3. Bioshock (2007) – PC
“I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? 'No!' says the man in Washington, 'It belongs to the poor.' 'No!' says the man in the Vatican, 'It belongs to God.' 'No!' says the man in Moscow, 'It belongs to everyone.' I rejected those answers; instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose... Rapture, a city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, Where the great would not be constrained by the small! And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well.”
And with that you descend into an elaborate underwater metropolis, once a scientist’s utopia, now a crumbling gateway to hell where genetic enhancements and biological advancements have spiraled out of control far beyond the sight of God. We do not hesitate to look back in history and criticize the excess and extravagance of culture, which often leads to the downfall of civilizations, but it is only through science fiction and postulation that we can criticize an excess of science: crossing the line between making humanity stronger and playing God. Biosock is brilliant because it takes on this criticism, but places its narrative in our recent past. The architecture, clothing, and even the music are very reminiscent of a real period in our past. You will listen to “How Much is that Doggy in the Window?”, and, of course, “Beyond the Sea”. I love seeing science fiction blended with history, it allows from some beautifully creative esthetics, which is good because all of Bioshock’s action takes place down in Rapture and mundane, familiar set design would really hurt the game.
As it is, however, the game is gorgeous. Developers dedicated an entire unit to water animations, and it pays off. I stared at the opening screen for a full minute, which I thought was a pre-rendered cutscene, before I realized I was looking at in-game graphics and I was expected to play.
A spiritual successor to System Shock 2, Bioshock borrows many of its predecessor’s concepts and plot twists, but it hones them more effectively, and given the touch of modern graphics, the whole experience turns out to be a vastly superior product to one that is still a near flawless masterpiece. The story is told on the graffiti- covered walls of Rapture that implore rebellion and fear, and on the discarded cassette tape diaries scattered around the city, and through a mysterious man known as Atlas who needs your assistance to save his family and escape the dying city. It’s difficult to tell a good story in a first-person shooter. Developers always seek to affect total immersion, which can be hindered when perspective changes to third-person cutscenes, so Bioshock deserves extra points for incorporating one of the greatest narratives in videogame history into a fully-immersive first-person shooter with no sidekicks or buddies, and a cast whose number can be counted on one hand.
There exists a stunning sequence near the end: a shocking and terrifying confrontation that will rattle your bones. It’s disturbing, insightful and thought-provoking, and it questions all your motivations and actions up to this point. There is an interesting dilemma about who is the bad guy. Andrew Ryan is no doubt responsible for the nightmare that befall rapture and the suffering that ensued, but his intentions were good and his ambitions were great. Trying to change the world is a dangerous endeavor, but is such ambition only commendable when the result is without consequence? Be prepared to face some very difficult questions in Bioshock: the most mature, sub-textual, and thematically-challenging first-person shooters ever made.
“I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? 'No!' says the man in Washington, 'It belongs to the poor.' 'No!' says the man in the Vatican, 'It belongs to God.' 'No!' says the man in Moscow, 'It belongs to everyone.' I rejected those answers; instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose... Rapture, a city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, Where the great would not be constrained by the small! And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well.”
And with that you descend into an elaborate underwater metropolis, once a scientist’s utopia, now a crumbling gateway to hell where genetic enhancements and biological advancements have spiraled out of control far beyond the sight of God. We do not hesitate to look back in history and criticize the excess and extravagance of culture, which often leads to the downfall of civilizations, but it is only through science fiction and postulation that we can criticize an excess of science: crossing the line between making humanity stronger and playing God. Biosock is brilliant because it takes on this criticism, but places its narrative in our recent past. The architecture, clothing, and even the music are very reminiscent of a real period in our past. You will listen to “How Much is that Doggy in the Window?”, and, of course, “Beyond the Sea”. I love seeing science fiction blended with history, it allows from some beautifully creative esthetics, which is good because all of Bioshock’s action takes place down in Rapture and mundane, familiar set design would really hurt the game.
As it is, however, the game is gorgeous. Developers dedicated an entire unit to water animations, and it pays off. I stared at the opening screen for a full minute, which I thought was a pre-rendered cutscene, before I realized I was looking at in-game graphics and I was expected to play.
A spiritual successor to System Shock 2, Bioshock borrows many of its predecessor’s concepts and plot twists, but it hones them more effectively, and given the touch of modern graphics, the whole experience turns out to be a vastly superior product to one that is still a near flawless masterpiece. The story is told on the graffiti- covered walls of Rapture that implore rebellion and fear, and on the discarded cassette tape diaries scattered around the city, and through a mysterious man known as Atlas who needs your assistance to save his family and escape the dying city. It’s difficult to tell a good story in a first-person shooter. Developers always seek to affect total immersion, which can be hindered when perspective changes to third-person cutscenes, so Bioshock deserves extra points for incorporating one of the greatest narratives in videogame history into a fully-immersive first-person shooter with no sidekicks or buddies, and a cast whose number can be counted on one hand.
There exists a stunning sequence near the end: a shocking and terrifying confrontation that will rattle your bones. It’s disturbing, insightful and thought-provoking, and it questions all your motivations and actions up to this point. There is an interesting dilemma about who is the bad guy. Andrew Ryan is no doubt responsible for the nightmare that befall rapture and the suffering that ensued, but his intentions were good and his ambitions were great. Trying to change the world is a dangerous endeavor, but is such ambition only commendable when the result is without consequence? Be prepared to face some very difficult questions in Bioshock: the most mature, sub-textual, and thematically-challenging first-person shooters ever made.
No comments:
Post a Comment