XBox Solution

Lots of people out there think of the Xbox 360 as a shooter console. The truth is there are many shooters on the console, but it does have a plethora of other games available. When I first read about Bioshock over a year ago, I really thought it fell into that category of just another shooter. But it did present a totally different sort of style and atmosphere, being set in the underwater city of Rapture. Andrew Ryan, a man fed up with the bureaucracy of the governments of the United States, Soviet Union, and the Vatican decided to build this utopia as a place for science, industry, and the arts to blossom without the restrictions of the previously mentioned establishments. So Rapture was built under the seas to give these forward thinkers a haven to practice their arts. It was Nirvana, but something went terribly wrong.

I tried really hard not to get caught up in the hype leading up to Bioshock’s release. I didn’t read any previews and only watched one or 2 of the videos that were shown before its release. To my surprise when the demo was put on the Xbox Live marketplace a week or two ago, I was very impressed. Graphically this game blows you away using the Unreal engine; I believe it definitely gives Gears of War a run for the money in that department. And for it being another shooter on the 360, it adds enough unique gameplay elements that it really stands out from your typical WW II or science fiction FPS. The story itself is a mystery that unfolds the deeper you explore the unique setting of Rapture.

Wow, where do I begin? Bioshock takes the FPS genre and adds a healthy dose of genetic engineering. The scientists of Rapture discovered Adam, a stem cell like substance that altered their genetic code in order to produce medical cures, vanity changes, and eventually became more militant in nature. Adam was used to create Plasmids, Eve and Gene Tonics that the population of Rapture abused and it eventually caused them to become psychopathic in nature, and wary of intruders in their world. Eve is the serum used to power your plasmids, found in syringes scattered about the halls of Rapture. These citizens are now known as Splicers, horribly twisted genetic freaks of their former selves. Splicers come in a variety of different creepy flavors that try to put an end to your exploration of Rapture.

Plasmids themselves are easily obtainable, but the Adam itself is harder to come by. Strange little girls known as Little Sisters wander the hallways of Rapture with syringes to extract Adam from the corpses strewn about. But these Little Sisters are no push overs when it comes to getting pure Adam from them, you will have to go through their Big Daddy first. Big Daddy’s are huge beings in deep sea diving suits with nasty guns and big drills on their arms to protect the Little Sisters and their harvesting of the Adam. Taking on a Big Daddy is no easy task; these armored behemoths can take a beating and deliver a serious one back on you! Once you take a Big Daddy down you have the choice of harvesting the Little Sister, or rescuing her from the damned state her mind is in. This choice will yield Adam to the player, but rescuing gives less than harvesting. The choice you make here also leads to different endings in the game. The Adam you collect from the Little Sisters can then be used at the Gather’s Garden to upgrade plasmid slots (number of cyclable plasmids), maximum health and Eve, gene tonic slots and new plasmids.

Research of the citizens of Rapture will also lead to rewards you can use. Research is done by using a camera found in the game, and photographing different Splicers. Action shots and multiple subjects in the photos you take will lead to damage bonuses and reveal hidden gene tonics. Gene tonics give boosts to your physical, engineering and combat skills.

All of these things I’ve described make Bioshock unique in the FPS genre, and are really great for a change of pace. Exploring the halls and corridors of Rapture is a really great psychological experience, all the way from hearing deranged voices in your surroundings, to the whale like sounds of a Big Daddy making his presence known. The game really had me on the edge of my seat sometimes, and there are quite a few WTF moments that scare the pants off you. Security cameras and bots are also a part of your surroundings, and can be hacked through a mini game in order to bring them under your control. This helps nicely when a group of splicers is after your skin. The hacking mini game is quite different from what you’ve come to expect from games like Splinter Cell. You’re trying to get a pipe to connect from one side of a square to another using elbows, straight pipes, etc. It’s not as complex as hacking in other games, but I feel that has to do with the 1950’s setting of the game where technology is not as advanced as today. Also hackable are the vending machines that sell ammunition, health packs, etc.

