The idea of Rapture is simple. Create a Utopian like city where only
the world's brightest minds are invited to live in harmony. The story
of Rapture is a little more complex. One man's dream becomes a
nightmare... The citizens of this advanced world start to play around
with things better left to God. To make a very convoluted story
short... some of the brightest minds in Rapture have engineered ways to
mutate and splice human cells on a genetic level and introduce things
that are considered unnatural. People can now shoot electric bolts from
their hands to cook their foes if need be... or use telekinesis to
throw their cheating lover across a bar room. Splicing gets out of
control and before you know it, the city is falling apart. This is
where you, Jack, the main character shows up. Somehow, the airplane you
are on mysteriously goes down and you find yourself floating amongst
the plane wreckage. When you start the game you see the plane debris
all around. Also, within view is a light house. A light house in the
middle of the ocean? Seeing as that's the only place to really go...
you swim to it and follow the stairs leading down. This is basically
where you begin and so the story of Rapture slowly unfolds. At various
points in the game you will find tape recorders left behind from
Raptures citizens... sometimes they talk about life in Rapture and how
things went to hell. It is a great way of letting the story of Rapture
play out without directly interfering with your game play. I loved the
idea and it somehow brings you closer to the people in Rapture and to
somewhat experience what they were experiencing. From the beginning to
end, the story keeps you on the edge of your seat and not wanting to
put your controller down.
Bioshock looks great. The retro art style that encompassed the
city of Rapture is beautiful. From the moment of your first descent
down into the doomed under-water city and through out your adventure,
it is obvious that a lot of work and time was put forth into making
Rapture as attractively haunting as possible. One of the main
ingredients of a wrecked under-water city would be the apparent water
leakage problems... and the creators of Bioshock handled it perfectly.
Puddles scattered through out the city, cracked leaking corridors and
the flooded rooms made for the perfect setting. I still remember the
first time I electrocuted a group of Splicers who were hanging out in
some water... sweet revenge on those pesky Splicers! One of the other
things that jumped out at me graphically was the assortment of colors
that really gave the atmosphere of Rapture it's own feel. Every area
seemed to have its own unique touch, whether it was the posters that
advertised Raptures newest Plasmids or the bloody evidence of some
random violence splattered onto the walls. Bottom line, Rapture is
breathtakingly beautiful.
The soundtrack to this game is creepy. From random jukeboxes
playing eerie music to the thuds and squeaks you would expect to hear
in a haunted house. It all blends perfectly. For scary games like
Bioshock you gotta have a few key elements to really make players jump
or drop their controllers in a moment of fear... and the in game sounds
and soundtrack are definitely on point. If for some reason you have
been living under a rock for the last 2 years and you haven't played
the game yet you can download the soundtrack.. free of charge! Here is
the link: http://downloads.2kgames.com/bioshock/BioShock_Score.zip
Overall the music and sound effects are a dead ringer giving you
exactly what you need to be freaked out at just the right moments. This
occurs a lot during the game and it never feels forced, always balanced.
Overall the BioShock plays, feels, and sounds like a great game
should. There are ample difficulty settings for the casual gamers and
hardcore gamers alike. From beginning to end BioShock impresses and
brings forth a fresh new taste to the gaming world.
