|
Flamojo14's BioShock (360)
|
| [February 9, 2008 01:57:47 AM]
|
Game Session 2
As you get further in to the game the Little Sisters and the Big Daddies being to be a major factor in the game. In every level there are a certain number of the pairs wandering around and when you encounter them they will not attack you or hurt you unless you attack them first. Little Sisters carry a substance called Adam that is used as a kind of currency to purchase the genetic modifications that stand in for leveling up you character. New Plasmids and Tonics (upgrades that you don't actively use but that raise your stats) are vital if you want to be strong enough to face the enemies that get progressively harder as the game advances. Whenever I heard a Big Daddy stomping around or a Little Sister talking to her Big Daddy I would immediately dispatch all splicers in the area and hack every nearby turret so that I could battle the Big Daddy with everything leaning in my favor. Big Daddies are difficult to beat but you get a real sense of accomplishment when you finally succeed in bringing him down. Then you're faced with the next big problem, the dilemma of saving the Little Sister or killing her. Saving her yields less Adam but the payout in the end is much greater and you get to feel like a good person and get the special ending for your good moral behavior. If you kill the Little Sister you get instant gratification, a lot more Adam at the moment though probably less overall, and you get the greedy evil ending which I also rather enjoyed.
Design:
The 'moral' dilemma with the Little Sisters is by far the most innovative aspect of this game. The consequences of the actions you take while you play effect the outcome and the style of your game which makes the act of playing the game more fun and interesting. The nostalgic music and ambiance mixed with the horror story and the "science" and all of it taking place underneath the sea creates a mood I've never experienced anywhere else and that is probably my favorite in any game I've played.
The controls were very easy to use and did not hinder my enjoyment of the game one bit. The good control scheme made exploration and fighting smooth and fun. All of the menu screens, maps, and gauges were easy to understand and I felt like I really had a hold on how to play the game very quickly. The combination of plasmids, guns, new kinds of ammunition and manipulation of the environment allow for new styles of fighting that keep the game fun after hours of playing.
Each new area of the game is very individual with its own mood and atmosphere, but each level is without a doubt a logical environment in Rapture so it feels like you really get to explore the city and see every part of it. The moral question of the Little Sisters and the varying ideologies and ethics of the people you interact with really bring a more complex narrative to this game that the player is able to take part in. This made the game more than just mowing down enemies with cool guns, it made the game fresh and unique despite it being a first person shooter.
Another element of the game is the ability to hack security cameras and turrets so that they will attack your enemies. This game gives you a lot of options to develop your own style of play without making the player feel overwhelmed by options.
By using the radio and the audio diaries to move the narrative instead of cut scenes the player is allowed to continue playing while the plot is being revealed. This led to a very smooth progression in the game as I was always able to keep moving and never had to stop and watch multiple or long cut scenes. Over all the mechanics, level design and creative aspects of this game are so amazing I really can't think of anything to improve on. I really love this game and promise that it is worth the money to get it.
This entry has been edited 2 times. It was last edited on Feb 9th, 2008 at 02:26:54.
read comments (1)  -
add a comment 
|
| [February 9, 2008 01:57:27 AM]
|
Game Log Entry 1
Summary:
Bioshock is a first person shooter with a bit of a twist as you control not only guns, but can also 'genetically modify' your character allowing him to shoot lightning, fire or use telekinises to hurl objects. Bioshock starts out with the main character surviving a plane crash in 1960 somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Surprisingly (or not hint hint) there is a strange tower which turns out to be a gateway to the underwater city called Rapture. You find out that the city is now run down and populated by insane and mutated people called Splicers, mysterious little girls called Little Sisters and their guardians Big Daddies. You're character must escape from Rapture fighting through splicers and making decisions about how to deal with the Little Sisters.
Gameplay:
My immediate reaction to this game was one of complete excitement. I absolutely LOVE the combination of old 40's music and advertisements mixed in with the horror of the mutant splicers and the scientific creations of Little Sisters and Big Daddies. The combination of wholesomeness and disturbing genetic modifications creates an atmosphere that is intense, scary and nostalgic all at the same time. I like how the game begins in the ruins of Rapture and you have to listen to audio diaries left by Rapture's inhabitants during its collapse to discover what really happened. As far as a cast of characters, there is pretty much only the main character who in his only line of dialogue says something like he "always knew he'd be someone special." He has tatoos of chain links on his wrists and has random flashes of a picture of his family pop in to his mind. These let you know that there is something mysterious going on and made my interest in the history of Rapture even more intense. The narrative is delivered through radio messages with your 'friend' Atlas and your 'enemy' Andrew Ryan. THe exact relationships between the people you meet in Rapture are also very mysterious and reveal themselves throughout the gameplay at pivital moments. Lots of hints and allusions keep the player intersted and focused on exploring and finding out more.
The Gameplay is very smooth and easy to control. One trigger fires guns while the other fires the genetic modifications called Plasmids. There is very little jumping but a lot of crouching and slaming things with your wrench to knock obstacles out of the way. I really enjoyed exploring the world and finding more audio diaries so that I could learn more about Rapture. I had a hard time stopping and played for about three hours in my first sitting because I was having so much fun playing it.
add a comment
|
| [February 9, 2008 01:33:51 AM]
|
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 9th, 2008 at 01:58:16.
add a comment
|
|
|
 |
Flamojo14's BioShock (360)
|
|
Current Status: Finished playing
GameLog started on: Saturday 9 February, 2008
GameLog closed on: Saturday 9 February, 2008 |
|
