 3:21 pm
the fair, when he’s afraid by the camera…
jpagorek | May 13, 2013 3:21 pm
I have to say my favorite moment was in the beginning when he was on displaythey Make him out to be this vicious monster when in reality he is just A timid person. I Love the way you guys protrayed that the monster brought out from within using the tools & methods and madness of the current Society. well done guys absolutely beautiful.
bakura | May 13, 2013 3:22 pm
My favorite moment involving the Handyman was when you are hanging out of the airship and it flies over the prison and the Handyman looks up at you.
ariethil | May 13, 2013 3:22 pm
I believe all the scenes depicting the Handyman and his story are thrilling as well as heartbreaking, no pun intended. My personal favorite moment is when Elizabeth knocks Booker out and you awake in a daze to see the Handyman standing over what seems to be prisoners doing hard labor. It’s truly a contrast to the first moment of his appearance at the fair, where he shown to be exactly what his name implies. Whilst in this new moment you see him as a tormentor of others. This is the moment where I first truly view him as an enemy, only to later learn he was just as tormented as those slaves he was forced to oversee.
boinkzoink | May 13, 2013 3:23 pm
My favorite moment with a Handyman?
Definitely the first time when one threw a mangled Vox Populi female in my face and I fell off the sky-line screaming in disgust.
It was a terribly horrific, and certainly hilarious way to die. =\
ivanrosales | May 13, 2013 3:23 pm
My favorite moment isn’t really I’m the game surpringly. My favorite handy man moment is the tv commercial for the game, that moment when Dewitt is looking down his scopes to rescue Elizabeth and the handy man came out of nowhere and attacked him!?!? That commercial itself made me go out and pre order the collectors edition!!!
lukezeiger | May 13, 2013 3:24 pm
for me it was when i was on a sky hook and he throw me off and slammed me to the ground yelled get of that thing then killed me
ambrose | May 13, 2013 3:25 pm
Any time I wasn’t forced to fight the Handyman was a good time =) (whoever designed his combat mechanics is a real insidious son-of-a-gun), but my favorite moment with him was after I’d recently gotten to Columbia. I was exploring the fair grounds & getting a feel for the game when I was stricken by my 1st encounter with the Handyman.
I remember thinking what a hulking monstrousity he appeared to be, yet how tragic it was he’d become a side-show attraction for the denizens of conventional society to gawk at. However, as I’d gotten to know his story I began to see what a kind-hearted innocent he was at heart; merely caught-up in a world gone mad.
A reminder of how 1st appearances can be deceiving & to not judge a book by its cover.
roushrsh | May 13, 2013 3:25 pm
Mine was the quote explaining why anyone would become one: “Better a Handyman than a dead one”
So Bioshock.
notthefbi | May 13, 2013 3:25 pm
My favorite part was walking out of the gunsmith’s shop and the handyman just comes out of nowhere. I was so freaked out I didn’t even have enough time to react.
acexinxthexhole | May 13, 2013 3:27 pm
My favorite part is when you fight the handyman for the first time. I didn’t know he was so difficult at first. I stood and fought but after taking one hit from him, I realized he wasn’t going down easily. I used he freight hooks and sniper rifle to shoot his heart. It was very satisfying watching him fall after a good battle.
cheeko83 | May 13, 2013 3:27 pm
When you first see him in the carnival during the initial exploration of the streets of Columbia, as you see him being toyed with on stage and you think to your self “aw don’t do that! Your just making him mad and I’m the one that’s going to have to fight him later.” (sigh)
kingofgrime | May 13, 2013 3:30 pm
My favorite moment would be the beginning when you first see him. His reaction to the crowd gives him a Frankenstein or King Kong type of personality. So when I go through the game it kept me in mystery on how they were created. Very few things in games anymore that can keep gamers intrigued on the enemies they come across. So every time I kill one in my mind I was killing something that had the potential to be innocent. Now an award winning comment but an honest one. Did I mention I love this game lol
thabenman | May 13, 2013 3:30 pm
My favorite scene featuring a Handyman is probably when one shows up at the square in front of the Bank – smashing the Vox airship apart like that was badass!
houseofcards | May 13, 2013 3:30 pm
My favorite moment involving a handyman was right at the beginning of the game when you are walking around all the stalls and carnival games. They unveil the handyman to a crowd of people who look on in amazement. The handyman looks so scared yet so menacing. Its very strange when you come to know where they came from and for what reason. An extremely interesting, memorable enemy indeed.
jcvkamp | May 13, 2013 3:30 pm
I like the fair scene where the handyman is first introduced.
phalcrox | May 13, 2013 3:31 pm
My favorite moment was on the fair. The first Handyman you saw wasn’t dangerous and you knew that. He just stood there on the podium, people took photo’s of him and he was scared. He looked vulnerable. This only seemed so, because the next Handyman I encountered really showed me what they could do. It was a hard fight. They are tougher than they seem.
brinabaker | May 13, 2013 3:31 pm
I love the saying that he says throughout battles. It makes me think that he doesn’t enjoy being the way that he is. I think when he says Go Away is my favorite phrase.
seadraen | May 13, 2013 3:32 pm
not that i was particularly happy about it, but hey, they try and KILL us. When the Vox followers were clicking pictures with a downed Handy man would be the stand out moment for me. Imagine them fighting a Handy man all alone without any help (from US!)
acidhypnosis | May 13, 2013 3:32 pm
The first sight of the Handyman is fairly awe-inspiring. But my favorite part is when you’re chasing after Elizabeth through the Finktown warehouse factory area and he jumps you from the skyline and throws you over the side and Elizabeth saves you.
I do feel bad for them during battles where they are injured. I feel bad for what they are and have become.
ivoryballad | May 13, 2013 3:33 pm
My favorite moment was seeing the handyman for the first time. I was terrified at first seeing him onstage, I though this was the moment. As the camera flashed and he reacted shyly and a bit afraid, I felt sad for him. Monsters aren’t always monsters by choice.
elepheen11 | May 13, 2013 3:33 pm
I don’t really have a favorite scene, but I do have a favorite thing with the Handyman. My boyfriend was always the one playing, so I would get really excited and yell, ” Release the crows, release the crows!!!!” And then he would release the crows, Handyman would freak out, and my bf would shoot him. It was awesome.
themaxcotton | May 13, 2013 3:34 pm
My favorite moment with a Handyman was definitely the one I faced whilst climbing the levels of the airship. I was very frustrated by a few of the mechanical gents’ throughout the game, and was really pining to finish strong. I had been playing for about eight hours and was deep in the zone, full on confidence, when the last Handyman of the game showed up. I thought to myself, “Nah, not ‘dis dude. Not ‘dis time.” I threw down some vigor-mines, pulled out Comstock’s China BOOOM, and put on my game face. I was then thoroughly and repeatedly killed after I realized my ammo and vigor was seriously lacking. It was a great last battle between the Handymen and I, and a fantastic culmination of my overall rough time with the bunch.
clumsycar | May 13, 2013 3:34 pm
My favourite moment was when fighting with the Vox Handyman,he was quite unique
amuri1990 | May 13, 2013 3:36 pm
When I first learned that the Handyman can electrify the rails…that was a quick and painful learning experience.
helmet | May 13, 2013 3:36 pm
Flying over the Finkton docks upon first arrival, looking down on the workers… knowing that your first battle with the Handyman is coming very soon. Also, he has some of the best lines in the game (him and the Motorized Patriot).
kusuriuri | May 13, 2013 3:36 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman its when you see it in the fair, presented as it trully is, a mistake. A piece of madness in a can that its constantly in pain for being what it is, a damaged soul in a iron body to protect and serve without a great personal purpose, just the purpose of the person that opened to wallet to pay for one.
craig92 | May 13, 2013 3:36 pm
My favourite handyman moment was when you first met him on the docks at the fairgrounds. He was being publicly displayed as a sort of freak show with people gathering around to take pictures. It really captures the time period where different or unusual people/creatures were displayed on stage for our amusement. It really shows this awesome fighting machine at it’s most vulnerable and this is why it’s my favourite handyman moment.
wickedpearl | May 13, 2013 3:37 pm
In the beginning of the game at the fair when the handyman’s on stage (and isn’t trying to kill you). That’s the best moment with them.
crusejoel | May 13, 2013 3:37 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was when you first see him as “The amazing handyman” toward the beginning of the game.
phantompop | May 13, 2013 3:37 pm
I think overall my favorite experience with the Handyman is just how tragic the character truly is. Being able to live forever but to always be in constant pain. It’s a horrible trade. Immortality in exchange of being this terrible, hideous monster. I felt like it said something about what modern science today does with prolonging life and is it really worth it? Yes, you can live longer but for what? This is what I enjoyed about the Handyman. He made me think. He wasn’t a thoughtless enemy that you’d later forget about. He’s memorable. Just like everything else in this game.
pretzel007 | May 13, 2013 3:37 pm
The most memorable Handyman I faced was the one outside the gunmakers house! I was low on ammo (hard mode) and he had on the run, scared outta my mind! He chased around that square upwards of 15 times before i brought him down! Definitely one of the best battles I had and one of the most frightening for sure.
thelittlesister | May 13, 2013 3:38 pm
The moment that I felt had the biggest impact is when Booker first arrives to Columbia and is exploring the festival. I, of course like many others, already knew what the handymen looked like and kept an eye out for them. When I finally saw him on stage it kind of broke my heart. They were up on stage and they seemed almost frightened. The flashing lights bothered them and they stood with their hands up. When you listen to the Voxophones that tell the tale of how one man became a handyman it breaks your heart because of what they have become. Seeing them for that first moment is gave me a look into how sad their lives came to be but also how terrifying and menacing they can be as well.
ojbatstone | May 13, 2013 3:38 pm
My favourite moment with the handyman was the sheer utter shock when he launched himself onto my screen, scaring the s**t out of me. As a reflex I mashed the pause button to collect myself, and then returned to face the beast that is the handyman. I’ve played through Infinite several times (in 1999 mode), but he always brings an uncomfortable chill with his presence and remains a difficult opponent every time.
horsemenofchaos | May 13, 2013 3:39 pm
My favorite part was from the trailer, where Booker takes the shotgun and blows a hole right through his heart porthole!!! That was badass
sracine7 | May 13, 2013 3:40 pm
He I’d one tough sob to kill but favorite moment being the first time you see him at the fair. Cause I completely under estimated then from my first impression
keyswored | May 13, 2013 3:41 pm
I wish there were more encounters with the Handymen, there were quite an interesting enemy to fight you wasn’t really allowed to run from them because they just catched up, you couldn’t use the skylines because they zapped them and it was quite difficult to take them down effectively because the heart was always at an odd angle. All in all making them a good challenge, shame you only killed around 5 ish in total of the campaign. Bring on the DLC!
frosty | May 13, 2013 3:41 pm
My most memorable moment with the Hanymen was when they would yell out in pain while you fought them. It was really terrifying and sad. Poor guys. I then shot them in the face.
deathcythe | May 13, 2013 3:43 pm
My most memorable moment was in the Fink foundries level. He kept chasing me and i was low on shotgun amo, health and salts, but he was also low on health. Right before he got the chance to hit me i hit him with murder of crows and combined it with shock jockey and devils kiss. As he was stunned for a second i shot him with all the amo I had and got all shots on his heart. He was a difficult Sob. But still one of the best times i have ever had playing a game.
samwrightdps | May 13, 2013 3:44 pm
I don’t think mine was so much of an intended moment, but it was quite funny and my favorite if I’m being honest.
Part of the beauty of Infinite is that you can go back through it and pick up on foreshadowing and things of the like. I had beaten the game and I was watching a friend play through. He got to the segment where you have to fight the 3rd Handyman and I was excited to see how he handled it because it presented quite a challenge for me. Well the thing shows up, gets shot a couple times, and then leaps off the edge of the platform while my friend was taking the skyline towards him. I was confused, but he took down the rest of the enemies and the encounter ended. I thought it was pretty hilarious.
disciple | May 13, 2013 3:44 pm
The best moment was the outside fight on 1999 mode where I was jumping from 1 skyline to another, dodging rockets, jumping off as soon as possible to prevent being electrocuted and aiming my carbine right to his heart on every free second I could find. Huge adrenaline rush 😀
thenomorehero | May 13, 2013 3:45 pm
Hmm, to a pick a singular moment that I appreciated about the Handyman does prove difficult because as a player you really immerse yourself in the world of this game and appreciate everything that it has to offer, small or big, every detail, moment, brings this game to life.
That being said, I will describe two things I enjoy about the Handyman ( Or as I like to call, the raging Hulk) through the game, the first moment is scripted, the second is from personal experience, which is why I am choosing two. For me the Handyman out of all the heavy hitters (aside from the siren), has one of the saddest stories in terms of creation, more particular is the handyman you hear about in the voxphones that describes the relationship between his spouse and how she accepts him no matter what he’s become or how he’s viewed, they shared true feelings towards each other.
The second moment, was my first encounter fighting the handyman, just remember the adrenaline rush of basically trying to survive! I was playing on hard mode, and up until that point I hadn’t died yet in the game, he was my first death in the game. That frustrated me, so I decided if he was going to give me my first death in the game, I am going to go out of my way to get the achievement for only shooting him in the heart. After 3 unsuccessful tries, I develop a strategy that actually worked flawlessly and ensure not only that all shots hit his heart, but that I would survive the duration of the battle. the moment that achievement popped up, was like I had overcome a huge hurdle(Like the feeling you get when you basically pass anything in Dark Souls), I will never forget the adrenaline rush of that fight and how basically you had a heighten sense of awareness as to where the handyman was, as to not panic and more importantly to survive!
Well I know there is a plethora of comments aside from my own, so if you managed to read this far, thank you for listening to my story about the handyman and thank you Irrational Games! ^_^
bigmuffinman | May 13, 2013 3:45 pm
My favorite moment was definitely at the fair, when he is standing son a stage, to show that he actually has some emotion
trvrblnchrd | May 13, 2013 3:46 pm
Every moment with the Handyman is both exciting and captivating. The story and gameplay is absolutely wonderfully done so for me it’s impossible to pick just one encounter.
juantafoya | May 13, 2013 3:46 pm
My favorite momento was the transformation and the beating heart inside
potterman | May 13, 2013 3:46 pm
The best moment was when the handyman taught me a valuable life lesson: You don’t need money to succeed, just a heck of a lot of respawns and a handful of crows.
jddawson | May 13, 2013 3:47 pm
My favorite moment was when you find the dead handyman with the voxophone in his hands, really loved the emotion in that.
backwater1498 | May 13, 2013 3:47 pm
Every moment they were involved in combat. And would yell out in pain
chaosage | May 13, 2013 3:48 pm
My favorite moment was the first time you see one in the faire. He is getting pictures taken and freaking out. Makes you feel sorry for it and even more so later when you realize how they were being created.
astrocambria | May 13, 2013 3:48 pm
Honestly, my favorite moment with the Handyman was in the very beginning when you first see him, he just stand there harmless, but he was pretty scary nontheless, I took a while to check him out, knowing that later he would be a serious challenge.
goatinshorts | May 13, 2013 3:48 pm
My favourite handyman moment was just after arriving at fink industries, you find a voxophone by a woman (Ms. Hattie Gerst) Who talks about her husband becoming ill with stomach cancer, and to save him, he was turned into a handyman. The last line was my favourite. “I do not know if I will ever get used to a husband bound in a skeleton of metal, but … better a Handyman than a dead one.”
batmanprime | May 13, 2013 3:50 pm
The first fight with the Handyman is easily my favorite. As soon as I encountered it, I had a flash-back to that first moment when you see it at the Fair. I remembered how docile and scared it was, and how as I pored over every little detail I couldn’t help but feel sad that I would eventually have to kill this poor creature. When I finally defeated it I came to the unfortunate realization every visitor to this city-in-the-sky must face: this is just the way life is in Columbia.
davidss999 | May 13, 2013 3:50 pm
My favorite moment has to be the intro in the fair, where on stage it looked like it could easily crush and destroy anyone around, but it had a sadness to it, a fear, like all it wanted to do was to just go run and hide from the big scary world. Even when you had to fight it later on it would prove its true feelings by saying things like “please go away!”. Nothing is worse than having to fight some elses battles where your life is on the line and its rare to see that in any game, let alone as well as the handyman.
p33man | May 13, 2013 3:50 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is when you start to chase after Elizabeth and just when you are about to get to her, the Handyman just down at you, grabs your and throws you onto a container that is handing on the skyline. Seeing how pissed off Elizabeth was, i did not think she would save me and i would inevitably have to go find her once again and eventually fight the Handyman that just tried to kill me.
p33man | May 13, 2013 3:53 pm
*… the Handyman jumps…*
*…grabs you and…*
bokenobi | May 13, 2013 3:51 pm
My favourite moment is actually when you first see them in the fair and you can walk around them and appreciate the time and detail that has gone into making them.
lolzdoc | May 13, 2013 3:52 pm
The first handyman battle, on 1999-mode and trying to get the Heartbreaker Achievement.
studfreeman | May 13, 2013 3:52 pm
I suppressed pangs of blind empathy while listening to Hattie Gerst’s Voxophones, particularly the one found in Samuel the Handyman’s cold, dead hands in Shantytown.
His ‘corpse’ was nothing more than a prized trophy to those Vox men, but his existence–however strange–had meant the whole world to his wife, and vice-versa, I presume. I won’t lie; my eyes welled up with a tear or two upon hearing the message Hattie had crafted to comfort her husband in his dark times.
-Stud Freeman
ninjaroc | May 13, 2013 3:52 pm
My favorite Handyman moment come through the game play when he speaks. Phrases like, “Why are you doing this,” “Wana feel like me,” and “I’m supposed to be dead,” in that loud but semmingly faraway voice. These sayings really invoke a sense of how tortured they truly are , and how much of their soul (humanity) has been sucked up by the machines. Rarely can a game invoke a sense of remorse when killing something, with handymen I feel it everytime.
infinite1912 | May 13, 2013 3:53 pm
My favourite moment with the handyman was when you first face one at fink industries and wasent expecting it but he jump on my head out of know where and i peed a little and let out a little scream. Then he killed me and the second time i got the courage and beat his face in with bullets.
yamazaki | May 13, 2013 3:56 pm
I’d say my favorite Moment was when your leaving Shanty town, and you find the dead Handyman with Vox taking pictures posing with him. It was really intense cause you got another perspective of the Handyman. His size alone is starting in comparison to regular size enemies, and also persona insight, because you find the voxophone clutched in his hand, with the last message left from his wife. It really made me pause and think how human these metal brutes were.
brooksjm08 | May 13, 2013 3:57 pm
The most intense moment with a Handyman for me was when you were fighting off hordes of the Vox Populi right before you retake the zeppelin, and a Handyman joins in on the party. That was probably the most intense fighting sequence I experienced. I ran around on barely any healthy, and constantly running and dodging to let me shield regenerate. It felt awesome to pull out a victory in that fight.
dharmasutra | May 13, 2013 3:58 pm
My favorite moment when I was battling a Handyman from atop a skyline and realized I wasn’t safe from him there when he jumped up and started sending a massive electric current through the rails…
chradrix | May 13, 2013 3:58 pm
My most memorable moment with the Handyman is when i fighting them in front of the bank and i kept using the skylines to avoid him while i killed all the other enemies until he was the only one left, then when i went to attack him, he jumped at me and knocked me off. Fun stuff. just wish there were more in the game.
gabidu | May 13, 2013 3:58 pm
In fact the parties where I had to fight against handymans were not good exactly, actually were quite appalling especially when played in 1999. It was strange to hear him shouting “Go away. Please, go away. “and” Why are you doing this? “it seemed that he was being forced to do something he didn’t want. But after all I think that the best time is when we hear the Voxophones where the wife of one of them says that even he being a handyman she always loved him and that one day they will again be happy.
Sorry for my terrible English ^ _ ~
riscali | May 13, 2013 4:00 pm
The first fight with the Handyman. Me + Hand Cannon Vs. Handyman!
zenshake | May 13, 2013 4:00 pm
Wow this is awesome. My favorite moment with the handyman has got to be the first time you meet him, I remember just being so amazed and intrigued. I love how you guys make such complex characters, he’s not just a brawler, he’s in pain and he has a story that you can discover through things like the voxophone of his wife. One of the best games I’ve ever played, good job, and keep it up!
kei676 | May 13, 2013 4:00 pm
My favorite moment is seeing him on display at the carnival as a shy and cowardly beast. What a contradiction that the next time you see him he so violent! :3
venyon | May 13, 2013 4:00 pm
My favourite was the first one, in the fair. He appeared to be so shy and peaceful I tried to give a hug to the next one thinking he would just cry on my shoulder… Never have I been so wrong…
soopazombie | May 13, 2013 4:02 pm
My first encounter with the Handyman was one of shock, as I had been waiting to see one while playing, finally I walk out of the building and BLAM he jumps and lands right in front of me and smacks me across the level. Was an awesome first encounter and battle.
yooper12 | May 13, 2013 4:02 pm
My most memorable Handyman moment has to be on the plane dock while fighting all these guys all of a sudden pops out Handyman to squash me. Scared the crap out of me, especially when he charges at me!
superfastjelly | May 13, 2013 4:04 pm
The handymen would always jump out and scare me. Majority of the time, I would be fighting a herd of people and they would just appear. I loved fighting one while riding the sky rails, though! That was exciting.
killerworld | May 13, 2013 4:07 pm
My favorite moment is just watching the Handymen cause havoc, destruction and chaos whenever in a huge firefight as I run away and he tramples people with his jumps, playing cat and mouse while I try my best to survive.
infamous1987 | May 13, 2013 4:08 pm
I’ve always have a soft spot for the Handyman. Specially since his beating heart is showing every time you face him. Seeing him on stage the first time while exploring around the festival being showed to the public was like seeing a gorilla on a leash. All that power, just awaiting instruction. You can tell he’s afraid of being there in the public. Every time I fought him I kept thinking, sorry we have to do this Mr.H. I mean, he tells you, “Why are you doing this??” And “Go away!” when you’re fighting him. Poor guy. Just a brainwashed human with machine body parts. I’m sure I even listened to a Voxophone about a Handyman that mentions he’s married or something like that. I’m a home wrecker. Thank you Irrational games! 🙁
sycoraxsnow | May 13, 2013 4:08 pm
Favourite moment with the Handyman is the scene at the fair – the Cirque du Freak moment – the excited man who is trying to sell the idea of how amazing and great the Handyman is and, by contrast, the tortured look of the Handyman, his clear unwillingness and unhappiness. This was a really cool moment where empathy for a man in his situation mixed with the excitement of seeing a future enemy with an awesome design as well as the ‘moon’ the carnival was setting up, the historical and human aspect of the situation – ‘come see the wonder/freak’. To me this scene set up the personality of the Handyman, the lines he shouts out during combat mirroring this image set up so early in the game.
djpugh | May 13, 2013 4:09 pm
My favourite Handyman moment is in the Finkton slums when you have learnt how mighty and powerful the Handymen are through the fights so far and after Elizibeth uses a tear. I came across a Handyman by the bar, that the rebels had killed, and it actually made me laugh at it being dead and the vox populi taking photos but then I found a voxophone and it all changed. I no longer viewed them as immoral monsters but as Finks poor experiments. The vox seemed more monstrous for felling the Handyman and I felt truly sorry for it and kind of bad for laughing at its death beforehand.
demoneid | May 13, 2013 4:09 pm
The most memorable moment related to the handyman (in my opinion) was probably at Comstok’s Zeppelin. Right at the moment where tension is being built and you’re trying to get to the top of the zeppelin, yet you find a mass of people and a angry handyman waiting to stop you no matter what.
rixy | May 13, 2013 4:09 pm
Outside of Fink Manufacturing on 1999 mode, I had to run around the map most likely 50 times shooting what ammo I could scavenge, most of the time pistol ammo, trying to take down the Handyman. Took me almost half an hour to take him down.
allinthethumbs | May 13, 2013 4:11 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was during the Elizabeth chase. This game has such an amazing orchestration of events that it really knows how to get you by surprise. After the frustrating tear-blocks Elizabeth throws our way, followed by the firefight to get her free only to chase her again, the last thing I expected was to have the robotic Mr. Clean pull a crazy Spiderman-like wall grab that resulted in my involuntary trajectory off of the path and into the next Rube Goldberg contraption that nearly resulted in a deja vu nod to the reveal trailer that would have sent Booker plummeting to his “death.” Can’t wait for that DLC, guys!
jabborn | May 13, 2013 4:14 pm
My favorite Handyman moment (almost said Big Daddy moment) was in Fink’s section of town, not in the main court, but in the back area where there’s multiple tiers and cubbies. I felt like I was playing an MMO, spawning tesla towers to drag him through until he smashed them, while zipping around on the sky-lines.
That area was the first spot I experienced him jumping on the rails and electrically charging them, it was quite a shock (no pun intended) when I remembered that they can do that.
The battle ended on the skinny, top platform. Him forcing me to the very edge as I used every step I could to do that last bit of damage to him. In the end, finished him with a Shock Jockey and a Barnstormer to the heart for the “Heartbreaker” achievement. Amazing battle…
bobaboo | May 13, 2013 4:14 pm
My favorite part was playing 1999 mode with the hand cannon outside the gunshop and getting the achievement for hitting the handy man in the heart only.
skull11137 | May 13, 2013 4:16 pm
I don’t have just one specific moment exactly. When I saw the first handyman at the fair in the beginning of the game (as others have mentioned before me) he seemed frightened much like an animal in a cage being put on display in front of the masses. This is when I first started to feel some pity for this enemy type. Previous trailers and videos portrayed him as more of an angry brute looking for a fight and happy to smash things. What really established my feelings towards it though are what you, the developers, chose to have the handyman say during the character’s fights with him. Rather than have him yell “die!” or “I will destroy you!” or something to that effect, his most common phrases were “Go away!” and “Why are you doing this?” This made it seem as if he didn’t want to hurt you or fight anyone, but instead just wanted it all to be over and peaceful. Sure I got concerned every time I fought one and spent a considerable amount of time running from them, but when I finally struck the final blow it was bittersweet because part of me was happy that I was no longer in danger but the other part of me was saddened to have to kill something that didn’t want to fight me in the first place and instead viewed me as the intruder and wrongdoer, only choosing battle so that he could defend his home. So as I said I don’t have a favorite encounter with them, but instead must thank you for creating one of the few enemies out there who you felt scared to face and sad when you killed them. Not many people are capable of creating such an intense, emotional, and beautiful game and this is one of the few I believe truly makes the World a better place for having it. So thank you.
bobipedia | May 13, 2013 4:18 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is the scene from early in the game where he is on stage being shown off like an oddity. The way he flinches at the camera flash is very humanizing.
mitchattitude | May 13, 2013 4:18 pm
My most memorable Handyman encounter was during the Fink Industries level on 1999 mode. I’ll always remember it as I just couldn’t beat him, I must have used up over 1000 coins and was getting eerily close to being broke, mentally as well as with in-game money. Thanks for an absolutely fantastic games. Cannot wait for DLC!
mserrata123 | May 13, 2013 4:18 pm
The first time you see the handyman at the carnival. Watching that tragic creature be on display for amusement was heartbreaking. The heartbreak ended the first time you are face to face with one in the wild. I cannot describe the ecstasy I felt by being chased by a Handyman at Finkton, hopping on and off the rails getting electrocuted. I was truly terrified as I was going for all trophies in one play through and I was in 1999 Mode. Although that did not happen I did get one of the most difficult and rewarding trophies the heartbreaker. Using various rails/ledges and a sniper rifle I carefully and slowly got a shot into his heart. Every time he would electrocute me I would run away and deal with the other enemies. Using Murder of Crows I whittled him down. I hopped onto a hook then off and the Handyman followed. While on the hook, I no scoped a shot into his heart killing him and netting the trophy.
stella223 | May 13, 2013 4:19 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was when he first appeared. Completely scared the bejeezus out of me! I’d known of the Handyman’s existence, looked up his weaknesses with my handy(no pun intended) limited edition strategy guide, and figured if I could survive tangling with Big Daddies and Rosie’s in Rapture, this would be no big thing.
Honestly, I would died right there on my first encounter if not for my wreck less nature with a shotgun. It was all guns blazing and no strategy whatsoever. I barely survived, ran out of salts, and vowed to myself to do better next time! But despite the near death experience, it was still a good time. One of the best of many highlights in Infinite!
nick1234 | May 13, 2013 4:24 pm
It was when you find a dead handy man and close his body in the ghetto you listen to his wifes recording about her husband and how even though he’s machine she still loves him. Almost made me cry.
loyalty | May 13, 2013 4:25 pm
My favorite moment was my first handyman. He leaped out and bellowed at me, I wasn’t prepared for him and he scared the crap out of me. But, a few shots with the hand cannon, and he was gone.
skibobbers | May 13, 2013 4:26 pm
My favorite Handyman encounter was the one that appears right before confronting Daisy Fitzroy. I was so pumped to finally stop her, and expected some resistance from various enemies before continuing. But it wasn’t until I heard the Handyman’s signature voice pattern that I realized things were about to get complicated.
I hadn’t gotten the Winter Shield Gear yet, which would have made this encounter significantly easier. Instead, I was forced to run around screaming and crying from one end of the battlefield to the other… not only was Handyman hot on my tracks (and electrifying the Skylines as he went!), but I got to contend with many other foes. It was a stressful and high-risk encounter that I was very unprepared for; I died a few times just picking off the extra bad guys.
But finally, I managed to take out every Fireman and stray schmuck, leaving me with nothing more than the Handyman to take down. It was an intense fight; every time I got cocky thinking that I had the upper hand, he’d slap Booker around to remind me to stay focused. It took a lot of hit-and-run strategy, but I was finally able to take him down… with a shot to the heart.
Never before have I felt QUITE so accomplished to hear the PS3’s “earned trophy” jingle. Daisy really did seem like a small-time crook in comparison.
legionfresh | May 13, 2013 4:26 pm
At the Factory, flying for my life around the sky-lines, only to land somewhere and frantically try to locate the handyman before he came crashing down on me! Re-hashing that battle on 1999 mode sucked away part of my soul, but gave me such a feeling of accomplishment.
vcllist | May 13, 2013 4:26 pm
It’s very telling that when you get to Comstock House, there on the boards under “Pacifists” is a picture of a Handyman.
gregtwy | May 13, 2013 4:27 pm
My Favorite moment with the handyman is the first time you encounter this magnificent creature. The beautiful fair grounds captured the beauty that Columbia wanted to show to its people. It sort of reminded me of raptures ego, and brought me into the wonderful world of Columbia. The Handyman was a shy fellow who seemed to be scared from all the attention. His armor Gilmored in the light and i inspected every part about him. This introduction gave me feeling to the handy man and helped me cope with them later in the game. Their presence in the game always left me on edge and exhilarated. I can not wait to play this game over and over, because its a perfect world with a amazing story.
zacksd22 | May 13, 2013 4:30 pm
I played Infinite on hard the first time through and the difficulty of the original encounter outside Chen’s gun factory was amazing. It instilled such a hatred of fighting them in me that I would have to say the coolest moment with them in the game was when you jump through to the world where the Vox are revolting and you see that they are hunting the Handymen down like big game, posing next to their corpses. Interesting character no matter how frustrating to encounter and I would not change one thing about this groundbreaking game.
rockafellafonz | May 13, 2013 4:31 pm
All Handyman moments are incredible, but if I had to pick one? I’d have to pick the first encounter/Fight.
Walking in to the area of the first fight was like any other. I thought I was getting into a normal fight, with a couple of baddies that’d I’d be able to handle it quickly. That wasn’t the case. It was incredible because you’ve met the handyman before and the anticipation of actually going up against this beast, was exhausting. I had no idea when to expect him. So when I heard the words “stop moving! Every sound hurts!” Sent chills down my spine. He was fast, strong, and huge! But despite his strength, you can see and tell that they live in constant pain. The phrases they say really show how incredibly painful they feel. Using the shotgun and carbine, I was able to defeat him, I was able to dodge only a few of his attacks, leaving me pretty badly when it comes to ammo and health.
This moment was great, it scared me, sent goosebumps down my spine, the phrases made me emotional, and killing him did too. This game was incredible, I’ve never cared about killing an enemy so much before. And only you guys were able to make an incredible and astounding game such as this. It was probably the greatest gaming experience I’ve ever had. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to experience a game such as this.
poi1poiu | May 13, 2013 4:32 pm
Out of all of my encounters with the Handyman in BioShock Infinite (including the encounter on Comstock’s ship), I’d have to say my most memorable encounter had to of been my first one, because your first time is always the best (pun intended). I remember it like it was yesterday, going through the gate and seeing an explosion of fire right before my eyes, it really gave me my first glimpse at how great the game is going to be. That and it rewarded me very hansomely after defeating him by giving me Devils Kiss, which I must say has to be my favorite Vigor out of all 8 of them. This game really met my expectations and held up to the BioShock name. Job well done once again Irrational, job well done.
bnngyn | May 13, 2013 4:32 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was the last battle on the zeppelin on 1999 mode (cannot even compare to Big Daddies or Big Sisters). Hands down the most intense thing I had to do in the video game. The Vox are attacking from all directions, you are jumping from skylines, being chased by the Handyman, limited supplies, running out of ammo. AHHHHH love it when a video gets my heart pumping and palms sweating.
14enbee | May 13, 2013 4:33 pm
My favorite Handyman encouter was when I fought him for the first time, because I died.
thegreatozzie | May 13, 2013 4:33 pm
My greatest handyman moment would have to be your very first violent encounter with one where Elizabeth rescues you, I was angry at booker at this point until he got flung off the city by that beast and it gave liz the chance to be the bigger person.
jeffica | May 13, 2013 4:34 pm
My favourite moment HAS to be when you are chasing after Elizabeth, then BOOM handyman in your face. Thinking I had to FIGHT that thing right then and there, well, lets just say, that was NOT sheppards pie in my knickers.
brookie13 | May 13, 2013 4:34 pm
I think my favorite handyman moment would have to be when one of them shows up near Shantytown. I was pretty much out of ammo at the time and had to scout out the area while I avoided this crazy brute. They are a lot faster than you’d think! Haha, I just remembered, while Elizabeth and I were looking for ammo and salts, the handyman threw a body at me while I was on the sky line. I laughed so hard, and yet it took a lot of health out of me.
