BioShock Review: Introduction

Mariyana Vasileva March 11, 2008

BioShock is one of the first person shooter games that does not go unnoticed. 2K Boston/2K Australia (the former Irrational Games) are using the common elements for this genre: first person perspective, searching for weapons and ammunitions, gathering of objects and accomplishment of each mission to get the the next one. However, there are some unusual ideas: biological modification, hacking of various machines, making ammunitions from junk stuffs, solving puzzles and ransacking of corpses. By the way, the last one reminds of Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, where the gamer also picks up goods from the dead bodies. But here the story is laid mainly into indoor environment. The initial stages are similar to these in Crysis. Here the main character's name is Jack, not Nomad. And he has no a parachute, and his plane crashes down. Ultimately both of them fall in the water. The list with other known ideas does not finish here. The drones of Half-Life 2 find the same application here. Obviously security cameras are not a new concept too. What about the audio records? At least in Doom 3 they can be played back by more intuitive interface. But maybe all these elements are already obligatory for every FPS title, who knows?

On the other hand, the game creates a really fresh fantastic tale that takes place in 60s. In short: the undersea Rapture city was created in 1946, someplace in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Scientists, artists, doctors and factory-owners felt themselves completely free to create and live into this utopian city. Andrew Ryan (voiced by the actor Armin Shimerman, best known from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) is designing a city without religious or political influences. However the creation of the substances ADAM and EVE leads to the development of plasmids's market. The inhabitants of Rapture city had got everything: from a cure for baldness to skills like a fire coming out from the hands. The main city law forbids any connections with outside world. At this stage, Frank Fontaine creates the black market and changes the rules. This leads to a civil war and everything changes. The splicers - citizens with serious mental and psychic problems go out on the streets. This is the moment when the player finds himself in the Rapture.

Initially, storyline of the game is different. 2K Boston/2K Australia made totally different main character in comparison with the Jack. In fact, the developers wanted story with political touch but after multiple changes it is transformed to its current form. Ken Levine, one of game's makers and creative director, says he never is considered two ends of the BioShock.

From the moment when the hatch of the bathysphere is opened, the undersea city of Rapture impresses with its sophisticated architecture. Skyscrapers (in the case maybe seascrapers), transparent subways, whales, a little shoals, mechanical octopus and robot welders are all part of the first impressions from the city. The sensor lighting does not exists in 60s but it is invented in Rapture. I'm not an expert in internal design but the objects seem very appropriate for the age of the early 60s. And there is not a living soil (at least in the beginning). You can see the sea life from the windows. In one of the windows you can see the amusing scene of sinking suitcases. I think I counted about 15 for 1 minute. There are debris and flames almost at every corner. Solid metal doors lead from one room to another. In some of them the walls are leaking and there are small puddles and cascades. Lush vegetation, slowly-moving elevators and inscriptions on posters and electronic boards add final touches to the background. There is an interesting idea: Vita-Chambers, which are spots where you can revived into the game if you are killed.

	Page 1 of 4	BioShock Review: Continued