Some may say that Bioshock is game of the year and some might say Bioshock is the game of all time. Simply put, Bioshock is a masterpiece. So without further ado, “would you kindly” mind reading this review?
Bioshock sees you starting off as a man called Jack in a plane, contemplating your beautiful yet peculiar life. All of a sudden the plane lurches into darkness and the next thing you know, you’re under the water struggling for your life. As soon as you scramble to the surface, you will immediately be gob smacked by the amazing water. This is just a teaser of what to expect in the game and as you look at the flames choking your surroundings, you see a luminous, tall building and when push comes to shove, finding a building in the middle of the ocean sure beats being drowned or burnt to death.
Once you enter the Bathysphere, (an underwater automobile that transports you around under the sea) you get your first look at the city of Rapture, a corrupt and murky civilisation set up by one industrialist named Andrew Ryan. Built with its own entire life support, this city was built to escape the insecure world and to live in peace, well at least, that was the idea of it. You will soon get your first look at splicers and you immediately realise, you're not all that welcome, until you meet a man named Atlas.
Cutting a very very intricate and detailed storyline short, you have to take on Splicers (Genetically modified mutants) and Big Daddy’s (Little Sister’s protectors) and of course, Andrew Ryan. The gameplay is very bold and combines both elements of RPG and FPS. You have two hands to control, one containing your weapons and the other containing your plasmids. Plasmids are available for ADAM, which is a sea slug which can stow stem cells to give you extraordinary powers. These can range from being able to throw bees at an opponent, to helping you hack such things as vending machines. ADAM is found within bodies and this is what the Little Sisters harvest and in exchange for doing this, the Big Daddy’s protect them.
By incorporating great physics into the environments, you can set fire to nearly anything and this is great on the incredibly intelligent AI. Say for instance, you light a Splicer on fire, he will immediately go looking for water to put himself out, not to worry, you can just electrocute the water and Bob’s your uncle, you now have Sautéed Splicer. The weapons you can get also have separate types of ammunition so that you may use the best option available for certain enemies.
Bioshock is a game that is heavily influenced by great gameplay, now we all know that most of us prefer gameplay to graphics. Bioshock lets you have the ultimate experience with silky smooth graphics that quite possibly has the best lighting and water physics I have ever seen. Considering there are hundreds if not thousands of separate items in this game, the fact they all have the most elaborate detail, really shows that the developers were dedicated.
The sound in this game is superb, the dialogue is phenomenal, almost every time I engage with a new enemy I will hear lines I have scarcely heard in the game. Also, with music that re-enforces the thought that this game is in the 60’s really lets you escape reality and think you are there. With songs such as “Papa Loves Mumbo, How Much Is That Doggie In The Window and The Nutcracker”, you may well find yourself chuckling at the fact you know that song and even have a grand old sing along (providing splicers aren’t around of course).
Bioshock is in many regards groundbreaking and awe-striking and quite possibly is the best title to come out for the year so far. With no multiplayer, the game does not get distracted and still produces to the utmost of quality. With a plot to die for and revolutionary physics, this game stands out and really is worth your money. Even if you are adamant that no game is better than Gears Of War, I really recommend you try this game out as you have a 99.99% chance of not regretting it.
