Scratching Rapture's Surface

Sorry for the delay, but I am back!

The Bioshock demo was released a few days ago on the Xbox Marketplace, and I must say I am impressed. I had very high expectations for the game and the demo only affirmed my suspicions of greatness. I would recommend that anyone with an Xbox 360 download the demo and try it out with an open mind.

The demo starts off with a bit of background on the, until now, hazy story. The main character is sitting on a plane, talking about something that I am sure will end up a big part of the plot. The plane crashes into the Atlantic Ocean. The player gains control of the protagonist after the planecrash in the ocean. Being surrounded by flaming wreckage, you are forced to swim to an odd looking edifice, sticking out of the water. Stairs lead up to a door which, in turn, leads into the ominous entrance of Rapture.

After a short walk, the player enters a small submersible that leads into Rapture Major. But before you can get to exploring you are given a short introduction on rapture via a projector and record from the mysterious creator of Rapture, Andrew Ryan, which lays down the objectives and philosophy behind rapture.

I was stunned by the attention to detail graphically and otherwise. The game's atmosphere really makes the player believe that they are in the 1960s with a sort of claustrophobic, panicked feel. I really dug the ambiance and the creator's ability to convey it without taking control from the player. There were no cut-scenes in a traditional sense in the demo (Apart from the opening title-sequence), but I still received all of the story elements that were intended for me to understand.

The gameplay was fun, but I can see a little bit of repetitiveness arising later in game. I hope the game doesn't fall to a
"explore the level and collect a power-up" formula, but I feel the story will carry it above that. The combat delivers a visceral, panicked feel especially when armed only with a wrench. The insane citizens of Rapture (or Splicers are they came to be known) are a perfect enemy as they deliver small bits of dialog as they charge towards you with murderous intent. "I didn't mean to kill her! I Swear!" Shouts one Splicer as he rushes towards the player while wielding a lead pipe.

The real meat and potatos of combat is reached a few minutes after the demo begins. The character finds a syringe with a "Plasmid" in it. After injecting himself with it, he is empowered with the ability to shoot electric shocks from his hand. The game boasts many different kinds of Plasmids that players will be able to discover and implement into combat.

Plasmids require a substance called EVE to work. EVE operates in a similar fashion to mana in any other game. Upon using a Plasmid, your EVE bar lowers. After multiple casts of any Plasmid, the bar becomes totally diminished and requires another syringe injection. EVE hypos are found in a multitude of places from the corpses of Citizens to trash cans. Certain other, single-use, items such as Pep Bars and Cigarettes also increase EVE slightly and can be found strewn across Rapture's barren surfaces.

I read somewhere that players will be able to find different types of ammunition for guns found in Rapture, but there were no instances of the weapon upgrades in the demo. Other, non-upgraded weapons, include a wrench, a revolver pistol, and a Thompson "Tommy Gun" machine gun.

Playing the demo, I can't wait until August 21st when it is released. I will see if I can tear myself away from the game to write a review once I get it. The next update will include some sort of music or movie review. Hopefully I see something standout soon.

Until next time Live Long and Prosper _\\//,
~Mike