Bioshock gameplay discussion

[Out]

So I picked up this game last week Tuesday, and I thought I'd share my opinions on what I've seen from it so far.

Be warned: I'm not going to give away any plot details, but if you don't like hearing about how guns work in a game before you've played it, quit reading here.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The game is set in the 1960's, in a fictional city called Rapture. This city just happens to be at the bottom of the sea, and was founded to get away from the moral restraints that living "on the surface" placed on scientists. However, something has gone horribly wrong, and it's just your luck that your plane has crashed right over the city...a city full of murderous lunatics who want nothing more than to kill you for existing...and you don't even have a name!

Seeing as there's already a thread dedicated to the art of the game [see Fragony's Bioshock Screenshots thread already present on this page] I won't go into epic detail about this. Simply put, the game looks excellent, and the art design is impeccable considering what they were aiming at. They nailed the eerie, aquatic environment perfectly, without over-killing the same content. I have yet to say to myself "Gee, haven't I gone around this corner, with this gun, fighting that enemy, before?". There's a proper amount of pseudo-realism, giving you the feel of the late 50's/early 60's, but also including enough "recognizable" objects that we don't feel as if we're floundering in an alternate universe. [Har har, floundering.] Everything runs smoothly, and the cut scenes are very well done. I have yet to experience a bit of lag while playing the game.

The sound in the game is incredible. I am a sound nut, and I love the way they use artistic sound to help define your experience within their game. The start menu is 60's-esque piano that plays as you move your cursor. In game, enemy conversations are both humorous and terrifying, sometimes all at once. I'll never forget my initial revulsion as I sat in a room and listened to the twisted denizens behind the nearby door have their brief discussions. Guns are satisfying, and the other "weapons" that you have [discussed later] also sound distinct and well done.

Graphics and Sound: Done. Now for the most spoiler-ish section, I'm sure, gameplay elements.

The game is an interesting blend of RPG and FPS. The combat is exclusively FPS inspired - it is real time, fast paced, and [again, see Fragony's screenies thread] terrifying. Enemies are numerous and not intelligent, and their oblivious rampancy is what makes them so scary. You are given numerous weapons, and you carry them all in your magic pocket - the weapons include a Pistol, a Machine Gun, a Grenade Launcher, and a Wrench. Ammunition is plentiful, but must be managed intelligently. You can restore your health, like other FPS games, with health packs.

Combat Story:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I was involved in a firefight with three of the enemies in the game, "Splicers". I used one of my "Plasmids" [discussed soon], "Incinerate!", to light a nearby oil slick on fire and ran behind a corner to figure out how on earth I wanted to fight these guys. Not two seconds later, three screaming, bleeding, and now burning, Splicers run around the corner, all shooting me or swinging blunt objects at my head. I panicked and died, but I'm sure that the wall/ceiling/pinkie toe of the last Splicer around the corner now properly fear the wrath of my machine gun.

What gives the game its RPG blend is the use of genetic modifications to enhance your character. These modifications come in two flavors. The first you find are "Plasmids", which are combat oriented, player controlled abilities that do everything from "Incinerate!" [does what it says] to "Enrage!" [turns enemies on each other, keeping your hide safe]. These are controlled exactly like your gun, except by the Left Trigger, and are amazingly fun to use. The second modification you find are "Tonics", which are passive upgrades to your character, to increase his abilities in specific areas of the game, from Hacking to Combat. If you want to be an amazing melee combat artist and cut swaths of enemies down with your wrench, you can - but you will suffer in other combat areas, due to the fact that you cannot willy nilly change your genetic modifications, either, adding a bit of strategem to the game. You can only have so many Plasmids and Tonics active [there are separate thresholds for each], so you must plan accordingly. It's a pain to find three enemies in a pool of water and not have your "Electro-Bolt" Plasmid, but sacrifices must be made.

