BioShock

"Bioshock", like most art, is shaped from an idea, a message, a concept; in this case, it's Rapture, an underwater dystopia molded by objectivist ideals. In this Jules Verne scenario, 20.000 leagues under the sea, Andrew Ryan (a captain Nemo politician), after being fed up with government oppression, decides to build an entire underwater nation, where every "man is entitled to the sweat of his brow". In his own private utopia, justice, religion, ethics and any social considerations are absent, in favor of free commerce and free will as Law. The result, as you can guess, is nothing but disastrous. Though at first, the lack of ethical boundaries makes science, commerce and art bloom, after some time, everything goes haywire. The result is an underwater ghost city, filled with the monsters of Andrew Ryan's dreams: a plastic surgeon that makes Picasso paintings out of women, a sculptor that makes art by molding human flesh, and a capitalist entrepreneur that is willing destroy an entire society, if only to be entitled "to the sweat of his brow". Rapture is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most intelligent universes ever to grace a video game. Written by none other than Ken Levine ("Thief, the Dark Project", "System Shock 2"), this metaphor of modern capitalism and nightmare of ideological proportions, rightfully belongs in the same pantheon of dystopian masterpieces such as "1984", "Farenheit 451" "Brave New World", "Gattaca", "V for Vendetta"...

The plot itself revolves around the discovery of Rapture by an unknown man, after his plane crashed in the middle of the Ocean. Controlled by the player, he will uncover Rapture's dark past, by listening to the audio-logs of its inhabitants and by facing Andrew Ryan's objectivist monstrosities. In the end, his quest will decide the fate of Rapture, according to the moral choices of the player. And though they are binary, if they're taken seriously, they can add a level of dramatic impact to the plot, making it much more meaningful. The narrative tends to move slowly and tries to establish certain moods, allowing the player to immerse in the chaotic nature of Rapture, while at the same time, learning about its convoluted history. Curiously, few cut-scenes are used, which ends up being both a blessing and a curse. On one side, you aren't obliged to sit through important plot details, but on the other side, much of the dramatic potential of the plot feels wasted.

What manages to counterweight the absence of cut-scenes, is the sheer amount of detail and information that lies hidden in the art and music of the game. Posters, sculptures, flyer's, songs, all have something to say about the world of Rapture, and whether you want to or not, you'll apprehend a lot of information that might be otherwise hard to convey. Of course, this wouldn't be that interesting if the Art Design or Music weren't as good as they are. The fact is that "Bioshock", besides featuring one of the best narratives to grace a game, also features one of the best art designs ever to appear in one. The virtuous art deco transforms every corridor, wall and painting into marvelous works of art. The contrast between the cold, stark colors of the ocean and the flashy neon of Rapture's buildings is the perfect testament to the designers' capability of creating interactive paintings. Accompanying the visuals, a an erudite soundtrack by Garry Schyman fills in the immersion gap, with moody piano ballads and claustrophobic cacophonies establishing the player's mood perfectly.

Usually, in my reviews of artistic games, every compliment has been said by the time I get to the game-play section, which is where I commonly start "bashing". Guess what? "Bioshock" is also grand on that regard. It takes the first person shooter / rpg hybrid mechanics of "System Shock 2", removes the unneeded complications, and empowers certain abilities, creating the perfect blend of open-ended first person shooter. The player has at his disposal a great number of weapons and abilities (which he can level up), each with a particular context of use, allowing the player to choose his particular fighting style. It's nothing that hasn't been done before, but in "Bioshock", everything feels tweaked and balanced, to the point of making complex mechanics inherently fun to use, while most games, either simplify them too much, thus discarding the tactical nature of choices ("Crysis"), or complicate them to the point of being too obtuse to be fun ("Deus Ex"). Furthermore, special abilities, which range from fireballs to electric shocks, have special uses when the environment's context is right, thanks to a physics engine that defines water as electric-conducting and oil as inflammable, making special abilities all the more amusing. Perhaps the only (minor) flaw I can find in this game (that can't be regarded as nitpicking) is the sometimes overly hectic nature of the action; for the most part of the game, there is someone (or something) trying to kill you. The reason this comes out as a flaw is simple: "Bioshock" is beautiful, immersive, and mysterious, warranting exploration and attention to detail in order to sink in all the wonders of the game, but it is hard to do so, when you're constantly fighting for your life. A more paced game-play would definitely emphasize the more interesting aspects of the game, even if it would end up losing some appeal for more trigger-happy players.

