Reviews
When 2K Boston (previously Irrational Games) released System Shock almost a decade ago now for the PC, it was a pioneering example of how to meld a hybrid RPG/FPS and became a timeless cult hit. Bioshock is the spiritual successor to that title, and once again 2K have shown up lesser developers by skilfully creating an FPS/Action/RPG thrill ride that is all laid on a canvas as remarkable in its implementation as it is in its creation. The game takes place in an underwater city created in the 1950s as a haven for brilliant inventors, scientists and artists who were keen to escape the shackles of governments and authorities in the post war world. Pretty quickly though, things went wrong in the waterlogged utopia, and now all hell has broken loose. Turn the lights off, put the kids to bed, pull out the 5.1 headphones, pour yourself a stiff drink, and escape to the wonderful world of Rapture.
As soon as you arrive in the underwater city, via a spectacular plane crash over the ocean, you are introduced to Atlas, a resident who offers you aid in exchange for your help in saving his wife and child. You’ll be up against hordes of genetically mutilated splicers and a number of less senile but equally dangerous Rapture residents. Your most deadly adversary, however, are the Big Daddies, massive hulking behemoths of metal who are sworn to protect the Little Sisters, children who have been bred to harvest atom from the dead. Atom is the only source for the genetic plasmids and tonics which will restructure your DNA to give you enhanced abilities and special powers. Hence in order to become more powerful, you will need the same atom that the Little Sisters seek. This pits you against the terrifying Big Daddies over and over throughout your journey, and they are in many ways the stars of the show.
And so begins the lengthy and involved plot, which although quite strict in its linearity, certainly offers the player plenty of options in terms of exploration throughout the game world. You can rip through Bioshock if you desire, skipping over a lot of the world, but really you’d only be wasting the experience. Hidden throughout the levels are over a hundred audio diaries, which will give you a very real insight into the people who’ve inhabited this place, and which you can play whilst continuing through the game, ensuring the action is never broken up. There’s also numerous other things to find throughout the game which will improve your characters weapons and abilities, but only the thorough will come across them. It’s these RPG like elements that are a real god send in a shooter like this, and your combat tactics totally evolve over the course of your journey. But more on combat later.
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