BioShock (PS3) review

Do you keep what you make, or does someone take it from you? Government, religion, regulation, morality... these are all just tools that hold back the true potential of mankind. Imagine a place where these elements don't exist. A place where you can pursue science, art, and industry without the naysayers trying to tear you down. Rapture was built as an underwater eden; a place where the elite could elevate themselves above the common man and accomplish the impossible. Though they might have to sacrifice their humanity to attain it.

BioShock is a piece of art and the visual design of Rapture is the most obvious element. Totally gorgeous graphics, great water effects that I often stop for a few seconds just to look at. It's cool that you can look out and see the sea outside, you really feel that you're under water in a huge underwater city. Great architecture all over Rapture, it has an art deco style that is really nice. Blood on the walls, debris on the ground, cracks in the sealing and windows that leak water, it's a city that's falling apart.

It's not only the graphics that's good the sound is really great too. Classic songs from the fifties and earlier, really sets the tone, the world of BioShock truly comes to life. Sound effects such as dripping water and the sporadic public service announcements over the loudspeakers make you pause to listen. Great stunners that makes you believe that something creepy is coming and it doesn't, and when you're not ready an enemy will come out and scare the shit out of you.

What I like about this game is that you can upgrade both your weapons and yourself. Your weapons can get more powerful among other upgrades. The ammo to your weapons can also be changed, you can choose between three kinds of ammo. To upgrade yourself you can buy different plasmids using Adam, you get Adam from harvesting or rescuing a Little Sister. But before you can get the Adam from the Little Sister you have to kill her guardian the Big Daddy. This is not easy but during the game you will learn its weaknesses and your weapons will get more powerful, that will make it easier to kill it.

Raptures citizens discovered a compound called Adam that allows almost limitless genetic manipulation in human beings. To light fires with the snap of your fingers, lift objects with telekinesis or become invisible when not moving proved too compelling for the citizens. Residents began using themselves as "Splicers" to see how far they could genetically “improve” themselves. These improvements, called plasmids, are your main weapons in the game. As you explore Rapture, you must modify and improve your plasmids in order to survive. You can focus on specific powers that you use more often, shaping your gameplay experience. In order to do that, you need Adam. When you run out of power after using the plasmids you inject yourself with Eve.

In addition to the combat, you can learn to both hack computers and research your enemies. Research is done by taking pictures of your enemies to analyze both their plasmids and their weaknesses, taking pictures improves your stats and may also uncover new upgrades that are unavailable anywhere else in the game, accomplishing the research makes the game much easier as you progress. All over Rapture are vending machines that you can get First Aid kits, Eve and ammo among other things. These can be hacked so the price is reduced or you can buy special items that's not available before the hacking. The same thing can be done to security cameras and bots, safes and doors that you don't know the combination to. The hacking works like the old puzzle game Pipe Dreams, you have to direct the water pass traps so the water can run freely to the other side before it fills up. The hacking part was funs in the beginning but it gets boring after you done it a few hundred times.

Overall: BioShock is a video game at its very best, it can create amazing alternative worlds for us to explore, doing those things we can't do in real life. This games has a great atmosphere that comes from everything you see and experiencing in Rapture, everything from the graphics and sound to the RPG elements. This games is a masterpiece and one of the best video games I've ever played. I hope BioShock 2 will be as good as this one, and I will definitely buy it good or bad, they can't fail?

Review: BioShock (PS3) XXXXX [5/5].