Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Welcome To Rapture

A game based around elitism and a very conservative view, you enter a world where the impossible is possible, where freedom really is free, and where man holds the power of god in their hands. This is, Rapture.

Bioshock is one of the best games I have played to date. I have played the demo on the PS3 and own the game for the PC, and this is a game that definately excels when played on the PC.

The game starts you off, surviving a plane crash out in the middle of the ocean, and you take control while in the water. You swim to a structure set out on a large piece of rock, which leads you into a city built under water. A city built around Elitism and the power to do whatever you're mind lets you. A place where no man or woman is bound by morals, a place where the stupid die, and the smart thrive. A city, called Rapture.

The game is basically a first person shooter, with action/adventure in it. You are assuming the role of a poor soul who is in this underwater hell where twisted minds reside. Upon entering a bathispehere (small transportable submarine on a set course), you hear the plea of a man begging for your help to rescue his family. So you think.

I'm going to examine three parts of this game;
Gameplay
Ambience
All around experience

Starting with Ambience, I have never played a game that had nailed the "Twisted, Psychotic, Terrorfest" theme. I actually could not even play this game in the dark for a few days. The game is generally dark, and everything that creeps around has the potential to lunge at you at an attempt to rip you're throat out and hang you by you're own intestines. You heard the sounds of splicers, big daddy's walking around, talking, lurking, waiting to start reaping. You hear the sounds of the little sisters, small girls, possessed with a demonic voice coming from the depths of their being. The effects of sound in this game are executed more prefectly then I have ever seen in any game before, and it sucks you right into the world of Rapture. Again, the use of water, sound, light, create a perfect setting to keep you on you're toes.

Gameplay. This is another greatly done aspect of the game. Being stuck in a watery hell, you need some weapons to fight back with. You might be crazy enough to face off against a big daddy with your wrench. But once he knocks you through a wall, i'm sure you will think differently. Like alot of games nowadays, you have regular weapons. These are you're guns, you're revolver, machine gun, shotgun, chemical thrower (sounds way cooler then it sounds. and it sounds fucking sweet). Ontop of regular weapons, you usually have you're skills or abilities. This is where Gene Tonics and Plasmids come in. Using genetic altering tonics, you can shoot lightning from you're hand, instantly set an enemy ablaze to burn to death, or shoot a cold air from you're hand, to freeze your enemies where they stand. There are also "passive" tonics, which give oy more defense, more attack, etc. The game molds both forms of attacks into the game, and it's impossible to get through the game with only weapons, giving you a reason to get some of those narly powers. A bit further into the game, you can also unlock upgrades for plasmids and weapons, bringing more power to you're arsenal.

The all around experience of this game is outrageous. The game wasn't advertised and hyped up to be something amazing, but what the developers put into this game is truly amazing. The amount of time and attention payed to each little aspect of the game is phenominal, and in turn produced one of the best games I have ever played. It's a relatively long game, with the option to change difficulty throughout a game multiple times, which gives beginners a nice playing experience, and giving those hardcore gamers, one of the hardest games I have ever played. Even at full price, this game is worth getting, and it's a game you can play through multiple times, in slightly different ways.

"Leaks. Lunatics. Rebellion. And now bleeding ghosts. Ain't life in rapture grand"