I defeated the handyman when Elizabeth tossed me a hand cannon and I took him out with one shot.. come to think of it.. it was just like in the trailer :D.
swiftdeath | May 13, 2013 4:34 pm
I’m a sucker for a good character intro
The way he was led in at the carnival is beautifully done and truly shows him as a creature not a monster
Monsters are in the eye of the beholder after all
solidus5nake | May 13, 2013 4:35 pm
My favourite moment with the Handyman is quite simply when I first met him in the game. Just like the great moment of when you first cross paths with the Big Daddy from the original Bioshock, it’s one of those great gaming moments that will always remain fondly and quite terrifyingly in your mind for many years to come.
beeleexd | May 13, 2013 4:38 pm
I favorite moment, even though it was sad, was when you go through the snag and end up in the revolutionary time period and you see the dead Handyman and also the recording. As I listened to the recording of his wife and her wanting him so badly to come home as soon as he can and that she loves, and it made me cry. It’s so weird to think that these characters had so much in their lives and so quickly it was all gone. I wonder if the Handyman’s wife died before he did, and that made me even sadder because then he was probably more willing to die since what he had loved was gone from him and there was nothing left but his job. Or even the Handyman died before she did and that means she waited and waited and nothing came word about him and then had no one there to protect her, but that to me is the saddest part of it all. Without her knowing he was dead citizens were happy and cheering over his dead body as she set at home or in hiding crying and heart broken till she did or never did hear word from him. Made me wonder if while he was dying he played her last recording and be the last time he heard his wife’s voice, and wonder what he got himself into…
xavmand | May 13, 2013 4:38 pm
My favorite moment with the handymen was with the one in front of the bank when you are on your way to comstock house because it was on this occasion that I got the trophy to kill a handymen by shooting him only in the heart and doing it on 1999 mode was pretty hard and it was a great feeling to see the trophy apearing in my screen because I wasent sure I did it.
themodernguy | May 13, 2013 4:39 pm
My favorite Handyman moment, was when the Vox are posing around a dead Handyman, and the voxaphone in it’s hand was just so sad, and it really made you feel sorry for all the handymen in Columbia. It made them so much more human, and gave a sense that these poor souls didn’t want to become what they are now.
himynameisjake | May 13, 2013 4:39 pm
I think mine was when the handyman knocked Booker flying onto one of the sky crates. It was startling and i felt helpless not being able to catch a grip or do anything about it.
a1re4 | May 13, 2013 4:39 pm
My favorite moment happened the first time I ever fought a Handyman. I was just coming out of Chen Lin’s shop when he spotted me. I’m almost certain I had a Hand Cannon and the trusty ol’ Bird’s Eye with me, so I felt prepared for the fight. I proceeded to blast him with Murder of Crows and Shock Jockey while hammering him with shots from my Hand Cannon…. but it wasn’t working. He wasn’t going down! I started to retreat in the hopes that If I got far enough away I could take him out with my sniper. I latched on to the nearest skyhook and landed on a nearby awning. I took a few calculated shots at the behemoth, but it didn’t seem to faze him. He launched himself into the air and landed right next to me. I continued to run, but the Handyman was not letting his play-thing get away that easily. He pursued me with great haste and with the intention of finishing the job he started. I led him all around Finkton until we ended up back on one of the roofs. He was so close to me that I could hear his heart beating in his Autobody suit. I knew he was about to mess me up. Sure enough he landed a punch that would’ve killed Chuck Norris himself. I went flying through the air like a bullet. I expected to eventually hit the ground but no! He knocked me right over the gate near the Good Time Club and into a building where I ended up falling helplessly down to “the Sodom below.” Handyman-1; a1-0… At least that was that a1’s fate 😉
doctorcheese | May 13, 2013 4:39 pm
Hmmm, hard for me to deicde between to moments as my favorite handyman encounter. I guess I’ll just describe them both.
The first time you see a handyman, at the fair, really fascinated me. Seeing this big giant bruiser that could kill you in an instant sad and afraid at being only an attraction. And throughout the game you learn, through a few voxophones, his tragic story. I wonder what it must feel like to be trapped in a metal body. Does he still have his memories and personality? Or is he no longer human and now just a thoughtless machine that runs on blood?
My other favorite moment with the handyman is the (I believe) second battle with him in the outer courtyard with the skylines. On 1999 mode, this was one of my most despised battles. But yet it was SO much fun. As soon as I saw the handyman enter the fray I think I might have peed a little. But running around and switching from weapon to weapon off the ground, all the while hearing the handyman yell and fight everyone and everything around him… Oh man, so cool. When every other enemy is dead and it’s just me and the handyman… serious mode = activate! Jump from skyline to the ground and back again, giving him the jukes all the while emptying clip after clip into him. Wow, what a challenge! But I still can’t not be sorry for the guy. Just a big ol’ hunk of metal forced to fight. I kinda wish there was something I could do for him. But at this point in the fight, the only thing I can do is put him out of his misery. He’s dead; I’ve killed him. Now that the fight is over, now what? Time to unwind, scavenge the battlefield littered with corpses, and head on to the next objective.
Bioshock Infinite is one of my favorite games ever, because it treated me like an adult. It wasn’t afraid to show me some of the really dark things we humans have to each other in the past. Very great work from you guys at Irrational, but I didn’t expect anything but. 🙂
mblackwell | May 13, 2013 4:42 pm
First Handyman, Finkton, I emerged from the Good Times Club my mind was still spinning as the plot had taken such a great turn. Thinking I was out of the woods I heard the yelling of a tortured creature in rage. I turned around to see a large mechanical man running towards me. Out of ammo I run scared looking for any supplies. Death is closer with a Handyman.
deathums | May 13, 2013 4:42 pm
My most memorable moment was fighting the final handy man on Comstock’s ship on 1999 mode. I kept dashing back and forth between the doors to stay alive, and I also remember that handyman killing all my other enemies there at the time so it was a showdown between him and I.
nickthehuman | May 13, 2013 4:45 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is when you’re in the Shantytown and the Vox are taking pictures with a dead Handyman, like its a big game hunt. Its my favorite because I felt the same way every time I had to take down one, it was like I took down a giant beats, but had a seance of melancholy discovering the tortured past of the Handyman.
mg310 | May 13, 2013 4:47 pm
My favorite moment was the first encounter when he is on display at the carnival. I also enjoyed getting the Voxophone that explains why somebody would ever want to do that to themselves. “…better a Handyman than a dead one”
ragingkohner | May 13, 2013 4:47 pm
My first encounter with the handyman, hands down
kodycobhc | May 13, 2013 4:47 pm
My favorite part has to be when the Vox have taken over and the streets are full of chanting citizens and whatnot, but if you walk over to The Graveyard Shift and listen to the men taking pictures with the fallen Handyman you hear quite possibly some of the best lines from the game; “Ok for this one, give a tumbs up! haha that’s hilarious! ” and “For this one look REALLY sad, like you’re having the worst old time!”. Great stuff.
jjjjustin | May 13, 2013 4:48 pm
MY favorite part was expecting to be able to kill him with one shot from my shotgun, based on the trailer, but then finding out otherwise.
matster2468 | May 13, 2013 4:49 pm
my favorite (but also kind of least favorite moment) was when i was fighting the handyman on 1999 mode for the 2nd time. This is because of the intense fear and adrenaline that the handyman gave me. He was thrashing and pummeling me, and would just not stop. I kept on dying and dying, running low on money for Elizabeth to keep on reviving me with. But i used everything i had, tears, shock jockey, and my trusty sniper and RPG, and I was finally able to take him down with one fatal shot to the heart. I also started with about 1100 silver eagles, and ended with about only 400. Yeah, intense.
carlogalahad | May 13, 2013 4:50 pm
I did a Murder of Crows on Handyman and when he was busy trying to kill the crows I destroyed his heart. That’s how I roll.
mwmcginnis | May 13, 2013 4:52 pm
When got the Heartbreaker trophy with the Broadsider Pistol on the FIRST HANDYMAN!!!! and I don’t consider myself good at shooters.
axelsmith | May 13, 2013 4:53 pm
The first time I encountered him, and he knocked me onto those crates. That was the first time in infinite that I truly felt helpless as I grappled for something to grab onto.
kannadono | May 13, 2013 4:54 pm
My favorite moment was the saddest one, where on the 2nd time jump in Finkton, you stumble across 2 of the Vox posing by the Handyman’s corpse. The voxophone only added to the sadness of the moment, especially after you realize this particular one was the husband of the woman whose earlier recordings you found.
prince | May 13, 2013 4:56 pm
The first time he appears is the most shocking moment! This huge weird cyborg enemy hunts you like a predator and wants to beat the shit out of you was amazing!!
clide88 | May 13, 2013 4:57 pm
Loved seeing the Handyman for the first time at the carnival, but the ultimate moment for me was engaging it in combat for the first time, being introduced to its raw power, pleas for help, and senseless rage. I also very much enjoyed the audio log about the woman’s husband being turned into a Handyman: “A Handyman is more useful than a dead man.”
peteys99eclipse | May 13, 2013 5:00 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman was a rather sad one because through the game I was finding Voxophone recordings detailing the story of a woman who almost lost her husband but that he was saved by becoming a handyman. And than during the revolt you see the Vox Populi celebrating over the corpse of a dead handyman with a Voxophone recording nearby. After listening to the recording I couldn’t help but feel bad for him after knowing his past.
hitmanreborn | May 13, 2013 5:03 pm
I played through normal mode and 1999 mode and it doesn´t matter in which mode you play it, the thing is you get again and again scared alone to hear the handyman in the background and in this moment your heart thumps up faster and you just get scared of the imagine that he is behind you and after you killed him you just look at his face and the really nice details on his mechanic body and i also have to say that you feel kind of sad when you killed him and you just have to think back at the beginning of the game at the festival where people shoot a photo with the flashlight and he gets so scared it just makes you to feel to understand him in his position right there … so i have to say the best moment was at the festival where you conside the Handyman with a sad feeling.
androoski | May 13, 2013 5:07 pm
I think my favorite moment was fighting him when against the Vox Populi. It really speaks a lot if you think about it a tad. They dressed him up in their little Vox clothing and sent him right on his way after you, like his some toy, a machine. They’re pointing out that nothing is left of this man inside, just a pawn used in the game of war. He’s just become a weapon to them, which speaks a bit about how cruel Columbia truly is, taking away the life of a man to receive a big hunk of metal they can throw at Booker. Also, I like robots, I like Bioshock, and I love cats. This PS3 cover is everything I need in life, haha.
bevvill120 | May 13, 2013 5:08 pm
I just want to say every bodies moments are great. After reading some of the comments it really made me think of all the moments I didn’t even realize were even happening!
My moment Is when you fly over the Handyman the first time you get the airship. Your stomach kind of clenches a little and you just know that confrontation is coming soon. You don’t know when, but soon. When you land you even do a quick inventory sweep. Making sure. Bullets, check. Salts, check. Being a bad ass, check.
You turn corners a little more carefully after you see him. Down there…minding his own business. Keeping tabs on workers. Lies!!
Your coming for me. I’m ready.
hipsterjojo | May 13, 2013 5:11 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman was outside Chen Lin’s shop. The surprise attack really threw me and was a great thrill.
legalcr00k | May 13, 2013 5:11 pm
When you realize he can throw people at you……
topherdude | May 13, 2013 5:11 pm
My favorite moment was during any one of the battles and hearing his cries of agony. It grounded him as a vulnerable human being with feelings that was forced against his will to fight whomever felt like a threat, and that’s what made it all the more difficult to fight him.
pieflavored | May 13, 2013 5:12 pm
My favorite moment isn’t actually from the game. Although there are plenty of amazing examples from it that I love, my favorite moment has to be from the very first trailer for the game back in August of 2010. You got the tease of rapture, a big daddy statue in a fish tank, and the very first look of what was thought to be the new big daddy. The beating heart enclosed in glass was intemidating, you see the iconic giant hands, get tossed out of a window into the sky, and see it take the girl away. That’s what made you ready for every encounter in the game, and that’s also what made you scared.
stuntman5 | May 13, 2013 5:12 pm
My favorite part is when handyman is not trying to kill me, darn thing kept killing me non-stop. Though during the carnival when he wasn’t trying to kill me, I got up close to him and examined him. Although i was constantly worried he would get tired of having his picture taken and start ripping off heads, I somewhat felt sorry for him the first time, any time after that not so much. It felt like looking at Frankenstein, a creature misunderstood and paraded around for show and tell with everyone else oblivious to what the creature could do if angered/threatened.
fiduke193 | May 13, 2013 5:12 pm
My favorite moment was when I thought I could outsmart the handyman by just zipping around him on the sky rails. Boy was I wrong, when he jumped up onto the sky rails and electrocuted them. Handyman… you scary!
cirquedufolie | May 13, 2013 5:15 pm
I love the scene where the Handyman is actually dead in Shantytown and the men are surrounding it. Ready to take a photo. It’s tragic when you know that he was once a man; a sick man too, but it’s made worse when you pull the voxophone from his body. The Eternal Shore by Hattie Gerst, the man’s wife. Ugh, Ken, I don’t know how you do it, but that was one of the most heartbreaking things I heard in the entire game.
Oops, think I’m tearing up now.
saphir | May 13, 2013 5:16 pm
My favourite moment with the handyman was seeing one of them on the carnival, exposed as if he only was nothing more than an animal. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him as he tried to hide himself from all the curious watchers.
andrewsarafa | May 13, 2013 5:16 pm
The best moment with the Handyman for me was the first time seeing him on the 2010 demo for Bioshock Infinite and thinking “this game is going to be unbelievable” after seeing the way the way he went down. In the final game it was the first moment you see him and…..feeling sorry for the guy even though he was going to kick your butt later.
coolkidcesar | May 13, 2013 5:20 pm
The moment I saw the handy man in the carnival is what got me. Just seeing how helpless he was and thinking this guy is huge why not just throw them around and face his fear. I regretted that thought the first time I faced Handyman and realized I missed helpless handy man.
pablohmg13 | May 13, 2013 5:20 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was when I first battled with him I got the “Heartbreaker” Achievement, in the first try. It was pretty awesome.
stephenwyatt | May 13, 2013 5:21 pm
Well what can I say…… I want it, that’s about all really.
stephenwyatt | May 13, 2013 5:24 pm
My favourite moment with a handyman was when I realised they weren’t just mindless robots as I fraught a vox populi handyman, and it was screaming about fighting for the,
dayoda | May 13, 2013 5:26 pm
My favorite handyman moment is probably see him at the carnival. First, i thought it was just cool, but seeing him now, makes you feel sorry for the poor guy who is in there.
mysterytrain | May 13, 2013 5:27 pm
I loved the initial introduction of the handyman when he was being paraded, reminded me of a circus sideshow kind of thing.
carsomane | May 13, 2013 5:27 pm
Seeing Handyman at the freakshow/Carnival. It made it clear that they were just freaks to Columbia.
victor187 | May 13, 2013 5:31 pm
My favourite moment with the handyman was when you see him for the first time, and think “holy cr*p what is this?!” and “what a poor guy” at the same time.
silvano | May 13, 2013 5:31 pm
I think my favorite handyman moment occurs when you first encounter them at the fair.From all the videos I’ve seen before the release of the game they just seemed like Comstock’s henchmen, but seeing them for the first time show you the they are victims and prisoners of their own body.
artemisio | May 13, 2013 5:35 pm
my favourite moment with the Handyman must be at the carnival at the start. The opening of B:I is my absolute favourite thing, it charges with so much awe and expectation for the game that you can easily overlook things; but the handyman is presented in such a way it’s impossible to miss and to sympathize with him, a human reduced to a machine to be considered still useful, and knowing they’ll be one of the “bad guys” makes you feel kind of guilty.
…the guilt quickly fades away when you realize the GIGANTIC BADASSES they are; killing one of those things makes you want to riverdance on their head 😀
mindusdew | May 13, 2013 5:35 pm
My favorite moment involving the handyman is when you listen to the Voxophone from one of the wives of one. It made me pity him as someone that didn’t choose to be what he was. Once a man, made a monster through good intentions.
lolzoloz9 | May 13, 2013 5:35 pm
I believe my favorite moment is when you see him at the fair displayed almost like King kong. Letting everyone stand there and judge him. It was pretty sad actually and kinda felt sorry for him as i walked by.
dfordallas | May 13, 2013 5:36 pm
I feared the Handyman. Yet it seemed like he feared me. My favorite Handyman moment would have to be the fact that I thought about how sad the Handyman must be. How Fink controls him and such. The Handyman is just like Frankenstein, just with a control mechanism of course. He is a person too, he has complex emotions and reasoning. He can love, and he can nurture. So that would have to be my favorite moment, it was realizing what the Handyman is.
razanix | May 13, 2013 5:40 pm
i dont have an in depth moment with the handyman just a moment where killing him was awesome. right outside the bank one was grabbing the skylines and before he shocked the rails i shot him in the chest and he fell.
stranger2night | May 13, 2013 5:46 pm
I love the moment you first have to fight a handy man, hearing his complaints on how much it all hurts, made me feel sorry for him, not many times I can say I feel that way about something I shoot at in a game.
kitten23pryde | May 13, 2013 5:50 pm
Probably would have to be my first encounter. Must’ve lost 80% of my money trying to kill the bastard. After playing the other Bioshocks, I thought, ‘Oh, a Big Daddy. Whatever – These slow asses can’t actually hurt me’. Well. That was something I never thought again. He started pounding the shit out of me, no matter where I ran. When I finally killed him, I felt so beast… Until the second time came around and there were skylines. I figured, ‘Oh, Good, Skylines. I can camp him from up there.’ Well, when the game started prompting me to get the hell off them, since he’s going to shock them, i brushed the warnings aside and continued on. I figured i’d only hurt a bit. No. Again, I underestimated the giant, painful, steam-powered monkey. He, again, made me loose a ton of money. By the 3rd time around there was enough open space for me to run around in so I managed to only die twice. I just kept hoping up to the tallest platform and back down. Ah… I also remember on that level I jumped up there and did a happy dance thinking the bastard couldn’t follow me up here. From the back, he slammed me off the balcony to my untimely death. Good times, Handyman, good times.
joaquin8 | May 13, 2013 5:52 pm
I loved evry time I saw a handyman in the game, but I have to go with the cover of Gameinformer. I love how afraid the kid (Duke?) looks, piking up the hat and the handyman has this “gentleman” feel.
I miss that hat and mustache in the final game, but it still is a great character for Infinite
xcrucialdudex | May 13, 2013 5:53 pm
My favorite moment with Handyman, or rather my most memorable one was the fight before killing Daisy Fitzroy. I was on 1999 mode and was just having the hardest time killing him, both because of how little ammo I had, and how strong he was. I remember him throwing bodies at me, and laughing hysterically at how much damage it did to me. After I finally beat him I had to get up to have a victory dance. That was my favorite moment with Handyman.
itsmedavide | May 13, 2013 5:56 pm
My most memorable moment dealing with a Handyman was when I ran into one while my health was already diminished. After a short fight I was down to almost no health and was completely out of salts & ammo. I ran to pick up some more ammo, turned around and got one perfect shot at his heart which gave me enough time to finish him off without dying. Such a beautifully written game, I would LOVE to have this collector’s version on my shelf! 🙂
puddletowntom | May 13, 2013 5:57 pm
The best part with the Handyman was definitely seeing that first one at the Columbia State Fair. It was like Vaudeville and Frankenstein mixed together in one hideous fleshy combination, complete with his benefactor bragging about all the wondrous stuff he can do, all while he flinches at the flash of a camera. An excellent portrayal of how callously disabled individuals were treated in the age of Guilded America and American Exceptionalism.
smoggyscientist | May 13, 2013 6:01 pm
My favorite moment with a handyman was the moment where the handyman was portrayed as a simple animal or a beast at the fair. A sick man who was given a chance to live by being but into a robotic body. A man who now is being showed off as an animal at a fair, it was a truly sad moment and it made me feel for those tragic characters.
t3hn3w13 | May 13, 2013 6:02 pm
My favorite part with the Handyman was thinking ” aim for the heart…..steady now……..”
“….time to load the check point again :(“
hobbes3000 | May 13, 2013 6:04 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was the first time I saw him, at the carnival where you can only feel sorry for him and at the same time be intimidated by his size. In that moment I could only imagin the amount of pain it was going to be to defeat him, imagine my surprise when it was tougher because I didn’t count with his speed. I wish there were more fights with other Handymen.
patthebunny | May 13, 2013 6:08 pm
Hooray for Handymen!
annatomical | May 13, 2013 6:09 pm
I remember first meeting Handyman, being chased by him while playing. After around 10 minutes from jumping to ziplines near by, I thought I had lost him. I couldn’t stop hysterically screaming as the music would slowly build up in my headphones, knowing I was being hunted. Soon, the scene changed as Booker shot himself forward, falling, and barely escaping from Handyman’s claw-like grasp. As Booker screamed, i screamed with the same fear of falling, and I’ve never been so in love with a floating balloon in my life, summoned by Elizabeth. Handyman is one badass character. I’ve never been so intimidated by a character enough to wake up a whole house of sleeping people. It was hard to explain myself, believe me!
theredmenace | May 13, 2013 6:11 pm
My favorite part was watching Booker one-shot the Handyman in the heart on the Bioshock Infinite TV commercial. Upon playing the game and being clobbered numerous times by the Handymen I realized how much BS that commercial logic was.
papasquatch | May 13, 2013 6:13 pm
Fighting the Vox Handyman on 1999 mode. I was feeling really bad for them when I heard the Voxophone from one of their wives. Then this fight commenced and my anger toward them began to grow! I died countless times during this fight, but my persistence would ultimately defeat the handyman!
the3rdman | May 13, 2013 6:17 pm
Like others, I did enjoy the scene when you first see the Handyman on display. He looked so sad and pathetic. I also liked the scene where you are flying overhead and see a Handyman standing guard over the workers. And, his dialogue while fighting kept me entertained. He is an amazingly designed character.
majikmanx | May 13, 2013 6:17 pm
My favourite moment involving the Handyman was picking up an audio diary and hearing a woman talk about how her husband was dying so he entered into the Handyman program to say alive a bit longer. Very touching, very sad…
jtoro7 | May 13, 2013 6:19 pm
My favorite scene with the Handyman is when we’re first introduced to it at the carnival. I admit, first walking through the carnival and playing the various games where you shoot the vox were a bit strange but it was nothing compared to when I turned the corner and saw the Handyman. I stood front and center and heard everything the announcer said about him, read the advertisements on the back with the Before–sickly and bed-ridden–and After–suited, live and kicking. After seeing him flinch from the camera’s flash a couple of times, I continued on my way. That’s when I heard the couple speaking and heard the woman say how he looked sad. The man, ignorantly responding how one as large and powerful as him could be sad. I felt for the Handyman then. :/
jsteinman1944 | May 13, 2013 6:20 pm
I gotta say, simply it was the the first time you see the handyman. I mean that one bystander was right, you certainly do feel bad for the guy, as he continuously tried hiding himself from the crowd. That was one of those moments that truly built Infinite. There’s a lot of emotion the gamer can sense as he/she progresses. It’s amazing story telling!
drag17871 | May 13, 2013 6:22 pm
You know, the Handyman may have seemed like freaks to the citizens of Columbia but they were good. The poor souls who entered the program…well it’s just sad.
flightlessmind | May 13, 2013 6:24 pm
The first time I saw the commercial for Bioshock Infinite was when I was first introduced to the handyman in action. And from that very moment I was terrified of facing them. When I finally met one in the game, I still felt that general horror at the idea of facing one. Let’s just say that Booker in the commercial had it pretty damn easy… One shot does not take these beasts down.
cadecool123 | May 13, 2013 6:25 pm
Mine would probably be when I had one more trophy to go till platinum. I just needed the one for killing a handyman with shots to the heart only. My whole family was in the room and we were having in depth conversations about Bioshock and the handymen in general. I had the handcannon and I was on my fifth playthrough (this one on easy for the convenience) I got to the fight and everything was so intense. I jumped around trying to get the handyman to tire out so I could shoot him. I took it as carefully and with as much precision as I could so that shoot him without missing. I took the final shot and everyone held their breath waiting for that sweet trophy noise. In the end I got the platinum and we celebrated by playing some Bioshock 1.
skoyle | May 13, 2013 6:25 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was on Comstock’s Zeppelin, so close to getting to Comstock, but this challenging enemy appears. It was loads of fun evading him around that oval room and beating him to progress through the airship.
thadine | May 13, 2013 6:26 pm
When I saw him at the carnival. I still remember the words of some of the people there. I didn’t much think about it at first, but then I took a look at him again.
“He looks sad.”
“Sad? When you’re that strong, what do you have to be sad about?”
The people were so oblivious. And then…just uncovering his story later on…it was a great addition.
ftrapture | May 13, 2013 6:28 pm
It has to be the first time you battle him, you think to yourself “Hey, I got this. I will just stay on a skyline.” then you hear “Get off that thing!” and a little warning about him electrifying the skyline. Then you panic… then you die.,..
phaetniexs | May 13, 2013 6:28 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was the contrast between the advertisements, and the actual ‘product.’ Before your first encounter, you see posters and a stage at the raffle showcasing the wonders of the Handyman and what a great invention it is. When you finally fight one, though, he’s nothing but a tortured mess. His battle cries are all about being in pain, even when you’re not dealing damage and despite being ‘cured’ of his terminal illness or injury. It’s sad, but does a great deal for highlighting just how dark Columbia can be despite how it may look.
zach00razz | May 13, 2013 6:32 pm
the first encounter had to be the most memorable as it was almost on par with the first Big Daddy of Rapture. it was frightening yet exhilarating. and the sense of accomplishment when the fight was won, was like none other.
thekidmarvel | May 13, 2013 6:36 pm
As a lot of fans of Bioshock Infinite I loved the history of Hattie Gerst and Samuel, and the shocking conclusion of him, as you find his dead body near the bar with a group mocking of him and the contrast of the recording, saying that was a husband and we heard before his lovely wife at Fink´s where she told us that working in the tower make him sick and the only way he survived was turning into a handyman… I realy enjoy playing the game and thinking about this side stories, how Samuel and Hattie came to Columbia, how he work so hard to give her a good life and how Comstock and Fink always get their ways of using them on their own business, and take my chance too, to say good job I love the game!!!
comedypros | May 13, 2013 6:37 pm
I’ve never had a favourite moment with a handyman. They scared me so much to the point that i had to keep on moving from land to air, getting a few shots every now and again, hoping to hit the heart. every fight with them was exhilarating, but scary none the less.
amberfire430 | May 13, 2013 6:38 pm
My favorite moments with the Handyman was latter on in the game when Booker is going to Fink’s company and how the Handyman was acting as an overseer over the workers breaking the rocks and it was so surprising to see that image because it was in stark contrast with the other image that was presented at the street fair at the beginning of the game of a creature that was afraid and timid of people and the pictures being taken of him. Later, in that same area, with the Handyman charging towards me for the very first time and I could think was to “aim for the heart; oh crap, aim for the heart; Oh Crap, aim for the blasted heart!” as he got closer and closer to me as I was shooting at him.
dianan361 | May 13, 2013 6:39 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was finding him died in the streets and the people rejoicing because they were being saved.
dragoncsnake | May 13, 2013 6:42 pm
The best moment for me was when you are at finks chasing Elizabeth and he just picks you up so easily and throws you. The Handymen were my favorite heavy hitters in this game. Their story was so tragically beautiful, yet they were the hardest hitters. I loved fighting them and seeing just how strong they were, but also all the sad things they say as you fight them. I would always think killing them was doing them a favor.
garfieldsquared | May 13, 2013 6:45 pm
The fight with the handyman in Fink’s office. No victory fet more satisfying on 1999 mode.
neverrows | May 13, 2013 6:46 pm
My favorite moment was when he scared the ever-loving shit out of me, on my first playthrough, near Fink’s territory. I actually jumped because I wasn’t expecting him — and then died at least five times.
jaikp2001 | May 13, 2013 6:48 pm
my favorite handyman moment is when you first arrive at Columbia at the carnival and everyone is cheering and having fun while the handyman just sits there. the graphics at this point of the game were amazing
mercenarycoma | May 13, 2013 6:51 pm
i would say my favorite handyman moment was when you are at the factory docks and they are talking about the handyman and how they came to be. then stealing from the cops and getting into a massive encounter with the law and being blindsided by a handyman. scared the crap out of me!
mrsamberblake | May 13, 2013 6:51 pm
I really enjoyed the downtown encounters with the skyline electrocutions. But any encounter with him was always a grisly reminder of his purpose in Columbia.
jaikp2001 | May 13, 2013 6:51 pm
my favorite handyman moment is when you see him first in the 2010 demo he looked amazing and quite scary as well. I remember thinking this game is going to be amazing
dylanbratschi | May 13, 2013 6:53 pm
The moment that struck me most was when Booker was chasing Elizabeth and Handyman swings down from a building and throws Booker, resulting in Elizabeth saving Booker from the fall. This moment struck me for two reasons. One because, Booker gains his trust back from Elizabeth so she is able to assist Booker when fighting Handyman again. Finally I enjoyed this moment because Booker does not have to fight Handyman again which is great because, characters like him to fight are a pain in the ass, especially on “1999 Mode”.
fizban | May 13, 2013 6:55 pm
Moment that I have is where you are hearing about the woman who had her man turn into a handyman and how the people around reacted to him afterwards, and how in the end she was looking forward to being with him in the afterlife
therappingdevil | May 13, 2013 6:56 pm
My favorite moment involving the handyman was my first fight with one. I was expecting them to just be Big Daddy’s in a different skin, but they turned out to be something new all together.
homiecloud | May 13, 2013 6:56 pm
My favorite moment from the game, was the first time of seen him, it was just like “what in the world, no way I am fighting this thing” and the handyman would start to go after you, it was actually kinda scary, how big he was and how he starts to rush at you, it was crazy but also really fun, killing him was hard sometimes, but sure is an awesome enemy 🙂
harakyri | May 13, 2013 6:57 pm
Say “Handyman” 5 times in front of a mirror. I dare you. I double dare you!
keil7777777 | May 13, 2013 7:01 pm
Wow, beautiful artwork! I think my favorite moment with the handymen was the first time you see them. He landed in a blaze of electricity and I ran like a little girl. Took me a good bit to stop panicking and start actually fighting back, since every time I looked back at him, he was charging at me like we were bungee-corded together. Great times… great times…
neonx2 | May 13, 2013 7:04 pm
my favorite moment was when i first heard it say ” why are you doing this to me.” you could hear pain in the sound of his voice, also rage which made him intimidating.
sqwishyapricot | May 13, 2013 7:08 pm
Favorite moment was definitely from the first Bioshock Infinite trailer. It was awesome seeing the beating heart and steampunk theme that defined the Handyman
moonwaffl3z | May 13, 2013 7:08 pm
I think my favorite part is when you see it in the fair and he is standing and when they take a picture he hides his face from the flash because at that moment it seems like a person that doesnt want that but has no choice
djangosheldon | May 13, 2013 7:11 pm
My favorite Handyman moment is trying to get the heartbreaker achievement. Very stressful and challenging, but rewarding.
logictechcorp | May 13, 2013 7:12 pm
My favorite moment was when I first saw a Handyman. I was like Oh My Comstock! What is this!?
antique8nova | May 13, 2013 7:18 pm
Brought a little tear to my eye when the game ended. Such a good addition to the big daddy. Such an amazing character!
skoza | May 13, 2013 7:20 pm
I loved the first look at the handy man. He looked so pitiful and broken like this is something you don’t want done to you.
waltjrimmer | May 13, 2013 7:22 pm
When you first see the Handyman, he looks so sad. When I heard the voxophone recording about it, it made me feel pity for the handymen themselves as well as those that must have made the choice for them to be as such. But my favorite moment with them wasn’t in the game, but when I saw a piece of art. I can’t remember the exact image, but it perfectly showed the sad loneliness that the Handymen must have to deal with.
alexbara | May 13, 2013 7:24 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was the very first time I felt my controller vibrate, the micro hearth attack right after I saw that horribly beautiful beast coming to get me and my little ammo left.
thegeneral | May 13, 2013 7:27 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was when we first meet him at the carnival, and we see that he is much more than a heavy hitter. Rather, he is a tortured soul whose only remaining humanity is his head and heart. Although his story is deeper than what we see, the Handyman is another tragic product of Comstock’s Utopia; a constant created by variables.
undeadpoppa | May 13, 2013 7:29 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was when I first saw him in the premiere trailer and I didn’t even know he was a handyman yet. He was so new, he didn’t have a name or even a face yet but I wanted to see more of this monster. In the trailer he crushed the Big Daddy figurine with his giant boot, he then picks you up and hold you leveled to his chest which you can then see his beating heart right before your eyes and then easily tosses you with his massive mechanical hand out the window. You then see the him later in the trailer but only his hand again just for him to stop your savior. It made me speculate so much, I immediately thought he was the new version of the Big Daddy. I just wanted to see more of him as soon as possible.
g3no | May 13, 2013 7:37 pm
The moment in which the Vox Populi were desecrating a Handy Man’s body by taking photo of his corpse all while laughing. Followed by the gut-wrenching discovery of the nearby audio log; the final excerpt of that poor man and his wife’s tragic tale. It hurt my soul!
kylepherson | May 13, 2013 7:37 pm
My favorite moment was actually a glitch I encountered on my 2nd playthrough. The 1st Handyman I had encountered in conflict was kicking my ass, literally knocking me around the Plaza of Zeal. Got to the point where I was very low on health and needed to freakin’ hide somewhere. I zipped onto one of the hooks just out of his reach and while I was scanning for a good spot to dismount I noticed that he was no longer attacking me.. but rather just gazing up at me. He wasn’t moving at all (maybe ‘breathing?’). I didn’t waste another second. I pulled out the ol’ Bird’s Eye and unloaded on his heart.
