BioShock (Sony Playstation 3, 2008)

Bioshock was one of the two games I picked up when I got my X-Box 360 last year. I loved the game so much that I played through it twice, back-to-back. Now that it's come to PS3, I've played trough it again, and intend to do so at least one more time in the near future.

If you don't already own Bioshock for X360, then it's a no-brainer to get this game. The action is extremely well-paced and the learning curve is very fair. The environment of the underwater metropolis, the superb voice acting, the personalities of all of the incidental and storyline-driving enemies (in particular, the eerie auras of the Little Sisters and the excitement of taking down your first Big Daddy) all serve to justify the purchase price. It's no wonder this game will be made into a movie: all of the hard work has been done already. Even playing a few hours a day, this game will take a good week to beat on Hard (especially if playing with the respawning "Vita-Chambers" turned off). Add to that two distinct endings, and you've got a reason to play more than once. And after the investment of time you'll make into this game, you might even find the "good" ending to be very beautiful and, dare I say, touching.

If you already own Bioshock for X360, I still recommend buying it again for PS3 for several reasons.
1) To show your continued support of 2K games and Take-Two Interactive.
2) To gain access to exclusive downloadable missions, to be released 11/20/08.
3) To relive Rapture.

After hearing that this game was a gift from the gods bestowed upon the mud-caked humanity meant to bring forth from their ignorance into a golden age of enlightenment, I became skeptical. Still, since everyone not speaking to me through the lens of a magazine still raved about it, I plunked my dollars down to see what all the damn fuss was about.

Now, after playing Bioshock, I can say that I honestly did not expect the game to be so powerfully mediocre. I was expecting something really good or really bad, and I am truly amazed that it stuck so ardently to the absolute middle of the ground. Bioshock is the unsweetened decaf of video games.

It is a first person shooter, and so I was presented with guns and what to use them on early in the game. And you eventually get about eightish guns, which can be upgraded using the game's much vaunted 'role-playing game style capability progression' system. Sort of. Apparently, you upgrade guns by taking them to vending machines, which can only be used once per machine. By the way, I hope you enjoy vending machines, because you're going to be spending a lot of time at them, as they're the place to get most items and 2/3 of your ammo.

Then there's the 'magic system,' which involves genetically altering yourself to get cool powers, like the ability to shoot bees out of your hands. Again, not making it up. You get the power to shoot bees from your hands. Or hurl brainwashing juice. Or set things on fire. While neat, they're all pretty much rubbish, as there is virtually no reason to switch away from the electricity power, which does more for getting you through the game than all the other powers combined, and does it more efficiently than any others. The game also gets extremely stingy with EVE, the juice that makes your powers work, as you progress.

I'm sure some of my colleagues in the reviewing business would take the opportunity to rave about the game's graphics, but I feel obligated to point out that while the game does look good, that is usually a liability. The enemies move in a strange, wooden sort of way that makes it hard to believe that they are human, or were even once human. The only exception is the enemies that appear on the cover, the Big Daddies, who actually move with some degree of fluidity and like the huge, unstoppable juggernauts they're supposed to be. Though truthfully they're pretty much not -- you can find or make the ammunition that renders them a fight of mild difficulty at best, and that's assuming you don't just slap them with the electricity power and watch them twitch as you pump them full of bullets.

Another relentlessly overhyped aspect was the story. The story, like most games these days, is not interactive in the slightest, and is mostly played out in optional tape recordings you listen to. In several places, you will be clearly, obviously prevented from doing something so that the story can be played out in front of you, which has an effect kind of like taking the concept of interactivity and grinding beneath a hobnailed boot. I would expect a game yakked about as much as this one to at least respect the conceits of video gaming, rather than choosing to go around them like they were an obstacle.

All in all, the game has this 'What would you get if you crossed Halo with Fable?' vibe, which makes me wonder, in turn: 'Why would you want to mix two utterly mediocre games together and expect the whole to be greater than the sum of the parts?'

Andrew Ryan, a man with a vision of utopia, creates the city of Rapture located deep in the Atlantic Ocean. His philosophy involves you being the best that you can be even it means disregarding the idea of God or other people.

You play a silent protagonist that survives plane crash at the beginning of the game. You enter a mysterious lighthouse only to be transported to Rapture, a city filled with mystery and horror. In Rapture, you will find plasmids, which is basically a drug that alters your DNA in order to give you supernatural powers that involve things such as electricity, fire, and telekinesis. In order to become even more powerful, you need to obtain ADAM.

In the game you will encounter enemies such as splicers (ADAM addicts), Little Sisters (ADAM gatherers), and Big Daddies (Guardians of Little Sisters).

Combat is pretty solid. The controls were good and battles were very challenging. This is a First Person Shooter that requires you to think. You cannot gun down everybody easily like in Call of Duty.

The graphics for this game are amazing especially the water. This should be expected since it is running on the Unreal Engine 3, which is the same graphics engine that is responsible for Gears of War's graphics.

I did have a few problems with the game. The hacking mini-game is frustrating. If you fail a hacking mini-game, you either lose health or alert security. Another problem is the reloading animation. In the game, you can use different types of ammunition for your guns. However, the animations are too long and it is easy to get killed in combat while reloading. Another problem is that the wrench is probably the most useless weapon in the game. You barely do any damage with it. Also, if you are into games with multiplayer, then prepare to be disappointed because this game does not have multiplayer.

Overall, this is a very good game. However, it does have its flaws.

If your reading this your likely trying to decide whether or not to purchase Bioshock. Well, I am going to say right now that it is not for everyone. The storyline is thought-provoking and some of the scenes may be too graphic for some. That said, this game is an excellent shooter-horror game. It isn't like Dead Space or Resident Evil because your never really ever in danger of running out of ammo and if you ever die you'll respawn at a vita-tank with life and EVE. This is one of the best FPS's I have played in a long time and I am likely going to play through the game again and again gleefully.

The graphics are really really good, the sound's are perfect, and the controls don't suffer from being nonresponsive as some shooters turn out to be on consoles.

The game does have some moral quandries, like if you should kill the Little Sister's or not. These moments give you ADAM which is used to power up your plasmids or buy passive abilities. The choiceis completely up to the player, but I will say that there is a difference in the decision you make.

The ways to kill your enemies are only limited by your imagination and the environment at the time. You can use the powers of electricity in water to shock them to death, light a patch of gasoline on fire and watch as they try to run through it to get to you, and many others.

This game is amazing and if your into story-driven FPS and aren't worried about not being able to play multiplayer then I completely encourage you to pick this up. Or if your a PS3 owner and were neglected when it came out for the Xbox 360 and PC, and are a fan of the genre, then I totally am recommending adding this to your collection.

BioShock is Irrational's finest offering to date, as well as the swan song for the Irrational brand in a way, since they recently relinquished their longstanding and well-established studio name for the more corporate. BioShock is a first-person shooter set in the fantastically unsettling city of Rapture, a metropolis built under the sea by the megalomaniacal Andrew Ryan. Throughout your lengthy stay, you'll find options for combat as intricate and enjoyable as the story and characters are to interpretation, something that only a handful of games can ever claim to offer.