Bioshock
Platform: Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3
Developer: 2K
Publisher: 2K
Author: S.A.
There’s a plethora of first person shooter games out on the market, many of which offer players a slew of abilities to go hand in hand with their gun totting ways. That said, Bioshock by 2k Games was the game that first did this right. It’s a game that incorporated influences from a variety of sources, prominently drawing inspiration from author George Orwell and his world renown book 1984. This inspiration turned Bioshock into a dark world full of murder, death and intrigue like no other.
The game is set in 1960. We as the player are tasked with guiding Jack, the protagonist, through the underwater ruins of the miraculous city of Rapture after a plane crash lands us in its turbulent waters. The underwater marvel was built by the business tycoon Andrew Ryan and intended to be an isolated utopia under the sea. However, with the discovery of ADAM, which is a genetic material capable of giving humans super powers, the city began to fall into an extreme decline. This was due to warring factions fighting over the amazing gift of ADAM, and the deadly dependency’s that many began to show upon taking the drug in abundance.
Jack tries to find a way to escape his new found hell hole, fighting his way through a variety of ADAM obsessed baddies and other deadly contraptions within its walls. All while engaging with the few ‘sane’ people left in Raptures walls, discovering its history and his own place in it.
Players are able to defeat enemies not only through using a normal variety of weapons, all of which can be upgraded by the player to truly devastating levels, but also unique powers of their own. They gain these abilities through a concentrated form of ADAM called plasmids, which gives Jack abilities such as throwing lightning from his hands or ice beams from his finger- tips. The environment itself can be utilized in combat as well, which lends role playing elements to gameplay, allowing players to combine attacks with the environment to devastating effect or even use a more stealthy approach to getting around their foes. We are also given moral choices within the game on saving or killing certain characters, which will have an effect on how the end of the story develops as well.
You will collect a variety of weapons and plasmids as you work your way through enemies. At any given time a player may have one active weapon and one active plasmid at any time, which means pick carefully. The need for complimentary weapon choices are key in terms of success in Rapture. Many weapons have secondary functions that will have an added benefit not necessarily seen in the normal attack of their weapon of choice. Plasmids, the super power drug of the game, consume a serum called EVE. When you run out of EVE, you can no longer use your abilities to devastating effect. So keeping an eye out for the drug is crucial to any true gaming monster. Your health is determined by a health bar that decreases whenever you are hit, and can only increase when you find or purchase a health kit.
Money is found by scavenging all over, hidden inside dead foes bodies, or inside registers or tills within the game. This money can be used to buy things such as ammunition, health and EVE, and a variety of other tools. For the more cost effective gamer, it is important to note that vending machines can be hacked to reduce prices. You can also gain gifts of ADAM for completing certain tasks hidden through the Bioshock world, such as saving or killing Little sisters(collectors of ADAM). However be warned, to killed a little sister means you will have to fight her proctetive father, a Big Daddy.
They don’t go down easy.
In truth, Bioshock’s story is one that is beautiful crafted and a true joy to playthrough even years later. I recommend this game whole heartedly, and while the sequel to this game is rather lack luster the third installment, Bioshock Infinite, delivers just as engaging as a game.
So from gamer to gamer, go check them out.
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