And that my friends is how I obtained my ‘Heartbreaker’ trophy. Now, would you kindly like this post?
yourotaku | May 13, 2013 7:40 pm
I really liked the scene at the beginning when the Handyman is being displayed for the public to see, though the handyman doesn’t seem to enjoy the attention.
random136 | May 13, 2013 7:43 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman was right in the beginning of the game. I could already tell that I had to fight him later in the game so it was something to look forward to. Plus I love the design for him.
armorf0r | May 13, 2013 7:44 pm
For me, it was definitely the scene at the fair in the beginning where the handyman is up on the mini stage. Everyone is staring at him while he cringes at the flash from the camera taking pictures. It really intrigued me, and made me want to learn more about them. Why they became “handymen” in the first place, or how much humanity they have left. It was this reason that made the voxaphone laying on a dead handyman in Shanty Town hit me pretty hard. Amazing characters.
melancholy42 | May 13, 2013 7:45 pm
My favorite moment was seeing The Handyman for the first time in the Columbia 1912 Fair. Watching the enormous Frankenstein’s monster on display in front of a crowd of onlookers like The Elephant Man. Being able to admire its details up close as it flinched and turned away from the bright camera flashes was an eerie feeling knowing that I’d never encounter another without having to either run from it or stand and fight it.
volbia | May 13, 2013 7:46 pm
I have that my favorite moment with the Handyman was when he was first unveiled. Instead of seeing him as ugly or weird, I just felt bad for him because he was cowering, this monstrous metal behemoth of a creation, to a bunch of small things. It was almost humbling in a way. Also, Robb’s design is freaking awesome!
tylermulleady | May 13, 2013 7:47 pm
My favorite part was when u first start the game and u go around seeing all the examples of the weapons and vigors the you see a handyman since ive followed the game for a long time i knew they were bad but it never noticed me seeing as how i know how the bioshock games like to keep you on edge i circled it like 5 times before i finally realized i was safe ill never forget how well they tricked me.
wabba | May 13, 2013 7:48 pm
I love when you first see him at the fair considering he is flinching. Its a totally different look at what you see later on
landypandyy | May 13, 2013 7:50 pm
I think I would have to say my favorite part with the handyman would be when I saw him in one of the teaser trailers. My friends and I debated whether he was replacing the big daddies as the heavy hitter. He was much more, let me tell you. And after beating the game, and defeating a couple of them, you discover they may be somewhat of a big daddy. Great writing, and style. Keep it up.
bluem00se | May 13, 2013 7:53 pm
Fighting the second Handyman on 1999 mode and having the most frustrating time doing it, then later on realizing you can just spam winter shield and skyhook melee attacks to take them down effortlessly 😛
alexkitsune | May 13, 2013 8:01 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is the first time at the fair. I remember feeling bad for the poor guy. I wish there could have been a way to help the poor fella.
shadowskylark7 | May 13, 2013 8:06 pm
I loved learning the Handyman’s backstory. So sad…
mrscoley | May 13, 2013 8:10 pm
There’s a point, right after you Elizabeth gets captured, but before you go around to where the soldiers can see you- if you stop and wait, you’ll hear them call for a handyman, and if you keep waiting, you can see him jumping rooftop to rooftop. I always thought that was a wonderful detail that was added.
wisnton42 | May 13, 2013 8:11 pm
My favorite scene with a Handyman would be when you fight the first one. More specifically, it is the moment when the sympathy/pity you had for it back at the carnival is replaced with fear and danger when you realize just how much of a force they can be.
kanaju | May 13, 2013 8:20 pm
My favorite moment is when you see one lying dead in front of the Graveyard Shift. At first I thought it was cool that those two guys were being photographed with their trophy. But when I listened to the voxophone I felt bad for the handyman. That really humanized them for me.
arabthunder94 | May 13, 2013 8:23 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was earlier this morning when I tried getting the Heartbreaker achievement. I looked up a glitch that trapped him on the roof, and when I got the achievement I felt like a horrible person.
unlimitedgals | May 13, 2013 8:29 pm
I think my favorite scene with the Handyman was fighting him, that was fun. Also, when he was being showcased, that was pretty cool too
cg240 | May 13, 2013 8:29 pm
UGH. I LOVE YOUR GAMES SO MUCH
donobeats | May 13, 2013 8:31 pm
It would be so awesome if I won infinite is one of the best I’ve ever played
skantoniou | May 13, 2013 8:31 pm
loved it when i had to fight him to get the achievement, no difficult or easy so fun fighting. HEARTBREAKER!!!!
awakenbenihime | May 13, 2013 8:32 pm
My personal favorite Handyman moment is when you first see a Handyman at the fair and although at first he seems to be a spectacle, upon a deeper look he shows sadness and pain as others view him as nothing more than a miracle of science, rather than a man.
cmangrum | May 13, 2013 8:34 pm
Hey love the artwork would love to have this piece go in my bioshock infinite collection so far I have everything but the vigor bottle anyway hope to win
captainsparklez | May 13, 2013 8:36 pm
This is dolphinatly a random comment. For sharks I should win.
primarilyblue | May 13, 2013 8:37 pm
My favorite Handyman moment: I was fighting my first Handyman (obviously) and killed him with hardly any problems. I soon got the “Heartbreaker” trophy but had no idea what it meant. After I checked the trophy info, I was absolutely pumped about what I had just accomplished! Good times!
kennygk | May 13, 2013 8:38 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman is when he throws you and Elizabeth saves you. Really shows how powerful they are.
tigerdrummer | May 13, 2013 8:39 pm
My favorite part with the Handyman is how when you first see him scared by the flash of the camera as he’s treated like a carnival attraction. At that moment in time you feel bad for him, you want to help him. Then when I was forced to fight him for the first time I felt bad about hurting him because I just kept seeing him as a prisoner not an enemy. It’s not often I see an enemy in a video game as someone that I don’t want to beat and move on to the next one.
daze311 | May 13, 2013 8:39 pm
I freaked out in one area when I saw two of them coming at me and guys where running around! As I try to move around on the sky rails but then they where shocking it.
ronyprro | May 13, 2013 8:40 pm
My favourite moment with the Handyman is quite simply when I first met him in the game. Just like the great moment of when you first cross paths with the Big Daddy from the original Bioshock, it’s one of those great gaming moments that will always remain fondly and quite terrifyingly in your mind for many years to come.
aldredo64 | May 13, 2013 8:46 pm
The best moment i had was where you encounter Handy Man in a cut scene after chasing Elizabeth. I heard all sorts of stories where you’re screwed when you see him. Well i saw him, screamed into the phone as i said “I’ll Call you back just saw HandyMan!” *Hangs up* gets ready for epic battle. Elizabeth saves me and i never had to fight him… haha it was all just great.
mlamb79 | May 13, 2013 8:47 pm
The way the Handy-Man was introduced during the raffle was fantastic. The simple thought that he is nothing more than a “freak” but it turns out he is one of the most challenging obstacles in the game. Absolutely brilliant.
selcis | May 13, 2013 8:52 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman is when you notice him at the fair, and get to see how frightened he is by the fair, and being treated like less of a person and more like a toy, or a robot when really he is still a human, even if he has a lot of robot appendages.
psychedelic | May 13, 2013 8:52 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was back in the gameplay demo from 2010. The way he swung that horse, it showed a powerful enemy and I was both frightened and excited for what would be in the final game. My feelings were not misplaced. The themes of the game reflect even on the enemies themselves. Plus, the banter between Booker and Elizabeth was interesting at the time, too.
danage | May 13, 2013 8:53 pm
My favorite moment was when i first encountered the Handyman and thought i was safe on the skylines………….I was wrong.
pooptyschmoopty | May 13, 2013 8:55 pm
i would say that i dont have a favorite moment but the idea of him, really dont where, how, why he was made which intrigues me…..A LOT giant and monsterous yet shy and timid has a human head and heart which is the most important things a human needs he shows emotion which makes me think does he have real human thoughts or is he just driven by pure emotion. The heart im still wondering about the heart but anyways i think he shouldve had more story in the game.
muffins115 | May 13, 2013 8:56 pm
Like the majority of the commenters, I liked our first meeting with the Handyman. He was something to eventually be feared, yet at the same time, you could see that he did not enjoy the attention from the fair-goers; that he was fearful of everyone leering at him. Although the Handyman wasn’t ‘entirely human’ when compared to everyone else, the things he would say (begging you to leave him) when injured really made you think of what this poor person is actually going through from being shoved into this suit, when death probably would have been a better alternative. Despite being ‘saved’, it was obviously an extended life of pain and torment.
andrewr4 | May 13, 2013 8:58 pm
Favourite moment involving a handy-man? When you find a voxaphone that hints that the handyman was copied from a big daddy seen through a tear!
willabee | May 13, 2013 9:00 pm
My favorite moment was when I saw him for the very first time on the stage at the fair and he got scared from the camera flash and I thought he would start killing everyone but he didnt surprisingly. And then I realized how scary he looked and thought do I have to fight him? I was right and on that first battle it took me 5 times to beat him. But I have to say that that art is a very different picture of the handyman.
thejosephmesser | May 13, 2013 9:02 pm
When you see the first one at the fair. You knew this wasn’t your last encounter with one but you did know it was as close as you would ever get to one with being harmed.
robg | May 13, 2013 9:02 pm
My favorite Handyman moment?
The time when I fought one and I thought I was being slick by jumping around on the Sky-Lines so he couldn’t hit me, and then he jumped and hung onto the rail while electrifying it! What a surprise! The devs really do think of everything.
lutece | May 13, 2013 9:05 pm
My favourite moment would be when I first met the Handyman. When Elizabeth said that he looked sad, I felt especially bad for him (though the sentiment weakened thereafter each time we encountered again and he beat me up).
eris | May 13, 2013 9:09 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was the moment I realized how they weren’t really in control of their actions – I had jumped up on a skyline, only for the pursuing handyman to scream at me to “get down” as it electrocuted the line. That and its constant pleas to “get away” made me realize how they really were gentle giants being forced to hunt you down when they really didn’t want to. I thought it was a very interesting contrast.
bookerdeschmidt | May 13, 2013 9:12 pm
Really any intense battle with a Handyman, (Meaning any battle with a Handyman) could be my favorite moment with these… is creatures the right word? Machines? I would hate to offend one. (Because they intimidate me so extremely.) I can’t kill them though. They’re just so darn cute that I can’t get myself to hurt the little fellas. Actually I can’t kill them because they are extremely powerful, and I can’t swallow my pride and change the difficulty. So not much of a story but I have to say I love these enemies. They may just take that special place in my heart that has belonged to Big Daddy’s since the beginning of Bioshock.
exkage | May 13, 2013 9:13 pm
My favorite moment with Handyman was the one where I realized that he wasn’t like he was at the fair and was definitely a force to be reckoned with…. at the docks. That blindside both shocked me and scared me. I wasn’t prepared to have to deal with him and thankfully you made sure I wouldn’t…. just yet.
jellyjugs | May 13, 2013 9:13 pm
Thanks to @playstation on twitter for informing me about this had to make an account I love Bioshock and Big Daddy is my go to character in Playstation All Stars 😀
ant56777newacc | May 13, 2013 9:16 pm
I first encountered handyman and i tried to escape via rail hang, but was knocked down and suprised.
aardvarkk | May 13, 2013 9:19 pm
The early moment at the fair is memorable and a bit sad, but what drove it home was the vox recordings of the wife talking about her husband becoming a handyman.
kylej3012 | May 13, 2013 9:19 pm
My favourite moment with the handyman is when he just showed the second time you fight him, not only was it surprising when he was taking out enemies for you but also that he put up quite a fight that I prevailed in.
micaeus | May 13, 2013 9:31 pm
My favorite moment was after Fitzroy kidnaps the child and you have to face the Handyman. I was entirely terrified during that level because he just kept showing up behind me! I was thoroughly petrified for 40 minutes.
jrod | May 13, 2013 9:36 pm
I think that my favorite moment featuring the Handyman was the first time you encounter him in combat in the Plaza of Zeal. They are tough foes, not only due to how hard they hit if their attacks connect, but because of how mobile they are, making them difficult to maintain distance to be able to counter-attack. A very formidable foe.
msilva | May 13, 2013 9:38 pm
WHaat a gamee , my favourite moment with the handyman was when he appear for the second time and star to defeat the enemies . nicee..
geoniya | May 13, 2013 9:39 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was after my first playthrough of Infinite. After seeing the Handyman cowering from flashes of an inconsiderate man’s camera at the fair again, I was reminded of how pitiable they actually were, despite their astounding strength (especially in 1999 mode). I could only feel sympathy during battles with them as their situation is in the back of my mind while they make doleful statements. Also, their ever-present forlorn facial expression only makes me want to give them a hug.
diesdiedwilldie | May 13, 2013 9:40 pm
The first time he jumped in front of me. I shot him with the shotgun and ran for the rails!
silverword | May 13, 2013 9:44 pm
My favotite moment is when i saw handyman. It was awesome
stuntman5eth | May 13, 2013 9:44 pm
My favorite moments with the Handyman are when you arrive at Fink’s factory. I loved when you saw him crack his knuckles while hovering over the worker in Lady Comstock’s airship. Then when find the voxophone with a Handyman’s wife talking which led us to realize how tragic his story really is. Then my absolute favorite moment is when you are chasing Elizabeth and you here one of Comstock’s soldiers say that the Handyman is on his way. When I heard him say it I got goosebumps.
robsterhack | May 13, 2013 9:45 pm
Trying to get the trophy were you shoot the Handyman in the heart AND only in the heart! Super tough!
kraenak | May 13, 2013 9:47 pm
My favorite part of the handyman was the recording of the woman talking about how her husband became one just to save his life and how saddened but volatile they can be. A conflicted character easily overcome by pure instinct.
doctorgdogw | May 13, 2013 9:48 pm
The first time i got to fight a Handyman, Thought i could master chief my way through the fight, Very! bad idea used most of my ammo and vigor to defeat him.
drscenario | May 13, 2013 9:51 pm
Seeing Handyman in the commercial fighting got me excited to see him in the game, my favorite moment was the first time it showed him at the raffle
thetriscut | May 13, 2013 9:51 pm
I enjoyed when one of the grunts got in the handyman’s way, so he just picked him up and threw the limp body at me.
jrobington | May 13, 2013 10:04 pm
I think ill always have nightmares of falling, only now they’ll be falling from the sky after Mr Handy cut the cables that were holding me up on that I-beam! Easily one of the most memorable moments of the game!
thesnowparadise | May 13, 2013 10:07 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was the last encounter with one on Comstock’s airship. At one point I retreated out of the room to catch my breath. He kept yelling about how everything hurt and that he wanted to sleep. It reminded me of Hattie Gerst’s Voxophone recording from Shantytown. The one where she says how much she loves him and that they will met again one day whole and complete on the Eternal Shore. It makes him so much more alive, you know? It made me sad to think how each Handyman lived this terrible half-life because someone loved them enough to try anything to save them.
ocegru | May 13, 2013 10:12 pm
Every time I fought a handyman, I felt proud of myself, given the amount of times he killed me. I was also glad to put him out of his misery, silence his cries of pain.
williegpks | May 13, 2013 10:17 pm
Favorite big daddy scene was seeing him at the beginning of the game you wonder what he is and if your going to fight one later in the game. When i first saw him i thought oh they fix people who are sick and brain wash them in to these machines. The part where you walk into the rift and see the parallel universe where the big daddies are working for the vox and wear red was really awesome too really showed all the possibilities, just too good.
guyfromnowhere | May 13, 2013 10:19 pm
Favorite moment with the Handyman was when I first fight one and got the same experience from the fight with the big daddy. Then you realize that this guys are no easy opponents, specially in hard mode. Dying just made the experience even better, just getting to know the Handyman.
dustincredible | May 13, 2013 10:22 pm
I hate how far down the comment chain I am… but here it goes. My favorite moment involving the Handyman was when you finally find your way into the laboratory where you can find a board showing a few pictures depicting the life of a man before becoming the Handyman. I found myself staring at the photos for a few minutes like they were works of art. I felt a deepened sadness to finally see that this creation was once an average man who fell on such a terrible fate… He has been used like a lab rat and turned into a mindless wrecking machine. This moment alone packed so much punch in it and it was basically like it’s own story. I love this art also, you guys do such a great job at telling so much in such a little amount of time and this picture alone shows that something so large and scary can still love and care about something so small and frail. I feel awful every time I have to face a Handyman 🙁
tylerdacus | May 13, 2013 10:33 pm
My favorite handyman moment was when I realized he was flinging other people at me. I think I laughed a little to hard at this discovery.
tylerdacus | May 13, 2013 10:35 pm
My favorite handyman moment was when I realized he was flinging other people at me. I think I laughed a little too hard at this discovery.
gocatgo | May 13, 2013 10:42 pm
When I first saw one at the fair – gave me goosebumps!!
dkteamkill | May 13, 2013 10:50 pm
i just love the dialog. the pain they feel as they are trying to kill you.
jessegouldsbury | May 13, 2013 10:53 pm
Pretty cool. Pretty damn cool.
postimist | May 13, 2013 11:00 pm
Being on the run from the handyman with low health and no ammo, seeing a skylines, and thinking I could get away safely.
Then hearing the whir of electricity and the sudden panic from the realization that there was truly nowhere to run.
igamejump | May 13, 2013 11:12 pm
The first time he jumped in front of me. I shot him with the shotgun and ran for the rails!
moxie | May 13, 2013 11:23 pm
I think my favorite moment with the Handyman was seeing him with the Vox. It sort of made me think of them trying to make him believe they were liberating him and going to treat him differently than the others but then using him in exactly the same way. It just added more to the similarities between Comstock and Fitzroy to me.
smileyfacec8 | May 13, 2013 11:30 pm
Great game all around
shadism89 | May 13, 2013 11:39 pm
My favorite handyman moment, Is when Booker and Elizabeth travel Through the alternate shantytown and find Stewart Gerst dead on the street and three vox soldiers were posing, taking pictures around the metal giant like Teddy Roosevelt posing around a dead elephant. That moment showed to Me how cruel and bloodthirsty the vox poupli became…and when I found the voxophone of Hattie Gerst in Stewart’s hands…I listened to it and that showed me that man as a whole can be cruel and worse…but you will always have your one true love by your side… Even if they’re not there physically…Stewart finally got peace and he is with Hattie on that eternal shore, away from the war torn sky battleship called Columbia…
jimd1980 | May 13, 2013 11:43 pm
My favorite handyman moment was the story told through voxophones. Although he was terrifying and relentless as a foe, it was the tale of one of these robotic giants that I liked the best. We learn that besides machine he is still a man, and husband with feelings. Though I never battled him personally, I later found his dead body. He was being photographed with by a group of men that had killed him. We once again see that behind the machine he was a loved man. I sat and looked at the scene for awhile and really appreciated the moment as it truly allowed the handyman to be human. This not only tops my handyman list but ranks up there with my favorite moments.
snoogansbooyah | May 13, 2013 11:44 pm
My favorite thing about the Handyman is that he is the saddest story of Columbia. Everything has been taken away from him and left with a hollow sadness inside a shell of a being. When you come across him at the fair for the first time, you pity him and can feel his melancholy demeanor as he is ashamed of what he has become…a monster. When you eventually are confronted by him later in the game, you get a feeling that his lashing out and trying to kill you is more out of frustration than evil intention. It is evident by the fact that he destroys his fellow Columbian comrades and their ships when he appears on the scene and he shows no compassion nor mercy to anyone, because none has been shown to him.
azuremage | May 13, 2013 11:45 pm
My favorite moment is my first encounter with the Handyman. I was in Shantytown, just running along, and I see the screen rumble, but only for a second. I stop, thinking it was just me shifting in the seat, and continue. I see it again, and I reload both my weapons and set up the Bucking Bronco and Devil’s Kiss combo I had going, believing something big to be up ahead. Then, for whatever reason, I decide to look behind me… and there he is. My jaw drops as the Handyman winds up, and my trigger finger freezes. A second later, I’m flying through the town, and I’m screaming horrible obscenities at the screen for my misfortune of having to face this dreaded beast of a man. And then I fell in love with him.
grimmdev | May 13, 2013 11:54 pm
“Would you kindly not fuck this up” – From an early interview with kevin discussing a bioshock fans comment on the forums after the release of Bioshock 2. I think alot of fans disliked #2 however I wasn’t one of them. The recent Kevin interview he talked about how the story and the relationship of booker and his daughter in the game and how it was the type of relationship the big daddies and the little sisters had. The second game portrayed that relationship directly from the big daddies perspective and I could really see Kevin’s writing flourish greatly. Kevin since I pre ordered your first Bioshock game I fell in love and was inspired to become a game developer which I have, I went to college afterwords and I keep the limited edition xbox 360 bioshock pre order case in mint condition on my shelf.
mechalemmiwinks | May 13, 2013 11:57 pm
My favorite moment was when you see him at the fair, when he’s doing that whole “Frankenstein’s Monster” thing, where he’s cowering from the crowd’s interest. The Handyman was a decent example of how the people of Columbia pretty much treated anything that wasn’t an average or exceptional white person.
tjsolcer | May 13, 2013 11:58 pm
Not to be unoriginal, but when the player first sees a Handyman (in the fair) is the best Handyman moment. I have played both Bioshock and Bioshock 2 and although the Handyman is the closest in bodily structure to the Big Daddy, this moment at the fair shows them as strikingly different. The Handyman is shown as vulnerable, hurt, and ashamed. You can hear dialouge as you fight him. He screams in pain. His head is exposed, displaying all his suffering. In the first Bioshock, the player had no clue exactly what a Big Daddy was. Very much in contrast to the Handyman, the Big Daddy wears a suit that covers their entire body, grunts unintelligibly, and attacks anything that gets between him and his Little Sister. When the “science” behind the Big Daddy was revealed in the second game, players could finally find sympathy for them. The obvious humanity presented in the character of the Handyman is what makes the character so great.
lol The Handyman has caused me some trouble a few times but whenever one comes at me, I am all “darn, I have to kill it” and I feel bad. It makes me wonder why it attacks me: because it knows I will kill it and end its pain or something else?
I applaud you, Irrational Games, for your story-focused gaming and am eagerly waiting for whatever you release next. Keep being awesome.
bellaboo198 | May 14, 2013 12:03 am
I can’t say I have a favorite moment involving the handy man, but I do love that he is a man/robot that you have to aim for the heart to kill. Its like “think with your brain, feel with your heart” or how ever the saying goes. Well the handyman might not have a lot of brains, but he certainly has a lot of heart to kick the crap out of Booker lol :P.
imazombie27 | May 14, 2013 12:09 am
The Handyman is just one of those enemies in games wher you feel bad about killing it.
okrios | May 14, 2013 12:10 am
The handyman gave off an impression of servitude the first time I saw him. He was being demonstrated in public during the fair, and seeing him, I thought immediately “they’re going to make me fight this guy”. Time passed and I completely forgot about him, and the first time he appeared he scared the life out of me. He was always going on the offensive so shocking him was, for me, the best option to defeat him. He was one of the few causes of my deaths throughout the game.
bigdaddybeast | May 14, 2013 12:37 am
My favorite moments are the ones where I run away from the handy man to desperately get some health and I do so, then turn around and he’s right behind me. Scares me every time.
deadlykiss | May 14, 2013 12:46 am
My favorite part was getting the Heartbreak Achievement with the Handyman. Boy was that fun!
cr4ck3rw0lf | May 14, 2013 12:47 am
hehe, wow this has a shitload of comments..
frankly i dont really have a memorable encounter with the Handyman other than the first reveal trailer and the technology fair. With a game that’s so intriguing and complex, my mind was elsewhere.
but of course after being nearly drowned in a fish tank, hurled out a window, and nearly falling to my doom all in a first person perspective pretty much had me sold that this was going to be a great game.. and it was. so i guess i have the Handyman to thank for that.
tacodouglas | May 14, 2013 12:59 am
There’s something really impactful about the dead handyman in Shantytown, with the Vox posing over him. You feel bad seeing the Handyman at the fair, you feel bad fighting them through the game, but there’s something about seeing others posing in victory over one.They don’t feel bad, it’s a celebration, and there I am, standing there looking at him. No one but you sees him as a person anymore.
nailthenamek | May 14, 2013 1:06 am
My favorite moments with the Handyman enemies were whenever I was able to kill them. I loathed fighting them more than the Motorized Patriots!
turbocam92 | May 14, 2013 1:08 am
It’s hard to pick a favorite moment (for me), because every time I went up against a Handyman, I felt this deep empathy for the person (I would still call them a person) fused to the mechanics of the suit, habitually crying out in pain and torment. The moment where you first see a Handyman, and the couple is discussing who or what he is, you feel a great sadness for him, as he shies away from the camera, whether from shame or being startled by the flash (or both). Then every time you go up against a Handyman, you are thrust back to that touching moment at the fair. The only difference is that this time he is shouting at you “GO AWAY! PLEASE GO AWAY!”, “STOP TORMENTING ME!”, and “EVERY STEP IS LIKE BURNING COAL!” as he swats at you like King Kong did at planes from the Empire State Building. I would always dread fighting a Handyman, not only because I knew I would get the snot beat out of me- but because every time I would shoot him in his glass-encased heart, it would be just like taking down King Kong; someone who was simply misunderstood and at the wrong place at the wrong time.
mrgummage | May 14, 2013 1:19 am
The first time I tried to escape him on a cargo line.
Nasty surprise there. 🙁
createthelife | May 14, 2013 1:25 am
The part that got me was that there was no big daddys and bioshock changed but as soon as i heard her scream handy man was heart pounding it was the flash back to fighting the big daddys…..the ground shook and couldnt wait to tear into him now every time i hear the scream i get excited again good job on the game guys….My boyfriend and i r getting bioshock tattoos that match im getting the little sister that says i love my big daddy and he is getting the big daddy with the red eyes when he is angry…..love the franchise good job on the game…..
jojo | May 14, 2013 1:26 am
I like the moment where the vox are taking a photo in front of a dead handyman in Shanty town, and when you examine the body you find the recording from his wife reminding him to be true to himself even when he feels the rage that seems to be a symptom of all handymen. Its a really touching moment that reminds you that the handymen are different to Bioshock’s Big Daddies. These were men with families who had the choice between death or a life incased in a tin body and its a reminder that these choices are often not what they appear, an ongoing theme through the game.
alltimebrandon | May 14, 2013 1:28 am
My favorite moment came after my playthrough on 1999 mode. I came to the fight just before Elizabeth kills Daisy. The fight in a very small open area was already taxing considering the lack of space. But when I heard the Handyman coming my heart rate shot up. The next 20 minutes were spent darting around the area taking shots at him when I could. All the while hearing his moans of “everything hurts!!! reminding me that this is not just a monster. After finally delivering the last sniper shot atop a tower only accessible via the skyline, I had a moment of pure bliss. It felt like the game did exactly what it wanted with me. I felt like my skill took down this massive beast and it made me ready for a much deserved break, which the game gave me after Elizabeth’s baptism in Daisy’s blood.
esmitty42 | May 14, 2013 1:36 am
I was very confused by the game until the end.- Elizabeth clone #1: “He’s Booker DeWitt.” Elizabeth clone #2: “He’s Zachary Comstock.” Booker: “No. I’m both.” (then i make a mess all over my room from my head exploding) I praise you Irrational for your amazing storyline and all around outstanding game. Thank you for bringing this story to the world…
mtmdk187 | May 14, 2013 1:50 am
The best part of the game is the handy man because it brought me back to the original bioshock the sudden fear of a enemy that can actually mess you up instead of fighting countless small time enemies, So i can not really tell you the best specific part of fighting the handyman cause i noticed my self at every battle waiting for her to say those beautiful words….the original bioshock is the only reason i bought a xbox 360 i bought it on the same day of the release and now am back to my ps3 am a bioshock fan for life have all the collectible statues that came with the special editions of the game, also have the meca toys of the second bioshock, got the song bird edition for this game, and also have a bioshock tattoo on my left shoulder….I am a die hard fan from day one so i would cherrish and love that drawing forever
tcomstedt | May 14, 2013 2:40 am
This might be a little morbid… But my favorite moment with the Handyman is when the Vox Populi are taking pictures next to a corpse of one as though its a trophy and he’s still holding on to a Voxophone from his loved one. The complexity of emotion in that one scene was amazing, from feeling glad to see one felled to hearing his wife/girlfriend talk about him with such love and pity. It totally changes your outlook on them as an enemy into a much more sympathetic character, especially when he’s being used as a prop by his killers. I hope that revelations come to flesh out their tragic origins.
mrgreen56 | May 14, 2013 2:43 am
My favorite moment was avoiding the handyman, completely running away while getting health and ammo.
shnappy | May 14, 2013 2:49 am
My favorite moment is when I first saw him at the fair. The festive music and the happy people is an excellent contrast to the emotions of the handyman.
ashiie91 | May 14, 2013 2:53 am
My favorite moment involving the handyman is the moment i heard the voxophone about the lady whos husband became a handyman. The poor woman just wants to take care of him. The first handyman i met after that voxophone just broke my heart. Because i understood it was just a man made to do the things he does. He is saying the saddest things… like ‘ my heart, it hurts!’. Do i think, just to make this even shorter then it is, my favorite moments with the handyman are the moments he makes me feel awefull about killing him, but also makes me feel happy killing him because he was in so much pain. 🙂
jjanddjango | May 14, 2013 3:06 am
My favorite/most memorable Handyman moment was when I thought I was nigh invincible cruising around on the skyline…right before he electrocuted it.
hanselbioadam | May 14, 2013 3:11 am
My favorite moment was the first meeting of this giant enemy, was scary at first but i remenber it because i examine that he only hits with his arms so I only use my hook to stat in the higths then he shot me with some kind od bean, i get scared and all my health run down, with one more hit i totaly die so i use the old trick of run and shoot, my salts are out too so i only have my caravine to shoot and run, so i repite a lot of times this, but at the end when my very firs handyman die i feel like the most cabronazo in all Columbia.
acemmnl | May 14, 2013 3:29 am
I love how Bioshock makes you have certain feelings for all the charaters. For example in Bioshock 1, where I despised killing big daddy’s. They were just trying to protect “their child”. And the atmosphere of the game makes it so special. It was the same case with this handyman. You sympathise with him, but in the end, you still got to fight him.
platypusplndrer | May 14, 2013 3:41 am
There were so many great things bout the game, but the best would have to be the enemies and the use of tears.
platypusplndrer | May 14, 2013 3:43 am
For the handyman though, it would have to be the first time you meet him at the beginning of the game at the festival. He looks so weak and scared.
apocwhen | May 14, 2013 3:46 am
My favorite moment of a Handyman was when I found the voxophone recorded by the wife of one, describing his stomach cancer and how he became to be one.
blasterjack | May 14, 2013 4:19 am
I could google some and then make up some fantastic story. But to be honest i havent played the game yet. I bought the songbird edition on release but i want to take my time playing this game. So ill wait till i got vacation.
systemshocker | May 14, 2013 4:24 am
My favorite moment with the handyman was in the final battle when It was easier to defeat them with songbird
superinternet | May 14, 2013 4:38 am
When I was in Shantytown and the Vox Populi stood atop Samuel the Handyman, I picked up his voxophone and listened to it as they posed and took pictures. Listening to Hattie quell the anger of an already slain monster I imagined what their life must have been like. Samuel working to hard to provide for his love and even when his body began to fail him he stepped up and sold his body so that he may continue his duty. Yet, for all his efforts what was his remuneration? His wife died before him and he garnered ridicule from those he had sold his body to defend. Then when death finally came for him they posed atop him as if he were some feral beast, not a church going, hard working, loving, and dedicated husband. For me that was a sadder moment than even watching Annabelle get pulled through the tear and losing her finger, and my favorite moment regarded handymen.
bruteforceblond | May 14, 2013 4:54 am
Hands down when you find the voxophone in shantytown. Hearing his wife’s sadness but hope and really chip away at you. Completely got to me 🙁
aeirou | May 14, 2013 5:09 am
My favorite moment with the Handyman is the fight encounter in the area outside the Financial District. The area around is torn apart from combat and their are skyrails everywhere. I couldn’t help but yell BANGARANG as I swooped in to light up his heart with a whole blast of my fine shotgun.
mrlcomedy | May 14, 2013 5:47 am
My favorite moment was outside the Bank of the Prophet when I barely had to touch the Handyman in that battle at all because all the Vox Populi ousted him for me! Lucky for me, too, because I could barely get any time off the skyline in that section to take pot shots at enemies… so many… all at once!!! Crazy roller coaster of a battle… LOVED IT.
saharory | May 14, 2013 6:43 am
My favorite moment with the handy man wasn’t very nice actually
It was the moment that I jumped on the skyline and he precisely at the same time electrocuted them. so I almost died but you have to be carful after all, I mean not every day you fight a huge robot like guy with massive armes that you have to shoot its hart. So when you do see one of those you should fight your life for it.
Although I don’t like him so mooch you have to agree he is one peace of a mastermind creation 🙂
caerus | May 14, 2013 6:53 am
The most memorable moment i had with the Handyman was in the same area with Comstock’s House and Lady Comstock’s Grave. The path just went in a giant loop if you followed it all the way around and there were skylines that circled the one area. Its also the place i got the trophy for killing him by only shooting his heart which made it even more memorable. Anyway, fighting him with the sky in the background and the way it made the whole feel of being on a floating city so much more real to me. Was superbly executed in my opinion. Job well done
superebil | May 14, 2013 7:03 am
My favourite part with the Handyman has got to be the second encounter when you’re pursuing Elizabeth, and then suddenly a Handyman comes out of nowhere and throws Dewitt onto a storage holder. You get to witness just how powerful the Handyman is first-hand and this scene, plus the fairground, gives the Handyman the best introduction and entrance of any enemy I’ve ever encountered in my entire life of game playing. I was on the edge of my seat throughout it; I honestly thought Booker could have fallen to his death.
seraphblade | May 14, 2013 7:07 am
My favourite part was when I saw the Handyman at the Fair, he was just a freak and attraction to the people of the Columbia. He wasn’t feared like the Songbird. And then I nearly got killed by him…
shadowsgrace | May 14, 2013 7:09 am
“Everything hurts” said the handyman
So I hit him with murder of crows and shot him point blank in the heart with my shotgun.
ob1skywalker1 | May 14, 2013 7:25 am
Being an artist, or at least someone who draws and loves art,
this contest’s prize makes me very excited. What a very cool
thing to offer and all of you, especially Robb Waters, are awesome
to do so.
