Thursday, September 26, 2013
1:02โฏPM
Bioshock thrusts you into a dystopia that you will want to revisit again and again.
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| Bioshock's atmosphere is eerie and oppressive, but it's the most realized game world you'll ever step in to. |
So what's it about?
1960. Your plan crashes over the mid-Atlantic. Spotting a lighthouse, you swim to safety. Inside is a bathysphere, waiting for another journey down to the ocean. You step in, not knowing where it's going to take you. As you descend into the depths, you are greeted by Rapture, a sprawling, man-made underwater city. As you step out onto the bathysphere platform, you quickly see that everything is disheveled, and the only ones there to greet you are those who want to use and kill you.
If you are at all interested in this game, you should watch this. Hell, even if you've played the game, watch this. This opening is gripping and sets the tone for the game perfectly.
How's it play?
The first thing to that needs to be addressed is the city of Rapture itself. This is a living world, even if it tells the story of death and decay. Rapture is actively rotting away, a result of neglect and the pressure of operating many fathoms under the sea. The 1950s/1960s tone is captured with what was clearly great care, all the way down to the music that is played throughout the world.
The thing about Rapture is that it's creepy. Creepy as hell. The enemies are frightening and can sneak up on you when you least expect it. And there's just something about the world that is horribly oppressive. You can see that Rapture was once a happy, even elegant place that is now devoid of any joy or potential.
The story is, I do believe, one of the best of any game out there. Essentially, an entrepreneur built an underwater city where "the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, where the great would not be constrained by the small." Clearly, this didn't work out. I won't speak of the twists and turns that make up the narrative, but I was left with my mouth agape and head spinning quite often. Fleshing out the story even more is the tape recordings that are scattered throughout Rapture that document the life of the city.
Bioshock is a first-person shooter that focuses on dual-wield combat. In one hand, you have a traditional weapon (handgun, shotgun, crossbow), but in the other, you wield plasmids. You can think of these as enhancements to a person's DNA that allows them to shoot electricity or fire out of their hand. Combining these two types of weapons keeps the combat interesting and varied.
You'll often find yourself up against splicers- the junkies of Rapture. Occasionally, you'll find yourself going toe-to-toe with a Big Daddy- a towering, hulking behemoth who will squash you if you aren't ready to fight. Big Daddies will keep to themselves, but if you attack one or the "Little Sisters" it protects (little children that have been genetically mutated), it will become belligerent.
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| An angry Big Daddy and his Little Sister. |
Simply, the combat feels good, and combining it with exploration elements make Bioshock incredibly fun.
Why should I play it?
Bioshock may very well be the best game I can recommend to someone. Having played through it a number of times, I can speak to its quality. The story is incredible; hell, I remember using a quote from one of the game's character's to answer an exam question in high school. The world is crafted in such a way that you'll want to keep coming back. And the combat is unique and interesting throughout. What more is there to say?
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| One of the philosophies that Rapture was built on. |
How much is it?
Pick Bioshock up for $14.99 at your local GameStop. Don't miss out on this gem.
Labels: Grab that Game
