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BioShock Review (continued)
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Manufacturer: 2K Games
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ESRB Rating: Mature
Platform(s): Windows XP
Release Date: August 21, 2007
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $19.99
Online Sale Price: $17.99
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More User Submitted BioShock Reviews
Date: 2008-09-09
I love this game
This is the only FPS I have played that does not have *any* noticeable bugs.
It is easy to get immersed in the world they have created.
Date: 2008-09-05
Would you kindly play this game?
How's this for a story? A man becomes annoyed with the current world, a world where the great are taken for granted and told that their toils are either for the people, for God or for the government. In response, he creates a fantastic environment, free from all of these turmoils. A place where all the great men and women of the world can create their own inventions without fear of consequence. In this place, men and women could do what they wanted.
If this sounds like Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, you'd be correct. However, in this particular case, it's also the background story behind Rapture, the under-water city that takes centerplace in Bioshock. Many words have been bandied about about video games and their ability (or inability) to become art; you have folks like Roger Ebert saying the medium as a whole can never attain that goal. My personal thought that was that, as a medium, games haven't made enough strides toward that lofty goal. But Bioshock certainly takes a huge step forward.
Andrew Ryan is a visionary the likes of which his namesake Ayn Rand would possibly write about in Atlas Shrugged. He exemplifies the qualities of a Randian hero and showcases Rand's philosophy of objectivism. He created the city of Rapture and filled it, much like John Galt in Atlas Shrugged, with the visionaries of his land. Rapture soon was a thriving city that emphasized science and growth and the importance of the individual. They dabbled in creating plasmids that changed a person's DNA, enabling them to do feats the likes of which had never been seen before.
Then something happened.
Flying over the Atlantic sea, you are Jack, a person who was destined for greatness, if you ask his parents, and whose plane is now crashing into the sea. Jack is apparently the only survivor of the plane wreck and swims to a lone building, a light house it seems, that beckons him onward. Eventually, he goes into a blathysphere and enters into the world of Rapture. But this isn't the Rapture originally envisioned in the pre-recorded film he watches as he journeys into the city. It is a city comprised of deadly machines, once-human monstrosities named Splicers who are insane and, of course, the Big Daddies and Little Sisters.
Bioshock concerns itself with the gray area between right and wrong. This dichotomy between right and right is what fuels everything in Rapture. Roaming the landscape, the Little Sisters are twisted abominations of little girls who locate corpses (which they call "Angels") and harvest Adam from them with a long needle. More grotesque is that bottle at the other end of the needle that the Little Sisters drink from. Dutifully following them are the Big Daddies, giant brutes in ancient diving gear. These...things...are at the heart of the story and Jack's survival depends on them and whether he can harvest the Little Sisters or set them free.
The conscience of the gamer is represented in two mysterious figures, Atlas (another allusion to Rand) and Dr. Tenenbaum. Atlas seemingly wants Jack to save his family and explains that the Little Sisters are anything but the human girls they appear. He nudges Jack to put them out of their misery and take the Adam they harvest so he can survive and save Atlas and his family. On the other shoulder perches Tenenbaum, another mysterious individual who created the Little Sisters and seems to want to do anything possible to save them. They are the obvious angel and devil sitting on Jack's shoulder, but the question is...which one is the angel?
To go into further detail would be to spoil this amazing story. Along the route, twists and turns abound with moral, ethical and philosophical questions aplenty. What's interesting is the way Bioshock presents a stark opposition to Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. Rand's heroes always contain the same qualities that Andrew Ryan exemplifies. But here, the artists behind Bioshock seem to be questioning these qualities by presenting a situation so familiar to Atlas Shrugged, and yet, so far removed.
It is literate, thoughtful, disturbing and moving. Even if the gameplay didn't live up to the story, Bioshock would be worthy just for this reason.
Luckily, that's not the case. For the gun hungry, sure, Rapture is filled with guns aplenty and even presents opportunities for you to craft your own upgrades. But that is just scratching the surface. Everything goes back to the story. Plasmids are located across the ruined debris of Rapture and contain the keys to recreating your DNA. Some early examples of Plasmids are the ability to shoot electricity from your hands to being able to set things on fire to telekinesis.
