Hello boils and ghouls, I would like to welcome you all to another edition of For What it’s Worth, where bargain titles are examined to see if they really are worth your bottom dollar. It’s that time of fear again. October has fallen upon us and you know what that means, Halloween will soon be here. So to celebrate the holiday For What it’s Worth will be dedicating the month of October to games with a horror or supernatural feel. As always I will be your master of scareamonies.

I promise to lay off of the bad puns from this point on.

And no, not every game will be a survival horror shooter.

So let’s start things off with a survival horror shooter. Ha Ha. Don’t worry, it’s the only one on the docket for the month. Actually this is a review I have been putting off for quite a while now. This is BioShock.

I would just like to say that I am not very good at first person shooters, so if I don’t explain the mechanics as well as I should, I apologize in advance. I am sorry.   

 

Story: The story of BioShock takes place at some point in the late 50’s in an underwater “Utopian” city known as Rapture. The citizens of Rapture consist mainly of scientists and artists (and their families) who are fleeing the censorship and the social, religious and political restrictions of their respective homelands.

Because of the lack of restrictions, Rapture scientists have made decades worth of scientific advancements. Thanks to a special parasite found on the ocean’s floor; Rapture’s citizens were able to mutate themselves using substances known as Eve and Plasmids. However, the citizens of Rapture began to abuse these substances and have driven themselves to madness in the process and are now known as Splicers. To make matters worse, the founder of Rapture and his forces are currently engaged in a war against angry and disillusioned citizens, as well as a very powerful criminal element for control of the city.

You play as an unnamed man (unnamed because he is suffering from a case of amnesia) who finds himself stranded in Rapture after his plane crashed in the middle of the ocean. So unfortunately, you find yourself in the middle of the civil war, with the main objectives being to discover who you are and to survive.

The combination of the stylish, Steampunk setting the political and sociological overtones of the Ayn Rand inspired story, makes for one of the most interesting, cinematic and compelling gaming experiences in this current generation, perhaps ever.

The development of your character is also handled very well. Character development is determined by the morality choices made by the player. Like deciding to either save or kill the mutated Little Sisters (little girls who have been raised in order to serve as hosts to the parasite that was used to create Eve and Plasmids). I like it when developers decide to give the player the chance to make choices based on their own sense of morality and curiosity and have those choices effect the characters in the game’s world for better or worse.

BioShock has three endings, although, the Bad and Medium endings are pretty much the same, which is rather disappointing. No middle ground here folks.            
 

Graphics & Design: The game’s visuals range from breathtaking (especially during the first few minutes) to absolutely disturbing. Rapture itself, as well as the ocean scenery surrounding it, are absolutely beautiful with a great amount of detail and color. The Splicers, Little Sisters and the Big Daddies (probably one of the most unique character designs in gaming history) each look uniquely disturbing in their own right and considering that BioShock is a Steampunk horror title, they are designed perfectly for the game’s subject matter.

I would also like to say that I really enjoyed each of the little cartoons that played after unlocking a new Plasmid. That type of advertising was actually really popular during the game’s time frame.   

Sound: BioShock’s soundtrack boasts an impressive selection of classic Tin Pan Alley songs that really fit the late 50’s time frame and the game’s original music really suits the disturbing and tragic atmosphere. I must also say that the voice acting in the game is near perfect with the actors really having a feel for their character’s personalities and even nail the European accents perfectly. I also feel that having different piano notes play as you scroll through the main menu was a nice little touch as well, allowing players to express a bit creativity before actually playing the game.  

Gameplay: While BioShock does have many of the standard gameplay features of any other first person shooter game, that certainly doesn’t mean it is lacking in originality. Of course you’re going to have a wide variety of firearms to choose from. However, you will also be given a wide variety of genetic enhancements by means of the Plasmids. Plasmids will give you abilities such as being able to light enemies on fire, freeze foes, use telekinesis and even hypnotise Big Daddies. Using the Plasmids will help dish out a good deal of damage to Rapture’s crazed populace. Plasmids are powered by Eve. Eve can be purchased at the Circus of Values vending machines. It is important to remember to replenish your Eve bar because you are going to be using Plasmids often in order to survive. Switching between the guns and Plasmids can be done simply by pressing the RB and LB buttons.

Speaking of vending machines, BioShock’s development team really allowed for some creative uses for these devices. Of course I have already mentioned the Circus of Values, which sells different health power ups, as well as Eve and ammo. There are also the Ammo Bandito machines, which obviously only sell ammo. Gatherer Gardens machines allow you to use ADAM (genetic material gathered by either harvesting or saving the Little Sisters) to purchase new Plasmids or Gene Tonics that allow you increase your health and Eve or even gain new abilities. Gene Banks allow you to arrange the Plasmids and Gene Tonics you have collected throughout the game. Power to the People Machines allow you to upgrade any weapon you choose but you can only make one upgrade per machine, so choose wisely. Oh. Heh heh. I just got that joke. Power to the People. That’s clever. And U-Invent Machines (I really love these ones) allow you invent special kinds of ammo, hacking tools (which, can be used to hack vending machines, safes and security systems) and even Gene Tonics by using items collected throughout Rapture. Not only are the machines useful but considering the way they are designed, they really do add a nice bit of dark comedy to the game’s chilling atmosphere.

Remember to find and invent as many hacking tools as you possibly can because you are going to need them to hack into safes, vending machines, and security systems. If not, you’ll have to take play the frustrating hacking mini-game, which has you setting up a series of tubes. This would be a nice little puzzle game but considering that these can take some time to solve and time is the one thing you don’t have, it is a better decision to just use the hacking tool. Especially since failing to complete the hack can have serious consequences like setting off the security system.

And don’t go thinking you can complain about the game’s difficulty because the folks at 2K (the game’s developer) decided to give players the chance to change the difficulty settings at any point in the game they choose. So if you are absolutely stuck on a particular part of the game, you can simply change the difficulty. This was a really good decision on the developer’s part. In doing so, this really makes the learning curve more gradual and allows the player to play the game at their own pace and allows them to up the challenge without having to start from square one.

Other than the hacking puzzle, I would say that BioShock’s gameplay is near flawless.              

Extra Features: None. A multiplayer mode would have been a good bonus but it doesn’t do too much to hurt the over all worth of the game.

Replay Value: Even with the lack of bonus material this game definitely has a good percentage of replay value. Some players will want to beat the game multiple times to unlock each of the three endings and others will prefer to only play it once in a while after the first play through. Either way, they are going to get their moneys worth. Hell, with 20 hours worth of playtime and a price tag of about $20, you are definitely getting more than you bargained for!     

Overall Value: Retail Value- $20
                          What it’s Worth- $60

If you haven’t already given BioShock a chance, I strongly suggest that you do, even if you are not a fan of first person shooters (I’m definitely not). The learning curb is perfect. The gameplay mechanics are solid. The graphical presentation is beautiful and one of the best in any Xbox 360 game. The story is compelling and even raises questions about just how blurred the lines between scientific advancement, power and human morality can get. Oh and you just can’t beat a $20 price tag. If you’re still sceptical, you should at least give it a rental.   

Until next time: Happy Haunting! (and promise broken)

Next on the Docket: Limbo