Image header credit: Game Rant
If you would like an analysis between BioShock 1 and 2, read this post.
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
Developer: 2K Boston & 2K Australia
Publisher: 2K Games
Release Date: August 21st, 2007
Other Games by 2K Boston or 2K Australia: BioShock 2 & Borderland: The Pre-Sequel (2K Australia) System Shock 2 & BioShock Infinite (2K Boston)
Genre: FPS, RPG, Adventure, Mystery, Action, Story-Rich
“I am Andrew Ryan, and I’m here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? ‘No!’ says the man in Washington, ‘It belongs to the poor.’ ‘No!’ says the man in the Vatican, ‘It belongs to God.’ ‘No!’ says the man in Moscow, ‘It belongs to everyone.’ I rejected those answers; instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose… Rapture, a city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, where the great would not be constrained by the small! And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well.” Andrew Ryan, BioShock (2007)
Note: The reviews for BioShock and BioShock 2 are based on the original versions, not the remastered ones.
An opening so simple, but powerful and majestic, BioShock captivated you, invited you to Rapture, the enigmatic city underwater in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, among the squids and sharks and whales casually swimming about. BioShock invited you to a world, unseen and unknown. And with that, BioShock did something that not every game has mastered: it caught your attention. BioShock isn’t your conventional first person shooter game. It offers a rich storyline; a hauntingly powerful atmosphere; superb compositions; and immaculate graphic quality. All these components together create a game that is the full package.
Pros/Cons/Neutrals
Pros
+ Enormously rich atmosphere
+ Excellent, complex, and immersive storyline
+ Straightforward gameplay—not too hard, but not too easy (the adventure portion: side quests and looking for collectibles)
+ Exquisite and hauntingly engaging scores
+ Easy controls, even for a mouse/keyboard
+ The help section was detailed with all the information you needed to know about the World of Rapture and more (e.g. Gene Banks, splicers, ADAM/EVE, U-Invent, turrets/bots/cameras, Vending machine, the characters, and etc descriptions)
+ Can re-listen to audio diaries and radio messages from people you need to communicate with
+ The new and inventive features practically unseen at that time in FPS (e.g. hacking, upgrading, and genetic modifications)
+ How integrated and important it is to find the audio diaries—you don’t need to collect the audio diaries to finish the game, however, by finding the audio diaries, more of the storyline is given and it enhances the experience
+ Beautifully rendered and polished graphics
+ Map was good, and, for the most part, easy to understand *only suggestion is that it would have been nice to be able to distinguish between the areas on different levels instead of placing them on the same field
Cons—most of these cons aren’t really a problem but could become bothersome
– Inaccurate shooting (i.e. even when the circle is directed on your enemy, sometimes you would still the target entirely)
– The text at times would stay on the screen after listening to an audio diary; you have to repeat the audiodiary in order for the text to disappear
– Lag in control response—had to click multiple times before it registered to perform an action *didn’t happen all the time but it happened enough
Neutrals: Preference Dependent
- The fighting (shooting) portion of the gameplay may not the strongest; BioShock felt more like an adventure game with RPG/Shooter elements (this is a benefit for me but maybe a con to others so I’m placing it here)
- Hacking system (also, a pro to me, but in terms of a FPS shooter mechanic, the hacking system could be simplified—but there are auto-hacks you can use [only allowed 5 at a time though] to bypass the hacking)
- Levels can seem repetitive (i.e. do side quests, kill big daddies, repeat), however, the kinds of side quests and change in scenery helped with the game not feeling as repetitive
Recommendation
Recommend this game if [you]…
- Looking for game resonant in storyline
- Want to play a FPS with moderate action (i.e. fighting sequences)
- Straightforward gameplay mechanics
- Prefer a decent length game play (avg. gameplay is around 15 hours ±; it took me 26 hours but I’m an extreme circumstance since I looked for every collectible and got very immersed into the game too*I suck at finding collectibles…)
- Read the ideology of Ayn Rand and others or interested in seeing the philosophies conceptualised
Do not recommend this game if [you]…
- Believe that challenging gameplay is more important than the story
- Looking for a highly intense action packed FPS
- Prefer streamlined mechanics for gaming flow and efficiency (the hacking system can take a while but not much since it’s timed)
The Enigmatic World of BioShock
2K Boston (Irrational Games), creators of System Shock 2, and 2K Australia brought us the world of BioShock in 2007, and ten years later, BioShock’s quality still prevails. While there are some downfalls, or minor nuisances, with the game, BioShock is still impressive and unforgettable.
