This time last year I was frankly shocked at how good Bioshock was. It played like a fairly average shooter with some smart abilities at your disposal but the story that played out in front of the new and interesting setting was simply genius. Oddly it was an Xbox 360 exclusive but now a year on the Playstation 3 finally gets what is one of the stand out titles of this generation.
Bioshock opened up with you crash landing in the middle of the ocean to find refuse at what appears to be a lighthouse. After entering the deserted building you start to descend in a lift that reveals the underwater city of Rapture. Rapture was an idea for a new world that used science and technological advancements to their full extent. You soon find out that something has gone hideously wrong when you start to play around with plasmids. This are power-ups that allow you to shoot fire, freeze objects, electrocute people etc…
The people of Rapture have gotten drunk on the new power they have and it’s clearly had a bad effect on the population. All that’s left are splicers who are the residents of Rapture you have abused the science and will be looking to stop you along the way. Luckily you can find weapons along you way but it’s a lot more fun to use your plasmids to rid of them in more creative ways. Zapping water will cause anyone standing in it to receive a shock. You can even set traps that fire people into hand crafted tornadoes. The plasmids work well with the environment so you’ll often being trying to think of new and different ways to deal out damage.
Now if you’ve steered away from spoilers in the last year then your really primed to enjoy the experience as a whole. The ride that Bioshock has in-store for you just as a story is sensational. The unexpected plot twists, hard choices and inspiring characters that you encounter across your journey all help cement Bioshock as one of the best stories in a game ever.
Not only does Bioshock tell a great story but it looks stunning albeit not that much better than the 360 version. The first time you venture underground through the towers of Rapture is simply eye candy. The whole city really feels like you are in a real city that has taken a turn for the worse. The graphics technically sell the environment but not as much as the art deco style that runs throughout the game. Everything just looks like hours of time has gone into every single piece of detail and it really shows.
The only minor flaw you could have for the core game is that the game plays a bit slow. It’s not realistic as you can take a few hits but you’ll often find your self wishing that the game played a bit better. Luckily the environment and weapons help make up for it. There is a truth to Bioshock being the thinking persons shooter.
As aforementioned the Playstation 3 version looks nearly identical to the Xbox 360 version and the only thing that is slightly improved are the load times and that’s only due to the Playstation 3’s install to the hard drive feature. A feature that is soon making it’s way to the 360. The game only really sees small improvements like an extra difficulty mode and the promise of more DLC with the challenge rooms. If you have a choice between both version it really depends on preference.
Sure it’s a bit slow at times and the engine isn’t brilliant but Bioshock is a visually brilliant game that tells a terrific story that is arguably the best video game story ever. With that said everyone should play what is a brilliant all-round experience even a year later.
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