But these plasmids aren't only used for fighting. Minor puzzle-solving crops up, some of which require plasmids in the same way as gear in Legend of Zelda. The biggest puzzle is how to take down the game's variety of enemies. While you can definitely charge in, guns blazing and sometimes survive, cases will present themselves where such tactics will end with you on the bad end of the Big Daddies' drill. Instead, you can create your own traps and war zones. Using plasmids, the environment and, of course, your weapons, you can create elaborate traps that will bring a smile to your face.
A lot of games coming out right now that use the Unreal 3 engine don't look as spectacular as they could. In particular, character models tend to look shiny and/or completely ugly. This is not the case with Bioshock. Everything comes together, from the disturbing scenery, the art deco architecture to the the insane creatures and characters populating the world.
Shadows and lighting also create a sense of atmosphere that drips heavily, much like the water pouring down the walls. It's stunning. The only complaint (and it is minor) is that the frozen portions you can melt don't look very convincing. When things melt, they don't leave anything behind. The only reason it sticks out is that the rest of the game is absolutely beautiful and amazingly crafted.
None of this would be as effective, though, without superior sound. And Bioshock has that (mostly) in spades. The voice work is stunning throughout and the actors provide a great sense of dread. The audio diaries do an exemplary job of providing the backstory, but also work the best in crafting dread and terror. Some of the most disturbing things occur listening to them. Unfortunately, sometimes the characters' lines are repeated too often, ruining the disturbing nature of their dialogue.
Musically, the game is also amazing. It flits into the picture at key moments, increasing the tension before it will flow away. You might not even notice it's there, but that's why it's so good.
You know, the funny thing about hype is how people react to it. Game journalists can go blue in the face trying to get people interested in forgotten gems such as Psychonauts, Beyond Good & Evil and Stranger's Wrath, and since they weren't financially successful they become these gems. When a game sells incredibly well and is hyped to the max (both of which fit Bioshock), people say "over-rated."
Ignore the hype machine. I know you're tired of hearing about it. But give Bioshock a try, if you haven't yet. Download the demo for your PC or try it on Xbox Live. It is a game that's definitely worth everything that's been said about it and more.
It is art. And no words by ignorant movie critics will change that.
Date: 2008-09-05
Amazing game - but still needs online activation
I so want to get this game! I loved the reviews and I have been very, very close to buying it. However, despite lifting the activations limit, the game still needs online activation when your first install it. Please, please remove activation altogether so I can get it! I just can't bring myself to buy a game that I may not be able to install in the future.
It's a superb game and I really want to play it and add it to my collection. Please listen to buyers who don't want activations. Most of them are people who have been fans of the developer for years, like me.
Here's an extract from an interview with 2K's community manager, Elizabeth Tobey, who clarified the limited activations issue saying,
"Our other methods of copy protection remain. You will still have to activate your copy, and you will still need to keep the disc in the drive. SecuROM has not been removed - just the activation limits on number of installs and number of computers you can install BioShock on simultaneously.
As I promised that the activation limits would go away, I can promise that if we ever stop supporting BioShock in the ways you speak of, we will release a patch so that the game is still playable. I believe, as you seem to, that BioShock will be the kind of game we will want to revisit 5, 10, 15 or more years from now. I want my copy to be playable, just as you do, and so does 2K."
I know that Elizabeth kindly promises to remove activation, but I prefer it to be removed now. I just can't trust that they will patch this out as I have been tricked many times before by companies claiming to correct issues at a later time.
Date: 2008-08-31
Bioshock PC
This is a fun game overall but can get a little repetitive. It seems to go cheap on the cash you can pick up and to not have a very good variety of enemies. Plenty of action though. Graphics are ok but the audio in this game is awesome. If you haven't played this yet and your computer can run it fine, then I would say give it a try. It's no Crysis but worth the money.
Date: 2008-08-17
Deserves 5 stars. "Rootkit" is a misnomer.
This is no cookie cutter first person shooter.
This is a GREAT game with:
A fantastic plot,
an interesting, unique gameplay
a beautiful, unique look,
and fine voice acting with a great soundtrack.
There are those who wish to punish any company that tries to put any kind of DRM (copy protection) on their games.
Those are the people giving this an undeserved 1-star rating.
I agree that DRM punishes honest users and does nothing to stop pirating.
However, this game is worthy of a 5-star game-of-the-year rating.
And the rootkit business is bunk:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070826-clearing-the-air-bioshock-does-not-contain-a-rootkit.html
Enjoy!
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