User Review : BioShock

Ups

• Simply awesome! Engaging story, and well thought out combat are my highlights.{Plenty of things to get you side tracked, hunting down audio diaries for example{Huge potential for a sequel (which is coming, albeit delayed). Well done 2K.

Downs

• Some graphical issues, but they're only minor.{AI gives the impression of being pretty scripted most of the time.{Is a bit easy, although Survivor without Vita Chambers is genuinely hard.

BioShock PS3 Review

When BioShock finally got a delayed release on the PS3, I didn't care. It cost more than the PC version that I had been for some reason avoiding, and I was enjoying Battlefield 2142 a bit too much.

Well, last month, after finishing the excellent Red Faction: Guerrilla, I desperately needed something to quench my gaming thirst, and with nothing new on the horizon (bar Battlefield 1943), I turned my attention to the games that I should have bought earlier, and thankfully, BioShock was top of that list.

For the one or two people who don't already know, BioShock, created by 2K Games, is set in the amazing underwater metropolis of Rapture, the creation of Andrew Ryan.

BioShock manages, at least better than most games, to fuse game play and narrative into one thoroughly enjoyable package. While the game certainly isn't as thorough in its storytelling as most people have said, it does a good job of it. Going to the trouble of collecting every audio diary does help flesh it out a bit further though, and some of them are thoroughly enjoyable to listen to.

BioShock starts by throwing you in the deep end, literally. Your plane smashes into the ocean, forcing you to seek refuge in the city of Rapture. Right from the word go, the game doesn't feel like other games, it doesn't feel linear, even though multiple play throughs will show you that it is (except for the ending).

The focus of the game is on Andrew Ryan, creator and semi-dictator of Rapture. Obsessed by his ambitious view for the future of Rapture, and all though he states that one of the reasons for building the city underwater was to get away from 'believers', he is deeply philosophical, and continually asks questions and makes statements that will make you stop and think.

Unfortunately, Ryan's vision and ambition have failed him, and Rapture is a city crippling itself, because of what it has become. BioShock sets you on a path to find out why Ryan's grand city has failed so completely.

BioShock actually manages to be thought provoking, and by doing so, makes it a truly rewarding single-player experience. The propaganda shovelled out by Ryan makes you stop and think, but the posters and even the events that take place in the game have the same affect. BioShock offers a blurred version of morality, where people are forced to do things thought of generally as immoral merely to survive.

The game is separated into 10 or so levels, each of which are connected either directly or are accessible by using the metropolis's Bathysphere hubs, which are like underwater lifts. Each level must be unlocked by completing missions on previous levels. Some missions run across multiple levels.

Throughout the missions you will be harassed by various types of splicer’s, genetically modified humans. They actually manage to have personalities to a degree, even though they are all pretty similar. While they give the appearance of being zombies, they aren't, and they can run, fast. There really is no one way to describe splicer’s, they have altering, often contradicting personalities.

Big Daddy's also play a prominent role in the game, as companions of the Little Sisters. The Little Sisters can be harvested or rescued to gain Adam, but only after killing the protecting Big Daddy’s, not at all an easy task. Harvesting gives more Adam per Little Sister, but rescuing them will get you bonus Adam anyway, so it more or less evens out. Adam is used to purchase genetic upgrades in the form of Plasmids and Tonics.

The actual combat in BioShock is very detailed and provides the player with many options. Each weapon has 3 different types of ammo, each of which will be great for some enemies, but not so great for others. The plasmids and tonics add another layer to the combat, allowing you to pick up objects with you mind and throw them at enemies, set enemies on fire, and many more. Again, different plasmids and tonics will work better against some enemies than others. Using a plasmid uses Eve, which can be bought or found, and acts as a genetic power meter of sorts.

Playing through the game on Survivor (Very Hard), you can not simply run and gun, especially when attacking a Big Daddy. It genuinely requires some forethought. For example, are there things in the environment I can use to my advantage, if I'm running low on health/ammo, where should I go?

Trap Bolts are probably your best weapon against a Big Daddy, as they allow you to more or less kill a Big Daddy without taking any risks. Trap Bolts, once fired shoot out an electrically charged line out the back, damaging anything that runs into them. To take out a Big Daddy with them, simply lay 12 or so out between you and it, shoot it once, and get behind cover. This will make the Big Daddy follow you, through the traps for an easy kill.