So, my favourite Handyman moment?
I have to say that, by far, the first and most favouritre moment that
comes to mind is the scene in the TV spot where Booker is looking
through the scope of his rifle and suddenly you see the Handyman’s
heart beating. Cut to Booker leaping over the edge as the Handyman
drives his fist forward in an attempt to clobber Booker. No matter how
far or fast Booker raced on the Skyline, the Handyman was never far
behind and gaining fast. With the action and the beat of Nico Vega’s
“Beast of America” playing in the background, it really sets the tone
for what you’re in for when you first see one in the game.
As for in the game itself, my favourite moment is a simple one:
In one of the Voxophone recordings, Hattie Gerst comments that
after her religious husband got Cancer, the Prophet introduced them
to Fink, who turned her husband into a Handyman to “repair” him.
She comments, “I do not know if I will ever get used to a husband
bound in a skeleton of metal, but… better a Handyman than a dead one.”
Such a sad moment played out only in words…
Keep up the GREAT work!
A fan always… T
zeimi | May 14, 2013 7:28 am
I enjoyed the moments you fought him with skylines around. It was such a rush of a feeling shooting him in the heart as he approaches, but when he gets too close quickly jump to the skyline to get away. It is also neat how even on the skyline you had to quickly get off. I had so much joy fighting him. I still haven’t found the voxophones detailing his past; I plan to start my voxophone playthrough soon.
faustus | May 14, 2013 7:30 am
aim for the heart…
aim for the heart…
aim for the heart…
Did that think just electrocute the skyline?
aim for the heart…
aim for the heart…
aim for the heart…
jj8814 | May 14, 2013 8:08 am
Meeting the Handyman for the first time at the raffle is one of my favourite moments in the game. It was really ironic and somewhat amusing to see a massive figure afraid of a camera flash but it showed that the Handyman was still a person and have feelings. Listening to voxophones about the handyman and hearing them cry in pain as they advance towards me was really moving. Although they’re fast moving killing machines, they were once ordinary men looking to live a longer better life only to suffer after the transformation. I guess in someways I was doing them a favour…
It’s certainly one of the darker stories of Columbia!
michaelandrian | May 14, 2013 8:10 am
My favorite moment with the handyman is when we are Actually AGREEING on something.
I mean, handyman is this HUGE guys and sometimes when Im surrounded by a lot of the guards / Vox Populi I get a bit overwhelmed.
So what happen is there are moments where I shot him/it a LOT of time and he would go like
“I’m supposed to be dead!” and I would be HELL YEAH YOU SHOULD!
Hahaha..
There are a lot of time also when he said “Go away. Please, go away.” but while I ran he chases me?!
SUCH a Troll !
But also a sweetheart. :p
darrk | May 14, 2013 8:12 am
i think it is when you got a voxophone of a lady saying that she prefer to have a handyman that a dead husband
joshimarston | May 14, 2013 8:23 am
My favourite moment: when Hattie Gerst comments about her husband turned into a Handyman. Sad! “ I do not know if I will ever get used to a husband
bound in a skeleton of metal, but better a Handyman than a dead one. ”
drhankventure | May 14, 2013 8:32 am
My favorite moment was the first time you see the Handyman. Standing on the stage being showed off to the people and showing how miserable he is as people flash pictures of him.
I knew he was going to be a major enemy before I even got the game but to then show him in this way, basically as a gorilla being shown off for the first time at a zoo. It instantly made me rethink what I knew about Handyman. I felt sorry for him and then wanted to know even more about him, it made him an interesting character that I went out of my way to learn about even though he is just a mini boss.
aquaaura666 | May 14, 2013 8:50 am
Let’s see…. Hmmmm, I have to say although the songbird is my most favourite and loved character it is quite fun going up against the handyman. My favourite part and most remembered part was when I was up against him while Daisy Fitzroy hidqin her box threatening to kill the family that she had in there with her. Me and handyman had a game of tag while I tried to avoid the bullets showering me from the other enemies scattered around the place lol I have to say, he’s a good medium strength character in the game, I am a big BIG gamer and bioshock sits at the top of my fav list, he is easy to defeat but fun to go up against as well. And I absolutely love the steam punk sort of designs of the mechanics, looks very old fashioned and I highly prefer old fashion stuff, like the old art deco style that had been used throughout the bioshock games. Can’t wait to see what use have in store for us next :3
adamuko | May 14, 2013 9:10 am
My favourite handyman moment was the one from the gameplay trailer that didn’t appear in the final game 🙂
Sorry, I do love the game, just left so much out guys!
markuso | May 14, 2013 9:12 am
My favorite moment is the first time you encounter him when you are about to catch up to Elizabeth and he throws you onto a cargo box. The first time this happened I was not expecting some huge beast of a man to swing down on one arm and knock me on my ass and then continue to throw me to my near death! Honestly made me feel right in the game! DLC is well anticipated. 😛
annoyintortoise | May 14, 2013 9:27 am
My favorite moment was you find Samuel the handyman outside the graveyard shift bar, and you find the voxophone in his hand from his wife, which hints that he still remembers his life before becoming a handyman. i find this part really sad and i never enjoyed killing them after that point. But i do enjoy the history surrounding them i found that really intriguing and sad at the same time, you guys really created a master piece with this game and it won’t be forgotten for a really long time.
lolster2nite | May 14, 2013 9:30 am
If I had to say my favorite moment, I couldn’t. If I had to say 2 of my favorite moments, that I can do. 1st would be when Handyman’s at the fair. He looks helpless, scared and afraid of the people around him. Then you pass over Fink’s Emporium, where the Handyman now stands in charge of the workers. Really the contrast in his power and before just makes me tingly (scared not its other inner meaning) inside. Truly they have perfected the “You’ll see a face that won’t want to hit you, but I will” design. Good job Irrational, and never become a “Rational” story telling company. (The pun, it burns)
dawnofnewage | May 14, 2013 9:59 am
my greastest moment was how in the beginning of the game this character class is a challenge to deafeat, but by the end they can be taken out in one hit
nofacemanifesto | May 14, 2013 10:10 am
My favorite part has to be when you first meet the Handyman at the fair. The first time you get to meet this huge creature that isn’t terrifying but terrified instead. The first time you get to see the Handyman at it’s most vulnerable state and with beyond that point you realize this creature was holding something fierce inside and your whole perspective from then on changed.
ramonv | May 14, 2013 11:03 am
Probably when i (Booker ^^) was pushed out of the zepplin, he looked so badass at that moment.
lpinto79 | May 14, 2013 11:40 am
Best part is near the end of the game, just before Comstock, you have to fight a Handyman in a relatively small area with a few platforms and railways. Fighting such a big creature while dashing back and forth in the skylines is exhilarating!
kristaadele | May 14, 2013 12:03 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was in Shantytown. When you go down to the bar, a few men are taking pictures in front of it. And the voxophone nearby said “Samuel, when the spells of anger come, I want you to play this recording and remember that I am the proudest woman in Columbia to have been your wife. They said your soul was choked by the fumes in that metal box, but this I do not believe. And we shall meet again, on that eternal shore– both of us whole and smiling. I love you. I love you. I love you.” It was really touching, how the Handyman was created from Samuel and his wife or lover still was holding onto him despite what others said. “Its better to be a Handyman than a dead one”
theafrofox | May 14, 2013 12:27 pm
My favorite moment would have had to have been when I was cowering on a skyrail and the last thing I saw before I fell to my death was an angry Handyman clutching the rail as he released a couple thousand volts into me. That was crazy.
spike33 | May 14, 2013 12:32 pm
The first encounter is always the most meaningful in Bioshock games!
drbaughn | May 14, 2013 1:08 pm
When I was first fighting a Handyman, I couldn’t get the voxophone of the woman talking about her handy husband out of my mind. I didn’t want to hurt the Handyman, even though he was trying to kill me.
I think that’s what’s really phenomenal about Bioshock boss monsters, the Big Daddys, The Songbird. There’s always a man in the suit, a man with a family, a man who someone loved.
When I finally managed to shoot out that Handyman’s heart, I was tearing up. I just sat there for a minute staring at the hole where his heart used to be.
That’s what I like so much about this sketch. He’s not show as a monster, but as a gentle giant.
slyfox007 | May 14, 2013 1:12 pm
I assume SPOILERS are fair game here?
Anyway, my favorite moment with the Handyman is when you enter the tear in which Daisy Fitzroy and the Vox Populi have the upper-hand in the battle for Columbia. Past the beggar singing “Fortunate Son”, there’s a group of Vox getting their pictures taken over the corpse of a Handyman.
Trying to photobomb them reveals a Voxophone. The Handyman’s wife is choking back tears, reminding her husband to play the recording of her voice when his monstrous rage comes, telling him she still loves him. Just like that, the Handyman isn’t just some monster to take down. Like the Big Daddy before him, and like Frankenstein’s monster long before that, he’s suddenly very human. And then I almost teared up myself.
koljav | May 14, 2013 1:26 pm
At the beginning of Emporia, I love the moment when you have the fight in front of the bank of Columbia. It’s just incredible when suddenly a handyman appears and destroys a whole gunship with two or three hits of his giant hands. ^^
ccrocker58 | May 14, 2013 2:22 pm
My favorite moment? It’s a toss-up. The first time you see him at the fair struck me pretty hard. Seeing his reaction to the public and camera’s, the way he was just being displayed like an animal, and knowing what the Handymen are; you easily can tell he’d rather just be dead. Then there’s Samuel, the Handyman you hear about in Voxophones, and see at the end of the Shantytown sequence. Until then, you assumed the Handymen were basically just hulking, depressed, beings of rage, and then you find him. He’s been carrying around a memento of his wife, an indicator that they do indeed remember their lives before being turned into what they now are.
zachtheroush | May 14, 2013 2:49 pm
My favorite moment: Booker hangs from the freight container outside Fink MFG while the Handyman is throwing objects to cut the ropes keeping the container, and Booker, from falling to earth. Elizabeth is still deciding whether to save him or not, and there is a moment of fear when Booker looses his grip and falls, only to be caught by a large balloon brought in by Elizabeth’s tear.
cradic59 | May 14, 2013 2:58 pm
My favorite part of the handyman is when you are fighting him and you hear all the things he says. I literally stopped fighting him so i could hear all of his comments.
morlogger | May 14, 2013 3:07 pm
i love the moment when you get to the Dead Handyman in Shantytown and while the Vox Populi are taking Pictures in front of him, Booker finds a Voxophone which tells you more about this Handymans past life. It also shows the sideeffekt of becoming a Handyman
Samuel, when the spells of anger come, I want you to play this recording and remember that I am the proudest woman in Columbia to have been your wife. They said your soul was choked by the fumes in that metal box, but this I do not believe. And we shall meet again, on that eternal shore– both of us whole and smiling. I love you. I love you. I love you.
drogers450 | May 14, 2013 3:31 pm
Best moment of the Handyman was when I finally came to the realization that they were never monsters, just people who were too scared to die. They prolonged their lives by allowing themselves to be turned into a monster. It stunned me for a second.
benzo937 | May 14, 2013 3:32 pm
For me it was really the moment where I realized I couldn’t just run or sky rail away from him. The intense shock if gave me was exhilarating.
kicks | May 14, 2013 4:01 pm
My favorite handyman moment was meeting the first one. The presentation of the fair in general was phenominal
italktotherain | May 14, 2013 4:27 pm
I think the greatest moment with the Handyman is when you first see him in the square. The way he’s acting just made me so sympathetic towards him, he was obviously unhappy and scared at being paraded like some invention and not a person.l You just can’t help but see him as so human, that later when you have to fight him I just felt guilty. I always thought twice before engaging in combat with him, and anytime I thought I could avoid it, I tried to. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t that he was too difficult of an opponent (although he certainly was a formidable one), it was more that I knew what was driving him to fight me and wished that k could have helped in the way I was able to save little sisters in the first BioShock game.
ehsayinu | May 14, 2013 4:32 pm
During the story, my favorite part with the Handyman was in the beginning when you first see one up on the stage, put on display for the citizens to view. It found this part to be my favorite because you really get a good understanding of what kind of society you’re dealing with-a society that didn’t mind playing God even though they gushed over their prophet who they believe God sent…For me, the Handyman linked Columbia to (Big Daddy) Rapture for me and really showed that the sky was no better than the ocean floor when mankind pursues selfish desire (eternal life).
In my personal experience though, I had one Handyman who I kept hearing but could find. Unfortunately, he found me at the worst possible moment when I was trying to help Elizabeth into the vent to stop Fitzroy and destroyed me before I could trigger the cut scene. He shamed me big time in front of Elizabeth.
iambwoo | May 14, 2013 4:44 pm
I loved the moment when I first found the Handyman.
frogman1332 | May 14, 2013 5:24 pm
The part where he throws a horse at you is pretty cool.
or when you turn and see him hanging from the building as the moon shines directly behind him.
Oh and then the part when when Elizabeth blasts the top of the bridge with her powers and Booker tosses a military grade shell causing it to explode and then the bridge collapses down on top of the handyman. Then as hes hanging and crawling for dear life to get back up i keep blasting him with my shot gun and shock jockey, rendering his efforts useless. And he slowly looses grasp and slides down……….but yeah when he throws the horse at you. that was cool.
gbarresi | May 14, 2013 6:34 pm
Combat-wise, landing the final blow in the encounter before Daisy Fitzroy’s demise after being low on ammo and repeatedly punched to death. As many have already mentioned though, victory is always marred by the Handyman’s back story and his cries of pain during battle. 🙁
s33v | May 14, 2013 7:29 pm
When the woman talked about “Samuel” and how the others say his soul was choked by the fumes and how she loves them and then you later fight him in shantytown it was so sad
shadix20 | May 14, 2013 8:24 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman was the first encounter. The first time he grabbed onto the rail and electrocuted it was ridiculous.
joeofwar | May 14, 2013 8:47 pm
When I first saw the Handyman on display in the start of the game, he didn’t want anyone looking at him. It was a weird carnival freak show moment. Good stuff! Hope you guys make him into an action figure!!!!!!
megascience | May 14, 2013 9:05 pm
That sad moment when I found the dead Handyman with the Vox, and listened to the Voxophone. Poor guy…
yanderequeen | May 14, 2013 9:20 pm
My favorite part has to be finding the dead handyman surrounded by the vox taking a photo. He was holding the Voxophone his wife left him. It breaks my heart everytime i play that part in the game
gaboalonso | May 14, 2013 9:40 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman was the first time we fought. I had seen the trailers, but that was wicked!
blackfire51 | May 14, 2013 9:55 pm
My favorite part is when you see the Handyman for the first time at the fair. this was my favorite part because when you see the Handyman, all you see is this gentle giant looking thing that is scared and frightened by the people taking photo’s of this “beast”. I think its the only moment you get to see the Handyman as something with feelings instead of this mini boss that constantly attacked you while you were fighting of other enemies.
jaj1138 | May 14, 2013 10:18 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was the first time I faced one in combat outside the gunsmith’s shop. It surprised me how fast and powerful they are. Although there are cargo hooks, this the only area that does not have a Sky-Line for the Handyman to electrocute. This was the hardest area for me to fight him as I could not take advantage of him hanging on the Sky-Line, and forced be into a run and gun tactic.
riseup44 | May 14, 2013 10:21 pm
(Spoiler) On the 3rd level of Comstocks Airship at the end of the game you come across a Handyman who you battle. At one point after jumping up onto the skyrail the Handyman got back to floor level and he seems to be in pain and seems very sad, I don’t know if it was just the angle I was looking at him and the lighting plus the electricity but it really looked like he had tears on his face coming from his eyes and for a half a second it took me back and I had to really do a double take. It made me feel bad, i know this is complete fiction but it just makes you think of this character forced to be a handyman probably and it makes you refer to real life similarities. Such an amazing game. I loved the emotional roller coaster Irrational took us on this time. Thanks.
riceshooter | May 14, 2013 10:27 pm
Well I agree that the first encounter was the most important, but mostly because it scared the crap out of me, i wasn’t expecting it, and as i recall it came at me face to face around a corner with no warning, maybe I’m mistaken and this wasn’t the first encounter, a little fuzzy considering i was so enthralled in the game and concentrating on unraveling the insane plot 🙂
lostheavenx | May 14, 2013 10:42 pm
Hands down my favorite moment with the handy man was my first encounter. It was a brutal, desperate, and satisfying battle. As soon as he smashes the two workers below him, he turned and looked at me. I begin shooting dead center into his chest with my freshly loaded hand canon. The fight raged on for about two minutes ( man, they were tense). I seemed to have ran out on my hand canon and machine gun ammo, sniper was the last resort, and with that I jumped on to the hang point and onto the roof where the sniper lay, pick it up, lock my crosshair over his beating heart and take the final shot. I really hoped for a different challenge, and not just another big daddy clone, Irrational, you passed with flying colors in my book.
nithelem | May 15, 2013 12:10 am
My favorite moment was when Booker was being dangled outside the Lady’s airship and you see the handyman stretch in front of all the workers on your way to Fink’s. He seemed like a cool guy to hang around with before he tried killing you. 1999 mode, baby.
cinemac3 | May 15, 2013 1:36 am
I loved when he cracked his fingers like a badass while DeWitt was dangling outside of the Lady’s airship. It’s like he’s telling me “you’re mine now”.
warlock978 | May 15, 2013 2:08 am
Have to say my favorite moment would be any of the satisfying kills of a handyman! Having to endure the long battles makes the actual kill that much greater!
yimingwuzere | May 15, 2013 2:17 am
While the Handyman fights are interesting, the best Handyman encounter isn’t one of those: rather, it’s hearing Samuel Gerst’s voxophone from his wife.
skelterhelter | May 15, 2013 3:29 am
During the carnival, we get our first glimpse of the much anticipated heavy hitter, but all is not what it seems!
While I was surprised to see the Handyman so early on in the game, it was immediately apparent that this one in particular meant no harm. Intrigued, I moved closer, immediately noting the cartoon of the sick man and the promise of eternal life.
The Handyman seemed to gather quite the crowd, but while the citizens of Columbia and the salesman were nothing but ecstatic, the latter posing the question of man or machine to those below, the Handyman groaned, covered his face, and stumbled backward when the photographer took a photo. He seemed humiliated, even frightened by the jeering, gawking onlookers.
And while Columbia’s corruption had already been made apparent to me, I was further shaken and disengaged from the joyful atmosphere when I overheard an NPC couple’s conversation, which I will paraphrase. “He looks so sad,” said the woman. And partner’s reply? “How can you be sad with strength like his?”
Then I was sure that he was human, at least partially.
Later in the game, I found that my suspicions had been correct. Life for the Handyman, if one could consider that a proper existence, was granted where sickness surely would have led to death otherwise. (i.e. “Better a Handyman than a dead one.”)
In any case, I’m a little ashamed of my first assumption. From what was shown in the TV advertisement and previous trailers before the game was released, I had fully expected the Handyman to be an absolutely ruthless brute, but instead I was happily proven wrong. Just like many of the Splicers of Rapture, the Handyman was a person once. A person until unfortunate circumstances befell them and they were left only with pitiful, miserable existences. Inside the glass window of the Handyman’s chest is a heart and until I played the game for myself, I did not look past their hulking figures. The beautiful portrait of the Handyman and little Bella goes another step further is both incredibly touching and incredibly human.
decoyocto | May 15, 2013 3:33 am
hearing the handyman talk for the first time while you are fighting him, that changed the way i fought for the entire game.
chewin3 | May 15, 2013 5:11 am
It is hard to choose one favorite moment with the Handyman, considering there are quite a few moments that I cherished when facing the archetypal armored enemy. But when it comes, I think my favorite moment (while not specifically enjoyable per see) in the game when facing the Handyman would the very first encounter you fight one, at Fink Manufacturing.
It wasn’t simply its gruesome appearance and its reckless behaviour that made an impact on me. No, it was what it was saying that made it for me. Continuously having to listen to the Handyman screaming things like “Go away. Please, go away!”, “Stop, every sound hurts!” and “I want to sleep!” which really touched me on an emotional level.
Having early on in the game learn that the purpose of the Handyman was to help the disabled and severely injured citizens of Columbia, and not only to be able-bodied but also advertise as helping these citizens regain their vitality, is what made me sympathize with the general idea, and see that mabe living in a mechanical suit wasn’t such a bad outcome for these kind of people. However, when I heard the Handyman’s agony, I felt pity and rage. Learning from its shouts, it seemed to me that they live in great pain and cannot sleep, and which showed how corrupted Columbia is on the inside even more.
So instead of turning the Handyman into mindless enemies, this procedure made me sympathize with the Handyman, and even made me reluctant to kill them even though I had no choice. So that is why it’s hard to choose one favorite, since everything from their introduction to the battle works as a nice build up for the enemy, but the revelation of its true ‘identity’ is at least one scenario that had a big impact on me.
fieryknight | May 15, 2013 5:17 am
Meeting the Handyman at the Fair. It was exciting to see it in person, and learn that it wasn’t an enemy or a hand of the police force, but to help handicaped people.
larganator | May 15, 2013 5:17 am
My favorite moment is the first time you encounter the handyman in combat…the first time I had to fight one I was actually scared and when youve played as many videogames as I have thats saying something
coolmantonu | May 15, 2013 1:15 pm
My favorite part with the handyman is
coolmantonu | May 15, 2013 1:24 pm
My favorite part with the handyman is when you first fight him by the gun shop and shanty town. It was awesome but very difficult because he moves quick and his attacks are strong!! I mean one hit takes out your shield strong. That’s when I got my achievement cause I notice there was some type of glitch in the game he just stood still and I just kept shooting at his heart with the sniper rifle. Great game i love it I hope I can get this copy because i wanna get all the trophies for the Ps3 and irrational congrats. One more thing when is there gonna be dlc im dying to play more
philthyfork | May 15, 2013 3:16 pm
My favorite part with the Handyman is when you are trying to save Elizabeth from getting lynched by the crazy religious mob, but while you are sniping, a Handyman shows up out of nowhere!
Oh wait, that wasn’t in the game. I guess in game is when you find the dead Handyman in the lower Finkton slums surrounded by Vox taking a photo. It was pretty sad to listen to the Voxophone from the Handyman’s wife. Sadness +1
johanjudai | May 15, 2013 5:00 pm
My favourite part with the handyman was when we fight a Vox Populi one. When i was fighting him, he always told me how much he suffered and how much he hurts inside of him. It was unbeliviable and charge in emotion.
steampunkjim | May 15, 2013 5:00 pm
Definitely the first time at the fair. It was a surprisingly heart-breaking moment.
evilbob7 | May 15, 2013 5:01 pm
The Vox Handyman was the one that stuck out the most to me.
crossyndicate | May 15, 2013 5:02 pm
I personally love the first time you met up with the Handyman – simply overwhelming…
yumkrill | May 15, 2013 5:03 pm
The moment where, on my second playthrough, I found the handyman that had been slaughtered by the vox, and the voxophone that belonged to his wife. Touched me somehow.
dozerlife | May 15, 2013 5:05 pm
at that moment when you realize just really how big the universe is and how anything within existence is possible if your mind is set to it, and how the people you love will never be lost, and how fortunate it is to be the one considered in this reality in space and time, that makes up who you are as an individual, regardless of how many other yous are out there, it only takes one to change the fate of many, and that is something special. The risks you would go through to rescue someone you barely even know, but feel it’s in your nature to do so is a rewarding thing in time, even if at times we aren’t fuly ourselves or regret actions we’ve taken, it’s always good to know what’s in your heart is really all that matters, and for this game to focus on that, will never let me forget playing it.
hawkguybro | May 15, 2013 5:06 pm
The moment where you find Elizabeth on the “beach” and she’s dancing on the pier stands out to me. Just her whole innocence and how she views everyday things with such wonder and amazement. Watching her view of the world evolve throughout the course of the game was probably my favorite part of the story.
astrozombie1386 | May 15, 2013 5:06 pm
My favorite moment is when you step through the tear and you see the dead handyman outside the bar, that you heard about in the voxophone on the docks and hear the new extra sad and loving voxphone as they take a picture over his dead body.
steverdone | May 15, 2013 5:06 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was when he was first introduced at the fair. It was the only time that I saw the Handyman completely vulnerable. Covering his face, and cowering from the crowd. It was ironic, and sad all at the same time.
aaronbee | May 15, 2013 5:06 pm
When I was lucky enough to come across one with only a pistol and and empty machine gun equipped….. \\_(TnT)_//
carlydenises | May 15, 2013 5:07 pm
My favorite part is when booker and Elizabeth are going down the elevator into rapture and and song bird is drowning and she’s telling him everything will be okay.
ellrick | May 15, 2013 5:07 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman was the first fight with him after the gunsmith while playing on 1999 mode.
After getting curtly handled by him several dozen times, and almost at my wits end, he had the audacity to ask ME to stop tormenting HIM.
foxfyre841 | May 15, 2013 5:07 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman is the first time I saw him as an enemy. With low health, low ammo, and not enough buffs it took me several tries to put him down. His mobility is astounding.
ironlung1291 | May 15, 2013 5:07 pm
What do you mean, “favorite moment?” I cowered in fear and jumped on the nearest handrail in the opposite direction every time one of those things showed up. There are not enough RPGs in Columbia to quell the horror.
jt4470 | May 15, 2013 5:08 pm
When I got that armor that was specifically for handymen and was able to level the playing field. Haha! Take that!
haxon | May 15, 2013 5:08 pm
Fighting the Handyman at the Factory was incredible. Zipping from rail-to-rail using my Sky Hook to just have him electrocute it, to bring me down to his level, was certainly heart-pounding. As I picked myself up, I battered him with my array of weapons, but I soon realized his heart was his one true weakness… and my sniper rifle could do the job. With steady aim I took fire as he charged and it was a direct hit! He fumbled to his knees after what had felt like an eternity of grueling battling. It was over. And I was victorious.
audiopolution | May 15, 2013 5:08 pm
just to witness one of those guys in real life must have been a real treat i know id be shaking in my pants if ran into one and it wasnt angry
ilovealesana32 | May 15, 2013 5:08 pm
My favorite moment was seeing the evolution of the handyman. From circus act, to warden, to attack dog. Crazy
laeda | May 15, 2013 5:09 pm
The first encounter, indeed. I love the Handyman character concept, he’s a massive and threatening-looking man, yet his heart is so exposed
rudarudd | May 15, 2013 5:09 pm
People seem to be just listing their favorite moments and not ones with the handyman… Meoh god maybe I’ll do both.. When the handyman throw you and Elizabeth catches you with a teared zeppelin, that was great! Favorite moment overall? From 0:01 to 16:57
littlemissjimmy | May 15, 2013 5:09 pm
The songbird of bioshock infinite sold the game to me. The setting was aesthetically in depth and beautiful which helped with immersion, the characters created are as iconic and interesting as the first bioshock.
The new range of vigors and gear upgrades improved the mechanics and i just loved every second of the game.
Favorite part of the game has to be running from songbird, i was genuinely terrified and how slow you had to go just made me think i was going to get torn apart
lordmembrane | May 15, 2013 5:09 pm
My favorite moment was at the begining of the game, where you first see a Handyman being exposed, and he tries to hide himself. in shame, it helps the gamer see how imperfect Columbia is.
burhanhashmi | May 15, 2013 5:10 pm
ooooooo i want that :3
docgono | May 15, 2013 5:10 pm
Mmm… I think the best moment was when I tried to obtain the “Heartbreaker” achievements, it was a very hard, but funny, battle! 🙂
burhanhashmi | May 15, 2013 5:11 pm
my fav moment is the evolution of handyman
shadowedice | May 15, 2013 5:11 pm
Although it was difficult, my favorite moment with the Handyman was going for the Heartbreaker achievement. I restarted the checkpoint many times near the gunsmith after countless failures. When I finally managed it get it I felt so relieved and accomplished.
otsirhc | May 15, 2013 5:12 pm
My favorite moment with a Handyman was the first time Booker encounters one up close, and as a result Booker is sent careening off the ledge only to be narrowly saved by Elizabeth. Definitely a good way to show the player their ferocity.
mitton87 | May 15, 2013 5:12 pm
The moment when you get the Voxophone that a wife is recording about her husband and how he became a Handyman so that he could continue his life. I believe she said something along the lines of “Better a monster than a dead husband.” There was something powerful about that statement and how the handymen where used and created. Really made me think about the original BioShock and the Big Daddies and how they were created…. Just a man in a giant metal suit.
madamerel | May 15, 2013 5:13 pm
When I first saw the Handyman being displayed at the Raffle, I knew he’d be a bitch when the time came. And the time came. And he was. I turned around and saw him, then…I didn’t know what hit me. He charges almost as fast as a Big Daddy, and has immense strength. I was in for a horrible surprise when I thought I could use the sky-lines to escape him and quickly got electrocuted. Defeating a Handyman is no easy feat. Trying to keep steady and aim at his heart can be a a bit difficult when he’s trying to charge at you.
bumblebeeunsc | May 15, 2013 5:13 pm
When you see the vox taking trophy photos of themselves with Samuel Gerst
aalon004 | May 15, 2013 5:13 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is when you see his corpse in front of the Graveyard Shift Bar, holding a voxophone. It was awe inspiring to be able to see the handyman’s lifeless body in juxtaposition with hearing his wife speak such kind words about the man he used to be.
baemon | May 15, 2013 5:14 pm
My favorite moment dealing with the Handyman is when I kill a Handyman for the first time. The hype that had built around them was justified, these scumbags are insanely tough. Plus no amount of running or going on the skylines can keep them away forever. They’re just mean, so finally bringing one down was really awesome.
destructivducky | May 15, 2013 5:14 pm
That moment when you try so hard to get Heartbreaker achievement just unloading a grinder into there chest getting so lucky you get it and you just stare at the handymans dead body and say to yourself “thanks you” then walk off
n4212 | May 15, 2013 5:14 pm
My favorite moment was when the Handyman was being showcased during the carnival. It was interesting to see that while he has ferocious power, he is still a man inside a machine.
necrofreak13 | May 15, 2013 5:15 pm
After the First Lady gets hijacked, Booker wakes up and sees the workers swinging sledge hammers and a handyman just standing there, pointing fingers and giving orders…showing us just how much of a douche a handyman can be lol
dalisdl | May 15, 2013 5:15 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was when I met him at the fair, when I first saw him I was interested but felt sad for him 🙁 he looked so scared of pictures, he looked weak, but then I met him later… D: not as weak as i thought lol.
masterclow | May 15, 2013 5:16 pm
What I must like was probably more the change between his behavior on the Festival, where he is showing off and playing, to the way he wants to destroy you during the game.
kboom22 | May 15, 2013 5:16 pm
There are so many different moments with the Handyman that I loved but I think it is the message of the story of the Handyman that really stood out to me. Everyone may see it differently but as I progressed through the game I understood the Handyman’s a lot more. In the beginning of the game you see a Handyman at the fair and everyone looking at him and the Handyman just looks so sad and hurt. He wanted to become stronger but sacrifices had to be made to his body. It is like cause and effect, everything we do can affect us someway or another, or even more what we do can affect others. The Handyman’s were terrifying to fight as the were huge, powerful, and not as slow as one may expect. Yet as your fighting them and getting to know them better that even though they are filled with rage they have made sacrifices for something they may believe in. This makes it harder to take their life and it is a decision that doesn’t come lightly. Samuel the one Handyman you get to learn the most about carrying his memento of his wife is just absolutely incredible and it helps you connect with him in an emotional way. It is the message of the Handyman’s that truly captured my attention and heart into this game, and the way he was drawn up truly taught me more of what I learned throughout my life, every action has a reaction, and the choices the Handyman’s made are tough for them and they have to live with it, but just because they are different doesn’t mean they have to be looked at or treated differently, but they also have emotions that they have to battle like everyone else.
grievier | May 15, 2013 5:16 pm
MY favorite moment is seeing the Handy man at the fair right at the very start of the game. it gave you a really good look at what would be an important enemy!
inheritix | May 15, 2013 5:17 pm
Getting a a Heartbreaker achievement!
By nevertheless Breaking his heart.
sirsims | May 15, 2013 5:17 pm
Every single moment when a handyman appears is my favorite moment!
feanor | May 15, 2013 5:17 pm
The fight in the Finkton plaza was the greatest moment for me. It’s a wonderful fighting area that gives the player many opportunities, contains lots of hidden stashes, and, in combination with the Handyman and other enemies, forces the player to use all those resources to wreak havoc on the streets. It may well be my favourite fight in the whole game as well.
batmanknight | May 15, 2013 5:17 pm
The introduction of the character and the whole design is just extremely brilliant. It made him seem like such a puppet to the elite, and the machine aspect of him ties in extremely well with industrialization. The beginning made him look like an innocent man, and sad to see him being treated like a freak show.
sirdrewness | May 15, 2013 5:18 pm
The most memorable encounter I had with a handyman was not the famous dead Handyman voxphone, nor the fair Handyman. These were both exceptional examples of the tear between good and evil that the Bioshock universe blurs so very well, but they were not the most memorable to me. The first time a saw a handyman was when looking up concept art. I loved the model and had invented countless back-stories… all tragic of course… as to how and why this man had to become this creature. I then realized just what an effect this universe has had on me. I see a monster and all I can imagine is the horrible story that made them become so vile and so grotesque. This might be because I’m a empathetic person, or this might be because the Bioshock universe makes you seriously consider the origins of chaos, evil, and abominations.
arelius | May 15, 2013 5:18 pm
If I had to specify a favorite moment with the Handyman, it would probably have to be when one comes for you right before you make it to Daisy Fitzroy. Man, oh man was I spent on supplies. I was playing on hard and did not have the weapons or ammo I needed to fight him. Luckily though I have a tendency to be a hoarder of money within games and quickly realized that my extended bankroll was going to pay off. I promptly found the Dollar Bill underneath the massive archway and started kiting him around the Archway while stocking up on health, salts, and ammo. It was such a tense and strung out fight due to my lack of weapons for the bulk of it, but so much fun because the intensity of each act of kiting the Handyman grew as I chiseled his health down more and more until I finally landed one final Devil’s Kiss on him which finished the job. Whoa man was I relieved when that fight was finished. It’s the moments such as that in all of the Bio Shock games which always had me coming back each time I thought I could put it down.
nicolozano | May 15, 2013 5:20 pm
The most awesome moment is when you find the Handyman they talk laying down dead on the street….is kind of a final goodbye, like finally closing a circle….but in the worst way it could have ended (or it was the best?)
dgrotum | May 15, 2013 5:21 pm
It is tough to pinpoint a particular episode in the game, especially since the handyman undergoes a characterization over a stretch of time; from the very beginning, where they are portrayed as nothing more than animals on a stage (like King Kong, simply afraid of the lights), to the illuminating voxophones from a distressed wife, my perception of them changed. They became tragic.
