Bioshock: A Descent Into the Depths of Madness

First, we have Bioshock. This is a video game for the Xbox 360, PS3, and/or PC, developed by 2K games. I just recently finished this game, and I'll have to admit, I was impressed. First, the story: Big points for originality here. You play the only survivor of a plane crash in the Atlantic Ocean, washed up on a lighthouse leading down to the undersea "utopia" of Rapture, brainchild of the deranged and twisted Andrew Ryan. But all is not well in Rapture... Evil stalks the corridors of this undersea kingdom, and it's up to you to figure out the secrets of Rapture.

This game is creepy. Downright CREEPY. The graphics take full advantage of this, disturbing elements and all. You walk around with very limited lighting and things jumping out at you from every which way. Quite scary. The first person perspective makes you feel like you're right there in the corridors of Rapture. As the entire game takes place in an underwater city, the pressure of the deep really gets to you, and has an effect on the game itself, as the ocean occasionally bursts into the city and you have to escape from the oncoming seawater! The crazy inhabitants of Rapture are rendered in a creepy splendor, and 2K games really paints a picture of a whole society gone completely insane. The introduction of genetic splicing has turned a utopia into Hell, and turned all the inhabitants into raving lunatics out to kill. The general locale of Rapture is splendid as well, from the Neptune Cafe to the Kashmir Restaurant, each location rendered in painstaking detail, even down to the party hats stewn about the floor! As the entire game takes place underwater, the water effects are also very impressive, and it makes you almost feel like you're actually getting wet. Taking into account all the creepy elements and the superlative quality of the graphics, I give the graphics of Bioshock a 10/10.

Next, the soundtrack. The sounds of Rapture are executed perfectly, unholy screams and old 50's music somehow meshing together into a singular and entirely disturbing whole. The songs chosen for the game make a lot of sense, from Frank Sinatra's "Somewhere Beyond the Sea" to Perry Como's "Papa Loves Mambo", all the old songs that we all love. I found myself jumping at every little noise in the game, convinced that something was going to jump out from around the corner and eat my face. Mixed in with a healthy dose of screams, roars, and other noises designed to make you utterly paranoid, the sounds of Rapture get a 9/10 from me.

Gameplay in Bioshock is nothing to scoff at either. The mechanic of Plasmids, injectable "super-powers" found throughout the game, combined with more conventional weapons like shotguns and pistols, is nothing new, but it is nonetheless fun. My favorite part is shooting an enemy with the Electro-Bolt then smashing them in the face with a wrench while they jerk around in agony. Even better, just zap the lot of them while they are standing in a pool of water. Shocking! Ah, good times, good times. The hacking system in Bioshock was a little tedious, as it made you feel like some sort of plumber laying down pipes in order to get the proper flow of water. While entirely possible to skip this, it can come in handy at times, especially when you really need some extra firepower to deal with all the cracked-out weirdos in Rapture. In that case, find all the robots you can and hack away! Another fantastic part of Bioshock is the variety of things out to kill you. The enemies in Rapture, called Splicers, come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors, from the generic Leadhead Splicer all the way to the drill-wielding, dive-suit wearing Big Daddy. The Big Daddys are scary, armed with a giant drill and overwhelming strength, and can easily slay you if you aren't careful. These hulking monstrosities are often accompanied by Little Sisters, creepy little girls with glowing eyes who harvest the genetic material, called Adam, from the dead and who are in high demand down in Rapture. Once you kill a Big Daddy, you have a choice: Kill the Little Sister, or save her. Killing them yields more Adam, but let's face it, you'd have to be pretty twisted to kill a little girl, no matter how creepy she is. Saving them has its own rewards later on, and it just feels more right to do so. At least, in my own mind it does. Because of the originality and secondary mechanics prevalent in this game, I give the gameplay of Bioshock a 10/10.

In all, Bioshock is a fantastic game for those of you looking for something to play. It's fun, it's creepy, it's new, and it's a good time all around. For those of you already done with Bioshock, Bioshock 2 was just recently released. That's another post though. So in closing, I urge you to try Bioshock. You won't be disappointed.