Since we at Headshot play lots of older titles, and since we're a fairly new blog lacking a large backlog of reviews, we will occasionally be revisiting older games.
There was a time a few years back when I was beginning to wonder where the FPS genre went wrong. Sure, we had some excellent games like Half Life 2 and Unreal Tournament 2004, but even the really good ones were missing the spark of imagination and originality that had once set titles like Thief, Deus Ex, and System Shock apart from the pack. Those games weren't perfect, but they tried their damnedest to scrape some of the crust off a genre that had long been stale and, for the most part, succeeded. Then, in 2007, Irrational games came seemingly out of nowhere to do the same thing again with Bioshock. It should come as no surprise to veteran gamers that the project was spearheaded by Ken Levine of the late, great Looking Glass Studios.
It's been said that Bioshock is the spiritual successor to System Shock 2, but while System Shock 2 was a cyberpunk RPG/FPS hybrid set on a decaying space ship, Bioshock takes place in 1960 in the more steampunk setting of Rapture. Rapture is an underwater city that started off as every Objectivist's wet dream. Its founder, Andrew Ryan, is a Randian hero who had become so disgusted by what he perceived as the oppressive expansion of big government, he constructed Rapture as a Utopian society where like-minded individuals could live in a nearly lawless, capitalistic society. Not surprisingly, things eventually went terribly wrong. By the time a plane crash lands you in the middle of the ocean -- and right on Rapture's doorstep -- the city has already been overrun by insane "splicers," -- people who have had their genes altered to give them magic-like abilities -- who want nothing more than to cut you into fish food. I won't spoil the plot, but it is full of intriguing twists and turns, moral ambiguity, and social commentary. In other words, the story bucks the trend of pretty much every other FPS out there and joins the likes of Planescape: Torment and Grim Fandango as a genuine work of art.
I try not to dwell on graphics when discussing games, but the design and overall look of this game needs to be mentioned. The leaky, retro halls of Rapture create the moodiest, most immersive atmosphere in recent memory. The water effects are the most impressive yet seen in a game and solid surfaces look convincingly wet. The characters are nicely animated and rendered in a rather cartoonish style that fits perfectly with the Art Deco surroundings. Speaking of Art Deco, some of the look, humor and tone of the game seems a bit overly derivative of the Fallout series, but that's a very minor quibble.
After a trip down the bathysphere leads you into the city, you are soon introduced to "Adam" and "Eve.' Adam is what allows you to enable more plasmids (which are basically spells) and Eve is what powers the plasmids. Eve is in steady supply, as you can either find it lying around or purchase it in vending machines. Adam is a little more difficult to come by, as it must be taken from the "little sisters," the unfortunate little girls who have been turned into Adam generating machines by Rapture's crooked scientists. These girls are protected by the Big Daddies, who are a very tough bunch of cyborgs who's only goal in life is to protect the Adam the little sisters are carrying. Once these Behemothian body guards have been disposed of, the player can choose to either "harvest" the little sister, which kills her but gives the player more Adam, or rescue them at a steep Adam penalty.
The Adam/Eve/Plasmids system is fairly simple, so I wouldn't exactly call the game an FPS/RPG hybrid. The mechanic is more similar to the way powers were implemented in Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast or Clive Barker's Undying than it is to Deus Ex or System Shock 2. However, since the game is very fast paced and fairly brief (8-10 hours) this isn't really a problem. The AI of the splicers and Big Daddies ranges from competent to excellent (I still remember the first time a splicer fled the battle to recharge her health at a healing station. Very nice touch.) and there is a nice variety of weapons, most of which can be upgraded.
I was slightly annoyed at balancing of the wrench, which is the first weapon the player gets in the game. By about halfway through, the upgrades I had for it made it by far the most powerful weapon in the game. I rarely had to use anything else from my arsenal after that point. The only other real quibble I can think of is that the environments just aren't varied enough. Rapture is one of the most beautiful and original places I've been in a video game, but after 6 or 7 hours I found myself wishing for some variety beyond water-filled Art Deco hallway #4876.
Really though, those are probably the only problems I had with Bioshock, which is a testament to just how fantastic it is. This is the best FPS game since Half Life 2, and a must own for any serious gamer's collection. If you don't already own it, do yourself a favor and get it now. You won't be disappointed.
R.E.P
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