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This thread has been linked to the game 'BioShock'.
After months of making up my mind about buying an Xbox 360, last week I finally decided to take the plunge and pick up the new 60Gb package. Sadly I only had enough for one game after the grand wallet emptying so had to choose wisely making the single title I bought count. Having recently gone round my friend’s the night before I got my hands on a game called Bioshock. With only enough time to really just about get used to what I was doing it was still enough to grab my attention. I purchased Bioshock, but was it a good choice?
Taking the role of a young man named Jack your plane crashes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean forcing you to take refuge in a nearby lighthouse which is actually the entrance to Rapture, an underwater metropolis created by Andrew Ryan, full of deranged people, sick weirdoes and dark secrets. What is a pleasant change, Rapture is actually a fifties city so environment wise it’s unlike anything I’ve really played before. Upon arrival a helpful fellow named Atlas provides you with information and acts as your guide through use of a radio. In fact most of the back story is told through tape recordings found throughout the game which are excellently voiced and make you want to hear more about this underwater mess rather than play through and skip them.
Bioshock seems like a simple shooter at first glance, but there is a lot more under the hood of this game. Yes you have the usual pistol, machine and shotgun at hand, but a simple press of the L trigger will reveal a new selection of handy powers known as plasmids which effectively manipulate your genes and cells making you inhuman. Using tonics either found, purchased or mixed you can produce fire, ice, swarms of bees and dummies to attract enemies all with just your finger tips. They are essential for some puzzles and handy in battle especially when hot lead just won’t cut it.
There is a sort of RPG element to the title with guns being upgraded, health bars being improved and even a magic meter to keep an eye on. You can use up to six tonics at once eventually for your physical powers, strength, hacking ability and so on so there are going to be moments where you’ll need to choose the right ones. If you prefer to use your wrench as a weapon then use tonics that improve swinging and power of the melee item. It’s up to you.
You will shoot your way through enemies and use your plasmids too, but something else you will find yourself doing a lot too is hacking. You’ll see many security cameras, turrets and flying robots out to get you and while you can destroy them you can also hack them and make them work to your advantage. To do this you enter a mini game sort of like Pipe Mania where you need to divert water through tiles of pipes from point A to point B. It’s fun for the first few goes but will get tiresome. Luckily you can simply pay money to hack or use what are known as automatic hacking devices later on in the game.
What makes this title stand out from so many shooters I’ve tried is that there are so many ways you can tackle your opponents. If you want to use guns that’s fine, if you want to freeze enemies with plasmids then go for it. You can even set traps with electric wires or mini hurricanes and lure enemies through them. There are so many options and you’ll want to come back and try something new and more entertaining to watch.
Obviously having owned a Nintendo Wii for the past two years and with the height of graphical power on it being Mario Galaxy I was going to be impressed with Bioshock’s visuals no matter what. But what impressed me more however is the underwater world 2K has created. It’s full of life and character and even if the visuals hadn’t been as good as they actually are it would still have been impressive. Since the focus is on being under the sea, the water itself needed to look amazing and luckily it does. Leaks, puddles and full on pools of water look frighteningly realistic and match what is also a game full of quality character models and surroundings. The overall presentation is simply outstanding. As for the music, it is as good as it looks. Of course you get the usual suspenseful music playing at the most heart racing of times, but hearing old tunes like “Beyond the Sea” playing on record players in random stores and rooms really adds to the character of the game. Imagine shooting down a Big Daddy with that playing softly in the background.
Not once did I have a problem with handling Jack and his large repertoire of abilities. It feels so nice to go back to a standard control after using a Wii remote to point in shooters like Prime.
This is a pretty lengthy game considering it’s a shooter. The adventure is split nicely with submarine type pods allowing you to travel to each area of Rapture with ease. What’s more, you’ll find next to no backtracking here, one thing that annoys many gamers. Once you’ve tackled one area you’ll move onto the next and not need to go back again. The adventure will last you well into the fifteen hour mark. Then you can try to get those final achievements and try a harder difficulty. Now I know many are going to complain that there is no multiplayer or online mode, but it doesn’t matter. Once you see how excellent the single player experience is you’ll soon get over it.
Buying an expensive console like the Xbox 360 is a big commitment and without great games to back up the hardware you’re wasting your money. Thankfully though Bioshock alone has made me extremely glad I’ve ventured to Microsoft. One thing’s for sure. Whatever game I buy next definitely has its work cut out for it if it’s to match the quality of Bioshock.
Taking the role of a young man named Jack your plane crashes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean forcing you to take refuge in a nearby lighthouse which is actually the entrance to Rapture, an underwater metropolis created by Andrew Ryan, full of deranged people, sick weirdoes and dark secrets. What is a pleasant change, Rapture is actually a fifties city so environment wise it’s unlike anything I’ve really played before. Upon arrival a helpful fellow named Atlas provides you with information and acts as your guide through use of a radio. In fact most of the back story is told through tape recordings found throughout the game which are excellently voiced and make you want to hear more about this underwater mess rather than play through and skip them.
