dystopian city in rubble; broken pipes and cracked glass allows ocean water to flood in. Even the music is perfect; it leaves you with a feeling of dread as you walk through the corridors of Rapture

“Bioshock” is one of those unique games you only see every so often. It combines the sense of horror and dread with shots of adrenaline and excitement. What makes “Bioshock” so different from those other mindless, shoot-‘em-up, first-person shooters is the story it tells. The player controls Jack, a lone survivor of a plane crash over the Atlantic Ocean. Jack finds himself riding a bathysphere to the ocean floor where he discovers a massive underwater city that’s pretty much gone to hell. The city is called Rapture and nearly all of its citizens have been driven crazy by substances known as plasmids.

Plasmids manipulate human genetic code giving people extraordinary powers like telekinesis, fire manipulation and a boat load of other crazy powers. Plasmids are what make the game so enjoyable; they allow the player to blast enemies with a fistful of lightning or fling a chair into an oncoming drugged up lunatic.

Undoubtedly the best element of the game is the scenery and the mood. The Rapture you see is this dystopian city in rubble; broken pipes and cracked glass allow ocean water to flood in. Even the music is perfect; it leaves you with a feeling of dread as you walk through the corridors of Rapture. In the distance you can hear the screams of some crazed maniac and you can see blood and bodies everywhere.

The game also offers some pretty cool weapons ranging from a wrench to a flamethrower. Another note worthy “weapon” is a camera, which allows you to take pictures of the various enemies you encounter. Each photo tells you the weaknesses they have and gives you damage bonuses if you get a good enough picture.

In addition, there are multiple stations throughout Rapture that allow you to customize your weapons, giving them a higher capacity for ammo or faster shooting mechanisms among other options. One downside of the game involves issues for the PC version. Apparently, some of the new anti-piracy software out there makes it difficult to run the game if it detects anti-blacklisting software, and installing the software the game needs an okay from its Web site before you can play.

Another downer is that there is virtually no penalty for death (you basically just re-spawn in designated points), which is pretty lame sauce unless you’re into that kind of thing.

Overall, “Bioshock” is a great game that allows you to make various moral choices that affect the ending.

If you’re looking for a new type of shooter that allows you much more than the “spray and pray” shooters that you’re used to, then this is the game for you.

> Comments