If I am to submit a defining moment in the development of these men, it must be the voxophone from an estranged lover found on the dead body of a handyman:
“They said your soul was choked by the fumes in that metal box, but this I do not believe. And we shall meet again, on that eternal shore – both of us whole and smiling. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
Here the emotional understanding of the handyman reaches its peak, as the man behind the creature is completely revealed. The Jekyll is laid bare – sadly it could only be done through the demise of Mr. Hyde.
charthero | May 15, 2013 5:21 pm
NO MAMES NORUEGO
axel410 | May 15, 2013 5:21 pm
The whole game is my favorite moment. I guess it includes the Handyman in some kind of way.
thejiimreaper | May 15, 2013 5:21 pm
My favourite moment with a handyman, was when your are fighting to get the first lady on the big platform, and daisy is locked in the middle room, because he wouldn’t leave me alone, and it was such an in depth battle the whole time, and every time I used the sky lines, he would knock me off or electrify the lines. Its was an amazing peice of game play, and the way the handyman reacted to my every move and how he fought throughout the battle, really made the game a great experience. 10/10 for such an amazing game.
banschee | May 15, 2013 5:22 pm
You know, what really made the most touching moment was actually to get to know the Handyman. He once was a loved spouse, and now he merely is someone he used to be. He may have fought with Booker, but then again, he always asked why i would do this to him. I strongly believed he didn´t want to fight me, but then again, i had to. Then, the moment i saw his big heart contained within the metal body in this yellow fluid, this really cracked me up. He is but a machine, not some Handy man. Not for his spouse anymore. Makes me kinda punch the one who was responsible for this.
That being said, i also hated it when he electrocuted the Zip-lines. He sure did his best as a Men.
titanictrent | May 15, 2013 5:22 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was one that didn’t make the final cut for the game. In an early game play video, he jumps onto a bridge that Booker and Elizabeth are crossing, he is soon taken out by Songbird in a cut scene.
greasygrimer | May 15, 2013 5:24 pm
I really liked the moment at the beginning when you see the Handyman up on stage being displayed. You can really empathize with the man inside, or rather, what little of him is left. I also really like the character design. The still beating heart in his metal chest is a little reminder that the Handyman is a human being. With the first Bioshock, you only see the outer shell of a Big Daddy, and sometimes forget that what you’re fighting is actually a person.
jacodv | May 15, 2013 5:24 pm
My most favorite moment with the Handyman:
I hear Elizabeth screaming at me: “I see a handyman!”
Unaware of where the Handyman is at this point in time, I turn around, only to find something heading towards “my” face. As scared as I am, I immediately initiate Murder Of The Crows, which of course, merely tickles the “thing”.
For the first time in my life…I experience what is known as a face-smash.
In order to avoid any further face-smashing, I run like a coward in the opposite direction.
After several strategic moves, I deem victory!
adimasi | May 15, 2013 5:24 pm
My favorite moment is in the begin where you have to chose who to hit with the baseball. Before that point I wasn’t exactly sure about the game. Then the sky hook comes into play…I fell in love! As if I didn’t already love all the bioshock games already!
meddleman | May 15, 2013 5:25 pm
I gotta say, my favorite encounter with Handyman must have been when you first leave Chen Lins workshop. I was unwittingly heading towards the good time club and all of a sudden jumped from the top of the buildings towards me. Me, with no experience against these lumbering foes expected the handyman to be a slow. I have never been so wrong in my life of gaming. The handyman lunged with amazing speed and dealt serious damage. Terrified I spent most of the time running in fear trying to get shots on the fly which had little affect. Then I had the great idea of using the hooks to safely take time out. But the handyman wasn’t fazed and just hurled electricity which soon made quick work of me. What really struck me was the pain that the Handyman was in, the . It gave me a real sense of sympathy for this creature. When I finally delivered the final blow, I felt relieved not because I could continue, but because I gave the Handyman release. Kudos to Ken and Irrational for making such a memorable enemy and game. THANK YOU!!!
helenquilly | May 15, 2013 5:26 pm
When you first see the handyman stood on stage, flinching at the flashes of the cameras despite his great size, you are faced with the fact that this is an intelligent being. You wonder how such a seemingly sensitive being came to be trapped within that monstrous metal shell. Later when you meet the handyman again, he appears to have become a mindless killing machine with little humanity left. The back story explaining this change makes him one of the most intriguing characters, and you also have to consider if a similar process was used to create songbird.
subjectlambda | May 15, 2013 5:27 pm
Has to be at the fair, the people taking the pictures of it and the fear and embarrassment that seems to take place on that podium. As much as I new the Handymen were an enemy, I instantly felt sorry for the sad creatures and what they once were.
shotgunpen | May 15, 2013 5:27 pm
My favorite moment is during Booker’s introduction to Columbia, right at the Handyman stand. It was like something out of Frankenstein. He was on display in what could only be against his choice as he tried to hide his face from the awestruck people in front of him. It really does come off with the same feel as the Big Daddies of the first Bioshock. Chances are, those poor metal monstrosities didn’t want to be there either.
cmgirty | May 15, 2013 5:29 pm
The best moment featuring the Handyman from Bioshock Infinite was when you’re walking through the carnival. His looming presence and obvious strength while being chained was definitely foreboding that he was gonna come wreck it up later.
mrbunbun54 | May 15, 2013 5:30 pm
Metal clanking. Hearts pounding, but one pounding louder than the rest. Where is it coming from? The left? Right? Front? Back? No. Look up.
As the metal man falls down upon your body, his steel hands screeching, he screams. With a single hit, it’s over……
You wake up to rubble all around you and blood on your body. A revolver is resting in your palm, and your ears are shot. You sit up, and look around. There the beast lies, a whole blown through his core, iron filled crimson flooding the cracks of the cobblestone street around him, and smoke gently rising out of your barrel. With a single hit, it was over.
logasm | May 15, 2013 5:32 pm
Fighting him and half a dozen other enemies over multiple stories, using cat and mouse tactics and the rails system.
vincevindicated | May 15, 2013 5:32 pm
For me, my favorite moment with the Handyman was seeing him as a whole in the wonder and greatness that is Bioshock: Infinite. We are brought into the beautiful world of Columbia and everything has such flavor to it. Along with this, was our beloved Handyman.
When I first saw him being shown off, looking helpless. You couldn’t help but to feel bad for him, but after it all. When all of the shit hit the fan, you had to fight him. He was such a challenge, but he was more than just a challenge. He was a person. He is something that is VERY alive and he is another superb component of Bioshock: Infinite.
mysterio | May 15, 2013 5:34 pm
My favourite encounter with the Handy is clearly when I tried to get the Heartbreaker achievement. Hell that one was tricky but after a few tries, I finally got it 😉
hannalore | May 15, 2013 5:34 pm
My favorite Handyman moment came while listening to Voxophones in Shantytown. Bioshock was a very emotional game, but the last voxophone from Hattie Gerst was the only moment that legitimately made me cry. I had heard why Hattie’s husband had chosen to become a Handyman, but learning of her true devotion to him even after he became what appears to be a monster was beautiful.
In Shantytown, after crossing through the tear where the Vox were revolting, you come across two Irish gentlemen taking photos with the corpse of Hattie’s husband. He’s holding a voxophone to his chest, a voxophone from his wife telling him how proud she is and how she will always love him. I had to stop playing for awhile after that, and killing Handymen always made me sad.
The main storyline is amazing, but finding and listening to Voxophones was absolutely my favorite element in the game. Hearing Hattie, Constance, and the story of the Sioux boy were all heart-breaking. There’s some absolutely incredible storytelling in Infinite, I’m so happy with the experience Irrational and Ken Levine gave us.
steviewondrs | May 15, 2013 5:34 pm
<> These are the first few seconds of the Infinite Teaser trailer. For me that was the best handyman moment. It was unclear at that time what character the mechanical being would be, but it made me imagine what it would look like, how it would behave. What could be the story behind the beating heart behind glass? The video lasted less then two minutes, but it made me fantasize about Columbia for the next few months. Thank you for this spark of imagination.
biofall | May 15, 2013 5:34 pm
My favorite hands down was leaving the workshop. I just didn’t expect it or know how to handle it. Most of my time was spent using the hand cannon on the bugger until eventually I developed some workable tactics. Tense the entire time. Great stuff!
zaebay | May 15, 2013 5:36 pm
My favourite moment was probably when you first saw the Handyman. He just looked so sad, and you figure out that they’re actually really upset with their situation. If gives that little bit of back round for them that makes them stand out.
chains4w | May 15, 2013 5:37 pm
I absolutely loved the Handyman, and to tell you the truth I feel like I didnt see enough of them in the game. They felt so real to me and represented what Columbia truly meant.
toastercommande | May 15, 2013 5:37 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was the fight against him just before killing Fitzroy. I remember zooming around on the zipline, blasting everything I could see, jumping off to throw out a murder of crows every now and then before jumping back on. The whole fight, and really every fight with the Handyman was just so chaotic and fun that I had a blast whenever he showed up to play. In a way, I feel bad for him. After all, he seems so miserable in that tin can body he has. But, then again, he also enjoyed zapping me and punching me in the face. Which makes him a true Frankenstein’s monster: Pitiable, but he needs to be put down. Thankfully, it’s a damn good fight.
steviewondrs | May 15, 2013 5:40 pm
A city under the sea, as you surface above the water, you realise it’s a fishtank. The next moment you’re startled by the sight of a mechanical hand and a beating heart behind a glass fitting…. These were the first few moments of the Bioshock Infinite Teaser. At that time it was probably not even sure what the handyman would be like, what its story would be, why is there a beating heart inside a glass container? The video lasted less then 2 minutes, but it made me wonder about Columbia for the next few months. Thank you for sparking my imagination!
mathiasgideon | May 15, 2013 5:40 pm
Of all the enemies in Infinite, the Handyman had to be the most annoying one. What made him annoying? You couldn’t really snipe him from a distance as he ran towards you. He would just jump towards you. The one encounter forever in my brain, though, has to be the one right before Daisy kills Fich. So HARD!
jwalshy95 | May 15, 2013 5:42 pm
After giving it a lot of thought I would say the first time you see him at the columbia raffle. As soon as I saw him I knew that he was going to be a worthy challenger In the game and I was correct. What I didn’t know was how much pain and suffering the handyman had suffered in the process of becoming a handyman. Shout’s like “Stop, every sound hurts!” and “I’m supposed to be dead!” started to make me feel sorry for him but I guess putting him out of his misery was the best solution from his life of agony and torment.
I congratulate you Irrational Games on making such a worthy and emotional character and the best of luck in the future with Bioshock.
phdingames | May 15, 2013 5:45 pm
When youre first walking through the streets and taking in the sights before you come across the street fair. Just seeing a Handyman who looks so imposing flinch at a flash from a camera made me see the humanity in them. They arent just cold machines and under all the gears they are humans who are in constant agony from what has happened to them
munkeemann | May 15, 2013 5:46 pm
It was right before the scene where Daisy dies and I spent half an hour flying around trying to avoid him. I eventually put on a Winter Shield and just jumped on and off of skylines to get that sweet invincibility period. I got him, but not before he got to me in a very deep emotional place.
hevendor | May 15, 2013 5:49 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman will be when I’ll have his graphite-on-paper drawing.
nightfall5029 | May 15, 2013 5:52 pm
It wasn’t my first time fighting the handyman, but there was a part where I was fighting him as well as other enemies. I kept using my skyhook, jumping off to kill enemies, while trying to keep a high ground and use my sniper rifle. When I saw the handyman, I stayed to the skylines, thinking he wouldn’t be able to get me. I was surprised when he followed me, knocking me down and dealing a great deal of damage. I stayed to the ground after that, trying to shoot him as he charged at me, before jumping to the rail, and jumping off somewhere away from him to reload my gun and unload on him again. His quickness scared me, and him throwing enemies at me made it that much worse. Even after killing him, there was a sadness there, especially after seeing him for the first time at the fair. I’d never felt a sadness in killing an enemy before, but the Handyman elicited that emotion every single time.
skysplitter | May 15, 2013 6:00 pm
On 1999 mode in the area before getting on the First Lady Airship. Cleared out all but the Handyman in the area and had no idea where he was. I knew it was low on health after take a lot of potshots at his heart with a Carbine so i wanted to wait for him to come to me, throw out a Murder of Crows and finish him off with a Shotgun (was out of Carbine ammo). Becoming rather impatient I used the skyline and got on the lower, just as I landed on the ground I heard a loud thud from behind, panicking I swerved around and and fired the Shotgun, landing a crit on his heart and killed him. At that moment I felt like Booker from the TV commercial =_=
majororphan | May 15, 2013 6:00 pm
Literally any time you start riding the Sky-Line and the handyman just bellows, “GET DOWN FROM THERE!!!” Before electrocuting the rail.
greyicewater | May 15, 2013 6:11 pm
My favorite experience with the Handyman is before you ever get to fight him. When Elizabeth is pissed at you and you’re trying to catch up with her and the Handyman just comes out of NOWHERE! He grabs you violently, and chucks you as far as he can across the map, and Elizabeth, albeit reluctantly, saves your life. This had my heart beating so fast, and no matter how much I told everyone I was just waiting for that first Handyman fight, I was relieved when he didn’t keep attacking me. Way to go guys, for making something more frightening and more difficult than the Big Sisters and the Big Daddies combined.
jayonhavok | May 15, 2013 6:12 pm
I keep reading about others having the same moment as me. It’s true, seeing the Handyman for the first time on stage left quite an impression. The embarrassment…the harassment…treated like an abused animal. He of course shows you later on just what kind of rage that can instill in a man with robotic appendages and incredible strength. The artwork above also shows just how gentle and caring it can be towards something it holds dear. Amazing work.
gamebent | May 15, 2013 6:16 pm
My fav experience was the first time that I saw the Handyman! I stood there in awe, and then I ran like hell! He was really tough to defeat, which is as it should be. The design of the Handyman is really cool, and as a Steampunk, it really gets my gears going….ba dum bum!
captainrevolver | May 15, 2013 6:18 pm
I really liked when you saw the Handyman for the first time on stage. The abuse and the Handyman’s reaction said a lot about the type of character he is. It got me excited because he reminded me a lot of Big Daddies and how they were pretty deep characters as well.
rawrnosaurous | May 15, 2013 6:20 pm
The handymen were treated as though their very existence was a sideshow amusement, though they were touted as being the culmination of science to allow the sick and dying a chance to continue on with their loved ones.
Walking through the fairground I saw how these people of god treated these men as they were nothing more than a weird twisted amalgamation of lesser men and machines though their hearts were on continuous display.
Even worse still is having one of them claw after you, a hulking mass of rivets and bellowing sadness. As they tear apart everything in their way to get their metallic hands on, they beg for you to end their suffering and I have little choice to but to oblige.
Elizabeth and I looked unwaveringly as I turned Chen Lin’s chair around to find that we were too late to save him. Though the Lutece’s encouraged us to tear open a veil to a universe where he hadn’t been killed I knew that it wasn’t going to be that easy. Nothing ever is, especially not here in Columbia.
Even now as Elizabeth is telling me that the only way forward is to open another tear and step inside to yet another world, I can’t help but shudder as to what else is going to change with it. Still we have no choice, if we are going to leave this city we have to do it as fast as possible.
It’s like ripping off a band-aid it’s best to do it as quick as possible, the more we drag it out the worse its going to get. Yet, as I walk through these familiar streets of Columbia embroidered with banners that have my face on it, I know that this isn’t a better world.
I’ve died here, I’ve died and become a martyr for the Vox Populi. I’m starting to remember what I did in this world, as though I lived through it but I have to push on these memories aren’t mine. Not really. If I focus on them too much I’ll end up losing myself, these Vox, these people in the streets shouting cheering as they gun down the people of Columbia. They aren’t heroes, this story isn’t about them and their uprising against their Columbia oppressors.
They have no remorse for they things they are doing, they remind me too much of myself. Burning people in their homes, shooting people in the street, gunning them down as they run and flee. It’s like Wounded knee all over again, this time I’m not going to participate. I’ve already done enough horrible things in my time, done enough that I can’t atone for. I’ve tried washing my sins away, its not as easy as people would like you to think. Washing it away doesn’t make it right, it won’t clean my soul or my conscience, I know the things that I have done.
I round the corner and hear the cheers of more Vox as listen to the words of inspiring encouragement from Daisy Fitzroy through the hovering dirigible. Something catches my eye down the street, I can hear the voices laughing jauntily as bright flashes pop. I see two men as they pose heroically over the twisted mass of a handyman lying dead in the street. They jokingly laugh as a third takes the opportunity to save the occasion with a camera, I smell the stench of dead bodies all over the city now. A smell that I have grown accustomed to almost as much as the smell of gunpowder.
As they continue their fun with the corpse of what used to be a living person I grab a voxophone off the cobbled street. I turn it on as I begin to walk towards the heart of the city as I look for Fitzroy, I have to get out of here before I slip back into the person I know I can be.
soanyjoe | May 15, 2013 6:28 pm
When you encounter the handyman after Daisy Fitzroy has just shot Fink, that was my favourite time. The handyman was draped in the red sheets of the vox, and was fighting for their cause, not for the founders. I think that this shows intelligence, as he has joined a revolution, probably as he believes in its cause.
littlemissysg | May 15, 2013 6:31 pm
I enjoyed hearing about the handyman through the voxophones. While fighting them it is definitely hard to get a good understanding of their story. The combination of man and machine to create this ever-working monster is fascinating and incredibly sad.
natashadsaville | May 15, 2013 6:33 pm
I don’t know what I would class as my ‘favorite’ moment with the Handyman, but I would say there are many memorable moments with them. I really just loved them throughout the game. All I will say is that every time I saw him I just felt so bad, from the first time to the last. He’s put on show for everyone to look at, miss understood and in pain. I just wanted someone to take care of him, especially when they were begging to be switched off or coughing up a lung! The only reason I didn’t mind gunning these poor guys down was because it felt like I was putting them out of their misery. Same with the Firemen…And just like I wasn’t feeling bad enough, you guys threw in that side story of Hattie and Samuel! I hope you enjoyed torturing me…
roccondil | May 15, 2013 6:39 pm
I gotta say that my favorite Handyman moment in the game would probably be the first time you see one, on display… it was one of the first things that made me remark about something in the game, and, frankly, it’s really interesting as Fink’s company is trying to market it as something that’s beneficial to people, but it’s trying to hide from the bright camera flashes as though it’s been forced to be in that position, like a slave…
kbennett14580 | May 15, 2013 6:40 pm
The first time I heard the Handyman say “Stop moving! Every sound hurts!”, it broke my freaking heart. I suddenly felt terrible for hurting him, because it wasn’t his fault he was part human, part tin can. He was a frightened animal trapped in a cage that he carried with him everywhere. And as horrible as I felt having to kill him, it also was inhumane (and impossible) to let him live. So I put the poor beast out of his misery.
selcath | May 15, 2013 6:43 pm
When you first see him on display at the festival
redsox02 | May 15, 2013 6:50 pm
my favorite moment with handyman was actaully meeting him in the fair on the begining of the game… his facial expression slightly sad or upset and body movement kinda screaming “what have i become”… i started to think of that sad story of how he became a handyman on my own… i thought that he was just a regular irish guy who illegally moved to Columbia with his family… because of poverty, he had to live in the suburbs of shanty town… he commited many crimes and started stealing in order to feed his family… but one day he got caught… and feel into the wild experiments of the Fink industry.. while undergoing experiment and being locked in the cells… the only companion he ahs is this cat he named “bella”, in the memories of his 4 year old daughter… as time passes, and the experiments getting worst and worst…. his body and memory started to weaken, he started to forget his family, his life and everything…. finally, he became handyman, half man half machine, build to be enslaved to work forever… and everytime he takes a short break or has no work to do, he plays with his little cat bella, the only link to his past and to his beloved daughter…
stefmanbegins | May 15, 2013 6:51 pm
Absolutely the first time you see one. It’s the only time you can actually pause for a moment and see one up close, and understand that it is, in fact, a man.
A great moment.
jbones24 | May 15, 2013 6:53 pm
Hmm, its really tough to choose a moment but I think when he jumps down and completely obliterates the airship in Emporia has gotta take the cake. So baddass. So awesome.
wizardofzoz | May 15, 2013 6:54 pm
Listening to the handyman’s anguished cries of pain as you combat him is truly an unnerving experience. It puts me on edge and makes the fight more intense. I somehow find myself pitying and fearing him at the same time. That said, the very first battle with him was an intense moment for me. After defeating the handyman I stopped playing for a moment of silence for the poor soul. It was surprising to encounter an enemy, who is not part of the greater story, that actually affected me emotionally in a videogame.
serenityofashes | May 15, 2013 6:56 pm
I’d have to say my favorite moment with the Handyman would be the first time he attacks Booker. That moment brought me back to that memory in the first Bioshock when you watch a Big Daddy pummel a splicer to death from behind a window. There’s something about that raw power and speed that makes the hairs on your neck stiffen, because that’s when you know that you, as the player, are in for some trouble when you fight it.
edenstate | May 15, 2013 7:00 pm
My favorite Handyman moment (other than the profanity-riddled first experience in Finkton Proper) was during my second play-through, listening to the voxophone recordings in earnest. It’s a biting moment, realizing these monsters were once ordinary men. Listening to a wife’s confessions really brings the fair expo full circle. I felt a tug of guilt killing them! A lot of games forget to bring humanity to the antagonists, save Bioshock.
mduyn | May 15, 2013 7:09 pm
has to be that first battle with him. not really knowing what he’s capable of doing yet. trying not to get too close then realizing he throws that energy blast anyway! totally caught me off guard. then attempting to hide while trying to think of what might do the most damage and the whole time, playing on 1999 mode! what a rush!
pfaber93 | May 15, 2013 7:22 pm
My favorite Handyman moment wasn’t really a “moment” at all, so to say. It was listening to the Voxophone (right by the dead corpse of the handymen the Vox Populi are celebrating the death of) and hearing his wife mourning his death. The Vox Populi only see the dead Handyman as a testament to their victory, but behind that body was once a real living soul with a real family. A real identity. I think that’s one of the things that makes Bioshock unique, how it can immerse you in the universe and even the little of details that you passively take in can engage you and draw you in. It’s the atmosphere and the characterization that make a Bioshock game a Bioshock game. 😀
shofie | May 15, 2013 7:23 pm
My favorite Handyman moment is actually the moment where you come across the “billboards” of the various sinners. There’s a few of them, one reads “Anarchist”, “Fornicator”, and one of them says “Pacifist”, and has a picture of the Handyman on it. That kind of breaks my heart a little bit.
mrman7627 | May 15, 2013 7:35 pm
My favorite encounter with a Handyman has to be when you chasing after Elizabeth and a handy man comes out of nowhere and throws you and Elizabeth has to save you by making a blimp come through a tear. Very dramatic.
baroquepunk | May 15, 2013 7:43 pm
For me, no moment can beat rescuing Elizabeth from the tower and escaping from Songbird. One of the most exciting moments i’ve ever experienced in a game.
bonfire5 | May 15, 2013 7:44 pm
My favourite moment with the Handyman is definitely when he first attacks Booker at the docks (when we’re chasing Elizabeth).
The way he just comes out from behind the wall, and swipes you down maybe his first thought being that Booker might hurt her.
I thought he was going to keep charging, but I guess he proved his point, or maybe he noticed that Elizabeth wasn’t running and knew she could handle herself from there.
taigoman | May 15, 2013 7:53 pm
I was going my merry way, looking for items and secret stuff, and Elizabeth says something like Look out! Handyman! and I quickly look left and right and when I look forward again he just falls right there. I got such a spook, my mouse flew next to the water bottle I keep next to the computer, which fortunately was closed.
Or I would not have where to write this stuff.
That aside, it was pretty fun, it was the first time I fought him.
tariqelagamy | May 15, 2013 7:56 pm
I had a similar reaction lol. Also, the way handymen peer into your soul with their emotionless stares…that creeps me out man.
tariqelagamy | May 15, 2013 7:55 pm
My favorite moment with a handyman is also my #2 most frightening moment in the game. Essentially, when I found out that handymen could electrocute skyrails and send good ol’ Booker plummeting to his untimely death, I metaphorically shit my pants.
For what it’s worth, my #1 most frightening moment in the game was when I turned around and saw a Boy of Silence staring right into my soul. Not even therapy can cure the reaction I had on that fateful evening.
Great game though! 🙂
im3nuron | May 15, 2013 7:56 pm
The best Handyman moment by far was when you first witness him in the carnival. Fans of the series saw the Handyman as a brutal enemy in the trailers, and seeing him in the carnival was absolutely terrifying, and yet mystifying. It gave you a look ahead of one of the hardest enemies in the game. The carnival scene is definitely a winner for best Handyman moment.
willabee | May 15, 2013 7:58 pm
honestly i just loved fighting him it was challenging and fun especially when half of my vigors didnt effect him at all
biogimp | May 15, 2013 8:05 pm
I have to say that when you first get captured by the Vox Populi, and you’re laying there with your head out the airship and you see the handy man looking over all those convicts slaving away in the mining fields.
Thats got to be the crowning moment with my interaction with the deviously agile Handy Man.
wickwire | May 15, 2013 8:14 pm
When I first heard him say” everything hurts:” for the first time I literally stopped playing and started to feel bad for him. I dont know if thats my favorite but its my most memorable moment
danlc256 | May 15, 2013 8:22 pm
So my favorite moment COULD bel labeled a glitch, but none the less a great moment. On my second play through(on 1999 mode this go around) I had nearly beat the game and Platinumed it out. I am nearing the final battle outside on the zeppelin and all that stands in my way is the final Handyman. Man was he tough, such an enclosed area left me begging for strategical standpoints. As I was left with only the gun automation on the right side of the room after the other was destroyed , I tore it into action. After that, getting a little too cocky and staying seconds longer on the rails than needed, I received a nice jolt from the Handyman. This was final touches to do me in. As I pay the money to respawn(I had the cash and was nearing the end, I just wanted him dead!) I respawn to hear a flurry of gun fire and a screaming handyman. As I round the corner I see atop the stairs the large back of my attacker, oblivious to my whereabouts. The gun automation firing relentlessly at his back I slowly make my way up the stairs behind him, pulling out my camera to film this insane event, I ready my skyhook for a couple of good blows before attempting a fleeing strategy. As I near him to make my initial blow assuming at this point the automation is doing no damage for whatever reason, I hear the behemoth let out a loud “NOOO” that would make Darth Vader blush, and fall to his knees. Not only did I just witness a doorway for my finale of 1999 mode but I also acquired the trophy for shooting him in the heart at the same time. But best of all…I have it all recorded!
lizatar | May 15, 2013 8:26 pm
THOROUGHFARE, Emporia, right in front of the Bank of the Prophet. Brilliant battle. The way the Handyman enters the area is great, smashing the Vox barge, smashing it too bits. No wonder you used it for the launch trailer.Then constantly charging at you in that huge open area swinging from the Sky-line chucking enemies at you. Using all those tears to bring in anything that could help. Undertow and the sniper rifle really got me through this one.
joshisabadman | May 15, 2013 8:29 pm
coming out of chen lin’s and hearing the ground shake as you first hear one, damn them things are hard to kill
robodisaster | May 15, 2013 8:31 pm
I was fighting the Handyman in Finkton. I was out of ammo, running low on salts, he’d just electrified the rail barely an instant after I jumped off (a trick that, by the way, I’d been horrified to realize he could play). I was backed into a corner firing wildly, and I was absolutely terrified of him. And then he screamed “why are you doing this?!” I flashed back to the first handyman you see at the fair and how upset he’d been, and I suddenly realized that the thing attacking me was as much a victim as I felt. Even as I attacked him again, I felt this strange, morbid kinship to him. And I couldn’t help him any more than I could save myself from him. It’s not often I feel that utterly helpless in a game, and it was definitely a very powerful moment for me.
fefnirzero | May 15, 2013 8:35 pm
The first encounter with a Handyman still stands out as amazing, he is also a force to be reckoned with! With my first run focusing on Vigors only… he was a tough encounter that kept me more on my toes then even my first Big Daddy showdown!
defunk313 | May 15, 2013 8:39 pm
The Handyman caused my first death in my first play through… I was using the sky-lines to get out of his way for a moment, because i was low on health. In the buzz i missed the message telling me that he can electrocute you on the line. I was flying towards him and switched to go into the other direction. All of the sudden he uses the electricity and I am dead.
Probably not my most “favorite” moment, but one that definitely stuck with me!
toxicatom5 | May 15, 2013 9:02 pm
Getting thrown off of Columbia in that first real face to face encounter was pretty crazy!
brokenyew | May 15, 2013 9:23 pm
My favorite moment was when Booker first met him and didn’t have to fight him. I was not mentally prepared for a fight, and I was thankful later that I didn’t have to at the moment Booker was thrown.
drebe73 | May 15, 2013 9:40 pm
Empathetic, Loved, Misunderstood, Sleepy.
wjackson610 | May 15, 2013 9:45 pm
Listening to the voxophone of the late wife of a Handyman while some Founders are taking photos with the recently deceased hulking giant. Adds empathy to an already tragic character.
boss1197 | May 15, 2013 9:49 pm
How insanely hard they are and how many times they murdered me in 1999 Mode… Good lord that is something I will never forget.
ryguy19403 | May 15, 2013 10:03 pm
i love when the handyman comes while you are trying to find the gunsmith scared the crap outta me and he was fun to fight
aardvarkgod | May 15, 2013 10:21 pm
It was sad listening to Hattie Gerst go on about her husband, now a handyman due to succumbing to cancer. Her final voxophone recording is clutched in his dead, mechanical hands.
bobbybg33k | May 15, 2013 10:24 pm
Wow. That is just awesome that this is even being offered.
I have two favorite points, one is from one of the trailers of the game. It’s where the handyman throws a person at Booker and Booker whallops the guy with Bucking Bronco.
The second is when I fought him on the blimp. I don’t know what it is about that area, but he’s a nice challenge there. I try to get on the skyhook and get away and he says, “Nuupe!” And then electrocutes me. I hate it when he electrocutes me, but then that stops me from being a chicken and just hooking away from the fight.
ashleythatsme | May 15, 2013 10:31 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is when I was fighting him for the third time. It was more intense then in the previous boss fights in my opinion. My heart was pounding and it was such an adrenaline rush. It seemed I could only get a tiny bit of damage on him before he leaped across the map and I would sky-hook onto the rail just in time. Of course he made it very clear that I could not hide on the rail very long before he electrified it, so it made it all the more challenging. I was so scared to to even jump down and replenish my ammo. The Handyman seemed more vocal in this battle as well. He yells “stop tormenting me” and “‘I’m supposed to be dead!” which really made me think about his story and how awful I felt for hurting him. This is why I love Bioshock. It’s not just about the amazing game play and graphics, but about every little detail they put into the game to create such emotionally charged stories.
lostone0083 | May 15, 2013 10:37 pm
I know its been said a lot but the first time you meet him but also the the one you face right be for the the final fight on the airships.
bamjoker | May 15, 2013 10:45 pm
When meeting him for the first time, nothing like seeing the amazing artwork in person so to speak.
thechief1171 | May 15, 2013 10:46 pm
This game had the most ironic ending and touched me the most in so many ways
grandsolovey | May 15, 2013 11:00 pm
My favorite moment involving the Handymen by far would be the “ding!” after I’d just defeated one that told me I’d gotten the Heartbreaker trophy. I wasn’t even trying for it!
comparisons | May 15, 2013 11:03 pm
When I finished the game, I wanted to understand more about this Columbia so I started reading all about the history of it. The apparent breakthrough science that that was going on at the time, the reasons Elizabeth even bothered to show her Booker how Comstock was even made, but the thing, the absolute thing that really got me was the history on the Wounded Knee and the Boxer Rebellion.
You see, if you listen to one of the voxophones it talks about Comstock being in Broken Knee and that his comrades didn’t acknowledge him, this is probably because he didn’t want to kill anyone, that’s why the Sargent commented that “his family shares a tepee or two doesn’t it son”. So he burns down the tepees to get acknowledge by his own people! And that’s when they start calling him comrade…
This is reinforced when Elizabeth talks to Booker saying “How can you get used to killing people?” and Booker DeWitt replies with “You get used to if faster than you’ll ever know…”. It really is sad, Booker DeWitts and Zachary Comstocks biggest regret… Killing all those innocent people.
“Only blood can redeem blood.”
firaxis5050 | May 15, 2013 11:17 pm
The moment you first see a Handyman at the Raffle… you get to simultaneously appreciate the art and the unique BioShock style of the character design while you’re also terrified at the thought of having to fight one of them.
ciriacus | May 15, 2013 11:17 pm
My favorite handyman moment was fighting one of them in the Hand of the Prophet! Personally, that fight was much more challenging than the entire final sequence, as you had enemies in every direction!
yuzhii | May 15, 2013 11:35 pm
I love encountering Handyman to fight him. He made such a good challenge. I definitely had some sympathy for him though, after hearing some of the things he says, one can’t help but feel a little sorry for him and his pain. Overall, encountering him in the game is always a good moment.
crankafoo | May 15, 2013 11:39 pm
I liked fighting the Handyman in any scenario that he was in. It changed the fight and made you have to adapt a light-footed approach. That, and he screams in agony which always freaks me out a bit.
