BioShock is a stunning first-person shooter from 2K Games on the
surface, but it's so much more when you dig deeper into the game. It is
the tale of one man's elusive fantasy which, in turn becomes a secluded
city's worst nightmare.
The game begins with a plane crash-- your plane crash-- and your the
only survivor among the wreckage. As you float in the sea of the
Atlantic you notice a lighthouse is your only hope of salvation, as you
enter it, a bathysphere lies in wait for your arrival to take you into
Rapture. Rapture itself was once a thriving metropolis, the creation of
an idealistic man named Andrew Ryan.
As the city flourished, so did its scientific advancement which
resulted in creations people could only dream of outside of Rapture.
This creation was plasmids, a genetic modification devise that granted
the user incredible abilities. However, the Rapturians were not ready
for this advancement and paid a costly price for these abilities. It is
upon entering Rapture that you discover the horrific cost of power. The
psychotic people of Rapture are horribly deformed "splicers" raiding
the city for ADAM, the key substance that makes these modifications
possible. And they will do anything for ADAM--even kill.
To discover the secrets and tribulations of Rapture, you will have to
use weapons and plasmids. The primary weapons are a pistol, shotgun and
machine gun. However later in the game you can come across grenade
launchers and flamethrowers to aid you in your quest. You will have the
opportunity to upgrade your weapons to increase their damage and firing
rate. You can also invent new items at U-Invent machines in Rapture
where you can make new ammo variations like heat-seeking RPGs. Each
weapon offers variation to the way you unleash your payload on the
inhabitants.
Bioshock's weapons are fun to use, but it is the plasmids that
differentiate BioShock from other FPS. You will collect the
electro-bolt plasmid near the start of the game, but as you progress
more advanced and more powerful powers will become available. Plasmids
also offer a more tactical element to the game as you can use the area
around you to your advantage like firing a lightning bolt into water
with splicers in it to give them a real shock. The plasmids offer an
alternative side to BioShock instead of just running and gunning down
enemies which on the whole, makes the game a winner in itself.
To use plasmids to their full effect, you can also obtain gene tonics.
These are tonics that will pass over time but can give you a real edge
of your enemies. They are split into three categories: physical,
engineering and combat. Physical tonics will make you more resistant to
damage and become stronger. Engineering tonics improves your machinery
skills like hacking safes. Combat tonics can vary from increasing melee
damage to making you more prolific with your weapons. But to obtain
these tonics and plasmids, you need ADAM.
ADAM can be taken from Little Sisters. Little Sisters used to be
ordinary little girls, but experiment have changed their whole way of
living. Little Sisters travel through Rapture, extracting ADAM from the
various bodies that lie in the city. At first they will seem like easy
prey but Little Sisters are protected by a Big Daddy. These monsters,
clad in armour-like diving suits, protect Little Sisters with sheer
brutality and unmatched aggression.
Big Daddies come in two pain-wielding varieties: a rosie and a bouncer.
A rosie carries a mammoth gun whereas a bouncer dishes out pain in
close combat with his enormous drill. Defeating a Big Daddy is one of
the biggest challenges in the game so you will have to use your weapons
and plasmids to great effect. They are quick for such huge and
intimidating characters so you will have to move fast and think quick.
Creating Armour-piercing bullets is a sure fire way to bring them down
along with using your plasmids with the environment around you.
After taking down a Big Daddy, you are rewarded with the presence of an
extremely vulnerable Little Sister. Should you harvest all the ADAM
from her, or do you rescue her from her genetic sarcophagus but only
receive half of the ADAM to use on your modifications. The decision is
yours.
Among the chaos of Rapture is a very sophisticated defence system that
Rapture's ruler, Andrew Ryan imposed on the city. These defences come
in the form of security bots, machine gun turrets and and
rocket-propelled grenade launchers which call all be hacked to work in
unison with you. To hack these machines, a mini-game must be
successfully completed. To complete it you must line up the pipes
successfully from start to finish to allow the liquid to pass all the
way through. Failing the game will cause the machine to short circuit
and damage your health. Vending machines which can provide you with
ammo and health packages can also be hacked which in turn can lower the
price of the items.
One of the first thing you notice about BioShock when you first play it
is how good the game is visually, and how good the audio is. The water
effects for the game are simply stunning, from swimming in the ocean at
the beginning of the game to walking under water leakages and watching
the water pour down the screen. Despite Rapture's sadistic nature, the
city still looks beautiful. The buildings are consistent with the
1960's time period, ever little detail counts from the old elevators to
the decor furniture of the city. The sheer detail of the characters is
astounding, you get detailed view of splicers with their blood ridden
clothes and their eerily scary part masks they wear to cover their
mutilated faces. You will be hard pressed to find a graphical fault
anywhere in the game.
One of the most impressive features of the game is how the atmosphere
is portrayed. Playing the game is a thrilling and exciting experience
that no other game can offer. The characters in the game are also very
intriguing and it is very interesting to see how they develop through
the game. Atlas, the man you first meet is a ordinary man with a
shocking secret. Andrew Ryan is very complex and neurotic man, which
his crazed visions of greatness are a treat to watch. Even the lesser
characters have very different qualities to them. You will encounter an
insane surgeon who is obsessed with cosmetic perfection with truly
terrifying results. Audio dairies are also littered through the city
which, if read, offer some interesting insights into what life was and
is like in Rapture.
Bioshock has accomplished everything it has set out to do. As a story,
you can squeeze about 15 hours out of it including playing it through
again and just by exploring the wide open city. However as a FPS, it
offers a unique blend of shooting, powers and story-telling that any
gamer should not pass up.
