Yes, times like these can be rough: New classmates. New environments. New experiences. It’s a brave new world out there now, and one very different from one month ago-
After all, “Halo 3” gets released in a week and a half.
So in those twelve days-and-counting, you need to do something with your life. Some would say read a book, some would tell you to take a walk.
I would tell you to play “Bioshock.”
Because a game like “Bioshock” deserves to be played and appreciated for the art form that it elevates video gaming to; it’s a game with depth and story as you’ll see in my review below. A game like that deserves to be savored in order to truly appreciate; and you’ve only got twelve days- you’re already running behind.
Because in twelve days there’s a good chance that all other games will melt away from your conscious for quite some time- and “Bioshock” may melt away with it. Miss a game like “Bioshock” and you’ll miss out big time.
Tic-tock… What are you waiting for? Oh yes, my review:
Bioshock
(360; $59.99, $69.99 (limited edition); Rated M for Blood/Gore/Drug References/Intense Violence/Sexual Themes/Strong Language; 2kgames.com/bioshock)
It’s the type of game that people will refer back to years from now, like “Pac-Man,” “The Legend of Zelda,” “Super Mario 64,” “Metal Gear Solid,” and “Halo.”
Basically: it’s history in the making.
In “Bioshock,” it is the early 1960’s and our protagonist is flying somewhere over the ocean. Your backstory is short-lived as your flight crashes into the blackness of the sea in the middle of the night. You bob to the surface near an out-of-place lighthouse. You steer towards the lighthouse and onto dry land, walking through the only door on the tiny island. The lights black-out, and when they come back on, a huge Stalin-esce bust stands before you over a banner that reads “No Gods or Kings. Only Man.” The only sound that pierces through the silence is a vintage recording of “Somewhere Beyond the Sea.” You proceed down the stairs to a Bathysphere, which takes you many fathoms to the ocean floor. As you descend, a recording from Andrew Ryan- a Charles Foster Kane/Howard Hughes type of brilliant billionaire- tells you that he became sick of man not being allowed to reach his full potential because of government and Church. Wanting to create a world free from the constraints of civic duty and morality, he created “Rapture-” A utopia under the sea.
When getting our first glance at “Rapture,” it’s certain: “Bioshock” is a beautiful game. The submerged art-deco and neon architecture is unlike any game before it. But the social evolution of Rapture is what make the game so compelling- this is a city that was obviously built in the late-30s/early-40s, but has been sealed off from the rest of the world since that time. Its subterranean culture, science, and society have been able to evolve apart from everyone on the surface.
Now of course it wouldn’t be any fun if players got a utopia that was still in tact- this is a video game! Naturally, something has gone terribly awry, and you enter Rapture in the middle of its twenty-year decay: the city is leaking from every corner, every storefront has been boarded-up or looted, and chaos has clearly taken over.
Exiting the Bathysphere, players are befriended by Atlas- a survivor from the fall of Rapture. Guiding you by radio, he’s the only person who can help you make heads or tails of what’s going on. As you progress, you learn that science took a fantastic and evil turn in Rapture. Scientists were able to unlock the genetic code, allowing humans to harness “Plasmids” that enabled them fantastic powers. At first, plasmids were sold as consumer products- though what safe consumer use being able to ignite anything on fire or shoot electricity from your fingertips has is really anyone’s guess.
The ability to upgrade your body with plasmids factors greatly into being able to survive the insanity of Rapture, and it also allows for a fantastic variety of ways to defend yourself from enemies. Set an enemy on fire and watch him as he intelligently runs for a puddle of water to extinguish himself; once he’s ankle deep, zap the puddle with your electricity and watch him fry. Or, freeze an enemy in his tracks with frost, then introduce him to your shotgun. The ability to mix and match plasmids and upgradable weapons means that there are combinations to fit all playstyles from stealthy to one-man-army.
Plasmids are acquired by using “Adam,” a highly coveted substance in Rapture. Adam also has a tendency to cause people to go insane and insane people are mostly who you’ll find in Rapture. The enemies known as “Splicers” come in a variety of forms, but they all boil down to Rapture citizens who have become demented from the effects of splicing genes and using plasmids. All of them are shells of their former selves- and it’s no more obvious than when they can be heard roaming the undersea hallways talking to themselves. Whether it’s about how lonely they are, how they used to be beautiful, or shouting “Father! Why have you forsaken me!” no matter what- it’s creepy as all get-out.
But the creepiest citizens of all are the “Little Sisters”- little, demon-eyed girls who are a result of a science project gone horrible. In their dirty, pink party dresses, they roam the echoy halls searching for corpses to harvest Adam from. Once they find one, out comes a horrible drill, followed by an equally horrible sound. Little Sisters become the main source of Adam in the game. Find the one, and “Bioshock” presents with another uneasy moral choice: “harvest” the Little Sister for maximum Adam and kill her in the process, or save the Little Sister from her imprisonment and only get half of the Adam you need to proceed. To get through Rapture alive, players need as much Adam as they can get their hands on- but at what cost? The endings in “Bioshock” change depending on your choice.
Before even making that choice, you will have to get through the huge, deep-sea diving suit wearing behemoths known as “Big Daddies” who protect the Little Sisters. Big Daddies need Adam, and Little Sisters need protection- and the giants are very protective of these little girls- get too close to one and the Daddies will swat you away and stand in between. The only way to get to a Little Sister is to take down the Big Daddy which is by no means a small feat, and one that is a nerve-wracking and heart-pounding experience every time. The roar of an enraged Big Daddy shakes the controller, blurs the screen, and may actually make you wet your pants for real.
The environments, atmosphere, characters, and pace of the story are presented in such ways that you can’t help but be pulled into the world and compelled to proceed further. Whether it’s learning about the plastic surgeon who believed in making art out of patients, the mournful creator of the Little Sisters, the schizophrenic artist who has made a war zone of the theater district, or the megalomania of the creator of Rapture itself, there is always a reason to just keep playing a little further in order to get a better sense of how Rapture became the distopia it is. The story is the driving force of “Bioshock,” a rarity in many games- nearly non-existent in first-person shooters.
Playing through “Bioshock” feels like riding the greatest, creepiest Disney attraction I could imagine- where “The Haunted Mansion” and “Pirates of the Carribean” get blended together, thrown down the rabbit hole, and end up in “The Twilight Zone.” This is the highest compliment I could give a game, given my many years of employ for The Mouse. And like those great amusement rides, there is a sense of apprehension, fear, mystery, and exhilaration with every new area you encounter.
Once “Bioshock” transports you to Rapture, you won’t want the ride to end. Game of the Year? If not, then whatever is will be nirvana.
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