-Kisses
ssammons | May 15, 2013 11:45 pm
i enjoyed/took more time seeing the Handyman at the fair on my second run through of the game. to see this giant man/robot shy away from people and the flash of a camera in one instance, to becoming a murdering machine charging right at me the second was pretty awesome. different sides of a coin. also, they’re a nightmare on 1999 mode.
shawanoman | May 15, 2013 11:58 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman has to be just listening to what they are saying stuff like “It hurts, it hurts!” or “I miss my body!” Hearing their sadness almost makes you upset to hurt them, I mean they have been through so much it seems already. If they didn’t attack me hearing them say those things would make me want to just give them a big hug! Love you handymen you have my heart!
gr33neggsnspam | May 16, 2013 12:18 am
The most peculiar and memorable time with a Handyman for my 1999 playthrough was outside the Emporia Bank of the Prophet. Massacring everything in my path, the Handyman came around and put up one of the hardest cat and mouse chases I’ve ever been on the wrong end of. Out of salts and only a couple shotgun shells remaining, I was shaken from the electrified rails. Unfortunately, with the size of the battleground, I lost track of my menace’s whereabouts…not a feeling I would enjoy replicating. Sure enough though, I whipped back around the map and found the Handyman jumping my way. I threw one shot in the air and barely nicked his foot for the kill. The Handyman then glitched (or something of the sort) and flew into Booker and then disappeared, corpse and all.
scsterba1990 | May 16, 2013 12:25 am
loved the part right after entering emporia and he comes in and destroys the gunboats, best on 1999 mode
cosmind | May 16, 2013 1:08 am
Personally I found the handyman a bit scary and every time I had to encounter one I would just focus on doing max damage to it so I can’t say I have a favorite moment with it. Though, I really liked the vox handyman and the idea behind him: we was a freedom fighter (or something like that) and he was looking like a KKK member … really emphasizing the true nature of the vox.
muckymucks | May 16, 2013 1:28 am
My favorite moment of the Handyman is when we fight him for the last time. When the Handyman says every step he takes is painful it makes me feel so bad for him.
chemist101 | May 16, 2013 1:37 am
Favorite moment with the handyman came when i realized that the Murder of Crows “stunned” him. He just stood there and started trying to catch the birds. At least that what it looked like. Made me laugh. Loved the entire game. Keep it up Irrational!!!
watcherofall | May 16, 2013 2:04 am
My favorite moment of the Handyman is when i read his trophy wrongand thought that i was supposed to kill him by shooting him only in the Head when i was really supposed to kill him by shooting only his heart i guess it would have been as frustrating if i wasn’t playing on 1999 mode
octakel | May 16, 2013 2:05 am
I was so excited to fight the handyman when I played the game for the first time. But when he finally appeared i just felt so sorry for him: “Why are you doing this?” ” and “Every step is like burning coal!”. I just felt bad about killing that monstrosity. After you find his corpse defeated by the Vox with that Audiolog, I realized it: He was no Monstrosity, just a human experiment with a still existing human soul.
rimril | May 16, 2013 2:41 am
If by ‘favourite’ we can mean ’emotionally rending’, the Vox standing over his corpse and taking photos was pretty bleak. The contrast between their thoughtless joy and the raw sentiment of the voxophone was jarring. I guess you could say there are no real winners in a war, which is a good reflection on a lot of the revolution-related narrative in general.
z00zer | May 16, 2013 2:44 am
When Daisy is hanging Booker out of the airship and the Handyman is watching over the prisons, I was so sure she would throw me out on that Handyman.
Good for the Handyman, because I would have ripped him apart with my bare hands, because I’m Booker “Bring us the girl” DeWitt
whtsnk58 | May 16, 2013 3:11 am
They were challenging fights, but I do kind of wish we came across them a couple more times than what we did.
goldenskittle | May 16, 2013 3:37 am
“Samuel, when the spells of anger come, I want you to play this recording and remember that I am the proudest woman in Columbia to have been your wife. They said your soul was choked by the fumes in that metal box, but this I do not believe. And we shall meet again, on that eternal shore– both of us whole and smiling. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
Good voice actors can have a tremendous impact on a game.
I remember almost being able to see her tear up as she finished this speech.
This one’s my favorite, and the Handyman isn’t even there 😛
coxer | May 16, 2013 4:30 am
Not only the enemies, I loved also the setting, Columbia, so different from Rapture….
icely05 | May 16, 2013 4:43 am
My favourite part with the handyman is when you get your first sight of him. You don’t have to fight him which means you can look at him closely and appreciate all the effort the designers put into him. He’s stood on the stage being ‘presented’ like the old circus freak shows. One of the bystanders commented “He looks so sad” and I remember thinking ‘yeah…he does’.
donkey90 | May 16, 2013 5:04 am
1999 mode: Rage.
Nothing else to say.
branco | May 16, 2013 6:57 am
My favourite moment has to be when you go to the bar in shanty town, after you entered the second tear.. (I forget what it’s called, ‘The Graveyard Shift’ or something…). There’s a handyman dead on the ground, and some vox members are ‘proudly’ taking pictures… You pick up the nearby voxophone, and you the handyman’s wife (Who appeared in another voxophone quite some time earlier.) telling him how much she loves him, and that he should never forget that. For me it was one of my favourite parts of the game. A truly sad and gripping moment.
berkice | May 16, 2013 7:01 am
My opinion on the Handyman is that he is more than just a difficult enemy designed to challenge the player… He symbolises everything wrong with Comstock’s world… Everything from their “freak-like” exhibition at the Funfare to the Voxophone explaining how Comstock and Fink gave them another “chance”, I both feared their power but felt sad for them all the same… If it wasn’t for the Handyman’s attack in Finkton, Elizabeth may never have reached out a hand to Booker and saved him, I believe that scene to be a pivotal point in the story… Without it, we may have had to flip the coin for the 123rd time…
jakerules184 | May 16, 2013 7:06 am
The part on finkton docks where the handyman lands in front of you and throws you on to the crate, classic moment.
alexholm9 | May 16, 2013 7:24 am
My favourite moment is the first time i saw him in the game. I did not want to battle him lol.
bookerforever | May 16, 2013 7:45 am
My favorite moment is when I first fought a handyman. I thought they were going to be angry and vicious (which they kind of are). However, when listening to the Handyman’s dialog, I noticed he was saying things like, “IT HURTS!!!” or, “Every step is like burning coals!” It really made me feel bad for them. I pitied them because their humanity was basically stripped away. Even though they rocked my socks and damaged me like crazy, I felt bad every time I had to take one down 🙁
isoph0451 | May 16, 2013 8:49 am
My favorite part involving the Handyman is a simple one. In the alternate version of Shantytown, you come across two Vox getting there picture taken with a dead Handyman that happens to be holding a diary. The diary, which is from his wife, is essentially heartbreaking, and really fit in the idea that the Handyman is a tortured soul. It’s actually one of my favorite ‘smaller’ moments in the game.
soals | May 16, 2013 10:23 am
Honestly, I just got this game a few days ago, but I already have fallen in love!
dfblaze | May 16, 2013 10:24 am
I just got it, too! Haven’t had enough time to play it due to college and work, but I’ve been loving it!
elitexphoenix | May 16, 2013 10:25 am
I saw this and then realized I didn’t have an account, registered and everything from my smartphone. I need this amazing piece of work
angryknife | May 16, 2013 10:27 am
The best moment with handyman… While trying to stock up on supplies and a big hand comes crashing down, scaring the absolute crap out of me.
raiden43 | May 16, 2013 10:28 am
My favorite moment of the Handyman was when they first appeared. The feeling of pure shock and terror I felt as I played on the hardest difficulty (besides 1999 mode), Everything was pretty easy to figure out, when I found their weak spot, it didn’t make it easy to hit it. The AI was smart enough to block it with it’s hands. Pretty scary and intelligent AI and scripting. Loved it.
c2sito92 | May 16, 2013 10:30 am
I love the cover that the game comes with the red one, I see it and i just get happy. Is only for ps3 because in that case i love being a ps3 owner.
heatedbronco | May 16, 2013 10:30 am
Another piece of amazing work.
pool | May 16, 2013 10:35 am
Would you kindly hook me up with this piece? Even if I don’t win this, maybe you could give me a napkin doodle from Mr. Waters or a used Taco Bell wrapper with Ken Levine’s finger prints on it for my shrine.
drock | May 16, 2013 10:35 am
I remember getting very close to a handyman and hearing what he had to say. The lines that he was given are so somber…and really struck me.
c2sito92 | May 16, 2013 10:37 am
I find them so sad they talk like they dont want to fight yet they charged at you what’s up with that. but i like the begining mostly because his covering himself from the photographs.
sereneaura | May 16, 2013 10:41 am
I’d say that any time they would show up. The handymen have such a commanding presence.
rudeonion | May 16, 2013 10:43 am
During my most memorable Handyman moment of the game, there was no actual Handyman in sight. I recall finding a voxophone where the wife of the Handyman Samuel explains how her husband had contracted stomach cancer, and was saved by Fink when he placed him in a suit of heavy metal. “Better a handyman than a dead one.” she had said.
Later, I found another voxophone. This one contained a message by the same woman to her husband, telling him that when the fits of anger come, to remember that she loves him, and one day they will find each other on that ‘eternal shore’. It was found in the hand of a dead Handyman.
Never in the game was there a moment that made that creature seem so very human.
thekyzer422 | May 16, 2013 10:44 am
I think my favorite moment with the handyman was when you walk but the bar and the Vox are taking photos with a downed Handyman and you pick up the audio log and hear his wife talk about him. It made them more human which made the already hard to beat monsters have enough story that you began to feel bad about taking them down. It was the moment you began to realize you weren’t killing infected or junkies, you were killing people with families and beliefs.
gameday | May 16, 2013 10:46 am
You guys are fantastic for doing this. Best moment for me with a Handyman was when the Vox are taking propaganda photos with the dead one. It really hammers home the brutality of what’s happening as Columbia falls apart.
coboliscool | May 16, 2013 10:50 am
My favorite moment with the Handyman was seeing it for the first time in carnival at the beginning of the game. He was standing on stage and aside from admiring him, I kept thinking “what am I going to do when I have to fight that”. Throughout the whole area I kept looking back to make sure he hadn’t moved.
berrenger | May 16, 2013 10:53 am
I absolutely love the moment when you’re hangingnoutnof the First Lady and the Handyman on the prison barge looksnup at you and cracks his knuckles as if to say “Yeah, come on. Try me.” That and the introduction of the Handyman. Hes so shy for the camera!
rikkibarrio | May 16, 2013 10:54 am
Favorite moment has to be when a Handyman pops out of nowhere and knocks you onto a rail car thing and Elizabeth saved you.
latenighthunter | May 16, 2013 10:57 am
The best Handyman moment was hearing the Audio Log and hearing the wife talk about him. It really gave a different perspective on them outside of being the charging, relentless enemy (which was fun, too). I like the multifaceted view you get of them, and it made it mean more when you had to bring one down.
jancal | May 16, 2013 11:04 am
This is amazing, and shows the humanity still in the monstrosity.
averygaxha | May 16, 2013 11:07 am
My favorite encounter was when I saw the handyman at the carnival because at the time he wasn’t trying to kill me!!
It was nice…
alli893 | May 16, 2013 11:11 am
My favorite moment was when the Handyman was first introduced at the carnival and overhearing two people talk about him. The woman commented on how sad he looked while the man said how can he be sad with so much strength and power.
queztilj | May 16, 2013 11:20 am
My favourite moment was when I saw a Handyman leap into the fray at the Finkton factory, one skyline, several freight hooks, higher ground, a fireman, and several dozen Vox Populi to fight on 1999 mode, armed with various weaponry. It proved to be the hardest fight in the game for me, as it proved how smart the handymen could be.
For much of the fight, I didn’t actually see the Handyman, as I was too busy picking off Vox Populi members, I could hear him, distantly yelling “Stop Running!” eventually I ran out of salts and decided to pay a visit to the Dollar Bill nearby, landed off the skyline and before I could even access it I see the Vox populi Handyman crash down at the other end of the corridor that housed the vending machine and yell “I know where you are!”
At first I marvelled at the red clothing this Handyman was wearing, seemed a stroke of brilliance, as I realised with a somewhat resigned sigh that he would not be dispatching enemies for me, since he was on the same side as the Vox Populi, not to mention they were all in various states of death. Distracted as I was this gave him a free pass to charge headlong into me and preventing what seemed like an imminant refreshment of delicious salts.
It was at this point that I realised this handyman and I needed to fight properly, and so, I jumped onto a nearby freight hook, my logical thinking being he couldn’t reach me up here, as he couldn’t physically grab hold of it like he did the skyline. Oh how I was wrong.
One lighting bolt to the face later and a rather breakneck descent back onto the skyline I thought I could easily use it to outflank him, planning to stay on it for short periods in order to jump off and shoot his exposed heart as he attempted to electrocute me, as I rounded a corner to descent from the high ground back to the vending machine to once again, attempting to restock my salts, the Handyman latched itself onto the skyline right in front of me, literally as I was about to jump off, I was so surprised that he managed this pinpoint leap so I was literally face to face with him I jumped in my seat and suffered his electrocution wrath.
After running away as fast as I possibly could (without the help of Undertow to keep him busy) I took to the skyline again, only to realise my reciprocator was out of ammunition and my RPG only had 1 rocket left, not to mention there were still Vox Populi members kicking about, after waiting atop the high ground for a few moments and taking a leaf out of the lawnmower scene from evil dead with my skyhook to the four Vox who followed me I saw the handyman standing below, grabbing a Vox populi Militia member armed with a club.
This was by far the greatest moment of the first Bioshock 1999 mode game, as I fired my rocket, which sailed forth with all the fury my gear should have provided it, along with the projectile speed upgrade which made it much faster, I was sure the handyman would die, his sliver of health apparent in his glaringly empty health bar.
If I could have seen under that red hood he would have been grinning ear to ear, as no sooner had I launched my rocket the handyman hurled his fellow Vox member at me, Both collided and after the ensuing scream and explosion I found myself scanning the area for this Handyman, for he was nowhere to be seen, and then, to my right I hear “Wanna feel like me?” and before I had a chance to turn I was battered to death by the Handyman. Game. Set. Match.
Well played Vox Populi Handyman, well played!
mkrisher4 | May 16, 2013 11:29 am
My favorite handyman moment was this one time in the plaza separating finkton and the factory when I let myself be cornered in some boxes by a handyman. I began letting out a quiet stream of curses, thinking for sure I was done for. I kept firing my hand cannon and waited for the black screen to come. Instead, the handyman dropped to his knees and I let out the biggest sigh of relief.
ericbseutheii | May 16, 2013 11:31 am
My favorite memory of the Handi-Man, was the love story behind him. The audio tapes of his wife despondent over his change to save his life, and his reminder to not lose who he was.
mechfusion | May 16, 2013 11:36 am
My favourite moment with the handyman was the very first time you see the handyman in the game on the stage being shown to the crowd of people. I thought it was so interesting to be able to look at a live handyman (without being attacked by it) while getting a sense of how people are being told handymen are helpful. All the while the scene shows underlying feelings of sadness, pain and the idea that the handymen have lost their free will which is further shown throughout the rest of the game.
inkblotfox | May 16, 2013 11:49 am
I always loved the first time you see him at the fair. I always loved how that really humanized him. How it showed how afraid he was, or seemed so.
It really was one of the games defining moments for me.
mtbutta | May 16, 2013 11:55 am
First time you run into a Handyman with Undertow in your possession and a Tesla Coil in the vicinity….great feeling of role reversal flinging him around for a change.
rookie371 | May 16, 2013 11:59 am
That moment when you forget the handyman has long range attacks so you get closer but want to back away. but then he jumps and smashes you and you barely have health, then you realize you have no chance but forgot about Elizabeth, she gives you health you pick up salts and its up to you to turn that handyman into history!
nuriamana | May 16, 2013 12:09 pm
There is definitely something to be said of the Handyman experience that is in Shanty Town right outside of the Graveyard shift. The particular moment happens after Booker and Liz retrieve the guns from the Bull Yard and Booker has been martyred.
While en route back to Chen Lin’s, the player is not required to go back to the Graveyard shift (it’s actually a bit out of the way to the right) which makes this moment seem like a little hidden gem of storytelling and even more special.
In addition, we never fight this Handyman. We as players/participants have no quarrel with him which makes them scene all the more tragic.
We find the Handyman slain with a couple of Vox standing over its carcass like a trophy buck. There is another Vox taking photos of the trophy kill. I remember feeling a little disgusted and I hated the Vox for it. In fact I’m fairly certain that’s right about when I started having second thoughts about the Vox’s cause…
One a third play through the scene remains one of the most tragic moments of the game for me. The moment epitomizes the plight of the Handyman; a Behemoth heavy-hitter who has suffered unimaginable atrocities by the hand of Fink Mfg and is thrown into the fray to do the bidding of the powers that be. It raised a lot of questions regarding the Handyman’s origin: Who were they before? Did they volunteer? Hopefully we will get a few answers in the upcoming DLC. Or maybe not. I like the aire of mystery. It only adds depth to a character whose tragic existence is only paralleled by Songbird and the Big Daddy’s from the original Bioshock.
To make this scene even more poignant, the Voxophone hidden just a few steps away reveals that the Handyman had a wife who loved him rather unconditionally further humanizing the behemoth in a way that allows the player to see the creature in an entirely different way.
I have to say that I definitely felt guilty killing every Handyman after this point in the game. Anytime I start feeling sorry for an antagonist, it proves there is a high degree of sophistication in storytelling and gameplay.
archangeldx | May 16, 2013 12:10 pm
From the moment I first laid eyes on the Handyman at the fair I stared at this seemingly timid, innocent and frightened being and listened to the barker describe him. I felt pity for this man, being grafted into this hollow shell.
But despite this pity, in the back of my mind, I knew that a showdown was inevitable between myself and this “Big Daddy” of Columbia.
prophet | May 16, 2013 12:10 pm
In the fair at the very beginning of the story, where the handy mans on display on a stage, I remember just looking for ages, just trying to get his attention!
smattes | May 16, 2013 12:14 pm
The most powerful moment I experienced with a Handyman was after Fitzroy killed Fink, and Booker is swarmed by Vox Populi. I was playing on 1999 Mode and when I heard the Handyman’s voice, I knew the shit was about to hit the fan – and I was right. That was the most challenging and rewarding fight that I experienced in the game. Fighting Lady Comstock was extremely challenging on 1999, but this fight offered more variation; I was able to use the skylines and Elizabeth’s tears. I was able to use Bucking Bronco to levitate enemies and shoot them off Columbia. To sum it all up, this fight was the perfect example of what Bioshock Infinite is – versatility, challenging combat, and a gripping story all rolled into one.
hostilehippo | May 16, 2013 12:29 pm
My fave part with the Handyman was when you first arrive in Columbia and see the vendors advertising him. It was just heartbreaking and yet mysterious and exciting at the same time.
yayaliens | May 16, 2013 12:32 pm
My favorite encounter with the Handyman was when I first encountered him. I was a bit nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect, but he was a formidable opponent and was very fun to play (and defeat)!
josuep | May 16, 2013 12:38 pm
Best moments with the handyman was when i was low on health i had nowhere to run and he kept coming and coming (1999 mode)
exodis | May 16, 2013 12:40 pm
Wow, truly amazing artwork Robb has done.
As for my favorite Handyman moment, it would have to be the first time I saw it at the fairgrounds. Just the sight of his appearance was amazing: a huge mechanical beast. But what caught me was his actions, him being frightened by the people and the cameraman taking pictures of him. Shows how books shouldn’t be judged by it’s cover.
atroxcity | May 16, 2013 1:24 pm
I just wish I could have everything Bioshock but I don’t have the money.
bhackney | May 16, 2013 1:37 pm
My favorite was the first time seeing the Handyman, it brought back a original King Kong vibe when he was being photographed.
semperfry | May 16, 2013 1:37 pm
my favourite moment with the handyman was probably… when you go up against one outside of the factory. i was already low on ammo and salts so i spent like ten minutes running and shooting (but mostly running) to try and keep him from hitting me, and at one point i lost track of him and thought i maybe killed him without realizing it? i know it was a ridiculous thought, but in the heat of the moment i was feeling pretty hopeful. of course about half a second later he’s like right next to me and he punched me right off the edge into the abyss and i screamed like an idiot. it was great.
hyperi0n | May 16, 2013 1:48 pm
Just as you get to Emporia Heights, you’re riding an elevator that gets hit by a rocket while the Vox are attacking. The space there gives you a lot of mobility, so it doesn’t feel like the Handyman right there in that area is like right on your heels. I could hop onto a rooftop or a balcony and just watch him from a distance and almost just feel sorry for him for a little bit.
bellafrankie | May 16, 2013 2:07 pm
My favorite moment for the Handy Man? The tape you find on his dead body, the one from his wife, about how no matter what, she loves him still and she’s the proudest woman in Columbia to be his wife. Makes me cry like a babe every time.
Also, my mother named me Bella Frankenstein. The Handy Man is a Frankenstein’s Creature of sorts… And I don’t have to explain the ‘Bella’ part.
This is FATE.
mrbigstuff1983 | May 16, 2013 2:21 pm
The first battle with the handyman was awesome. Thinking to myself “I don’t know what all the fuss is about?” Then getting my ass well and truly handed to me! Good times.
rolanthehero | May 16, 2013 3:38 pm
My utmost favorite moment with the Handyman has to be during my second encounter with the heavy hitter. If I remember correctly, I was in the port of Fink Industries, only expecting to be ambushed by a couple of Vox. Luckily for me, I was wrong and had to fight a Handyman. I died at least a good five times and fell off the map twice as much, spanning the fight to reach at least a good fifteen minutes or so. “Everything hurts!” I remember him crying out after shock jockeying him. My eyes, blazing red and burning, hurt from not blinking out of concentration. Oh the blissful frustration <3
billiamb | May 16, 2013 4:56 pm
The only time I was able to really experience the HandyMan, was at the fair, in the beginning of the game. It was great to see him, and still he put me on edge…. after that, seeing him lunge at me, left me crazed and anxious to kill him or flee!
jbjoker18 | May 16, 2013 4:58 pm
best part i had with the Handyman was BEATING the Handyman haha but no i loved this game so much, probably the best story ever told through a video game. thank you so much!!
rendem | May 16, 2013 5:26 pm
I’ve loved the whole bioshock series from the very beginning. The complex and touching character designs amazed me and always wanted me to get to know more about their story. The first encounter with the Handy man is very well staged and really lets you feel his suffering. I think the Handy men are very deep going, soulful Charakters although they are such heavy tanks.
May 16, 2013 5:46 pm
baidu censor…
Other countries censor content and not just rogue regimes such as the Iranian mullocracy. Poor people! http://www.baidu.com…
See Original Post at http://www.baidu.com
May 16, 2013 5:51 pm
HynnRzQU…
Custom PS3 Cover Giveaway | Irrational Games…
See Original Post at http://www.1yEit9YYbZ7828O13UH7bS.com/
aesthetist | May 16, 2013 6:14 pm
My favourite moment with the Handyman was at the fair. It was a simpler, peaceful time back then. Back before the deaths. The multiple deaths. Then I realised that the ordinary video game logic of “he’s a big guy, therefore his obvious weakness will be his speed” didn’t apply.
vlavery | May 16, 2013 6:30 pm
My favorite Handyman moment is when you first walk through the city of Colombia as Booker during the fair before the raffle. I loved the way he was introduced as a side show. I loved the detailing of his face, how sad he looked at that moment. It really lead up to the audiovox found in Fink’s. “…Better to have a HandyMan, than a dead man…” was what the wife of one of Fink’s First HandyMan said. It showed that although the character had immense power that he was trapped just as much as the rest of Colombia was.
lifetimefighter | May 16, 2013 6:46 pm
My favorite Handyman moment is during the mission to get to Comstock House later on. You exit out of the building you were just in and have to fight The Vox. During this intense fight, they decided to ramp it up by sending in a Handyman. However, rather than the Handyman being, well..handy, he goes crazy and takes out everyone in his path. I remember being on a higher level than him, sniper rifle in hand, watching him swing and smash The Vox to nothing. And just when I though he was helping me out, I watch him look up at me through my scope and launch right up to where I was and send me flying off the edge. Thankfully, I landed right over the Sky Line and zipped a good distance from him to start shocking him with the Shock Jockey. Finally after some great action packed moments, I finally brought him down and realized that my heart was racing, and I had one shot left.
rexluna | May 16, 2013 7:18 pm
My favorite moment would definitely be when you first see the Handyman at the fair. I had been watching all the trailers and what not, so I knew these guys were tough. But then I saw the poor thing being put on display and being scared from the camera flashes. And I remembered a conversation I overheard about how the Handymen were basically genetically/mechanically altered men (who would have died otherwise, or at least the one mentioned in the conversation was) and I kinda felt bad. It wasn’t really their fault that they were the way they were. They were forced to be that way. So even though they were tough and terrifying battles that came up later, I still felt a bit of sympathy for them.
linadaeus | May 16, 2013 8:32 pm
I found the handyman experience to be very short lived and unfortunate. I loved the preview of them before the game was released because it gave Handyman “life”, scratch that, meaning. But the game did not present itself. My friends did not feel the same meaning with the great handyman because they did not know who Handyman was and is. Like most of the strong staple characters and even the ones found later on, no life was given to these characters. All i experience was the fact that the handyman, motorized patriot, and the boy of silence were all in fact “lifeless”
jcapra23 | May 16, 2013 9:14 pm
Seeing the Handyman as a psuedo-overseer in the revolution universe left a strong impression, those dudes are scary. Handymen were a cool evolution of the Big Daddies
johanson | May 16, 2013 11:34 pm
Honestly I would have to say it’s the first time when you actually fight the Handyman. Seeing him a second time brings back no sour memories, but rather small, humane ones from when I first saw it at the fair. But of course, I didn’t see any fear in his eyes when he came at me. Only rage. Right then I knew that it was either him or me, and no amount of pity could deter him. I guess that’s what struck me. Knowing that the opponent you’re facing isn’t some cruel monstrosity, but more like a Frankenstein creature who lives an unfortunate existence.
sergiodewitt | May 17, 2013 12:07 am
I remember while I was in combat I went on this building thinking I out smarted
the handy man but he jumped up there with me and I tried to escape by going on the sky lines but I didn’t know that you could get zapped while on there with a handy man so I got but handed to me
heybullshark | May 17, 2013 12:16 am
I must say that my favorite moment encountering the Handymen was when you could see them fighting for both The Founders and the Vox Populi. This seemed to be a rather different experience than in the first Bioshock where one would experience Big Daddies, but these hulking creatures would always be fighting for the same purpose. I believe that showing the Handymen on both sides of the conflict furthered their representation as misunderstood men whose current state of being was not due to their wish to be evil, but rather due to unfortunate circumstances that resulted in them having to replace most of their body with machinery. I find this especially fascinating as I am currently building a Handyman suit, and have become engrossed in the thoughts of what drove these men to replace their flesh and blood with mechanical augmentations.
shrimpy266 | May 17, 2013 12:47 am
The most eye-opening part about the Handyman was probably the first time you see him in the fair. At first he seems kind of harmless. The flash scares him, the people in the crowd bother him and he looks uneasy. During my first playthrough my reaction was “Oh he doesn’t look too bad but I wonder what’s wrong with him.” Soon after though, I got distracted and walked past him without giving him a second thought. It doesn’t fully hit you until you head to Finkton Docks and you pick up the Voxophone about the wife of the Handyman. You discover that these men aren’t happy to be Handymen. They are in constant pain and misery, and they will be for the rest of their lives. When you first fight him and he screams about how much pain he is in and to make it stop I felt terrible. But you fulfill his wish and you eventually end his suffering. But instead of felling triumphant, I felt like I actually killed someone. This was a person that had no choice and in the end made the ultimate sacrifice for his family. So, on the second playthrough when I returned to the fair I didn’t speed past him. I stopped and looking at him for a while and I understood the situation that he was in. Instead of feeling hate or wonderment, I felt sadness and empathy. This was something that I have never felt, in any form of media, about a character that had such a minor role. But to me he was no longer a minor character, he was a man with a story just as important as anyone else, and for that he shouldn’t be ignored.
tigerseye85 | May 17, 2013 1:14 am
My favorite moment occurs not actually with a Handyman but when I listened to the voxophones about the wife whose husband is “selected” for this process and how the story goes from hope to tragedy…that tiny aspect alone changed my entire outlook on the Handyman and made me sad when I had no choice but to kill them. What a wonderful work of art and story telling, while there can be only one winner, thank you for sharing this for everyone to see online!
otumnier | May 17, 2013 5:15 am
My favorite moment with the Handyman was in the beginning when he’s on stage (against his will, probably) and my first thought was “fuck.. I’m going to fight this aren’t I..” but then I felt kinda sorry for him, I really did.. Until I actually fought one, and I’m not going to lie, I was kind of scared, haha!
Altough it’s got to be said the handyman is probably the best mob in the game.
djam1987 | May 17, 2013 5:18 am
I really liked those first moments of having just gotten to Columbia. It felt like I had really time traveled back to an idealized 1900’s.
ratonhnhaketon | May 17, 2013 8:15 am
When I had my first encounter with the Handyman I was fascinated. I watched the Handyman for several minutes before I decided that I felt sorry for him. He was being shown like an animal in the cage to the cheering people. It seemed sad that he was nothing more than an entertainment for them. But I’m sure that those big machines with a beating heart still have feelings such as sadness and happiness (and that’s what I’m seeing on the Handyman drawing with the cat). Although I felt sorry for him I was a little scared. And that feeling was proved right the next time I met the Handyman.
I even dreamed last night about a Handyman attacking me, haha.
speedysimon | May 17, 2013 10:13 am
My favorite moment with the Handyman was when i played 1999mode for the first time. I was at Finkton and had no ammo and not enough money to revive myself. Then the Handyman came and i had nothing to defend myself with. So i ran all over the place to find ammo and salt but i only found a pistol and a sniper. That didn’t really hurt him so i soon went out of ammo.
Me and the Handyman ran around for 10-15 minutes, playing Game of tag. But even with Elizabeth throwing me ammo and salt to back me up, he still caught me and i died…
So that taught me a very good lesson: Not go to war against a Handyman unprepared!
blacksongbird | May 17, 2013 10:56 am
It’s difficult to decide what my favorite handyman moment is. I really liked when The handyman launched Ken Levine during his Cameo. Wait, that never happened? Uh anyways, my favorite moment by far was when I first saw the Handyman at the Fair/Raffle. I was amazed how big he was. Those reporters were flashing their cameras in his face (which he clearly didn’t like) and for a moment I thought about quickly walking away so that incase he was angered and lashed out at the reporters i wouldn’t be on the recieving end.
btw never knew the Handyman had a pet cat o_O
dannysal | May 17, 2013 4:36 pm
When we meet the Handyman at the fair for the first time. “Live Forever with Bettermen’s Autobodies.” And we see the before and after pictures. You realize right away that something is amiss.
beatlesgeorge | May 17, 2013 6:33 pm
The handyman is one of those special characters for me. Trapped in his own delusion of immortality.
During my 1999 run, it was VERY HARD to take one down, I think I tried taking circling around him, distance, but he always caught up.
When i finally did defeat him, it was amazing. Even though it was difficult I kept having an urge to fight more, I like a challenge. And he brought one.
robertgray | May 17, 2013 6:45 pm
My favorite moment was definitely once I managed to defeat the first one in 1999 mode, one of the most satisfying moments of any game.
tenneybc | May 17, 2013 9:34 pm
My favorite moment involving the Handyman is encountering him for the first time at the fair. This seems to be the general consensus as well. Seeing him on display like some animal at the zoo contradicts what Bettermen’s Autobodies was advertising. They created the Handyman as a cure for the sick and elderly, who otherwise would have died. Instead they created a monster who has no choice but to attack even though it is clearly against his will.
namesarehard | May 17, 2013 10:54 pm
My favourite would have to be finding the Voxophone where the woman says, “I do not know if I will ever get used to a husband bound in a skeleton of metal but better a Handyman than a dead one.” after having just flown over him supervising rock crushing from the airship. It was the first time I really got the sense of just how sad the Handyman was.
dayveetoe | May 18, 2013 1:50 am
My favorite moment of a Handy Man was when I fought the Vox Populi variant, I felt so badass fighting it against bunch of other Vox Populi, I was whittling down its health when it struck me hard and I had to run away while Elizabeth threw me a med kit. I kept it at bay with the tesla tower and shot rockets at it until it died.
bioshockfan2000 | May 18, 2013 5:14 am
I think it would be cool to win somthing like that, but im pretty good at drawing in graphite and I already have somthing as uniqe as that. The first bioshock i remember hearing “A man choses a slave obeys”. What I got from that ( while may not be intended by the developers ) was dont be a slave to whats popular, or how evreone expects you to be. Be you. And infinite made me remember to not be a self destructive person ( booker and combstock to evreone) and to any random person thats probably nothing worth a second look but to a cynicaly depressed person it helped me cope with the hard labor construction jobs, honers statistics and for every damn nail i steped on. It sure helped me not follow the idiots having fun doing stupid shit and try to not hate myself.Those were not the only memories that helped me through but it was 2 of them.
pantsless | May 18, 2013 7:08 am
I love the idea of the Handyman as an ignored human. Such a simple but elegant way to look at how the people of Columbia don’t even pay attention to the needs of anyone but themselves. Fink’s ability to transform someone into a new shell and breath new life into an old workforce is pure evil. Don’t retire! Get Retrofitted!
ghostzini | May 18, 2013 9:11 am
It was when you first physically come in contact with that brute and i realized he was amazingly awesome before i flew off the ground into the air. I almost crapped my pants
snipenaz | May 18, 2013 1:37 pm
This would look great right next to my Bioshock 2 Lithographs!!!
Please can I have it?
chancegalaxy | May 18, 2013 3:39 pm
I would like to win that.
crowwashuman07 | May 18, 2013 4:15 pm
The Handyman was my favorite enemy in general. From the moment I first saw him at the fair (though he kind of scared me a little with his disproportionate appearance) I felt sad. He was afraid.
