Suboptimist

Your genetic code is being rewritten.

Yes, I know. It’s been a week since I updated, and all you get is this lousy BioShock review.

I finished the game, among the most highly anticipated and subsequently reviewed games in history, last night while at the Reverend’s house. He and I rented the game, actually, likely being the only gamers who decided to rent it first. What proceeded was one of the greatest gaming presentations I have seen in some time.

I have always been skeptical of reviews from the gaming press. Often the review criteria are too specific or superficial. Often, the game is graded on a scale that begs whether 9.6 is significantly better than 9.5 or worse than 9.7. My review will cover the three most important aspects of a next-generation game: story, presentation, and gameplay. The game will be graded on a scale from 0 to 10 with a half-point interval. Let us proceed:

Story

In BioShock, we assume the role of “Jack,” a man who is the sole survivor of a plane crash ocer the Atlantic ocean. The crash occurs conveniently near a strange tower sticking out of the ocean, and located in it is a bathysphere leading to the strange, underwater city called Rapture. Rapture is the dream-child of industrialist-idealist Andrew Ryan, a character modeled after writer Ayn Rand. Upon arrival, Jack finds the city in ruins, Ryan’s idealism run amok, with a few elite survivors sealed behind locked doors for survival, the residents driven mad with lust for a chemical called ADAM, and mentally conditioned little girls — called ‘Little Sisters’ — roaming the corridors looting corpses. What follows is a journey to unravel the mystery of the Rapture, ADAM, and the Little Sisters.

In this imaginative critique of Rand’s pseudo-philosophy of Objectivism, the plot is revealed through in-engine cutscenes, radio transmissions from allies, ghostly apparitions, and audio-diaries scattered throughout the halls. To me, the story was the most impressive part of the game. Rarely does one find a first-person shooter that features such a riveting story and attempts to tackle deep philosophical issues. While some storytelling devices could have been explained further, and there were some small plot-holes here and there, BioShock is sure to impress the gamer who plays for story and moral challenge.

Presentation

Despite one or two popped textures, the game is visually stunning. The textures and filters are realistic, and the colors are deep and vibrant. The game encourages you to lower the gamma on your television do add to the dark, gritty atmosphere, an atmosphere enhanced when played in a dark, hot room. BioShock is a game that truly demonstrates the processing power of the Xbox 360’s Xenon processor. Aside from the realistic graphics, the game features a flawlessly developed physics engine and some of the best artificial intelligence presented in a video game to date, based on an AI engine the developers dub Ecology. Essentially, enemies are programmed for two things: harvesting ADAM, protection, and survival. As an example, if you shoot an enemy in the leg, he may attempt to find a first aid station. If you ignite an enemy with your incinerate ability, he runs for water (which you can then electrify). A high technical achievement, if I do say so myself.

Gameplay

Fundamentally, BioShock is a first-person shooter, and it’s playstyle is such, though the gameplay has clearly been influenced by the survival horror genre. Unlike other games in the genre, however, BioShock is more than running from point A to point B and killing everything that moves. Instead, as Jack, we must roam the corridors completing different objectives and finding Little Sisters to either rescue or kill for the ADAM they carry (a moral choice which took me minutes to solve, ultimately choosing to rescue the young ones), which is then used to purchase player upgrades essential for survival in the game.

BioShock is a game that takes graphic violence to the next level. It doesn’t shy away from showing blood splatter or heads fly when, for example, you shoot an enemy in the head. There are numerous ways to kill an enemy, and, as mentioned above, some are very gruesome indeed. As such, the game is not for the faint of heart. Despite the seemingly endless killing the environment remains very much alive, with a seemingly endless supply of enemies to. However, the dead stay dead, but residents continue to roam the streets, which can be frustrating to some players, as the game does require a fair amount of backtracking. Some less patient players may be turned off as the game is considered long for the genre, standing at about fifteen hours of gameplay (it took me several nights to play). Additionally, some experienced shooter players may complain about the game being too easy. If you are killed, you are resurrected at the nearest ‘Vita-chamber.’ Not to worry though, that happens to be an essential plot point.

Altogether BioShock is a gaming masterpiece that demonstrates how video games belong in the category of art. It is my opinion that the game belongs in the library of every Xbox 360 owner, whether or not you are a fan of the genre or not. Final tally: 9.5.