Bioshock Hands-On

The long-awaited Bioshock has finally been released and does not disappoint. Bioshock is a FPS released by 2K Games.


Introduction



When the first few trailers came out for this game many people were very excited, including me. The game is set in Rapture, a very interesting and science fiction type world. The main protagonist Jack is immediately thrown into this underwater setting after his plane crashes into the mid-Atlantic ocean. Jack spots a large tower jutting out of the surrounding water and when he enters it, he finds a lift which takes him down below the water into Rapture. Jack is given a speech via video by Raptures creator Andrew Ryan. Ryan rejected all of the ideas like communism and democracy and built a self sufficient city where every man received what he deserved, but when Jack finally reaches the city he finds that it is not what it once was. With the man waiting for his arrival is killed by some kind of mutated human being, Jack is assisted through radio by a man named Atlas. Atlas tells Jack that he was separated from his family and believes Jack is the only way he will be able to be reunited with them. This is where the game really begins and the player must begin to fight his way through Rapture.

Gameplay



Jack continues through Rapture with Atlas’s assistance and finds a wrench which he uses for melee attacks. Jack continues threw Rapture until he finds a needle containing Plasmids. When he injects the needle into his arm, his genetic code is rewritten and he obtains a new ability such as shooting lighting bolts or fire from his hands. The player uses many combinations of Plasmids and weapons throughout the game to defeat his enemy’s. The main objects in Bioshock are Adam, Eve, and Money. Adam is used to increase the characters ability’s. Eve which is what many residents of Rapture are after is used for plasmids. Money is used to buy new weapons or upgrade them. These bring a nice RPG feel to the game. There are also many ways to use plasmids to your advantage or disadvantage in certain environments. If the enemy is standing in a pool of water and a lighting Plasmid is shot into the water, the enemy is electrocuted and killed. If an enemy is hit with fire he can run to the nearest source of water and put himself out. Later in the game the character can use electricity to use enemy machines for his own uses. The many possibilities of all these abilities make Bioshock very exciting to play.

Characters and Enemies.


The character interaction in Bioshock is very unique. The residents of run-down Rapture are either working under Andrew Rain, Psychotic, or after ADAM. The enemies called the “little sisters” can harvest Adam and are protected by the “big daddies” who everyone else fear. You can often find Characters fighting each other over ADAM or other resources. The game can also be very eerie when you run into the psychotic enemies. Many of the residents of Rapture have a low grip on reality and are stuck in the past when Rapture was thriving, and will do anything to survive or get what they want, so when you come across these enemies they will usually attack you for what you have.

Rapture



Rapture is an awesome place to be in and explore. The game is set in the 1960’s, but Rapture has a very 1920’s feel to it. Having started to decay around that time when Adam was first being created, and having no ties to the outside world, Rapture was stuck in that time period. Most of the technology and music has a very 1920’s look and feel to it which makes Rapture such a unique place. The game also does a great job of immersing the player into Rapture which makes the game much more exciting.

Final Thoughts

Bioshock is a great example of the storytelling capability's games are beginning to achieve. The game sets single-player FPS games to a higher standard and is really a great game. I would recommend fans of FPS or even general gamers to go out and play this game.


This is a video of me playing through some of the beginning of Bioshock. Its a great example of the storytelling, gameplay, and some of the character interactions. Dont worry, no real spoilers.


Download This Video! FileFront

The Bioshock demo can be downloaded here: Gameshadow