It's not hard to understand why someone who looks upon games as an art form, would love "Bioshock" in every possible way. It's one of the few games that actually wants, from the get go, to be regarded as much more than just a toy, or just a "game". Its aesthetics are beautiful, its message is strong, intelligent and emotionally provocative, and it is an entertaining game. It is, by my definition, the perfect example of a perfect game, and one of the best works of art I've seen in the past year.

I was hearing about Bioshock on the internet a couple of months ago and was amazed by the good reviews critics gave it. So i thought why not try it. I won the bid off ebay for 15 dollars and when it finally arrived i installed it and played it.

You are a survivor of a plane crash and with no where to go, you will have to go to the lighthouse. The light house reaches to an under water city called Rapture, built by Andrew Ryan, and you realize how corrupted it is. Throughout the game you understand stuff about rapture, it's people and how they became to be zombie-looking things and so on.

The beginning starts out boring and i thought that my money had gone to waste but as i progressed further and further i realized that this game was not a waste at all. Plasmids and Big daddies make this game, oh and i forgot that the idea for a underwater city is priceless. The guns look very different but are the same and you can also upgrade your plasmids and guns throughout the game. Every serious gamer should have at least played this game but don't expect it to be better than Half-life 2 because it's a disgrace against Hl2.

Pros- Big daddies, guns, plasmids, story... Cons- Same enemies and that's about it.

Bioshock is simply terrific. Not many games can claim this but this is an exception. Who wouldn't want to play a game where you can modify your DNA to gain superhuman powers and abilities at your disposal? You'd be hard pressed to find anything else of this caliber with it's blissfully flawless combat system, killer graphics with atmospheric lighting effects, voice acting, and most deliciously important of all, a well-written and intriguing storyline.

Despite being a FPS, the game really is a hybrid FPS/RPG. You level up by harvesting or rescuing "Little Sisters" who are carriers of a substance called Adam, which powers the world of Rapture, a city that was once proposed to be a utopia for mankind, has now become a dystopia where mutants and other assorted freaks running rampant throughout the city.

With such a intriguing concept, another thing that sets Bioshock from others is the strategy of using plasmids: DNA-altering substance that endows the user with superhuman abilities such as electricity, fire, ice, decoy attacks and more. And with an arsenal of weapons such as shotguns, machine guns, flamethrowers, grenade launchers, pistols, and crossbows, the game gives you many ways of taking down your foes and I alone loved this aspect of the game. You can also purchase upgrades to ammo, abilities, the amount you can carry, and more. But in order to become more powerful, you must kill "Big Daddies" giant mutants in diving suits and not only that, they are protectors of the Little Sisters. So if you attack one, prepare to be in the fight of your life as the Big Daddies will defend them with their lives if they have to.

I've since beaten the game 2 times in a row and never once does it fail to keep me on the edge of my seat and scare the absolute crap out of me. That's an accomplishment; considering the creative talent behind the game and what a wonderful job they did at crafting this masterful tale of self-discovery, betrayal, hope, redemption, and destiny. And with the multiple moral choices you can make, this lends to some impressive replay value. Yes, the game can get hectic and chaotic at times, but for me, it made the game even more enjoyable and a blast to play. I've never played a game as original and groundbreaking as this one. Bioshock is simply one of the best games I've played and because of that, I bought Bioshock 2. With an ending that superbly sets up the sequel, it will be a treat to delve even deeper into the world of Rapture.

Pros:

• Great story and characters
• Eerie feeling of isolation
• Amazing scary atmosphere
• Great graphics
• Good variety of weapons and powers
• Amazing plot twist
• Great environmental story telling

Cons:

• Gameplay can be abit clunky

Verdict: Bioshock 1 is an amazing game that has one of the best video game plot twists.

9/10

BioShock was one of the games which I originally go "This looks OK...I'll just buy it for the sake of it" but then after a while I think "This game rocks, I'm glad I bought it in the first place". I think the gameplay is simply amazing with the numerous weapons and Plasmids, I enjoy whacking enemy Splicers with a wrench, downing them with armor-piercing revolver rounds, incinerating them with the power of a plasmid or firing electric bolts from your fingertips. The story and game simply just rocks to the best of it, I recommend this game to any who love standalone horror shooters. But I still don't get why the protagonist went down to Rapture in the first place anyway...

Note - Big Daddies in the game may be difficult but are essential to the harvesting or rescuing of Little Sisters, which give you ADAM energy useful for the continuation of the game.

By HowlingRabbit334