There are many other cool things to do with regards to combat, although the enemies don't appear to collaborate, learn that running through trap bolts kills them, or in general think about what they are doing. In short, the AI could have been better, they appear very scripted and linear, something that stands out in a game that otherwise feels remarkably non-linear.

Hacking is another major aspect of the game. Hacking a security-bot, security camera or turret will make it work for you, attacking or spotting any enemies. Vending machines and health stations can also be hacked, resulting in cheaper products. Later on in the game, things become quite hard to hack, and auto-hack tools come in handy.

In the third level you will get a research camera. The research camera allows you to take pictures of enemies, which is apparently enough to grant you damage upgrades as well as plasmids and tonics among other things. Taking better pictures will give you more research points, as will having multiple enemies in the photo. Re-photoing an enemy gets you fewer points, as do dead enemies. Researching turrets and security bots will allow you to auto-hack them without using a auto-hack tool.

Vita Chambers act as the games spawn points, and are where you will end up if you die. If you do die, the Vita Chamber will restore some health, and all actions you took prior to dying will remain. It is possible to turn off the Vita Chambers, meaning that if you die, you will have to spawn from the last time you saved. If you are a trophy fanatic (I didn't used to be, but this game has made me into one, I went to the trouble of getting the Platinum!), then this is essential, and will prove a challenge.

Scattered throughout the game are weapon upgrade stations. These allow you to upgrade you weapons will things like increased damage, or higher fire rate. Each individual station is one use only, and will close after a weapon is upgraded. If you miss one though, you can always revisit levels later on, the same goes for audio diaries, and (most) plasmids. Revisiting a level allows you to gather more coins or health/eve packs as the enemies will have respawned.

You can also invent you own things, like ammo, and some tonics. To do this, you will have to search all over the city finding inventing materials, or LOOT, as the game calls them. Inventing ammo is a much cheaper alternative to buying it, and is pretty much essential when playing through on Survivor.

One thing that makes BioShock great is that the majority of the storytelling takes place on the fly, either in the form of radio communication will Ryan and other people, or by listening to the audio diaries. The sound is pretty awesome, and the thumps and bumps of the Big Daddies can be felt through the controller quite prominently. The quality of the voice acting is something special, although the character you play appears to be a mute.

Graphics aren't bad, although on loading every texture is very blurry and takes a little while to load properly. At one point, a flashing blue light just about had me in a fit. Otherwise, everything has a reasonable level of detail, although it certainly is no Killzone 2.

The ending is variable, meaning that depending on whether you choose to kill or rescue all of the little sisters you will get an evil or a good ending. Saving some and killing some will give you an in-between, but its a pretty poor excuse for a moral system.

In summing up, this is an awesome game. If you haven't bought it, then do. The Little Sisters are cool, the Big Daddy's are frightening, and the rest of them are just plain weird. BioShock isn't just fun, it is gaming with an interesting and thought provoking storyline, well worth the cost of purchase.

Score

9.5

Graphics

Feels non-linear despite actually being linear. Really fun to play, and large array of weapons and plasmids mean every fight is different.

9.5

Sound

While it is way less detailed than Killzone 2, it actually has an art style, and a damn fine one at that.

10.0

Gameplay

There really is nothing wrong with the sound. Voice acting is superb, as are ambient noises.

9.5

Fun Factor

The game isn't short, meaning that if your the sort of person who likes to finish a game in one sitting, then this isn't for you. For the rest of us, its near perfect, and finding audio diaries certainly isn't for everyone, but I found it entertaining and challenging.

Overall

9.6

[table]

Nice review, arguably my favourite game this gen.

[Milky]

I don't know if I should get it. I played the demo and wasn't that excited by it but its only 10 pounds. hmmmmm...

[table]

If it's only a tenner then it's purgatory not to buy this game. When you get more upgrades the game gets better. The demo probably doesn't do the game justice.

[Tachyon_Nova]

Trust me me mate, it really is worth it, and keep in mind I paid $60 Australian for it (30 pounds), then for a tenner it is the best value for money game ever.