Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Bioshock Review or We all make choices in life...


Underneath the amazing atmosphere, beautifully detailed graphics, immersive sounds and enveloping storyline,BioShock is a game about choices: the choices made by the characters in the creation and downfall of Rapture; the choices presented to the player that pull at your heartstrings and moral compass; and the choices of weapons and plasmids. How each of these choices affects the player and the world around him is one of BioShock’s greatest assets. BioShock starts with Andrew Ryan, the creator of Rapture, which is a city located at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, away from the oppression of governments and religion. Built to be a Randian utopia, Ryan recruited the greatest artists and scientists to reside in Rapture. Unrestrained by the censors and ethics that would have faced these minds on the surface, Ryan encouraged them to create and discover. From these creations and discoveries, two things were found that would lead to Rapture’s eventual downfall: Adam and Plasmids.1190610346-25819 Adam is a mutagen harvested from a previously unknown species of sea slug, which has the ability to regenerate damaged tissue as well as rewrite the human genome. However, it was discovered that Adam could be produced en masse by implanting the slugs in the stomachs of young girls, who become critical in BioShock. As the game unfolds, the player finds himself presented with the choice to harvest and kill the young girls, known as Little Sisters, to receive a large sum of Adam, or save the young girls, by using a plasmid to displace the sea slugs, resulting in a reduced amount of Adam. This is the critical choice with which the player is presented throughout BioShock. Along with Adam, the other discovery in Rapture was plasmids. Plasmids are the way the player is able to rewrite the character’s genetic code and have abilities, such as telekinesis, pyrokinesis and the ability to freeze enemies. While these plasmids and abilities do add to the choices given to the player during their time in Rapture, I found that most of them became unnecessary, and I found myself using the same plasmids over and over, only really using three of the five slots I was given.1190610346-25813 All but a handful of the remaining inhabitants of Rapture fall under the category of “splicers,” people who, due to withdraw from Adam, have become mentally unstable and violent. These are the main enemies that the player faces through the journey in Rapture; however, I cannot help but feel that splicers were added to BioShock as an afterthought. There are only five different variations of splicers within Rapture, each of which can be beaten with what essentially is the same strategy. The challenge against the splicers at first is enough to keep the gameplay and fights challenging, but after several of the higher plasmids are obtained, I found the fights to be little more than general annoyances between pieces of the entangled storyline BioShock’s story is one that has spanned many generations and has plot twists that are usually reserved for major summer blockbusters. Not all is well in Andrew Ryan’s utopia at the bottom of the sea. As the thinkers and artists recruited to live in Rapture enjoyed the spoils of their discoveries and creations, there were those among them who had to keep Rapture running through the day-to-day activities and were not happy watching the elites enjoy the finer things in life, while they lived in the lower, leaking levels of the city. Among the lower class rose one who would lead them against Andrew Ryan and his elitist followers.1190610346-25818 Frank Fontaine, a businessman and mobster, led a revolt against Ryan. However, Fontaine’s motivations were anything but pure, as he sought to control and manipulate the lower class, as well as run a smuggling ring that brought in forbidden items, such as religious material. As Fontaine began to gather support, it was reported throughout Rapture that he was killed, and Ryan took over all of Fontaine’s assets, including the plasmid industry. After several months, a new leader of the lower class rose against Ryan — Atlas. Crowned as the new leader of the lower class, Atlas led a revolt against Ryan on New Year’s Eve 1959, with Adam-infused followers. As Ryan began to fight back against Atlas, he began to employ splicers of his own, and as we enter Rapture, the city is still in shambles from the ensuing fights. There is one other main character in BioShock that is a key player in the game that I found to be one of the most compelling and convincing. That character is Rapture, the city itself. BioShock could take place anywhere really, but it is clear with every detail of the city — from the way the water flows in and around it, to the contemporarily accurate ads displayed throughout the city — That Rapture creaks and breathes with life and almost a mind of its own. There are times playing BioShock that, because of the sites and sounds of Rapture and the amazing detail in which it’s presented, I found myself with chills. All in all, everything about BioShock, from the story to the lovingly crafted city, creates an amazing environment and atmosphere of a dream gone terribly wrong. The combat at times leaves a bit to be desired, but it is well worth drudging through the uninspired combat just to have the twists and turns of Rapture unfold before you.

This review first appeared on Gamersinfo.net on March 1st 2010 as a review I wrote for a school project.

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