BioShock Preview

“In what country is there a place for people like me?” – Andrew Ryan

Andrew Ryan was a bit of a visionary. He imagined a utopian society but simply because he could not create this in any country in the world, he decided – quite simply – to establish his society where the world authorities had no jurisdiction … under the Atlantic Ocean.

But even Utopia can fall into the maws of hell, and with Ryan’s city – called Rapture – the fall was a hard one. Mutations, little girls with big metal encased guardians, Rapture has taken on all the aspects of hell unleashed upon the living.

It is into this world that you, as the gameplayer, are thrust. But don’t worry; you won’t be entirely defenseless in this waking nightmare. You have weapons at your disposal, as well as injectibles that will provide stimulation to deteriorating health bars. Plus, even though you don’t know it when you first start following the voice that seems intent on your salvation, your genetic code is rewritten to allow you to throw electricity from your hands.

Ok, if any of this sounds familiar, you are absolutely right. What is different with this version of BioShock is that it is gearing up for a launch on the PlayStation 3 console system. 2K Games is behind the title and if you were living in the Land Before Video Games, then you may not have heard of the game. However, those who follow such things will know that BioShock is a stellar first-person shooter that released in August of 2007 to much acclaim. (The game, on the 360 platform, was GameZone’s Game of the Year for 2007.)

The game begins with the central character (Jack) in a private moment on an airplane. He is reading a note that says he was destined for greatness, something he seems to agree with. Then the plane crashes. He appears to be the lone survivor, floating in the water, flames everywhere except in the direction in which what remains of the plane is slowly sinking. Looking around, he sees a tower, rising out of the water, with stone steps. Naturally, he is directed to swim in that direction. He finds the tower has an open door, one that swings shut behind him, but even as it swings shut, the interior lights up. What looked like a desolate tower from the outside actually has the semblance of civilization inside. Following the steps downward, he encounters a bathysphere. Naturally (because the game can be a bit linear), he steps inside and is plunged down into the depths.

After being treated to a mini-film from the desk of Ryan, the screen moves aside to reveal a city, complete with towering buildings, on the bottom of the ocean. It looks like any modern day (for the era, the game takes place in the mid-60s) metropolis with the exception that the buildings are connected with enclosed walkways.

It is not long before you see evidence that the population of this city has been corrupted, both on a physical and psychological level. The first thing you pick up is a radio that will be your guiding voice in this adventure; the aim, ostensibly, is to guide you to safety. But there are many things that are in the way. Your first weapon – and you will acquire many – is a big wrench. It can, initially, be effective as a melee weapon, but the challenge will ramp up and you discard that soon enough in favor of weapons with more stopping power.

And the first thing you do with the new-found power to throw lightning is to unseal a walkway that has a broken circuit. This is where the continuity of the game makes its first impression. As you start to walk down that walkway, a chunk of the plane you were in reaches the city and hits the walkway you are in, embedding itself, and causing a massive leak. Of course that means you have to beat feet through the rushing water, through the chunk of plane, back to the other side of the walkway and to the safety of the other building.

Initially the most impressive element of BioShock is the pure visceral experience this game delivers. This is, graphically, jaw-dropping stuff. The drawback is that you can’t spend so much time relishing the look of the game because to tarry is to invite disaster. But the effects in this game are simply amazing.

The audio is equally stunning, with period music, eerie and threatening voice work at the appropriate times, and a strong narrative. There are several difficulty settings, each geared to deliver the maximum experience regardless of your gaming experience. If you take it easy, that wrench will work just fine at the start of the game; if you up the ante to the hardest setting, you had better be prepared for a war because you won’t be performing any one-shots with a silly wrench.

The game, in the version that was sent for this preview, is a combination of heart-start monster attacks (you know, you are minding your own business when the monster pops down in front of you) with puzzles that need to be solved to advance, plus a storyline that draws you along to discover what went wrong, and what your ultimate role in all this seems to be – and yes, there is a connection for you at this place.

BioShock is the one title that FPS fans who own the PS3 will not want to be without. It is a thrill ride from the start. The downside? You will have to wait until Oct. 21 for the retail release.