Bioshock Review

The essentially linear experience that Bioshock delivers is impressive and those who experience the game to it's conclusion will undoubtedly remember it for years to come.

Genre:FPS
Available for 360 and PC

One of the most hyped games of 2007, Bioshock turned out to be one of many games to live up to most of it's hype. Now before I get attacked for having assaulted one of the most intense and surreal games in recent memory, allow me to explain. Bioshock promised to deliver an experience that let the user choose. Do you let the splicers kill each other or do you turn them against a sentry bot. Do you use antipersonnel rounds on the splicers or do you shock them while they stand in a puddle of water. Certainly you decide the tools of destruction that you will employ through your journey and this is where Bioshock really shines. With so many options for dealing death as well as for customizing yourself, you can imagine the game having a great deal of replayability. Unfortunately, the replayability of Bioshock is squandered by the game's linear story. Perhaps I expected too much from Bioshock, however, this game claimed to give the player moral forks in the road and while there are choices in this game, you will probably find yourself feeling very limited. With that said, the essentially linear experience that Bioshock delivers is impressive and those who experience the game to it's conclusion will undoubtedly remember it for years to come.

Those who remember the Fallout games will more than likely associate some of the style and charm of Bioshock with the dark humor that those games possessed. Certainly Bioshock can be dark and the loading screens can be humorous, however, the connection to Fallout ends there. Bioshock is an FPS. Certainly the weapons and tools at your disposal aren't the usual fair, however, the majority of the game has you pitted against creatures and machines with the sole intent of your destruction. Unlike in real life where every person you meet might actually not be your enemy, in Bioshock and in the FPS genre in general they are. This ultimately means that the second you see something move you shoot it. No one is your friend in this game except for the guy holding the other walkie talkie, Atlus. Though he seems to have a habit of beginning his sentences with "would you kindly", Atlus seems to be your one friend in this utopia gone wrong known as Rapture.

Being an FPS you of course find the usual pistol, shotgun, miscellaneous rapid fire weapon, grenade launcher, etc. Bioshock adds a little extra something to each of these weapons with different types of ammo. For example, the antipersonnel rounds work very well against splicers, however, you would be wasting them on a turret. The game does a fairly good job of ensuring that you have the right tools for any given combat situation. In some ways, Bioshock can begin to feel like a survival horror game and you may find yourself trying to conserve certain types of ammo for an anticipated encounter. As you progress you'll even be able to craft your own ammo at special vending machines. You'll also find a resource called atom that will allow you to purchase special abilities and plasmids(or the genetic equivalent of magic) that let you create decoys, throw bolts of lightning, or even turn your wrench into a freezing rod. There are enough options in this realm that you can combine different attributes and use them in tandem. With enough of the wrench skills equipped you can freeze enemies, steal their health and grant yourself the ability to move silently with a single swing. You'll more than likely find yourself using a combination of traditional guns as well as plasmids, as specializing in one or the other isn't really feasible for very long. My only disappointment with the weapons was that I never really found an effective sniper weapon, however, sniping opportunities are rare in Bioshock. You'll often be caught off guard by splicers and then the next moment they'll be closing the distance that you would normally need to use a sniper weapon. The combat of Bioshock would almost be ill suited towards a sniper weapon as at times it would seem that it makes a goal of scaring you.

(SPOILER ALERT)

The combat of Bioshock is indeed filled with choices, however, the exploration and "moral decision making" part of Bioshock is lacking in this department. Essentially you either choose to harvest the "little sisters"-the creepy little girls that carry needles with them and are escorted by massive body guards- or you choose to save them. Save all the little sisters and you get the good guy ending. Harvest the little sisters and you get the bad guy ending. The most disappointing part of this is that if you save all but one little sister and harvest that last one then you get the bad guy ending. What frustrated me the most was that for a game that was hyped as giving you moral choices, the choices that you would ultimately want to make throughout the game are beyond your control. If only this game had achieved the same moral complexity as KOTOR or Mass Effect. Instead you either choose to harvest or you choose to free these little girls of whom you really know very little. You have no control over killing some of the most important characters to the story and I can't imagine that the developers would have needed to spend all that much more time to allow for the player to make those choices. The game uses a technicality in the story(mind control) in order to avoid branching story paths. This honestly seemed like taking the easy route of gaming development. Of course you have no branching story paths in Bioshock because your being mind controlled through the entire game. I'm sorry but this game over promised in this department. Bioshock is ultimately an entirely linear experience and that's why very few people will play it twice. Even with all the customization of weapons and plasmids, Bioshock's story is the real reason why people finish this game and ultimately it is in the games twisted turn near the end that will turn people off from playing it a second time.

(END SPOILER ALERT)

Bioshock could have been the best FPS of 2007, hell, it could have even been game of the year, however, Bioshock failed to deliver to the player exactly what it promised, the ability to make real moral decisions. With that said, Bioshock is an extremely enjoyable experience as an FPS and regardless of it's black and white choice, offers a story and dialogue that can't be found anywhere else.

Rating:Rent