Release Date: August 21, 2007
Written on August 28, 2007
Story
Inspired by Atlas Shrugged, the story of BioShock follows Andrew Ryan, who withdrew from the people of the governed, creating the city of Rapture: an underwater "utopia", allowing others to persue any kind of professional interest. You play as Jack, who starts off the game in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, after a horrific plane crash (no snakes involved). With no other options, rather than certain death, you are forced to take refuge within Rapture (via the Bathysphere within a nearby lighthouse). After a brief film explaining just what exactly Rapture is (or rather was), the player enters the city. Within the first five minutes of entry, it becomes pretty clear that the city's gone to hell, as each of its citizens have become nothing more than spliced-up canibals. It's up to you in living through this awful nightmare. Told primarily through radio transmissions and audio diaries, the story features an excellent cast, with voice-acting that's top-notch! It's an ambitious, compelling tale of betrayal, which is something that you don't often see in games, these days.
Design
The city of Rapture truly feels like a living, breathing world. Enemies are not glued to the ground, waiting for some bloke to come along and blow 'em out of existence. The babble between Splicers (the game's main baddies) is interesting, showing their true nature, though nearly all of them have the same motive: to get Adam, the genetic material that keeps the city flowin'. The art deco, and somewhat industrial feel of the game's atmosphere is very surreal. As for the graphics, most of which in BioShock are excellent. However, the most impressive visuals are in the game's water effects. From the creeping droplets on the edge of a staircase, to the case of blurred vision when standing over a pouring waterfall, the [watery] textures in the game are amazing!
Gameplay
Unlike most first-person shooters, the gameplay in BioShock works in a very non-linear fashion. The player isn't simply bustin' baddies from one hallway to the next. You are free to roam the city in just about every area. However, with the guided arrow at the top of the screen, you won't ever lose track of the current story objective. Big Daddies, the game's heaping, metal hulks are created primarily for the protection of the Little Sisters. These girls, too, carry Adam. After defeating their protectors (which is not an easy task in most cases), you'll have the choice of either harvesting them for more Adam-which you will then be able to use buy certain upgrades-or rescuing them, with your reward being a "Thank you!" and only a small bit of Adam. However, you will every now and then be rewarded with another gift, depending on how many Little Sisters you rescue as the game progresses. The Plasmids in the game are what you give you special abilities, such as the ability to shoot lightning from your fingertips, or unleash a swarm of bees onto your enemies. And while some of the Plasmids are simply found throughout the city, you will have to buy most of them, potentially making your decision between harvesting or rescuing the Little Sisters even more difficult. There is a hacking system in the game, which alows you to take control of certain machines, assuming you haven't already blown 'em up with your newly upgraded machine gun, by completing an evolving mini-game throughout the experience. Honestly, though, I found this portion of the game to be a little tedious after awhile. Regardless, the gameplay in BioShock is smooth, and for the most part, works really well.
Overall
Simply put, BioShock is a fantastic game! Yes, the hacking system can become a little tiresome, but it's a small price to pay. With the intriguing, well-written story, gorgeous visuals, and the smooth gameplay, this is one title that you don't want to miss out on. Don't waste any more time readin' this. Go buy this game!
9.6/10
