Hands on with BioShock
We’re dedicating this feature to anyone who ever accidentally pressed the wrong button in a department store elevator. But instead of ladies underwear edging you back toward the wall in fear, with BioShock you’re confronted with the eerie world of Rapture. It looks so amazing that you do something stupid, you decide to explore.
Actually you’ve no choice. In the prologue to BioShock your passenger plane crash-lands in the sea, but by chance there is an island close by where the only structure is what appears to be a lighthouse. Inside you find a deep-sea submersible or ‘bathysphere’. You step inside and press that button. Oops. BioShock is a genius retelling of the ‘ordinary guy becomes superhero’ concept. You must unravel the secrets of one the most glorious videogame environments ever imagined. But to achieve this you must become one with Rapture. Here’s what you learn very quickly: Rapture is a vast underwater city designed by an eccentric industrialist named Andrew Ryan in the mid 1940s. It’s now 1960, and the Art Deco paradise that Rapture once was has now fallen into chaos and decay. Its inhabitants have become freaks; ‘Splicers’ addicted to a substance called Adam, mined for its genetically-enhancing effects on humans. Somewhere deep inside Rapture, Andrew Ryan is hiding and you must find him if you want to escape. Splicers are tricky targets, initially dropped using weapons and ammo left by the last human survivors. All weapons can be upgraded at special terminals for a price, using money found scattered around, but service stations can only be used once. However vending machines offering extra ammo and genetically-enhancing ‘Plasmids’ are unlimited. You can even hack them to lower prices. Security robots and sentry guns may also be fiddled to fight on your side which can be life saving. Enhancing your own abilities is where the fun really starts. You’ll learn to electrocute, freeze and burn from your fingertips – directly or indirectly hurting your opponents. Try zapping electricity into a pool of water, for example… but keep your feet clear! These powers are also used to find new routes throughout Rapture. You’ll need all your strength and cunning to overcome the now infamous Big Daddies patrolling the city, protecting their cute ‘Little Sisters’. Big Daddy is the deep-sea diver guy you’ve seen in most BioShock publicity slots until now, and Little Sister is the nickname of his child companion. Usually he doesn’t care about you, but if he’s with a Little Sister and she becomes alarmed you’d better be ready for action. Get too close and he’ll throw you across the room so fast you don’t know which way is up. If he lands more than a few hits you’re as good as dead. Just remember, not every Big Daddy is your enemy – but it certainly does help to eliminate them all! We don’t want to spoil the plot for you beyond the plane crash. But next time you step into an elevator make sure it’s heading somewhere friendly! |