My favorite moment with the Handyman where during Daisy Fitzroy’s victory speech in Finktown. I wound up by these vox who were taking a photo next to a dead Handyman. After getting rid of them I found a voxphone in the Handyman’s hands. I think that was the most powerful moment in the game for me. Because even though the Handyman was something tormented and pained and violent; the soul remained.
There was still a man in there.
nbentz | May 18, 2013 4:29 pm
In 1999 mode when i killed him without taking any damage, thanks to the skylines and the charge vigor.
louisebentsen | May 18, 2013 8:52 pm
The Handyman was actually one of the special characters in the game that touched something in me. When I first saw him at the fair I kind of felt bad for him. I could see he was being used for others selfishness and joy. I remembered I just stood there for a moment and looked at him and all these cameras flashing and people clapping. And when I found out that it wasn’t his fault for being what he is, I started to really sympathized with him. He was forced; a man’s soul was stolen to be an altered into a mechanical machine for others selfish reasons. He kind of reminded me of Frankenstein, a sad being with an unfortunate fate and existence.
austieb7 | May 19, 2013 7:48 am
The first time I saw him in the beginning at the fair. I was kind of scared at first. I turned around really quickly to see this hulking beast on stage right in front of me and I though it was going to freak out and start rampaging s***! Then I realized that he was friendly and he was scared as well. I felt bad for him. If there was an option I would have freed him.
ashthestampede | May 19, 2013 10:24 am
My favorite Handyman moment would have to be the story that Hattie Gerst tells when you pick up the first Voxophone in the Finkton Docks. She tells how her husband got stomach cancer while working on Monument Island. She prayed to the Prophet for a miracle. Instead of curing the man, he is turned into one of Comstock’s “Pets.” I found this Voxophone really thought provoking and sad because she then says, “Fink. I do not know if I will ever get used to a husband bound in a skeleton of metal, but…better a Handyman than a dead one.” Instead of getting the peace he probably deserved in death, he is now forced to work for Comstock forever as a Handyman. Is that really better than death? After recalling the first meeting with the Handyman at the Fair, and seeing how miserable this Handyman was, my answer is no.
beenty17 | May 19, 2013 10:50 am
My favourite moment with the Handyman was definately when I killed it by only shooting his heart and the trophy popped up. I felt : I’m in heaven… or as close as I’ll feel till Judgement Day.
dyeknom | May 19, 2013 12:08 pm
My most favorite moment was when I took some rails to get away from the Handyman. My least favorite? When he shocked me on the rail and killed me.
simonngo | May 19, 2013 12:11 pm
It would have to be right at the start where you meet one for the first time, it seemed so innocent and scared of others. But then you meet one in a battle and it is fierce, although thr dialogue makes them seem un eager to fight you.
sparkins | May 19, 2013 12:11 pm
My favorite moment with handyman was the first sighting, he looked so calm and lonely. Little did I know he would be an aggressive foe with no sense of fear or self preservation. Very challenging, but fun to fight aganist.
yacope | May 19, 2013 12:12 pm
I feel about the Handyman the same way I felt about Big Daddy, sorry for their fate. They are both engineered to cause fear and destroy and it’s not their fault. As for my favorite moment it is the first encounter in the fair. I stood there listening to the comments of the spectators and looking at him feeling sorry that he was made to oversee and destroy what he is sent to destroy: dissenters that are human the same way he used to be human. I can’t help but think that as he destroys them he feels jealously and pain.
zephyrsp | May 19, 2013 12:12 pm
The Handyman encounter in the main plaza of Finktown was the most harrowing for me. With hooks but no skyline, the jumping only helps you for a second or two before he’s right back on you. On Hard that was a serious fight, and I had to embrace a scrappy running/jumping/potshotting style that I felt really suited the narrative of the fight.
pavellegstaev | May 19, 2013 12:13 pm
My favorite moment with Handyman was the first meeting with him on the pursue Elizabeth
iankarp | May 19, 2013 12:14 pm
My Favorite moment of Handyman is when you just captured The First Lady with Elizabeth. It was a very brief HandyMan encounter but I was amazed.
Daisy Fitzroy was holding you over the edge of the First Lady Airship and you were staring down at a platform with African American miners with a Handyman standing above them all. The HandyMan looked Booker right in the eyes and I got a great glimpse of his face. Handyman stretches his arms and then I was past him. I don’t know why but I felt like handyman was so important in that scene. That was my favorite Handyman Experience
hylian64 | May 19, 2013 12:14 pm
Probably towards the end of the game when my goal seemed SO close, and the thing that kept stopping me was a handy man! For some reason, that particular one caused me more trouble than any other!
countbrockula | May 19, 2013 12:14 pm
My favorite encounter with a handyman, was the large scale fight at the bank of the prophet. I was slinging all over that place, shooting at who knows what and being shot at back. And here is this handyman running and jumping all over the place coming to get me. That trusty snipers perch made the whole part that much easier though.
mchollandred | May 19, 2013 12:15 pm
The best moment is definitely the beginning. I spent so much time staring at the artwork in the game especially at the beginning because it’s just so beautiful!!
maye | May 19, 2013 12:15 pm
Ah.. As large as the handymen are, sometimes they’re sneaky. Especially when I’m playing through the night and trying not to wake my family up. So the volume was turned down. I knew I was about to confront one.. But couldn’t find him until he landed on me. Gave me a quite a fright.
carbonmouse | May 19, 2013 12:15 pm
When I first saw the Handyman I was anticipating a similar experience to the Big Daddy, in that they were a protective force, however I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Handyman might have started out as a medical wonder, but he eventually became a weapon, much like everything else in Comstock and Fink’s universe.
When you discover the audio dairy of the Handyman’s wife, even she notices the changes in her husband, from a dead man to being barely there. I just felt the Handyman was portrayed as a man, but instead was a slave to his new, (for lack of a better word) programming and that the only way to end his suffering as a slave was to shoot the one spot that was still human, the spot that made him barely there, his heart.
rdevine7985 | May 19, 2013 12:15 pm
Cover art plox!
musikman22 | May 19, 2013 12:16 pm
The Handyman is such an intriguing figure in the game, because it’s not only an incredibly difficult opponent, but also a tragic metaphor for the game itself. A dying human being, built up “stronger” and “better” by others becomes aggressive and overprotective; vengeful even. But the saddest part about the Handyman, is – I believe, the accidental bad guy status. Like others have said, about the Handyman being seen at the beginning as a frightened creature, you see the character as somewhat of a small animal in this giant body, someone ripped from what they knew, and thrown into something new and unusual. Then, they are manipulated into becoming these murderous cyborgs, and I feel like that must play on the psyche of the living being that is still inside the Handyman. Tragic and absolutely terrifying.
tooxtroublesome | May 19, 2013 12:16 pm
A personal favorite moment of mine was a combat moment upon arriving in the city that Comstock house is at. I had killed most everyone and had a Handyman down to almost dead, but I was completely out of ammo and cornered. He was getting ready to charge. I notice a tear of a puddle. I have Elizabeth open it, shock it, and that Handyman explodes…
iamhim | May 19, 2013 12:16 pm
My favorite would have to be the Vox handyman where you’re trying to stop Fitzroy. That fight was incredibly tough on 1999 mode. It was the hardest next to the siren fights. Well done Irrational! Bioshock is still my favorite game of all time and Infinite is now a very close second!
dylan5693 | May 19, 2013 12:17 pm
My favorite moment with a Handyman was the saddest of the game.
******MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW****
When the Vox Populi are taking over Columbia, a few are seen taking pictures with a fallen Handyman, and mocking him. Knowing that he was just trying to stay alive and in the process became more man then machine, the Handyman became very human to me and I felt a lot sympathy for the man. He became he didn’t want to be, and then was mocked for it.
Just very sad.
diesel701 | May 19, 2013 12:17 pm
I think that all the game is a really great moment! A great experience of game, entertainment and passion. You can lose your mind in that city, so nice and quite, but also so complex and not so perfect..
Irrational have done (like always) a really great job and pleased us with a beautiful game!
amm4108 | May 19, 2013 12:17 pm
I think my favorite moment with the handyman was the first time you fight him. I was sitting there killing all the normal dudes when all of a sudden theres this giant in my face. Freaked me out a bit I wasn’t sure what was going on, then I realized he was kicking my butt
thetreadmill | May 19, 2013 12:18 pm
The moment I saw him in the game informer article years ago”. Looked like a great follow up to the big daddy as an enemy.
feral | May 19, 2013 12:19 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was definitely my first fight with one in Finkton. I was literally on the edge of my seat, stamping my feet while trying to get some distance from him. I managed to take him down when one more hit would have killed me. I feel bad for Handymen, though, especially after hearing the Voxophone from the woman whose husband got stomach cancer. “Better a Handyman than a dead one, I suppose.”
1ntellego | May 19, 2013 12:19 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman has to be the beginning. When your lost in this surreal world. Trying to make sense of it thats when it really hits home. No matter how beautiful and advanced columbia might have been, these Handymen were far from happy. They were turned into Handymen not by choice but for the use and leisure of heartless people. To be just as enslaved as the African Americans of Columbia. No matter how tough or how hard they are to kill during the story, i’d rather not have killed any. Because they never chose that life they were forced to live it. And in society today that is always present in some way.
segieguy26 | May 19, 2013 12:19 pm
My favorite part was not when I 1st battled the Handyman but when I 1st saw him being displayed at the beginning of the game at the carnival. You saw a tired, old, and sad fellow who had this gigantic contraption on him that gave him the ability to just wreak everything.
dubvibes | May 19, 2013 12:20 pm
The first time is saw the handyman in game I was in awe, i thought” how am i supposed to kill this guy”.
After I killed him I felt released, a weight came of my shoulders and every time after the first moment, every single time when I saw him again I had a mixed feeling of nostalgia and fear. nostalgia to see an “old friend” back and fear of my first thought I had when i saw him ” I’m going to die for sure”.
acrabbit | May 19, 2013 12:20 pm
My favorive moment with the handyman is the first time you see one on stage and people are talking and looking at him like some kind of monster. He reminds me of the Hulk persona in a way. Poor poor Mr. Handyman, all he needed was a hug.
babelfish112 | May 19, 2013 12:20 pm
My favourite moment with the Handyman was at the Raffle near the start of the game. It was such a touching, saddening moment the first time I played the game that what I knew would become a powerful enemy was right in front of me – a lumbering hulk awkwardly posed on stage, shying away from camera flashes like a scared puppy. It’s these unexpected moments that makes Bioshock Infinite stand out from the crowd, something that grabs you and makes you think about what is really going on in the virtual world you are so deeply immersed in.
themadhatter | May 19, 2013 12:21 pm
Mine was the actual fight with this marvelous creature, in the Fink Mfg. The fellow gave me quite a scare, I was completely unprepared. It was a tough fight and I wish there were more of them in the game, like Rosies and Bouncers in the previous games.
fleshlightcop | May 19, 2013 12:21 pm
I want dat art work
skelerex | May 19, 2013 12:23 pm
It was when I understood what really were the Handymen, old men staying alive with this “armor”. And the moment when an old lady said something like “I prefer to have a Handyman by my side than a dead man” through a voxophone was really weird, but touching, I had goosebumps
rmgcastle | May 19, 2013 12:23 pm
The best moment was the definitely first encounter, not knowing the weakness or the best way to take him down without getting a face-full of mechanical fist. Plus the art design around the Handyman, and all the characters really, was just marvelous. It really literates the look of “suffering” through mechanized ways.
everclearboy | May 19, 2013 12:24 pm
Was a toss up for me.. but I’d have to go with the time after you’ve opened the tear where the Vox Populi revolt is in full swing and heading back to the Graveyard Shift bar where there is a fallen Handyman with a pair of Vox getting their picture taken next to it and the fact it was holding the Voxphone of his wife who the player had encountered another recording from earlier in Finkton. Was a nice tie-together moment that definitely evoked some empathy by that time in the game.
seanmario89 | May 19, 2013 12:25 pm
My favorite moment was when I was fighting him for like the third time and I was out of ammo with my shotgun. I had only my pistol and I’m trying to run, find health, ammo, shoot him with the pistol, and shooting him with the fire vigor and missing every time, bad tactics, I know… Finally he gets close to me and with a direct hit to the heart from my pistols last shot he finally goes down when I have no life left and no vigor left… Clutch moment.
pixelwatching | May 19, 2013 12:25 pm
Though I remember the fight in Finktown plaza with no small amount of dread, it was the remains of a suit-wearing handyman lying in Finkton Docks that really stuck with me.
I’m a sucker for environmental storytelling and the accompanying voxophone detailing the background and reason for the creation of this particular handyman was just gravy on my boat, as it made me think of what measure of humanity might be left in these hulking brutes.
…the measures we take to survive.
songbirdjarvis | May 19, 2013 12:25 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was finding the notes about how he came to be. It was nice seeing that he had a sort of backstory as well. Not all monsters and villains ever really do, and learning more about this man made of metal was interesting. Seeing him for the first time (and still every time after that) still makes me nervous, but he is a wonderful character and I was glad to see I could learn more about him.
thumpash | May 19, 2013 12:25 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was the first encounter that you have against him. The reason that was is because I wasn’t expecting him to come, and he started to beat me pretty bad and this was before I started to develop my tricks to defeat him. So, as he was on top of me like a hawk, I ran to a point he couldn’t follow so I could take a minute and evaluate how to put him down, and that’s when I started listening to him speak for the first time, and I realized how much of a tortured character he was. That to me was where I can see his back story, whether it be him saying “Stop moving! Every sound hurts!” Or when you hit him and he says “Go Away, Please Go AWAY!” I could tell how tortured he was, and you could see that the Handyman, although powerful and feared, was always suffering through severe physical pain. That moment showed revealed how bad they have it in comparison to most of the beings of Columbia.
firethorn43 | May 19, 2013 12:26 pm
Seeing the Handyman for show at the carnival. It reminds me of King Kong, how he his represented as a freakshow, and then gets his revenge on humans once he breaks out.
xxlykkexx | May 19, 2013 12:26 pm
It had to of been the First fight, where he came out of nowhere! I had no Idea what to do! Played on hard my first time through too so when he came he took me out like 3 or 4 times before I finally got him killed! Total pain in the butt to get that achievement too for shooting one in the Heart only! The Handyman may not be a Big Daddy or as Scary as one but they sure an the hell are just as strong! Loved the Idea of them!
xcircaatsunrise | May 19, 2013 12:26 pm
I want that poster, my friend. ;D
valboo | May 19, 2013 12:27 pm
The best handyman moment was the very first encounter, he looks so sad at the carnival and its like oh, look at you, so harmless and sad.. then your first fight its like oh holy crap this guy is whoopin me something fierce, and theres no sscape at all when he electricutes the wire youre skyhooked to D: most intense first fight ever.
ndvsleepwalker | May 19, 2013 12:27 pm
Actually, the best moment for me was heading to see Chin Cheng in the “normal world”, because on my way there one Handyman appeared out of nowhere and scared the hell out of me!! It was so funny cuz maybe I download all my shotgun ammo through him so fast and start to run away from him!!! It’s pretty well made and scares a lot (kinda remind me of the Big Sister’s on Bioshock 2)!!! Thanx for this amazing game guys!!!
noblepariah | May 19, 2013 12:27 pm
When I found the dead handyman in the Shanty town and I listened to the voxophone message from his wife, I suffered a sudden case of the feels. Til his last moment he cherished his wife’s parting message to him, and she never gave up on him. That day I became the Man of Feel.
dannicacorbrian | May 19, 2013 12:29 pm
It’s not a happy moment, but my favorite part of infinite was when you go through the second tear and the vox are in a full swing rebellion and you need to make your way through Shantytown again, there’s a dead handyman and some vox posing over him and taking trophy pictures. Clutched in the handyman’s hand is a voxophone from his wife, saying how she still loves him and he will always be a human to her, and they will be together again someday. It was just so tragic and humanizing for a creature that is so inhuman and scary. It made me angry, and since discovering that voxophone I feel bad for any handyman I kill and wonder what kind of life they had before becoming a machine.
radioactiveskin | May 19, 2013 12:29 pm
My favorite moment was during a Voxophone regarding a Handyman’s wife. Her distress and fear in the recording really gave the Handyman a human side, and fleshed out his character. Knowing that he could only live if this happened to him, and how his wife still tries to love him despite everything really hit home with the struggles of Colombia, and how these enemies weren’t just “enemies” but fully fleshed out characters themselves.
napster1098 | May 19, 2013 12:30 pm
My best moment with the handyman was actually when I saw him in game for the first time…I was like “WTF IS THAT THING?!?AND WHY I HAVE NO HEALTH AND AMMO??”…then I calm down 😛
jasons0n | May 19, 2013 12:32 pm
My favorite handyman part was the first time i encounter it. it was on the parade or something. At first i think he was a good man because of the looks in his face, also i read that they cant asleep, i feel bad for them. but the fact is that they are such a badass enemy ive ever encountered in the game. actually all i did is just run away when i see him haha.
generalhewitt | May 19, 2013 12:32 pm
The first encounter I had with the handyman… my friend and I were sitting there trading off the controller every section we completed. He had just exited the chinaman’s gunshop when he handed me the controler. I had taken it and started walking when we encountered the handyman. Shreeks of terror came from the recess of our lungs and I dropped the controller while the handyman did his handy work on porr booker dewitt. Luckly my shield was strong enough to allow me to pick the controller back up and fight back which was really a lot of screaming and running…. Handy man you scary…
domski2bc | May 19, 2013 12:33 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman was during the first fight in the main plaza of Finkton. I was casually walking when this mechanical beast came flying over the building ahead of me and landed. I was unprepared and scared. I was shocked at how agile and fast he moved around. On Hard, I nearly died a dozen times until I figured out his weaknesses. Never good when the Handyman shows up.
migas19 | May 19, 2013 12:33 pm
That moment when the handyman grabbed me, and with just that touch, I could feel all the sorrow, and loneliness and felt that in the end i would have to break his heart…that is for me the Handymoment.
thesmokedawg | May 19, 2013 12:33 pm
I would love to win. The tears for fears scene was the best game moment ever.
monsieurneku | May 19, 2013 12:34 pm
I think that my best moment with the Handyman was during the first encounter. I knew that he was a great foe in Bioshock but he was expected sooner in the game in my mind.
While he was staring (and screaming) at me at this very moment, I wasn’t able to know if I was excited or scared, I had no clue of the proper way to beat him.
It was an exciting moment.
During the battle, my feelings evolved into sadness. I paid attention to his yelling and I felt that I have to kill him. To free him for his pain.
Melting emotions in a simple battle through this huge game is something pleasant but unexpected. I’ll remember that for a long time.
squito1 | May 19, 2013 12:36 pm
My favorite moment was when he came out of nowhere in the fink factory. I had no idea what to do to kill him and i just fired all my stuff into his heart. The background story is pretty sad though, a man who just wants to work for his company is changed into a machine to be more productive.
deathnoteowner | May 19, 2013 12:38 pm
The best moment for me was my first encounter w the infamous Handyman. He completely destroyed me for the first couple of seconds, until I could get a bead on him that is. By the grace of the gaming gods, I was able to pull off a well executed hip shot and down he went. =)
filoseba | May 19, 2013 12:39 pm
it´s nice to see artists like Robb Waters working in the videogame industry, as it might be nice to see their creations take form in 3d models… i´m happy for that!
blilieeyes | May 19, 2013 12:42 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was also the most heartbreaking… On the way to Comstock house, finding the voxophone next to the body of a dead Handyman from a wife to her dying husband, telling him how much she loves him.
aborring | May 19, 2013 12:42 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman is definitely the first time that you meet him in the beginning of the game. A huge crowd surrounding this mysterious figure figure and you obviously want to go up to him too. It was a “wow” moment for me for sure.
gb2vigo | May 19, 2013 12:44 pm
My favorite moment involving the handyman was on my first play through. It was during your first physical encounter with one in Finkton. I actually took pause during the middle of that fight because I realized that there was actual humanity left with this creature. It wasn’t all machine and it made me cringe hearing him talk about how much pain he was in. I felt for him and it make the Handyman a very tragic character in this world. This piece or art captures the humanity that this being still has left and it is awesome.
blooddemon8 | May 19, 2013 12:45 pm
My favorite Moment with the Handyman has to be when he showed up in finktons plaza and I ran around screaming and trying to put him down and burning through my hand cannon ammo it reminded me of fighting big daddies in the previous 2 games.
onnessa | May 19, 2013 12:46 pm
My favorite pare is when you first see Handy Man at the rafle. It looks so sad and miserable. So alone. Scared. You kind of see the reality of Columbia through the Handy Man.
hideous | May 19, 2013 12:50 pm
I remember it fondly… The day was a Tuesday… Or was it a Wednesday…? I don’t recall, but the haunting yells of the Handyman still flood my memories like when you pour a cup full of water into a sink to wash down the cheese and tomato sauce left over from a pasta dinner. I was casually strolling through Finkton (what a lovely town) and heard my ever-observant companion warn me of a large rampaging cyborg death machine. Needless to say, I hopped and skipped onto the roof of the gunmaker’s building just in time to dodge a very powerful smash. From here on, it was a no-holds-barred action fest (Actually I just ran around the roof in circles). In my Benny-Hill-esque moment of cowardice, I managed to fire off a few rounds and place, albeit rather hastily, some powerful vigors in the face of the hulking brute. Needless to say, he went down like a sack of Irish potatoes. To this day, I faintly recall hearing the cheers of the Irish workers. Of course, it was 11 am and we all know that’s beer o’clock in Finkton. But I’d like to think they threw back a couple of pints in my honor that day.
grahamdogg | May 19, 2013 12:51 pm
My most fav handyman moment is when you first are at the festival and you see him on display like a freak show. you can read his emotions so well and it draws you right there. you feel sad to see him like that….. until you have to face him.
shockingbiology | May 19, 2013 12:51 pm
Not to sound like a broken record here, but my favorite Handyman moment is the first one, at the raffle/fair. The sense of subjugation, of great power emasculated and restrained, was really striking. It also set up a sense of empathy (a la Big Daddies). When it came time to confront them as enemies, the battles challenged our emotions almost as much as they challenged our dexterity.
bagross | May 19, 2013 12:53 pm
The best moment has got to be the beginning where you get to see the handyman up close for the first time. Just watching him and how uncomfortable he was being there and being photographed showed just how tormented these souls were…. When you’ve got nothing to lose you fight like a beast…. which they clearly did! lol
deadmanflying | May 19, 2013 12:54 pm
Attacking him with Murder of Crows 😛
amnesiac | May 19, 2013 12:55 pm
Absolutely loved the design of the Handyman and ALWAYS an exciting cinematic fight to be had as soon as you hear him coming! (“Get off that thing!!”)
However, my favourite moment involving the Handyman character overall was not a visual one but an audio one, listening to the sad but mildly hopeful voice of Hattie Gerst talking about her husband gave a brilliant and emotional backstory to the enemy in under a minute of audio. Especially heartbreaking when you hear and start to realise how much pain they are constantly in through their remarks during battle…
“…I do not know if I will ever get used to a husband bound in a skeleton of metal, but…better a Handyman than a dead one.” 🙁
sophiainfinite | May 19, 2013 12:56 pm
I can’t really decide but I think my favourite moment is when I saw him for the very first time at Columbia’s raffle and fair…
deratrix | May 19, 2013 12:58 pm
The dead Handyman that has the Vox taking pictures with it is one of my favourites moments. I love the voxophone that goes with it.
I am also a huge fan of the early mood piece in the art book. It really captures the feel of the Handymen.
ciaran | May 19, 2013 12:59 pm
That is amazing. I’m not usually a fan of custom covers but words just don’t do it justice!
bamalamb | May 19, 2013 1:00 pm
I love this artwork and I never win anything. I lost the powerball jackpot but this would be just as good as 650 million buckaroonies,
…kinda.
BUT I WANTS, I WANTS IT.
bmcgehee | May 19, 2013 1:00 pm
What wasnt to love about them? the entire game was awesome. there was one especially tight scene in which I was flying around using the sky hook and was being shot at on the rooftops from about 15 different enemies, including the handyman. it was intense and I barely survived it.
duhniel | May 19, 2013 1:02 pm
The best moment with the Handyman its when you´re at the factory and saw Daisy Fitzroy and J. FInk. After that scene you start battling with a lot of enemies,fireman and a Handyman. I feel so tense in that moment. After i defeat the handyman i feel so relief… for a moment
bodachi | May 19, 2013 1:06 pm
I don’t have a favorite moment yet because I’ve still to take the game out of it’s plastic as I’ve been busy with Uni but I’ll be busting into Infinite soon.
swimfatman | May 19, 2013 1:06 pm
Best moment I had with a Handyman was on 1999 mode after Daisy kills fink, I had to keep running around the map and just let the Handyman kill all the enemies for me, then I dispatched him. Good use of a Handyman right there.
zombienerd16 | May 19, 2013 1:10 pm
My favorite Handyman moment is when you first see him on stage being presented to the world.
stormfire | May 19, 2013 1:11 pm
When the handyman first appeared the first time and they showing like a freak show. It made me laugh.
deitpike | May 19, 2013 1:11 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is when you’ve just opened the tear to get Chen Lin’s machinery back, and you come back to the “changed” Finkton, and the vox populi are having their photos taken with the now dead handyman
luckyrabbit13 | May 19, 2013 1:13 pm
The very first time you see one was my favorite. The mechanical movements hiding the devastation that beast can do.
ixdnl | May 19, 2013 1:14 pm
It would have to be when I first realized a Handyman could electrify Sky-Lines. Imagine: It’s the fight before you meet Daisy in the universe where the Vox Populi are running rampant, and she has the Fink boy at gunpoint. A Handyman appears while I’m already trying to fend off countless waves of enemies. I’ve already died once. I’m running out of ammo. I make my escape on the Sky-Line. While flying away on the line I start taking immense damage. And what do I see behind me? The Handyman ON the Sky-Line trying to electrocute me to death…and it’s working. My heart’s racing. Adrenaline’s pumping. I dismount, taking out a lesser gunman. The giant is already charging me. I get two carbine shots off before I’m sent backwards. I send a Bucking Bronco his way. Oh. Doesn’t work? Crap. Switch to Murder of Crows and send some on their way. He tries to swat the pesky birds away, exposing his heart. I get a few critical shots off. Using guerrilla tactics, a combination of using the Sky-Line in quick intervals, Vigors, and bullets, he finally goes down. Now there’s a fight I’ll never forget.
fargus45 | May 19, 2013 1:14 pm
My favorite encounter with the Handyman was when you first saw one During the carnival scene at the very beginning before any shots are fired. I remember seeing him larger than life on stage with his huge mechanical hands moving. I remember thinking that This creature was a prime example of all the love and hard work the game’s creators put into Bioshock Infinite. I also remember that little tingle that shot down my spine when I thought about fighting one.
monckey4 | May 19, 2013 1:19 pm
I think the ‘best’ time I had with a Handyman was the second one you get to fight (pretty sure it was the second) on 1999 mode, the one by all the skylines just before Liz dispatches Daisy. Yeah. First time I ever actually rage quitted. Didn’t play it again for a few days cause I knew I was going die repeatedly. I actually ran out of money a few times just from respawning. Not enjoyable. Well, kind of… I mean, probably not gonna play 1999 mode again because of that, but after killing him it was really satisfying.
blade1545 | May 19, 2013 1:19 pm
Favorite scene with a Handyman was fighting one to get to Fitzroy. The chaotic environment with all the resistance coming after you and at the same time trying to keep an eye on the Handyman. Also seeing the Handyman in a red shawl was different than the other Handymen I had encountered before.
thakurv | May 19, 2013 1:21 pm
I remember circling the sky lines at least 20 times back and forth just so I could reload my RPG and avoid losing health while battling the Handyman. My patience turned out favorable in the end 😀
ofir36 | May 19, 2013 1:21 pm
I really liked the first time you fight with the Handyman.. It was so intense !
filthy | May 19, 2013 1:22 pm
No favorite scene with this guy!
He kept smashing my face >.<
Tottaly worth it!
haryeti | May 19, 2013 1:22 pm
Favourite moment was the first fight with one when I heard the things he was saying as I fought him and felt bad for him. Yet, i still had to kill him because he was attacking me.
dragonmaster700 | May 19, 2013 1:22 pm
First time you see one in the game. Felt sorry for it because it obviously didn’t like being there, plus that whole fair area was just cool.
ciandor1 | May 19, 2013 1:24 pm
My favorite part was when you first saw him at the carnival thing. I remember going woooaahh….
patfletch | May 19, 2013 1:24 pm
I actually don’t have a favorite moment either because I have yet to play the game but I greatly want to, but seeing the Handyman in the trailers was enough to get me excited. And that custom cover is amazing, I would be over the moon if I won it!
lotusma | May 19, 2013 1:25 pm
Best part is jumping from rail to rail trying to kill him in battles, and watching how pissed off he gets when you are on the rails.
iambrayan | May 19, 2013 1:27 pm
I fell in love with the bioshock series not for their perfect storytelling, or their wonderful gaming mechanics that changed first person shooters, or even their optically pleasing environments. I fell in love with the series because it was produced by a company that loves and will always stay true to there fans.
Irrational Games has never disappointed me and i know for a FACT they never will. Im looking forward to whatever masterpiece they will come up with next.
jimmybagodonuts | May 19, 2013 1:27 pm
definitely the first time i seen him… i kept thinking, man i’m going to have to fight that guy… its was exciting and yet a little nerve racking at the same time…
djavila777 | May 19, 2013 1:28 pm
My favorite moment in Bioshock: Infinite was when Booker was taken to Rapture because it reminded that the first Bioshock game was thebest game I played in that time.
anitsirc | May 19, 2013 1:28 pm
The first time fighting the handyman was my favorite. He was scared the junk out of me with how powerful he was. Ha! It was a nice surprise
arthurgress | May 19, 2013 1:30 pm
Favorite part is when he’s scared by the cameras,like a circus aberration..
starwarsco | May 19, 2013 1:32 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was at Shantytown, if you go down to the bar after you enter the tear, there’s three Vox Populi taking pictures with a dead Handyman, and then if you look around, and you find the Voxophone, it get’s pretty sad. Try it out for yourself!
luisprimv1 | May 19, 2013 1:33 pm
My favorite Handyman moment was the first sight of him it the fair.
The whole complexity and detail put into him easily stood out while the old man added a humane touch to him, making the man unstoppable and powerful.
I also liked how it looked like a slimmer and upgraded version of the Big Daddy from he first two original games.
Loved Infinite!
yazo12 | May 19, 2013 1:34 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman was that moment when I killed it on 1999 mode, just before Elizabeth killed Daisy Fitzroy! 😀
kmkjester | May 19, 2013 1:35 pm
I loved fighting him and hearing everything he said for the first time! Thought it was a good character for the game. Nice job on it btw guys! Can’t wait for the dlc’s! Already got my season pass. 🙂
thor9356 | May 19, 2013 1:38 pm
My favorite moment of the Handyman would have to be in Shantytown. Seeing two of the Vox Populi posing for a picture in front of the corpse of the Handyman and listening to the Voxophone attached to it really hit me in the gut. It was one of those moments that just stick out to me.
gchu149 | May 19, 2013 1:38 pm
My favorite part was actually while watching my friend play the game on 1999 mode. It was the part right around when Daisy kills a “certain character” and then a Handyman jumps out along with 2 airships of troops IIRC. He was using a hand cannon and a sniper rifle and had 200 money left, had basically no health and running low on ammo, Elizabeth kept throwing salts at him, he didn’t like using vigors, and was terrible at using skylines. And he survived despite the circumstances.
loganmay | May 19, 2013 1:38 pm
My favorite handyman moment would have to be the very first encounter. Elizabeth yells to alert me and after I pop a few enemies in the heads with my carbine, I turn to look behind me and this giant behemoth is in mid-air with his gigantic hands about to SWAT me into a building… That was my heart-racing battle introduction haha.
moribundmime | May 19, 2013 1:41 pm
Despite the fact that it is quite depressing, my favorite experience with the Handyman was in the beginning of the game when he was on display to the Founder residents like some sort of freak at the raffle event. It shows their docile side, the side I don’t see while he is slapping me around like he’s my pimp.
9ntropy | May 19, 2013 1:41 pm
In the beginning where he is just an attraction in the city, not a threat. So peaceful, yet so dangerous if threatened.
g1mrg323 | May 19, 2013 1:42 pm
my favorite part was when you fought him the first time. that was a crazy experience!
dannygten | May 19, 2013 1:47 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman was in Finkton because i was trying to get the heartbreaker trophy and i found the sniper hidden on the shop roof and it was so much easier after that.
jeebus | May 19, 2013 1:52 pm
Memorable moment was when after running and shooting I finally brought him down
goregeosity | May 19, 2013 1:52 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was finally, FINALLY being able to kill him just by shooting the heart, unlocking the xBox achievement. What a phenomenal game!
atomoskairos | May 19, 2013 1:53 pm
best moment was killing him with only heart shots, pain ITA trophy 😉 got it though.
vigorsbyfink | May 19, 2013 1:53 pm
My absolute favorite moment was when the Handyman first came out during my 1999 mode gameplay, and I was fighting him then when I had a really short amount of health. I was running from him and I thought that hiding in Chen Lin’s shop would stop him from chasing me. Nope! He ran inside the shop and killed me!! I was almost crying of laughter.
unchartedlair | May 19, 2013 1:54 pm
I’m really stellar about this drawing, it look amazing. Since other people are talking about it, I’ll add my favourite handy man moment. It’s when you first fight one, he just dropped from nowhere and it scared me half to death. 🙂 good luck to everyone.
loki | May 19, 2013 1:55 pm
I have a 2-way tie:
First is when you hear over the Voxophone the biography of one handyman: he had cancer, and his wife struggled with the reality that now her husband, her love, was more machine than man; she was forced to console herself with the thought that it was better that remnants of her husband lived in the new chimera than to lose him completely.