Combat is solid with a choice of pistols, shotguns, machine guns that are upgradeable along with your ammo types as you research and discover more. Switching between plasmid powers and weapons makes for some great combo like one two punches to take out your enemies. As you explore deeper and deeper you find voice recorders left about from former citizens that describe life in Rapture before it went horribly wrong, and give hints and clues to things such as combination locks on doors to access new areas.

Anyone that has played an FPS will be right at home with Bioshock. The analog sticks are used typically for movement and looking around. The right trigger fires your weapons and the left uses the selected plasmid power. Right bumper cycles your weapon or can be held down to bring up a radial selector. Left bumper does the same for your plasmids. The D pad is used to change the selected ammo type, which ranges from normal to antipersonnel to antiarmor shell types. A button is used to interact with your surroundings, B to use first aid, X to reload and Y to jump. The back button brings up a map page which can be cycled through to review the recordings you’ve listened too, show your current goal, and what you’ve learned on your trip through Rapture. The start button is your typical pause button, but this page also shows you the amount of little sisters left on the current level for collecting Adam. All in all the controls seem tight and solid, and are adjustable in the options menu.

The only negative I’ve found with Bioshock is there is no online play. To tell you the truth, the only thing 2K could have done with multiplayer would probably have been the run of the mill death matches and capture the flag, and I don’t see how that would have worked with this title. From the menu I can’t tell if downloadable content will be a future option or not, but from some reason I don’t really think we will see any.

The graphics department is where Bioshock really shines. As mentioned previously, Bioshock uses the Unreal engine and is a feast for the eyes. Graphic whores will be in heaven, the title is probably the most gorgeous game released on the 360 so far. The water effects are absolutely incredible, the way things outside the windows of Rapture ripple and flow. Character models are horrifying detailed, and the Little Sisters and Big Daddy’s look menacingly beautiful. The frame rate seems very solid; I’ve not yet noticed any slowdown in the gameplay.

The art deco style of Rapture is a site that has to be seen to be appreciated. The level designs are top notch, and really set the atmosphere for the 1950’s era timeline. Has Gears of War finally met its match in the graphics department? Well, that’s up to the player, but I really think it has!

BioShock Screenshot

BioShock Screenshot

BioShock Screenshot

See all BioShock Xbox 360 Screenshots

The sound is fantastic with great use of surround. Voices coming around corners from the deranged inhabitants of Rapture really up the all around creepiness of your exploration. Weapon sounds are pretty realistic, but we’re not looking at a war shooter variety of sound here. The surround sound is excellent with audio positioning of characters, etc.

With the different endings that you will reach from either harvesting or rescuing the Little Sisters you will have to play through the game at least twice, and I really like that 2K added that to the game. My first time through I’m rescuing them, trying to be the good guy. I can’t wait to harvest them next time around to get the boost in collected Adam and all around changes to the story line.

Overall Score: 9.2/10 [not an average]

I haven’t played a game that has actually scared me since back in the good old Doom days. From not paying attention to the hype surrounding this game I feel I did myself a great service. I was not expecting much from it, but what it delivers really has blown me away! Everything in the story mesh’s brilliantly, 2K really has a major hit with Bioshock. The lack of multiplayer lets me down a bit, but as stated above I wouldn’t want the generic cookie cutter type of online play most FPS’s get. If you’re looking for something different from the run of the mill shooter, definitely go out and pick yourself up a copy of Bioshock!

• BioShock Xbox 36o Cheats and Acheivements
• BioShock Windows Vista Cheats and Achievements
• BioShock Xbox 360 Screenshots
• 2K Games Web Site – Official BioShock Web Site
• Cult of Rapture Web Site
• BioShock Art Book Download Page
  - direct download from 2K; low res (15mb) hi res (75mb)
• XBS Podcast 4 and XBS Podcast 5 where we talk about BioShock

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• BioShock 2 Preview
• 2K Launches Worldwide BioShock Website
• BioShock Demo Hits XBL Marketplace
• 2K Announces Upcoming Titles for the Xbox 360
• BioShock Coming to the PS3 is This a Sign?
• BioShock has Gone Gold Grab a Sneak Peek on Spike TV Saturday Night
• Project Sylpheed: Xbox 360 Review