Bioshock
I finished Bioshock last night. This game was universally hailed as being very innovative with a first class story. While it is a very good game, I don't think it's nearly as good as everyone else. Bioshock really seems like the developers had a lot of great ideas and couldn't quite decide how to put them together.
They give you the ability to modify yourself with plasmids (genetic power ups, a substitute for magic) and gene tonics. They also allow you to upgrade these abilities throughout the game, however, they simply tell you that version 2 of a plasmid/gene tonic is better than version 1, but not by how much. This is very interesting to me since there are machines spread throughout the entire game who's specific purpose is to rearrange your usage of these genetic abilities. This implies some strategic importance to your use of these items. How they expect you to intelligently do this without more detailed information about what you are carrying is beyond me. Another unusual decision is the restriction of how much ammunition you can carry, but at the same time vending machines selling ammo are easily available everywhere.
My biggest annoyance with the game involves its overall design. Bioshock presents you with open levels, not simply corridor after corridor like a typical shooter. But instead of letting you find your way around and figure out what you need, they constantly guide you to a specific area and then send you off on a series of fetch quests which artificially make you search the remaining areas of the level. This is repeated throughout virtually every area in the game. I had a problem with this because the game emphasizes your usage of the environment and your plasmids to supplement your traditional armament of guns. As much as it focuses on this, it does not give you much opportunity to experiment with your abilities. They provide you with a wealth of interesting, unique powers but never require you to use them for innovative purposes. Your plasmids are essentially a supplement for you guns. I would have preferred if the game had less arbitrary combat and more puzzle solving where only your plasmid abilities could enable you to fulfill the goal. The guns are significantly more powerful than the plasmids (especially after upgrading) and are always the dominant method for eliminating enemies.
The storyline of Bioshock is good, but not great. Compared to most video games it is The Godfather, but in the video game world that is not saying much. I was reasonably intrigued by the plot, but it was never as compelling and the payoffs were never as good as some other games I have played (Mafia for instance). I did enjoy the way the story is presented to you, involving audio diaries and ghostly flashbacks (which make fantastic use of incredible voice acting).
For all my nitpicking, Bioshock is still an excellent game. The graphics are great (except for the occasional artifact) and the atmosphere and look of the game are some of the best I have seen in a game. There is an astonishing level of detail in the environments of the underwater city where the game is set. Some of the moments in the game are especially spooky and disturbing, like your encounter with Dr. Steinman or the plaster sculptures made of dead bodies in Fort Frolic; I wish there were more memorable encounters like this. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
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