Wednesday 12 Nov 2008

Bioshock is a masterpiece. A true-blue, wonder of the videogame world. Every environment is stunningly crafted (yes, crafted), there are interesting and intelligent decisions to be made all along the way and gameplay mechanics are solid and balanced, while the first-person gunplay and special abilities are sufficiently satisfying to use. Not only all of that, the story is fascinating, be it told through dialogue or expertly related through those crafted environments.

While Bioshock may overstay its welcome after a certain point, not many negative things can be said about the game, and those things that can be pointed out will depend heavily on your specific play style. The question is, after just over a year since its debut on the Xbox 360 and PC, is Bioshock on the PlayStation 3 still relevant as a gaming experience, and as important to the progression of games as a medium?

There will be no waiting for the answer to that question - yes. Yes, Bioshock is just as relevant and important as it was when it released in the middle of 2007. The way Bioshock reveals each and every story segment through a combination of audio diaries, as well as the use of the environment, is still unmatched. Other games make you stop and absorb the plodding exposition, but in Bioshock, you absorb the story by simply walking through the world and taking in the sights. It doesn’t hurt that the story itself is intriguing enough to keep playing based solely on the need to know more.To explain the story, you would need to know about the environments, and to explain the environments, you’d need to know about the world of Rapture.

Rapture is a supposedly utopian city at the bottom of the sea, where everybody is made equal, both in societal terms and in terms of one’s abilities, either physical or mental. This was achieved through the use of a technology called Plasmids that inhabitants of Rapture were able to use to enhance themselves in any way they desired. Founded by one Andrew Ryan, Rapture was a place that the best and the brightest of the world could call home and build together towards a common goal of equality. As these things usually turn out, something goes terribly wrong in Rapture, turning the utopian world into one of dystopia.

The underwater city is rupturing at the seams, the inhabitants have transformed themselves into monsters through extended use of Plasmids, and all control over this safe haven has been lost by Andrew Ryan. The exact events leading to the city’s downfall are carefully revealed through the use of dialogue, but the current state of Rapture and the aftermath of what has transpired is proficiently revealed through the wonderfully detailed environments. Enter you, the player, serendipitously brought to the world of Rapture after your plane crashes in the sea, with the entrance to this strange new world your only available refuge from the ensuing chaos of the downed plane and the dark, cold depths of the ocean.

Upon exploring the structure and stepping into a bathysphere (underwater vehicle), you are introduced to the wonder that is Rapture, as you go gliding over the city’s submerged exterior, eventually landing inside. What you are greeted with is a city whose inhabitants seemingly no longer wanted any part of the promise of this utopia, with picket signs sprawled around the floor but no (sane) people around, giving you your first warning that Rapture is not all it seems to be. As you walk around this ruined city, not only will you encounter countless little stories (and major plot points) by simply paying attention to your surroundings, but you’ll also encounter the denizens of the world - some trying to help you, others trying to hurt you.

The hostiles have slowly succumbed to the temptations of Plasmids, giving themselves super-human abilities at the expense of their sanity. Fire and lightning throwing enemies bound around amidst those that climb the ceilings, co-existing on fragile terms with the other inhabitants - the Big Daddies and the Little Sisters. Big Daddies protect Little Sisters. If either is attacked, the Big Daddy goes into a flying rage, hell-bent on killing you. These battles can turn into roving boss battles, as the Big Daddies are easily the toughest opponents in the game. Why do you want to hurt either of these usually docile inhabitants? Once again, further explanation is required.

The Plasmid is a genetic technology which allows you to ‘upgrade’ yourself, giving yourself amazing abilities such as throwing fire, ice, lightning, bees or using telekinesis, as well as a whole range of other upgrades to your general abilities. In order to use Plasmids, you need a genetic currency called Eve (your ammunition) and to upgrade and buy new Plasmids, you need another genetic currency called Adam. Eve is much more freely available than Adam while yet another currency, basic money, is found throughout the world by searching areas and pick-pocketing the dead, and used to buy med kits, ammunition and other odds and ends.

Adam is harvested from bodies lying around the world, but only by the Little Sisters, small girls who run around with enormous, syringe-like devices to extract the Adam. To get the Adam, a precious commodity in the world of Rapture, you need to kill the Little Sisters and to do that, you need to get past their body guards, the Big Daddies, hulking creatures that appear to be wearing ancient, oversized diving suits. Adam is available elsewhere, though, so killing Little Sisters isn’t necessary to complete the game, which is where the moral choice comes in - kill the Little Sisters and make your life much easier with more Adam, or scrounge around for Adam and save the Little Sisters. Your choice will decide the fate of the game.

As for the actual gameplay mechanics of Bioshock, there isn’t anything much to complain about. The gunplay feels adequately chunky, the use of extra abilities via the Plasmids is well implemented and interaction with the world is easy, if a little overwhelming, with a wealth of objects/bodies to search for much-needed loot. Bioshock never feels unbalanced, never making you feel too powerful, but doling out sufficient abilities to make you feel competently matched, at the same time ensuring you remain at least a little cautious as you round the next bend. Bioshock is definitely a first-person shooter, but has an RPG-lite system, allowing you to upgrade your weapons and abilities to keep up with the more powerful enemies. Using the environments, gunplay and extra abilities to your advantage allows you to tackle any challenge in a large variety of ways, giving it a true ‘sandbox’ feel.

The problem is that Bioshock is certainly not friendly to first time first-person shooter players, as such a player would quite easily become overwhelmed by the experience, but for players already dabbling in the genre, this would be a great next step. This is a problem because Bioshock is a game everybody should play. Everybody should experience the world of Rapture at least once, even if it’s to look around the world and see the amount of effort that has gone into making each and every level unique and exquisitely detailed, exploring entire areas of the game that aren’t even necessary to the main quest lines, giving you the feeling of non-linearity. This is one of the greatest first-person shooters ever made, as well as a game that is responsible for the way storytelling in games will be approached in the next few years, making it as relevant and important today as it was last year. Bioshock is a masterpiece.

Pros: Storytelling through the environments; stunningly realised world; graphically amazing; balanced gameplay; Great mission structure; expert level design; there’s a lot of Rapture to explore

Cons: Enemies start looking alike soon; dated animation system; there’s a lot of Rapture to explore (and overstays its welcome after a certain point in the plot)

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Contributor:	Oliver

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