Loved Bioshock Infinite as well. I took your advice and used cover a lot better with the shield and didn't die much after getting Elizabeth. I was also having issues with the skylines messing with me, but I found if I pulled back on the Throttle (left analog stick) I didn't zoom away so quickly and was able to reorient myself fast enough to target better from the lines.

It's funny you mention your comment about the next game to get raked over the coals because now that more people are beating Infinite, I have seen so many complaints about the ending, a few even comparing it to Mass Effect 3's original ending. Seems ridiculous to me because I thought the ending was fantastic. I guess it's just another case of gamers hate everything, though I think it's a vocal minority in this case.