Similarly, seeing a handyman photo on the board of sinners in Comstock House stood out. It showed that these people were not reduced to automatons serving the will of their masters; they still retained aspects of their humanity.
brawl96 | May 19, 2013 1:56 pm
Getting heartbreaker by the docks! Last trophy for the platinum!
bassfacebindle | May 19, 2013 2:12 pm
I would have to say that the most stand out moment for me with the Handyman is the beginning as you first explore Columbia and your shallow view of the city brings you to a thought of a true utopia. But as you walk further you slowly begin to realise the true underline evil of the city then like a brick to the back of the head you witness the Handyman forced onto a stage to be marvelled at. You see the physical embodiment of the flawed Utopia as no longer a man but a broken beast. Ashamed to be seen. Fearful of a city which it is bounded to by their shared loss of humanity. The only difference the Handy man has to the flying city of Columbia is that his humanity was stolen from him where the city allows it’s humanity to fade with practice. With this feeling of demented empathy for the Handyman you forget that you will come toe to toe with him but only think that this was once a man just like you.
mkian | May 19, 2013 2:12 pm
At the fair when he was introduced in the game.
riadon | May 19, 2013 2:14 pm
My most favorite moment was when I took some rails to get away from the Handyman.
hav0km0hawk | May 19, 2013 2:15 pm
My favorite part, was when i first got to walk around and see the city before everything was devastated. or when i first got to use the skyhook, i used it for about an hour, just because i could(friend was watching and getting mad i didn’t continue the story immediately).
ironhandyman | May 19, 2013 2:22 pm
My favorite moment with a handyman was when I did the achievement “Heartbreaker” by accident 🙂
bioshocktat08 | May 19, 2013 2:23 pm
The best moment was inside the the airship on 1999 mode getting chased by the handyman. I man handled him and wore him out. Loved the scene though. Very frantic. Had to keep my wits about me, and stay on my toes. Lots of great moments though. Some that have been mentioned here were also just as fantastic!!
mrbanballow | May 19, 2013 2:23 pm
Like many others have already mentioned, my favorite thing in regard to the Handyman, are the Voxophones left by Hattie Gerst regarding her husband. While I have no personal interest in the vast majority of them, you feel bad for the one clutching her final Voxophone.
spankybrew | May 19, 2013 2:25 pm
My SECOND favorite Handyman encounter was when, completely out of ammo and vigors, I threw a “Hail Mary” melee swing with the skyhook and managed to finish him off.
My all time favorite encounter will be opening the package and holding this treasure after I win it. 🙂
ethanshock | May 19, 2013 2:32 pm
my favorite handyman moment was when i killed one with only the skyhook it took alot of tries but it was epic
nidirom | May 19, 2013 2:35 pm
I don’t know about favorite. I found the handyman to be the hardest part of the game. Especially the level with the rail that goes around in a circle and he keep electrifying it. Then when you jump down he smashes you SPLAT!.
balatrooptimus | May 19, 2013 2:35 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was on one of the lower levels of The Hand of the Prophet. I could swoop in from the skyline, hit him with Murder of Crows & Devil’s Kiss, then jump right back on to continue taking out the rest of the soldiers.
badwayne | May 19, 2013 2:42 pm
It is really hard to pinpoint a favorite moment because almost all of them were terrifying and intense. I think one my favorite scene-introductions of the Handyman was in Downtown Emporia when he jumps on the air barge and starts tearing it to crap. The first time I played through the level I didn’t realize that he would actually destroy the barge. I finished off all the guys, and started scavenging for supplies when I realized the ship was gone!
zmiho | May 19, 2013 2:45 pm
my favorite moment with handyman was when he threw me over skyhook so I couldn’t reach it and then Elizabeth saved me with her powers
rahmani117 | May 19, 2013 2:47 pm
My favorite part with the handyman was at the circus. Even though people were throwing things at him, it explained what they were. It made me think of them as humans, and not just big weird robot mini bosses.
cheshyrekitty | May 19, 2013 2:51 pm
my favorite moment is at the beginning when they have the handyman on stage performing for the crowd. its like the scene out of king kong. very nice!
bombolla | May 19, 2013 2:51 pm
Just want to say that, as an artist, I would die to have this work in my house.
The moment I want to talk about is perhaps not the happiest Handyman’s moment, but for me the scene is shocking. In the second tear, when the Vox Populi are in revolution, just in the poor neighborhood, you hear someone saying – look at camera, smile. – And we can see people taking pictures with a dead Handyman. For me that scene was super-impressive because of the entire context. I believe that Handyman diserves a happier ending.
themoray42 | May 19, 2013 2:54 pm
I think that the final fight on Comstock’s zepplin where you use the skylines inside the blimp in order to fight both the handyman and the turrets, as well as the usual enemies. Quickly changing from turret to health packs in 1999 mode really pushed me to the limit. At one point, I was left to melee him to death, which became a frantic sequence of riding the lines, striking, then luring him back to the center of the room.
yuke | May 19, 2013 2:57 pm
My favourite moment with a Handyman has to be during the fight just after Daisy kills Fink when I was flying around on the skylines taking out the lackies only to have the Handyman shock the lines and panic me half to death.. Certainly made that part a lot more interesting!
tothebatmobile | May 19, 2013 2:57 pm
My favorite bit regarding the Handyman was when I first ran into him. It was also very intense seeing on how I was low on everything, relying on Elizabeth to throw me various things just to get past the fight. And when I finally managed to topple the behemoth, the feeling was awesome
hibblesnicker | May 19, 2013 2:57 pm
My favorite was on 1999 mode when i first ran into the handy man, it was so much fun and so terrifying at the same time running around the open area trying to keep from dying to the handyman and the guards at the same time in the end it was all for not cause the handyman go the best of me….then i started again and got my revenge.
supersalvia | May 19, 2013 2:59 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is in battle, the cries and appearance of him are outstandingly detailed, and interesting. More specifically, the moment on Comstock’s Flagship where i was desperately trying to get the heart breaker trophies was one I will never forget! I must of restarted that checkpoint , at least, 100 times!
poorfrijolito | May 19, 2013 3:01 pm
my favorite handyman part is listening to the Voxophone of the wife describing her husband becoming one and her feelings towards it
zombiepirate21 | May 19, 2013 3:05 pm
My favorite moment in the game was in the fink factory slums where you see line of people for food and when you approach the two Irish men who tell Booker to back off. After you turn your back, they they shout thief and start shooting at you.
necromander | May 19, 2013 3:09 pm
The Handyman was kind of a crazy enemy to face up against. I felt so dang bad for them the whole time, but the first battle I had with a handyman drove me a little nuts. I’m pretty sure I was playing way above my difficulty level, so it kept kicking my butt and sending me straight back to that sepia room in Booker’s head. Fed up but stubborn enough not to turn my difficulty down, I told myself “That’s the last time I let you knock me out, you little punk.” The Handyman was charging at me and I kept backing away, backing away, backing away… until I accidentally ran myself right off the edge of Columbia. So much for an epic last stand.
diaborosyuzuha | May 19, 2013 3:12 pm
I run on 360, but I have a friend who would love this. <3
jessec262 | May 19, 2013 3:13 pm
The first time you run into handyman is a total wtf moment. He’s such a unique and strong opponent you have no idea how to approach the situation. I had gone a majority of the game attacking my adversaries head on and found myself running from him, and dying often enough to make me almost want to throw a controller!
deltanight01 | May 19, 2013 3:25 pm
My favorite part involving the Handyman is with the dead Handyman in Shantytown, Mainly because the Voxophone it had in it’s hand. When I first heard it. I felt guilty for gloating over the first one I fought, because The Voxophone had help show this real, humanizing feeling from the tragedy that is the Handyman, and how being one affects both the Handyman itself and their relatives.
signatus | May 19, 2013 3:30 pm
Not having played the game yet makes me unable to have a memorable moment. As I don’t want to spoil myself I won’t read anyone’s moment either, so you’ll have to trust me when I say, my favorite moment with the Handyman is still to come!
jazzagenomad | May 19, 2013 3:44 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman wasn’t in combat. Running through Shanty Town, the player encounters several Vox soldiers posing for a photo with a dead Handyman. If you pick up the Voxophone the Handyman still clutches, you find a touching recording from his wife. Samuel Gerst (the dead Handyman) suffered extreme anger outbursts (and presumably other mental issues) after being forced into the Autobody. He was, much like the Splicers found in Rapture, just another victim of his city. With that Voxophone, Samuel wasn’t a Handyman to me anymore, he was a human being.
toastingbacon | May 19, 2013 3:46 pm
My favorite moment was on 1999 mode, on the first handyman encounter. I died many times trying to defeat him, but i was a lot of fun. After many attempts, I finally beat him, and to my surprise, I unlocked the “Heartbreaker” achievement. That was my greatest moment in the game.
0arussell | May 19, 2013 3:59 pm
My favourite moment was when you hear the recording of his wife saying they’ll meet again, soo sweet
stayinalf | May 19, 2013 4:09 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman in Bioshock Infinite is actually the first time you encounter a Handyman. You just do not see it coming and if you are not prepared, you will get destroyed. You must take the Handyman seriously.
chronify | May 19, 2013 4:12 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman…Hmm that’ tough. I think i’m going to have to go with your first encounter with the Handyman (at the carnival near the beginning of the game when he’s on display). Right then and there I knew that the Handyman is Infinites version of the “Big daddy” from previous games. This opened an element of mystery that left myself guessing what kind of abilities does this new big daddy have, how intense will combat be with it, when will I encounter him in battle for the first time? Mainly, it’s the element of mystery regarding the Handyman and that first encounter that enthralled me so much.
PS: This game is absolutely mesmerizing…on play through 2 as we speak.
jburke02 | May 19, 2013 4:16 pm
I watch the Heavy Hitters videos before I even played the game so I had an idea who the Handyman was before I started to play so I think my most memorable moment was during the city fair when you first arrive in Colombia. As I got to and walked around the main part of the fair, I saw a Handyman on display and I was a little worried and thought, “Something is going to happen and I’m already going to have to fight this thing and I’m only 10 minutes in.”
germaximus | May 19, 2013 4:22 pm
Every moment is my favorite.
koze | May 19, 2013 4:25 pm
Well, I’d say the most fun and terrifying part was the one area where the Rails looped and there was about three different areas you could fight him in. I ran away so much. i honestly didn’t know if i would survive. every time he would get too close I would let out a yell and run as fast as I could. I honestly think that fight took me about twenty minutes to finish.
Thanks guys for making an unforgettable game that I will always cherish and enjoy replaying
pockyking | May 19, 2013 4:31 pm
Don’t know if I have a favorite, but I loved being able to swoop around him on the Skyline, shooting him, electrocuting him, and aiming crows at him. Such an awesome character design.
ian10235 | May 19, 2013 4:36 pm
1999 mode is going to give me headaches when I make it to the first handyman… then the rest. I loved the part with Elizabeth making the 1983 tear. You could hear “Everybody wants to rule the world” in the background.
davidvillanueva | May 19, 2013 4:43 pm
At the very beginning. You can just see him, and even though you know you’re bound to fight Handymen eventually, you feel for them. Teir dialogue in battle afterwards just adds to the tragic nature of the awesomely designed characters, and it all makes for formidable fights and a really unique and memorbale feeling related to them, just like pretty much any other major part of the game.
sgtwookie052 | May 19, 2013 4:44 pm
Seeing the Handymans smile as he slapped me into the sky’s of Columbia
manofrapture | May 19, 2013 4:48 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is actually two moments. I was really moved by the two Voxophones from Hattie Gerst to Samuel the Handyman. They showed that the Handymen were more than just Comstock’s tools. They were people, and those people had loved ones who missed them.
robbhall00 | May 19, 2013 4:59 pm
I had a hard time with the Handymen on 1999 mode and parts of the hard mode. I enjoyed the mechanics and the backstory behind them. My favorite part was a tragic one. It was when you saw the Handyman lying there lifeless and people were excited to take photographs with his body. It was the only time I felt bad for the guys. They were once people who wanted a second chance, but they got more than what they bargained for. It showed quickly how someone can view what was once human as a monster, yet the ones participating in the photo were the bigger monsters.
notfranksinatra | May 19, 2013 5:19 pm
I think my favourite part of Bioshock Infinite was when you first hit Columbia. The city is beautiful, and actually listening to the conversations people had was entertaining. The actually artistry of the game was wonderful to see evolve. Going from this bright, opulent city to the dingy parts where the Boys fo Silences lurked – the transition in the setting was amazing.
In terms of emotionality, I had read up about all the enemies and characters in Infinite after playing it. When I replayed and saw the part where the Handyman was lying, defeated, as people surrounded his body to take photos – that really hit me in the heart.
spacemangreg | May 19, 2013 5:25 pm
Best time with a Handyman was probably when I found out the Hellfire is my favorite weapon to take them out with.
antares | May 19, 2013 5:28 pm
Favorite moment? It’s…… unpickable!!
jameskwc | May 19, 2013 5:30 pm
I have to say that my favourite moments with the handyman weren’t necessarily the intense action associated with the creatures but rather their emotional dialogue while fighting them. They constantly pleaded for you to get away from them and to leave them be, and consequently, for me it built this odd feeling of sorrow for the Handyman. So I have to say that although the action and strategy involved in the combat with the Handyman was riveting, the dichotomy of sorrow and fear for these tragic characters was undoubtedly the highlight of the encounters with the flawed beasts.
zeprofessor | May 19, 2013 5:35 pm
Defiantly the event before you release Elizabeth’s Mom-ghost-lady. Just too much fun. Reloaded four times to play it through 😉
devilskiss | May 19, 2013 5:36 pm
As the 991 comment my fav moment with the handyman whas when you first get the handcannon. I died at first and when i respawned he just stood there doing nothing, so i shot with the handcannon, shock jockeyd, jumped up a skyline and finished him off with a few sniper bullets 😀
That was the easiest and cleanest handyman kill ever!
Btw this was 1999 mode.
rapturesfinest | May 19, 2013 5:45 pm
My favorite Handyman moment is actually in a scene. I like the part when you’re about to enter the Fink “area” and the Handyman comes out of nowhere and says “FALSE SHEPHERD!!!” and throws you! I like it because I initially thought they were’t “built” to speak or have any form of free will, like a Big Daddy. Plus, all their battles bring a form of anxiety that I greet with open arms haha
aveira | May 19, 2013 5:47 pm
I don’t really have a favorite moment, but I love how pathetic they are. They say things like “I’m supposed to be dead” and “I miss my own body. It was so warm…” I always felt so bad about killing them. They seemed the most human to me of all the enemies. They didn’t ask to be that way. And the way they seem so simple and childish, like their brain’s been damaged makes them even more pitiable. It’s probably the handymen more than anything that made me realize how disgusting Comstock was.
hylentor | May 19, 2013 5:48 pm
I don’t know that I’d call it my “favorite” but, considering the only other couple I’ve encountered were a scripted event and standing on the stage in the “intro level,” that first one you battle in Finkton was amusing, what with the dash away, turn around to try and lay some rounds into him to find he already jumped into your face…
squall | May 19, 2013 6:01 pm
Favorite moment? That’s easy. Jumping on the skyline, thinking I was safe from the handyman until hearing “GET DOWN FROM THERE” and getting shocked off.
willabee | May 19, 2013 6:10 pm
my favorite moment with handyman is when he threw me of the side of fink mfg. and you think you die but elizabeth saves your ass thank god for elizabeth! love you handyman and i know you me too. because you threw me off of a floating city, if thats not love than i don’t know what is.
emperorfoxx | May 19, 2013 6:16 pm
My fav moment would have to be the very first time Elizabeth says: “Booker! Handyman!!” And the words out of my mouth were: “Oh $@#!…”. I continued to run in circles as pick away at him little by little… Was a very scary fight.
nicollettenikki | May 19, 2013 6:41 pm
I’m still honestly learning about the Handy man’s harrowing back story so I don’t know if I have a favorite moment yet. Admittedly he is terrifying with the way he practically moans about whatever I did to him to cause him, his pain. I think all moments with the Handy men are in general memorable. I think my favorite I suppose would be when you first see him at the The Fair and he’s not attacking you or anything.
Just standing there and you literally take all of him in and wonder what happened to him and all the handy men in general. I think that’s my favorite moment because for me, it filled me, as the player with more curiosity on what was really going on behind the scene’s in Columbia and how a person could ever turn into this monster of a man called the Handy man.
darkrex2065 | May 19, 2013 6:47 pm
Best moment is when your flying over the prison and the handy man gives you the stare down.
kisstina21 | May 19, 2013 7:10 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman was the first encounter I had with him. I was at the Plaza of Zeal and I was just walking around looking for anything hidden when I ran right into him buy accident. I wasn’t expecting him and he scared me because he just jumped right in front of me. I had the shotgun and I jumped when he scared me and accidentally fired my gun and hit him right in the heart and got the trophy and pretty much had him down and it was completely accidental! The rest of the times I got to encounter one they were not so easy!
afreaknperson | May 19, 2013 7:10 pm
The first time I fought one and used the skyhook to get away. I jumped off just before he electrified the line and looked back. I thought to myself “That was Lucky”.
seravok | May 19, 2013 7:37 pm
My favourite Handyman moment was probably when I saw one at the fair and I realised that I would be fighting him with a guilty conscience now, seeing him cringe and shy away from the camera flashes, hearing the voxophone later gave them such meaning, a very human monster. I love System Shock and the Bioshock games for making some of their enemies very hard not to feel for. My honest to goodness favourite games ever.
jesusorly | May 19, 2013 7:39 pm
Favorite moment? In the lower wards(I think) when you find a dead handyman, killed by the vox and holding a voxophone. When you get the voxophone that made me think about handymen in general.
See, they are some annoying motherfuckers, but you only get to know his agressive side. What made him obey the others? Why is he attacking Booker?
Because almost everyone in Columbia is crazy? Definitelly, but in one of the fights against a Handyman I heard him saying “Why are you doing this to me?”. And after I heard the voxophone, i got the impression that he wasn’t doing thatby his will.
He didn’t want to turn into a mindless killing machine, or just a mindless machine. That actually, when he’s fighting Booker or the Vox, someone is forcing him to do those things somehow.
And that voxophone was a reminder to that specific handyman, so he would always remember that deep inside he was and would always would be a human.
That was damm profound to me, and I never managed to kill a handyman without thinking about that specific one with the voxophone.
brabbit54 | May 19, 2013 7:43 pm
Probably one of the best moments i had against a handyman was the first encounter. I completely underestimated the handyman. When i went to first battle him i was not fully prepared which became a mistake. My goal was not to die so going against this beast was a very difficult battle. I won with barely a spec of health remaining, but overall feeling accomplished.
chewdinosaur | May 19, 2013 7:45 pm
The very fist time seeing one at the fair and seeing his reactions to the camera flashes and realizing just how human he is at heart.
ameliajean | May 19, 2013 7:46 pm
When i arrived, i first began exploring the beautiful city of Columbia, looking at every edge, entering every shop, and trying to talk to every individual. when i reached the fair and saw the Handyman for the first time. Although it does look enormous and strong, it still showed itself kind of vulnerable and open to every act against him. He was portrayed so differently form what i thought. That was my most memorable moment, because i thought to myself: “when will the moment arrive when he comes crashing against me”.
bloodrose23 | May 19, 2013 8:11 pm
My Fav. is the very first time i saw that handy man coming out of the fire i was like dang i am so not ready you dude, lol but it was really awesome. But i love how they look like they really didn’t want to be in the suit in the first place it made them more human.
dmc5x2 | May 19, 2013 8:15 pm
My favorite moment with the Handyman is at the Fink factories after Fitzroy kills Fink. That was one hell of a battle. Really did catch me by surprise.
sternutator | May 19, 2013 8:17 pm
My favourite moment was at the fair, where he appeared embarrassed to be on display. I also liked how one woman watching felt for him.
billazilla | May 19, 2013 8:22 pm
It was after entering the tear that leads to the revolt, the one in the police station after promising Daisy her guns. Coming back out of the station, I found two Vox standing around a slain Handyman. After listening to the voxophone describing the bouts of anger they experienced and seeing the propaganda entreating people to discard their bodies for an Autobody, I realized each one I fought and killed could have been in actuality a peaceful soul, or one who was desperate enough to sacrifice himself for other reasons. I could only look at his face and feel sad…
frielock88 | May 19, 2013 8:34 pm
Finding the dead one in Shanty Town and listening to the voxaphone found next to him. Broke my heart!
link615 | May 19, 2013 8:47 pm
Oh man, My favorite moment has to be the moment when it is revealed that booker is Elizabeth’s father. The scene where Booker runs through the alleyway only to reveal how Elizabeth lost half her pinky. My heart sank to the floor. The sheer emotions I had surge through me is what showed me that the characters in this game are the best and most well thought out characters ever.
eyss | May 19, 2013 9:51 pm
My favorite moment with the handyman has to be when you come across the dead one in the Vox revolution universe. That final voxophone you get dealing between Samuel and Hattie had quite a powerful impact on my feeling towards them.
thriftjam | May 19, 2013 9:53 pm
Definitely the moment during the fight in Emporia Towers when Liz shouts “Handyman!” and all of the sudden a Handyman swoops down and crushes a Vox airship with his hands. So badass and so scary at the same time. 🙂
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theaccountsfake | May 19, 2013 10:19 pm
I dont have a favorite moment cause i liked all the fights with the handymen, but they quickly became my favorite enemy because of their dialogue.
cursedchihiro | May 19, 2013 10:47 pm
It has got to be that first time seeing him. First glance at those hands, I was like “Damn, nothing to do here.” -flees-
commanderorgia | May 19, 2013 10:54 pm
Hopefully this moment counts because the Handyman isn’t necessary -in- the scene, but I really enjoyed Hattie’s voxophone recordings regarding the lore behind the Handyman. Heartbreaking yet beautiful in that she never left his side (figuratively) despite the townspeople ridiculing him publicly.
ashwin | May 20, 2013 12:03 am
One of the more interesting Handyman encounters in my opinion was the one with the only Vox Populi Handyman at Fink Mfg. right before the confrontation with Fink and Fitzroy. The reason it stuck out to me was because up to that point, I had figured that Handymen were foes exclusive to the Founders, and seeing one draped in the crimson banners of the Vox Populi was jarring. I thought it was interesting because it opened up a lot of questions and plot possibilities. How did the Vox get a hold of a Handyman? Did they subdue one and reprogram him? What about brainwashing him with Vox propaganda? Is it programming or more brainwashing that drives the Handyman’s fanaticism, and for that matter, where does the man part of him end and the machine begin, at least on a mental level? Did the Vox plant people where the Handymen are converted and just alter his induction to serve the Vox’s purposes? Needless to say, I had a lot of questions, but I ultimately didn’t find too many answers while playing through.
nexowadeth | May 20, 2013 12:24 am
Favourite moment has to be when you first meet the handyman at the fair. He’s up on stage, the presenter is making a spectacle, the crowd is just staring, camera flashes are going off, and he’s just hunched over, raising his hands to hide behind and cowering. You know later on you’re going to have to fight these brutes and it won’t be easy but at the same time you can see how society has exploited them against their will and that adds a touch of melancholy to the whole affair.
badbrad752 | May 20, 2013 1:23 am
I’d say my favorite moment involving the Handyman would be when you first see him in the Carnival. He is just some spectacle that everyone gawks at, and you see how misunderstood this poor soul is. He lost all chance at a normal life in order to continue to live, and is then paraded around like a trophy. He was/is truly a sad character.
xdrizztx | May 20, 2013 1:27 am
They have a very gripping story (like everything in bioshock), but the best part is when I stopped fearing them in fights. The first two fights against them were a mad scramble for survival against what seemed and excessively powerful monster. Finally in the third fight I learned how to combat them making them nothing more than “another enemy”.
alexmcdouchebag | May 20, 2013 1:55 am
My favorite Handyman moment is probably when I fought the Handyman on 1999 mode. It was one of the toughest mini-boss I’d ever faced in a video game. I’d made the mistake of only bringing a sniper-rifle and heater to the fight. He killed me at least two times, before I figured I’d have to run in circles all over the map and only shoot his heart. It was tough and Fitzroy’s men didn’t help!
thesolidsnake | May 20, 2013 2:05 am
I was riding the Sky-Line at the Emporia Thoroughfare on 1999 Mode with little health and low shields. Suddenly, Elizabeth yelled, “Handyman!” but I was at the lowest part of the rail, and there was no place to dismount. So I sped up as the Handyman screamed, “Get off!”, and I found a place to dismount right as the electricity reached my location. It was one of many unscripted, action movie-style close calls that made the game so memorable.
themodifier | May 20, 2013 2:34 am
My favorite Handyman moment was when I was on the First Lady’s Airship with my had sticking out of the ship gazing at the world below. There were prisoners beating the rocks with their picks, and as the airship flew by, there stood a single Handyman above them all stretching its gargantuan hands and eyeing Booker as he passed by.
This moment summed up the sheer power that is a Handyman for me. He stands above all else and relys on his fists to settle everything.
When he saw Booker and followed him with his eyes , it frightened me. I was already hanging from an airship and now I had a Handyman’s attention…
This moment was also great for me because it showed the tragic side of the Handyman. Though now more machine than flesh, the Handyman was still stretching its fingers, a residual quality left behind from its days covered in flesh and not metal. The tragedy of losing its human body, but still longing to maintain it.
That is why this Handyman moment is dear to me.
ultimatepikachu | May 20, 2013 3:14 am
Probably one of the most heartfelt moments I had in Infinite was listening to the voxiphone of the handyman during the vox rebellion. Really helped to get a better understanding of what the handymen go through
fullofred | May 20, 2013 3:37 am
The first time I fought him I almost poo’d myself. Took me 6 tries on hard. I love the way he looks! And his fierce attacks catch you off guard because of his awesome speed. One of my favorite collins. Way harder to best than the patriot.
rawrtiger | May 20, 2013 4:53 am
Has to be zipping about on the skylines of downtown emporia, blissfully unaware of the Handyman jumping up and zapping the lines.. Flinging me off Columbia
allanonx | May 20, 2013 6:58 am
The great thing about the Handyman for me is how they embody the theme of Bioshock Infinite. They are what become of the oppressed if a hero doesn’t rise to show us a better path. They are the reason hero’s like Booker DeWit exist. they are the fuel that fires them, even when they are reluctant. Like the message from the one Handyman’s wife where she knows the ill fate that has befallen her husband, through that enormous pain she excepts it. It societies rules and in her eyes their is no other way. Booker and Elizabeth against the odds show these tragic figures that their is a another path a better way to live.
allanonx | May 20, 2013 7:01 am
The great thing about the Handyman for me is how they embody the theme of Bioshock Infinite. They are what become of the oppressed if a hero doesn’t rise to show us a better path. They are the reason heroes like Booker DeWit exist. they are the fuel that fires them, even when they are reluctant.
Like the message from the one Handyman’s wife where she knows the ill fate that has befallen her husband, through that enormous pain she excepts what has happened to him as unavoidable. It societies rules and in her eyes their is no other way. Booker and Elizabeth against the odds show these tragic figures that there is a another path a better way to live.
pyramid1989 | May 20, 2013 7:48 am
Mi momento favorito con un handyman fué la primera vez que te enfrentas a uno!! Mi primera vez me pasé el juego en dificultad difícil, y la verdad, no estaba preparado para enfrentarme a él, con lo que me costó mucho matarlo… Fué un combate increíble, y la pieza de equipo que suelta tras de sí me vino estupendamente!! 🙂
legiraffe | May 20, 2013 8:46 am
When I killed him and t-bagged his body in 1999 mode while I was trying to get both the Auld Lang Syne and and scavenger hunt trophy. I was successful.
denken | May 20, 2013 11:51 am
My favorite moment was when I first saw the Handyman, in the fair, he was shown as a monster, and everybody was so impressed and scared at the same time, and the Handyman was trying to hide from pictures. In that scene he looked like the thing he actually was, a victim.
nationgamers | May 20, 2013 12:41 pm
My favorite moment was when I was looking for Elizabeth Comstock when Daisy Fitzory kicked me off the ship of Lady Comstock. When I saw the handyman with the workers as the boss., I though he was going the help me like the fair. I was wrong later he attacked me and it was very tense and reminded me as a Big Daddy and Splicer. That’s what I like about the Handyman. He is an unexpected beast of a fighter and i learnt that anyone near is going to backstab me like Elizabeth Comstock. I hope this won the art of him if not doesn’t matter i’m expressing my feeling of the handyman. I wish there was more like him so there more of Rapture ideas so it combines with the tear of Elizabeth Comstock
clockworkmax | May 20, 2013 1:38 pm
On my second playthrough, I paid more attention at the beginning and noticed how scared the Handyman at the carnival was of the camera… Little details like that made the experience so much better for me!
thereaper151 | May 20, 2013 1:41 pm
I started by playing Bioshock Infinite because the reviews were all amazing. I instantly got hooked. I just beat the first one and am waiting to play the second one. This is currently my favorite game series. I love the combination of magic attacks and weapons.
m00ncakes | May 20, 2013 1:47 pm
My favourite handyman moment was probably my first encounter with him, had been handling up to that point relatively easily unless I got swarmed. Did not expect him to hit me like a tractor trailer or that I’d be unable to outwit him. Ran out of all ammo and salts the first time I tried him out, panicking and spraying bullets everywhere. Really changed the way I looked at the game afterwards haha
huffman | May 20, 2013 2:36 pm
For me the first encounter is always the most memorable one. When you first get to Columbia and are still safely exploring the city and come by the town festival. Right here is by far my favorite encounter with a handyman. The reason is, because you get to closely examine their structure and at the same time learn a great deal about them. I spent a good 5 minutes just examining his structure and listening to the back story. One thing people need to remember about the Handyman is that these people aren’t warriors like the Big Daddies were meant to be. These are just people who didn’t want to die either because of age or heavily injured at the cost of having such a unusual body. You can also see this in later dialog with a Handyman in combat that they are in pain and don’t want to be fighting.
This is why I love Bioshock Infinite or just Bioshock in general, things aren’t simply spelled out for a player to know, but if you just examine the world around you, there is a plethora of back story and information to find out, and it is well worth the look to find these things out.
firespyke | May 20, 2013 2:55 pm
Oh man those 1999 mode handymen were tough. Especially when I was trying to get the heartbreaker trophy without switching to a lower difficulty >_<
dperlmutter | May 20, 2013 3:10 pm
I have not finished the entire game yet, but so far my favorite moment with the Handyman is when you are on your way out of finkton after opening up the huge tear and you see the Handyman laying on the ground with his pet and two members of the Vox are taking victorious pictures with him.
bcmazing | May 20, 2013 6:18 pm
My favorite moment was near Bank of the Prophet and I used Return to Sender to absorb damage just going back and forth while Elizabeth just kept refilling my salts so I did not even have to do much.
ericra | May 20, 2013 8:18 pm
favorite moment has to be when Booker is chasing Elizabeth and the Handyman stops me out of nowhere, but after seeing this picture i do feel a little bad for him.
vgfreak1225 | May 20, 2013 9:12 pm
Finishing off the second handyman fight without dying. That one was satisfying.
nilbog731 | May 20, 2013 9:16 pm
My favorite moment was the little side story about one particular handyman and his wife told through voxophones. It was surprisingly effective in evoking my emotions. It’s just another small thing about this game that makes it so amazing. It’s easily missed if you aren’t paying attention, but I spent 20 hours my first playthrough soaking up every inch of Columbia’s lovingly detailed world and was richly rewarded. The last voxophone you find in the arms of a dead Handyman was just heart-wrenching:
“They said your soul was choked by the fumes in that metal box, but this I do not believe. And we shall meet again, on that eternal shore; both of us whole and smiling. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
tealeaf82 | May 20, 2013 10:09 pm
My favorite scene with them has to be at the very beginning. You know that you’re going to have to face off against one of them sooner or later, but when, you don’t know.
stein909 | May 20, 2013 10:59 pm
The series of Hattie Gerst voxohones is by far the best part of the game dealing with the Handyman. I found “That Eternal Shore” next to the dead handyman and had to fight against bawling my eyes out. It was amazing to me that maybe 2 minutes of audio combined over her few voxophones which were an insignificant part of the game, in terms of story and really Columbia as a whole, could have such an impact on me emotionally. I was genuinely upset when a friend had told me she missed that recording. Bravo Mr. Levine, Bravo.
lawlly | May 20, 2013 11:31 pm
When I first encountered the handyman at the fair I seriously thought something was about to go down. I remember seeing him in the trailer and he was sort of a terrifying guy. He was huge, and mechanical, and just amazing. And it soon became a little sad to see these people at the fair in awe and amazement after I learned more of the back story for the handymen. That rushing feeling returned again when I saw him on the ship as I was dangling out of the first lady airship. My favorite moment for the handymen; all of the encounters with then because every single time I saw him I was reliving that feeling.
nizzu | May 20, 2013 11:37 pm
After he made the decision to follow through with the medical procedure. Before he mentioned he no longer had teeth. After he was made a spectacle of at the fair. Before he pounced on a barge and after he jumped off a club rooftop. Before or after he threw a horse on a bridge.
When he was resting quietly outside a bar in the street holding his wife’s Voxophone… When he was at peace. Embracing his wife on that eternal shore and smiling.
jrzg1985 | May 20, 2013 11:38 pm
Definitely my favorite moment was at the fair, his reaction to the audience and the camera made me feel a strange sense of empathy and sadness at the same time.
IG.J | May 21, 2013 9:23 am
As a general reminder, entries are now CLOSED. We will now begin the process of selecting a random winner from all eligible entrants.
zmiho | May 22, 2013 7:59 am
will you post who’s the winner here in comments or? and when
caerus | May 26, 2013 8:35 pm
Has a winner been decided yet?
katielouise | May 27, 2013 1:27 pm
I would have to say my favourite moment was battling the ‘ghost’ of the Lady Comstock. She was definitely a good person to be up against on a fight since she raised many dead soldiers and you still needed to hit her at the same time! I died at least 5/6 times because Elizabeth kept chucking me ammo when I actually needed health! Was worth it though.
caerus | June 3, 2013 5:10 pm
ever since this ended, i have been getting random bioshock pictures only when i check my inbox. There is one of a big daddy being chased by bees and a few others. Does this mean anything or is it normal?
joshimarston | August 9, 2013 2:00 pm
Am I the only one who doesn’t like the Handyman? He didn’t cause me compassion!
robert | October 31, 2013 8:22 pm
this entire game was art from beginning to end.