Also, Plasmid use is governed by how much of a special item you have, EVE. EVE is a bar, right underneath your health, that governs whether or not you can use your Plasmid abilities [think ammo for genetics and you've got it]. This means you can't go wanton burninating the villages or you'll wind up lacking the EVE required to combat bosses. EVE can be restored by EVE Hypos that are scattered throughout levels.

The final gameplay element of interest is the research camera. Early on you find a camera, and you can use that camera to take pictures of every enemy in the game. This photography gives you combat bonuses, Tonics, and other goodies, making it a worthwhile endeavor to attempt to max out your research for each baddie you come across.

EVE Hypos, Ammunition, Health Packs and other goodies are available from Vending Machines that are scattered throughout the game. Now is the time to mention their "break" gameplay mechanic: If it's electronic, you can hack it. Hacking is a Pipe Dream inspired mini game that has you guiding the flow of a substance from the "In" Pipe to the "Out" Pipe. I won't go into detail, but this leads to some great gameplay moments, post-hacking.

The controls were well done and intuitive. Not much else to say, they follow the classic Xbox FPS schema with a couple twists for their unique elements.

Level design is intricate and terrifying, as expected. The most impressive feat, however, is the fun of their "wandering bosses" the Big Daddies. These guys protect the Little Sisters, who harvest ADAM off of corpses.

ADAM is the genetic currency of Rapture [get it, ADAM and EVE?]. You use ADAM at special machines within the game to buy upgrades for your character, be it a larger Health Bar, a larger EVE Bar, more slots for Plasmids, more slots for Tonics, or special Plasmids or Tonics. They all cost ADAM to buy and "install" in your body.

Back to the Big Daddies. Big Daddies are, well, big, and you are taught early in the game to fear them. They won't attack you unless you attack their Little Sister, but if you do, watch out. They have a wrath like none other and will use it beat you into a pulp. They're miniature death stars - but you NEED the ADAM that the Little Sisters have, so you've gotta beat the Daddy to get to the Sister. After you defeat Big Daddies, you're immediately faced with a moral decision: You can save the little girl, but receive less ADAM, or you can kill her, but drain her completely of ADAM. Interesting decision, after you've just finished having your face pummeled by her protector.

I won't say anything about the story specifically, but I've enjoyed what I've seen. It is told in a clever fashion, and the voice acting is superb. I have numerous times found myself disgusted by characters as the story is told.

All in all, Bioshock is an excellent Horror FPS, and I found it highly enjoyable. I give it an 8.7/10. Let me know what you guys think!

[If 8.7 seems low, it's due to my one reservation about the game. Due to it's nerve-wracking nature, I sometimes can't play it for long periods of time without becoming "burnt out". It's one of those games that I have to put down and allow myself to recuperate. ]

Edit: Thought I would update this with some useful information about the game. These all contain spoilers, and you are not advised to click until after your first play through so that you don't ruin anything for yourself. After that, these will help your inner completionist make sure you don't miss anything.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Gamespot generally releases fairly decent online game guides for games. This is that guide - I found it useful for advice in making specific encounters easier. There are better guides out there for finding other things...

Another handy guide/list is for Audio Diaries. There are 122 of them in the game, and you need all of them for a Xbox Live achievement, so a checklist is useful! Here is that guide.

Another Xbox Live Achievement, for us 360 owners, is to find all of the available Tonics. Here is a guide to their locations and advice on their use.

Finally, very useful both in game and for a Live Achievement, here is a listing of the location of every Power to the People station in the game. There are 12 in all.

None of these guides were made by me - their respective creators give themselves credit before or after each guide, so thank them for their work.

Another note: other than than the very first area you play in, you can return to every part of the game. So, if you really want to find all of the Audio Diaries/Tonics in the game on the play through you're in, you can return to previous levels in the game and grab them. For whatever reason, the Bathysphere controls are mapped to the D-Pad.

Once more, do NOT click these links before you've beaten the game unless you want the entire story of the game to be spoiled for you. There are major give aways.