Storyline
To be honest, I could spend a great deal of time explaining and going in depth talking about the complexity and the uniqueness of the plot. I really could, but I’m not, and I can’t because the storyline is where BioShock excels with flying colours. It is something that you have to experience first-hand—not have someone regurgitate to you. Nevertheless, I won’t leave you guys hanging; I will talk about the storyline briefly—I mean, hey, I made a section for it after all.
One of the aspects that make BioShock unique is the themes that it explores and conceptualises throughout the game. The themes of BioShock are based off of the ideology of Ayn Rand. Ayn Rand’s ideals formed the philosophy of Objectivism, which has been linked to Libertarianism. Objectivism can be boiled down to this, essentially: man should be allowed to do what he chooses to and should choose what benefits him. In other words: self-interest > altruism. (There’s more to this, more than what I can explain, but that is what I was able to summarise from the game and from what I’ve read from Ayn Rand, after playing the game.) And here, ladies and gentlemen, is where we begin the journey of Andrew Ryan’s Rapture. Rapture was a place created by Andrew Ryan to escape the tyranny from above the surface—a place where there were no rules; a place where every man created for himself; a place where “the great would be great” as Ryan put it. It was designed as a place where there was no religion, no government—only fueled purely by man’s self-interest. And this is where Rapture begins to deteriorate, however, Jack—our player character—doesn’t know this. Jack arrives at Rapture a post- apocalyptic Rapture. There’s a sense of eeriness that’s infused into the environment. The opulence of Rapture is evident, but the city appears to be desolate—abandoned. How can a city with the appearance of richness and grandeur be in such a state of decay? How the heck was a city created in the middle of the Atlantic in the first place? As you begin to play you realise that you don’t only have to survive Rapture, you have to figure out what happened. BioShock keeps the storyline fresh with plot twists (that actually tie into the storyline well) and alluring and diverse characters to meet (whether through radio messages or audio diaries). Each of the characters in Rapture have their own distinct personality that adds to the layer of immersion into the game. Sometimes, the characters in a game can be one dimensional, so to speak, which causes the game to lose some of its flair. In BioShock, we don’t see that, thankfully. The personality of each character is a testament to the writing and the outstanding voice acting, which in itself deserves an award, if you ask me. BioShock’s story is exceptionally immersive; it’s very easy to lose yourself in this game. As you being to explore and uncover Rapture’s secrets, a story begins to emerge, and it’s an interesting one at that.
The storyline is also strong in continuity and flow. If you collect the audio diaries, more of the story is revealed to you. The audio diaries aren’t necessary to collect in order to finish the game; however, if you want to understand the story to its fullest capacity, I highly suggest collecting the audio diaries. If you don’t though, you can still follow the storyline because there are cutscenes and interactions with several main characters through radio messages to help with the story. The audio diaries are just another layer and aren’t essential to understand the basic premise of the story.
