BioShock

"Not all that Shocking"

Ah, Bioshock. I don't know of a single person who did not feel strongly about this. Whether it be the new gamer who desired something with substance, or the grizzled veteran who desired a sequel to System Shock, everybody had their own hopes for what this game would be. As a fan of the System Shocks, my expectations for this game were varied, to say the least.

Gameplay:
Overall, the gameplay is entertaining, but repetitive. Fending off foes with wrench and lightning bolt proved to be quite entertaining. Also, crouching in a doorway and snapping off shots at an ambush of enemies proved rather exciting as well. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that all but bosses and the Big Daddies (large golems) can be defeated with the wrench alone, and the ammo conserved makes said bosses and Big Daddies relatively simple affairs. Ammo was plentiful, but the wrench/shock combo that is taught to the player during the tutorial proves far too effective, and guns and other plasmids were thus left for stronger enemies. As such, combat soon feels formulaic.

Further, the formula of a room being darkened, then partially illuminated proves repetitive as well. After the second or third time, it proves painfully obvious that the developers were unable to think of logical spawn points, and instead used darkness to hide the spawning.

The hacking minigame also loses its novelty rather quickly. Due to the complete dependence upon player skill, there is no reason to not hack an item. However, after the twentieth hacked turret, the player will begin to just bypass the hack or destroy the item. This proves especially annoying as alarm and overload tiles are added to the game, resulting in many puzzles that are rendered impossible due to the appearance of a solid wall of these tiles.

Overall, I feel that Bioshock's gameplay is admirable, but becomes repetitive unless the player actively attempts to add variety to the game. I fully expect to read about many special runs (wrench only, no plasmids, etc), but for the average player the novelty will wear out rather quickly.
Gameplay:6.5/10

Story:
Ah, the story. A tale of moral ambiguities and branching paths. Or not.
The tale begins with the player taking a trip on an airplane. The game then cuts away to the player surfacing and seeing the wreckage of the plane all around. After swimming to a lighthouse, the player takes a bathysphere to Rapture. Upon arriving at Rapture, the player is quickly recruited by a human named Atlas who forges an alliance with the player: In exchange for rescuing his family, he will help the player escape Rapture. As the game progresses, the player begins to learn why Rapture became a dystopia as the player learns of Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine.

Without spoiling too much, this game's story has the requisite number of twists, but never feels particularly gripping. Instead, it is the short "memories" (a ghostly vision of a previous event) and audio diaries that prove the most moving. Whether it be the small bits of information regarding the Little Sisters, or the tales of those who suffered due to the machinations of Ryan and Fontaine, there are quite a few tales that will cause the player to question his or her morals.

Unfortunately, the main story raises no such questions. Instead, the player is forced on a linear path from objective to objective with little to no input. While the reason for this is eventually explained, it does not change the fact that rather than being a player, one instead takes the role of spectator. In fact, the only thing that impacts the story is whether the player harvests or rescues the Little Sisters in his quest for Adam (currency for upgrades). Harvesting involves the player grabbing a five or six year old girl and ripping a slug out of her body (killing her in the process) whereas rescuing involves touching music and the healing of the girl. Also, the benefits of harvesting are minimal at best, and the benefits for rescuing involve powerful plasmids that would not otherwise be obtained. As such, it removes moral ambiguity and results in a strictly black and white experience with no shades of grey.
Story:7/10

Graphics/Sound:
This game is beautiful, plain and simple.
More specifically, the atmosphere is spot on. It truly does feel like the player is in a world envisioned in the first half of the twentieth century. The music and the videos associated with the selection of plasmids just feels right.

However, like the rest of the game, it is not perfect. The guns, while beautiful, don't feel quite right. The Thompson for example just doesn't "feel" as though the weapon has any force to it. The same is true of most of the bullet impacts. Rather than knocking the enemy around, it instead causes a rather unrealistic blood spurt (which is a stark contrast to the beauty of the game and weapons) and a small mark on the enemy. The revolver sounds and looks like it should have a large kick, but instead barely affects the target it hits. Even worse, the shotgun has the same problem. A minor flaw, but it is just another reason that guns feel tacked on in this game.
Graphics/Sound:8.85/10

Playtime/Replayability:
First, the good news. On my first playthrough, I ran through the game on Hard and explored quite thoroughly (so far, it does not look like I missed any plasmids or diaries). This took me about twelve to fifteen hours, which is quite good for a modern game. I did lose interest near the end, but I never felt as though I would put this game away without beating it.

However, I also don't see myself replaying this game. Aside from seeing the second (and possibly third) ending, I feel no need to replay this game any time soon. I do see myself pulling this game off of my bookshelf sometime next year, if only because I need to clear my head. However, much like many games that use hidden items as a way to artificially increase the play time, the replay suffers. It is a fun ride the first time around, but there isn't much left after you have read all the diaries and played with all the plasmids. There is a second (possibly third) ending, but that can easily be viewed without another playthrough.
Playtime/Replayability: 7/10

Final Notes:
All in all, this would have been an amazing book or movie. But, as a game, it is average. Much like Rapture itself, the game begins as a work of beauty but devolves into something much less.

Final Score: 7.3375/10
Final Recommendations
I would recommend buying this when it is around 20 or 30 dollars. It is an average game with a somewhat interesting story. And while the gameplay is quite fun, it is a case of "What you see is what you get" in that said gameplay varies very little.

I also feel the need to point this out: By no means am I saying that Bioshock is a bad game. I am instead saying that I feel it to be an average game. If you have never played another game like it, give it another point. But, if you have experience in this genre (the System Shocks and Deus Ex come to mind), you will probably be rather disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/05/07

Game Release: BioShock (US, 08/21/07)