Mike Bantick
Wednesday, 05 September 2007 06:47
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
Garnering review accolades around the world, BioShock is making waves in the gaming circles. And deservedly so, the underwater world of Rapture presented in BioShock is a refreshing take on traditional Shooters, with really only one chief flaw.
BioShock
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Developer
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Irrational Games
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Publisher
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2K Games
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Rating
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MA 15+
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Xbox 360, Reviewed on PC
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Despite or perhaps because of, the sheer volume of new releases that saturate (pun intended), the gaming ethos, there has not been a real ground breaking or indeed psyche penetrating title for some time. For every HalfLife, Civilisation, Total War, Company of Heros or Monkey Island there are a host of copy-cats or not-quite-up-to-it releases hogging shelf space.
2K Games have changed a lot of that, by releasing BioShock. A First Person Shooter that takes place completely underwater in the remarkable submerged world of Rapture.
Like a vision of utopia with overtones of Citizen Kane combined with Orwell’s 1984, Rapture presents the player with Art Deco design disguising deep shadows cloaking hidden malice.
As in all masterful suspense dramas, your mind will magnify the ordinary (such as the ever present sound of water flowing and dripping) into the extraordinary (could that small, dark waterfall be hiding another Splicer?).
Traversing the world of Rapture is made relatively easy, as not only will the player be presented, with the tools of travel - a full map, and directional arrow to the next objective. There is also the constant communication with a mentor, who urges you on to help him and his family escape this fallen urban ideal.
As you move around the cluttered and decaying city, clues as to the decline are accumulated. It does not take long to piece together the back story: During the initial ride down (a similar experience to the Black Mesa train opening of HalfLife), Andrew Ryan – Raptures creator – gives a pre-recorded explanation of his vision. A community, away from all others. Where brilliant people can engage in brilliant work without the overbearing forces of Government, Church or the mundane populace.
Part of the scientific work done in Rapture involved tinkering with the human condition. Physically altering DNA structures to produce super-human abilities. Telekinesis, Combustion, Electric shock and many more. These abilities became known as Plasmids, created by synthesizing a new substance known as ADAM – harvested from sea-slugs.
Plasmids also require to be powered through a hypodermic injected fluid known as EVE.
The downfall occurred as Plasmids reached epidemic proportions with the Rapture community, in effect turning them all into rabid Plasmid junkies, or Splicers.
You are thrust into this violent world, and begin a wondrous theme park ride. But how does it play? What are the moral dilemmas to tangle with? And what is BioShock’s chief flaw? Click to page two.
