Game Review - Bioshock
by Tyler Cope
Bioshock is a first person shooter for the Xbox 360. A short story build up fallowed by a plane crash starts off the adventure. Being the lone survivor, you make your way to a tall lighthouse. However, inside the lighthouse there is a submersible that takes you to the city of Rapture. After that you’re forced into the action that refuses to quit until the ending credits role. As you make your way through the maze of traps and tricks, you will find that things are not as they seem in the mysterious city of Rapture. The story line is one of the most creative and mesmerizing out there. An interesting slant on your normal first person shooter makes game play innovative and keeps it fun. There is variety of weapons as well as powers. Character customization is one of the major points stressed in the game. As you move through the game you will not only find powers such as telekinesis, incineration, and electric shock, but you will also find an array of firearms. Both the skills you pick up and the firearms are upgradeable. There are also different types of ammo for each gun. They can be picked up or made from the spare parts you will pickup through out the game.
Hacking is another important skill to master in your time spent in Rapture. The game designers made hacking into a wonderful mini game that won’t have you bored after just the first few times you do it. You will find yourself actually roaming the massive levels just to hack something. The atmosphere that Rapture puts you in will make you jumpy and have you running to turn on the lights. The first time you meet a Little Sister or their caretaker the Big Daddy, and hear the creepy music, you will want to run very quickly in the opposite direction of them. The rumblings of a Big Daddy’s footstep and the cackle of a Little Sister’s laugh will make you cringe by the end of the game. Other enemies such as Splicers and automated turrets will come out of nowhere and make for a good scare.
As many good things there are about this game there are a few down points that it has. One is the freezing that may occur. It only seems to slow down, or completely freeze if you’re unlucky, after you have been playing for long periods of time and there are more than just a few enemies trying to give you a dirt nap. The only other problem worth noting is the excessive easiness of the game. It’s a long enough game you don’t really notice but there is no problem with going through the entire game without being in danger of dying. Overall the game is an amazing vision of graphics and game play. If a run and gun shooter is what you’re in the mood for, this game isn’t for you. You have to use a little finesse when dealing with enemies in this game. I would give Bioshock 9.5 out of 10. It’s good but not perfect. It could be a little harder and the freezing should be taken care of, but the story line and expansive use of powers and weapons more than makes up for it.
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Tyler, you’re cool and all, but come on.
Here’s my take on Bioshock. Every area in the game looks exactly the same. The “Moral Choice” system that is related to the Little Sisters is dumb. There are no reprocutions for harvesting them, compared to saving them. Hacking is botched. Why is that when you start hacking a machine while an enemy is attacking, the enemy will wait for you to finish your PipeDream mini-game, before resuming his attack.
Vita Chambers? I don’t even know why those are in the game, the game gives no explanation for them.
Your wrench is able to kill enemies in one hit, when they are stunned with the Shock plasmid. That doesn’t make any sense.
The Big Daddy’s are very easy to kill, and the last boss was easier than making a bowl of Easy Mac. Not to mention, the game was a cakewalk. Because it was easy, it took away any atmosphere the game was trying to create. Since enemies health was concurrent, even after you died, dying was merely a nuisance.
It’s not a terrible game, just an incredibly shallow one.