Welcome to a twisted society called Rapture. Please enjoy your stay.
Developer: 2K
Platform: Xbox 360, PC, PS3
Learning Curve: Moderate/Hard
Last ability: 15-20 hours
Positives
* The World of Rapture is stunning
* The creative desing is top notch and you find yourself wanting to uncover Raptures secrets
* Big Daddies are one of the greatest game characters of all time
* Diverse levels, abilities and weapons make experience one to savour
Negatives
* It ended.
Have you ever dreamed of living in a society away from common civilisation, away from the weird and wonderful people we share our World with? I did too, until I played Bioshock and learned that a fabricated society is not all it's cracked up to be.
Bioshock is set in an eerie underwater World called Rapture, a man made civilisation created by visionary scientists and artists who dream of living in a prosperous and free society away from the bureaucratic ways of life above the waters surface. However, due to exposure to EVE - a substance Rapture scientists created, which has the properties to alter a persons DNA giving the user inhuman powers - the residents of Rapture have, over time become irratic and unstable.
At the very start of Bioshock you are thrown into the game having just survived a rather impressive and surreal airplane crash which leaves you stranded within touching distance of – yep, you guessed it – the city of Rapture. The aim of the game is to survive the twisted underwater World where EVE hungry Rapture inhabitants linger waiting for their next fix - and awesome Big Daddies - in the hope of uncovering how and why the city of Rapture exists.
As you progress through Bioshock there are a number of great features, such as plasmid powers which give you special abilities, such as shooting flames/lightning bolts from your palms, moving objects using telekinetic powers and the less impressive bee swarm ability....yep, you read that right, unfortuantely! The plasmid abilities are controlled by injections of EVE, so to use these abilities you have to take a regular 'fix' in order to torch and stun your enemies. That's if looking at what EVE has done the Rapture inhabitants doesn't get you reaching for your gun instead.
Speaking of guns, there is a great selection to choose from and you pick up ammo throughout the level so use your ammunition wisely as it can (and will) run out! All weapons are fun to use from a standard pistol, shotgun and grenade launcher to a trusty wrench which can be use to batter Raptur-ians in close combat.
The story is dictated in a clever manner, throughout the various levels you will come across radio recordings narrated by Rapture inhabitants – past and present - and their thoughts about the demise of the civilisation of Rapture. The more radio transmissions you collect and listen to throughout the game, the more the story will make sense.
Bioshock is a great game, not only does it look stunning but it is entertaining from start to finish. The city of Rapture is presented in a way that makes you believe that such a deranged underwater World could exist and the cast of Bioshock are presented in a dark but comical manner which sets a great scene for the eerie and broken world under the ocean.
The levels of Bioshock are accompanied by dark and creepy scores which give a great feel of the harsh World in which the game takes place. The voice acting is impressive throughout and the radio transmissions add a pleasing narrative angle to the games storytelling.
If you want to sit down and play through a deep and interesting gaming experience then Bioshock will tick most of the 'instant classic' boxes. It's a first person shooter but it has an RPG element, where you can upgrade your weapons and abilities at certain points through the game. If you expect Bioshock to be a Call of Duty/ Battlefield type of shooter then you will be wrong – not disappointed but wrong - as the game has depth and variety in abundance.
Playing through Bioshock will take between 15-20 hours; there is a lot to do and a fair amount of achievements to unlock for those gamers who love to bump up their gamer score. It's a fun game to play and I imagine that most players won't be done with this title after playing through once; Bioshock is the type of game you want to complete over and over again.
I will personally welcome back Rapture for BioShock 2 which is destined for release later in 2009.