- Release date: August 21st 2007
- Developer: Irrational Games
- Estimated time to beat: 12 hours
- My time: 17 hours 10 min. (I messed up and didn’t save)
- Date beaten: /12/6/2019
- Achievements: 27/51 (560/1100)
- Chosen by: OneUpMushroom88 (IG)
Waves crashing as the water surrounding you is set ablaze by the fallen plane you were a passenger in. Swimming your way to safety, and climbing the stairs into a beautifully structured building adorned with gorgeous pictures and sculptures of the founding fathers. Climbing into a sub transportation pod and gliding through the water while gazing upon the breathtaking expansiveness that is Rapture. Bioshock does an amazing job of setting the scene from the very beginning. It also does a great job of showing you how beautiful it can be. Taking place in an underwater city called Rapture it would be easy to make everything look exactly the same. Steampunk futuristic past is a solid aesthetic I’ll admit, but Irrational Games, along with the help of multiple 2K studies, does a very good job of making the areas feel the same, but different. They feel cohesive enough to be in the same world but different enough to be able to tell where you are without the need of a constant map check.
While roaming the leaking underwater city you’ll use all sorts of different weapons. From crowbars to grenade launchers the gunplay feels varied and exciting. It also makes sure not to give you too much ammo for one weapon forcing you to try everything. My favorite was hands down the crossbow, but there are tons of fun weapons to play with. Scattered throughout the game are upgrade stations for your weapons and abilities. The weapon upgrades allow you to choose one upgrade for your current weapons whereas the ability kiosks require a currency to upgrade or purchase.
To upgrade your abilities you must hunt down an enemy called a Big Daddy. They are hulking beasts with drills for hands and giant guns. There one and only purpose is to protect the Little Sisters. The Little Sisters are filled with an energy called ADAM. It is the source of all abilities within Rapture. It edits the human DNA sequence giving you super human-like abilities. Once you defeat a Big Daddy you are faced with a choice. You can either harvest or save the Little Sisters. Both options have their pros and cons but inevitably chose to save them. As creepy as they can be they are also just too cute. You then use the ADAM at kiosks to upgrade things like health, or EVE capacity. Eve is how you use your abilities. Everything costs a different amount of EVE and you must collect syringes to refuel your body to continue your Plasmid filled journey. I found myself running out of these often, but there is always a kiosk or an enemy waiting to drop some for you.
The abilities (Plasmids) are where the game truly shines. You get so many different types of Plasmids that truly allow you to play the game however you choose. Well maybe not, however, but within the confines of the mechanics. I chose to go the route of hacking primarily. With the hacking ability, you can hack vending machines so they cost less to use, or even hack an enemy turret to make it friendly causing it to attack any enemies within range. To hack something you enter a mini-game that is basically a remastered version of an older game called Pipe Dream. A liquid will start to move from one pipe and you must uncover tiles to find other pieces of pipe. You can then pick the pieces up and place in together to ensure the moving liquid doesn’t spill. The goal is to get it to the exit. While this mini-game is super fun it can also be a cause for anxiety when the pipes start in a terrible configuration. Luckily you can get perks throughout the game. Some of which will cause the fluid to move more slowly or eliminate some of the trap tiles that exist. I really do love the mini-game, but I also loved Pipe Dream.
The story was incredibly intriguing from beginning to end and culminates into an incredible crescendo. I realize that many people have played it by now, but there will be no spoilers here. Just know that if you haven’t played it, it’s well worth at least one playthrough. The plot twists are unexpected, or at least were for me, and I now can’t wait to play the next in the series. The music and sound design were also very well done. The tone is set perfectly and is never too overwhelming. I understand why this series blew up and it also makes very curious about the game System Shock which I’m to understand is the muse for the Bioshock games. Game 8 for the Stuff is Stuff Xbox 360 challenge is complete. On to the next in the insane journey. Thanks for following.
- Eye Feel: 9
- Ear Feel: 9
- Hand Feel: 9
- Mind Feel: 10
- Overall feel: 9.25
