Bioshock
July 26th, 2008Bioshock is currently on sale for 50% off the regular price in Steam until July the 28′th. It works out to $14.99.

I’ve been meaning to play this game for a long time. My computer wasn’t up to snuff when the game was intially released. Since then, I’ve upgraded the computer but have been preocupied with other games. When I saw that it was on sale, I purchased and had the game downloading in under 5 minutes. I’ve been playing it quite a bit tonight. I’m almost finished with the Neptune’s Bounty area. This is one of those games that you don’t want to rush through. You want to see everything and absorb all of the atmosphere.
The game has an old-school 50s kind of vibe that fits it perfectly. There are snippits of old songs that play in the background as you roam through the undersea city. The art direction in the game is perfect. The sound and art all fit together to create some heavy ambience. You feel like Rapture is a real underwater city, and you’re clawing through it for your life.

The game is a shooter, with some supernatural power elements thrown in (they are called plasmids). It’s pretty standard fare as far as shooters go, until the first time you tangle with a Big Daddy. The magic of the Big Daddy fight is that the player triggers the fight. The Big Daddy (and companion Little Sister) roam the city in a pattern. They are unconcerned with your presence until you act in a hostile manner towards them. Then, Big Daddy gets mad, his eyes turn red, and you better be ready to hit the health packs. This creates an interesting situation where you can set up traps and attack him in an area of your choosing. It is a great strategic element that most shooters lack.

I’m still digging into the game. It will be a while before I finish it, and then I’ll probably play through the game again. There is a binary choice you can make to harvest (and kill) or save (and get less loot) the Little Sisters. I’m being the good guy this time, and I’m sure I’ll play through the game as the bad guy when I’m finished. I’ve read that the game has two different endings, depending on the choice to harvest or save the Little Sisters.
It’s an amazing game so far. It would be unfortunate for any PC gamer with a decent computer to miss out on it. It would be a downright shame to miss out on it at 50% off.












