BioShock Review: Continued

The game engine is modified Unreal Engine 3.0 IPP. This version is works with DirectX 9/10 and also for Xbox 360. It looks nice on DirectX 9 and even better on DirectX 10. It includes such improvements like realtime physic engine, facial animation, own video and audio codecs, virtual foliage in real time and others. Mortal Kombat 8, Aliens, Dead Space, Unreal Tournament 3 and Tom Clancy's EndWar are some of the games employing Unreal Engine 3. Initially the game was going to use Unreal Engine 4 but at the end of 2006, Tim Sweeney (technical director and founder of Epic games) said that the serious development of Unreal Engine 4 will start somewhere during 2008.

The graphics engine includes qualitative per-pixel lighting, high dynamic rendering and real falling shadows. By per-pixel lighting (illumination at each pixel), the images into the game actually look like more real. On its hand, high dynamic rendering ensures more saturated and realistic images. The water is one of the major elements in BioShock. It can be seen in various shapes during the game and in the most cases it seems very real.

Physics engines utilized in BioShock are designed from Ageia and Havok. In BioShock, most objects are movable and react pretty good. You can throw objects, shoot objects and their behavior is what you would expect. The particle effects in water and flames are also very nice. The activation of diverse machines, structures and doors also looks properly. However there is a problem with melting heaps of ice. They indeed transforms themselves into a water but it disappears immediately. Also when you shoot a chair few times it virtually disappears without any trace.

The sound effects are good: you can hear falling chairs, drops of water, the trundling of bottles on the floor or the labored breathing when jumping. The sounds are different in the different environments as you would expect in the real world. One of the nice sounds is the creaking of the old cabinets. Each of the various kinds of doors sounds differently. The different creatures in Bioshock have a rich gamut of voices. From childish to angry growling of a mad monster. The strength of the voices increases or decreases according to the player's distance. The machines for upgrades and these for ammunitions welcome the player with jolly music. In some of the rooms there are record-player and they play the typical music for these years. The orchestral score soundtrack of the game is composed from Garry Schyman. Others authors also give contribution to music background of BioShock. "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin, "Danny Boy" by Mario Lanza and "Avalon" by Django Reinhardt are used in the game.

Often the optimistic music quickly transforms in sinister and joyless notes. Like real horror, the game offers ruined and deserted places like restaurant Kashmir, Medical Pavilion, and Farmer's Market. The disorder and the blink light into them strengthen the ominous environment in BioShock. The theaters, the casinos, the music clubs, the hotels and the loathsome lavatories are not any better. Arcadia is a well-designed garden but the walks there are not very safe. Here, as well as everywhere the wilderness is disturbed only from the presence of the Splicers. They look like comic books heroes but they must be not underrated.

BioShock Review: Introduction	Page 2 of 4	BioShock Review: Continued