Gameplay mechanics
Weapons & Plasmids: Your weaponry includes a wrench (for your meele attacks), pistol, machine gun, shotgun, launch, and crossbow. An aspect that also made BioShock unique was its use of genetic modification weaponry—or plasmids. In the game you are only allowed to be equipped with 6 plasmids at a time, however, there are a total of 11 one can choose from: Electro Bolt, Incinerate!, Telekinesis, Hyponotize Big Daddy, Enrage, Security Bullseye, Winter Blast, Sonic Boom, Cyclone Trap, Insert Swan, and Target Dummy. Both plasmids and weaponry can be upgraded through the Gatherer’s Garden or the Power to the People machines, respectively. Plasmids can be obtained by buying them (and the actual slots) at the Gatherer’s Garden or rescuing the Little Sisters. Weapons are obtained whether through random placement or a character gives you the weapon. In the game, you will also receive different types of gene tonics (physical, combat, and engineering). These tonics help with upgrading your character’s strength, fighting, and hacking abilities, which are upgraded through researching your enemies with the research camera (obtained during the 3rd level). You can also increase the amount of damage you deal to your enemies through researching, also. Because you are offered a variety of weapons and plasmids, you can chose how you want to fight. You do one-on-one combat or do a more stealth approach. There is flexibility in how you can take out your enemies. ADAM is gained through harvesting (killing) or rescuing the Little Sisters, and you use it to buy plasmids, tonics, and slots at the Gatherer’s Garden. EVE hypos are gained throughout your journey or you can buy them through the vending machines. EVE is what allows you to use your plasmids.
FPS Mechanics: The FPS aspect of BioShock can be considered “weak” in some cases, especially comparing it to the level of efficiency and sophistication seen in modern FPS games, nevertheless, the FPS portion of the game is relatively solid for the time that it was released. On your right hand, you have your weapons, and on your left hand, you have your plasmids. In BioShock, you don’t have dual welding with your plasmids and weapons, as you do in BioShock 2, but you can still set traps; however, the fighting and trap-setting may not be as cohesive because of the limitations. The fighting portion of BioShock is on the minimal side–at least in easy mode–but there is still enough action to keep you invested. The main types of enemies you will encounter are the splicers and Big Daddies. There is a hacking system–connect the pipes–that you can utilise to turn your enemies (specifically turrets, bots, and cameras) into friends or lower the cost of ammunition.
Challenge
There are three modes of difficulty: easy, medium (normal), and hard. I can’t comment too much on the other two modes since I’ve only played on easy. The one comment I can make, based on what I’ve researched, is that there’s not too much of a difference between the modes in terms of enemy number—the number of enemies should be the same no matter what the difficulty—however, the higher difficulty level, the more challenging it is to kill your enemy and the easier it is for you to die.
The side quests can present some challenge but are predominately simple. In some levels you will be required to obtain a key from someone who will typically become a boss, take pictures of certain types of splicers with the research camera, or concoct a formula. The way the side quests were integrated into the game made them feel like actual objectives that we needed to do, and not like after-thoughts. The side quests were awesome, added to the story, and didn’t break the flow. An example of when the side quests can be challenging is when you’re looking for enzyme samples. During this portion, you’re timed and there are several obstacles in your path.
The FPS gameplay portion is where I had the most trouble; while the controls were easy to use, I still had to get used to them. FPS gameplay challenge depends on your skill and perseverance (in the hard difficulty, specifically). If you have never played shooters, or least not many, you may have a harder time than someone who has played more. Also, the technical downfalls (i.e. inaccurate target shooting and lag in control response) didn’t help; however, they are easy to overcome once you learn the system.
In general, the gameplay of BioShock, overall, isn’t too difficult. The levels can become repetitive; but, the change in scenery and pace and types of side quests to perform aided in adding some multiplicity into each level instead of the game becoming too monotonous. There are directional arrows and hints that frequently show up on the screen, which you can disable at any time from the menu section.
All-in-All, if you’re looking for a game with an immersive environment, high graphic and sound quality, strong storyline continuity and flow, and solid gameplay, then I recommend inviting yourself into the world of BioShock.
Suggestions
Here I am listing suggestions for the best playing experience. Honestly, you don’t have to do any of these—you can play the game whatever way you like—I just thought I’d throw my two cents into this.
- Play with a controller if you can–I played with mouse and keyboard but I think it would be better with a controller
- Collect the audio diaries (as many as you can); many of the audio diaries are in plain view, so it’s hard to miss, however, some weren’t that easy.
- Devise a strategy on how you would like to kill your enemies (makes your life easier)
- Have fun with it!
Dynamic States 
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