Bioshock seems like a simple shooter at first glance, but there is a lot more under the hood of this game. Yes you have the usual pistol, machine and shotgun at hand, but a simple press of the L trigger will reveal a new selection of handy powers known as plasmids which effectively manipulate your genes and cells making you inhuman. Using tonics either found, purchased or mixed you can produce fire, ice, swarms of bees and dummies to attract enemies all with just your finger tips. They are essential for some puzzles and handy in battle especially when hot lead just won’t cut it.
There is a sort of RPG element to the title with guns being upgraded, health bars being improved and even a magic meter to keep an eye on. You can use up to six tonics at once eventually for your physical powers, strength, hacking ability and so on so there are going to be moments where you’ll need to choose the right ones. If you prefer to use your wrench as a weapon then use tonics that improve swinging and power of the melee item. It’s up to you.
You will shoot your way through enemies and use your plasmids too, but something else you will find yourself doing a lot too is hacking. You’ll see many security cameras, turrets and flying robots out to get you and while you can destroy them you can also hack them and make them work to your advantage. To do this you enter a mini game sort of like Pipe Mania where you need to divert water through tiles of pipes from point A to point B. It’s fun for the first few goes but will get tiresome. Luckily you can simply pay money to hack or use what are known as automatic hacking devices later on in the game.
What makes this title stand out from so many shooters I’ve tried is that there are so many ways you can tackle your opponents. If you want to use guns that’s fine, if you want to freeze enemies with plasmids then go for it. You can even set traps with electric wires or mini hurricanes and lure enemies through them. There are so many options and you’ll want to come back and try something new and more entertaining to watch.
Obviously having owned a Nintendo Wii for the past two years and with the height of graphical power on it being Mario Galaxy I was going to be impressed with Bioshock’s visuals no matter what. But what impressed me more however is the underwater world 2K has created. It’s full of life and character and even if the visuals hadn’t been as good as they actually are it would still have been impressive. Since the focus is on being under the sea, the water itself needed to look amazing and luckily it does. Leaks, puddles and full on pools of water look frighteningly realistic and match what is also a game full of quality character models and surroundings. The overall presentation is simply outstanding. As for the music, it is as good as it looks. Of course you get the usual suspenseful music playing at the most heart racing of times, but hearing old tunes like “Beyond the Sea” playing on record players in random stores and rooms really adds to the character of the game. Imagine shooting down a Big Daddy with that playing softly in the background.
Not once did I have a problem with handling Jack and his large repertoire of abilities. It feels so nice to go back to a standard control after using a Wii remote to point in shooters like Prime.
This is a pretty lengthy game considering it’s a shooter. The adventure is split nicely with submarine type pods allowing you to travel to each area of Rapture with ease. What’s more, you’ll find next to no backtracking here, one thing that annoys many gamers. Once you’ve tackled one area you’ll move onto the next and not need to go back again. The adventure will last you well into the fifteen hour mark. Then you can try to get those final achievements and try a harder difficulty. Now I know many are going to complain that there is no multiplayer or online mode, but it doesn’t matter. Once you see how excellent the single player experience is you’ll soon get over it.
Buying an expensive console like the Xbox 360 is a big commitment and without great games to back up the hardware you’re wasting your money. Thankfully though Bioshock alone has made me extremely glad I’ve ventured to Microsoft. One thing’s for sure. Whatever game I buy next definitely has its work cut out for it if it’s to match the quality of Bioshock.
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After months of making up my mind about buying an Xbox 360, last week I finally decided to take the plunge and pick up the new 60Gb package. Sadly I only had enough for one game after the grand wallet emptying so had to choose wisely making the single title I bought count. Having recently gone round my friend’s the night before I got my hands on a game called Bioshock. With only enough time to really just about get used to what I was doing it was still enough to grab my attention. I purchased Bioshock, but was it a good choice?
Taking the role of a young man named Jack your plane crashes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean forcing you to take refuge in a nearby lighthouse which is actually the entrance to Rapture, an underwater metropolis created by Andrew Ryan, full of deranged people, sick weirdoes and dark secrets. What is a pleasant change, Rapture is actually a fifties city so environment wise it’s unlike anything I’ve really played before. Upon arrival a helpful fellow named Atlas provides you with information and acts as your guide through use of a radio. In fact most of the back story is told through tape recordings found throughout the game which are excellently voiced and make you want to hear more about this underwater mess rather than play through and skip them.
Bioshock seems like a simple shooter at first glance, but there is a lot more under the hood of this game. Yes you have the usual pistol, machine and shotgun at hand, but a simple press of the L trigger will reveal a new selection of handy powers known as plasmids which effectively manipulate your genes and cells making you inhuman. Using tonics either found, purchased or mixed you can produce fire, ice, swarms of bees and dummies to attract enemies all with just your finger tips. They are essential for some puzzles and handy in battle especially when hot lead just won’t cut it.
There is a sort of RPG element to the title with guns being upgraded, health bars being improved and even a magic meter to keep an eye on. You can use up to six tonics at once eventually for your physical powers, strength, hacking ability and so on so there are going to be moments where you’ll need to choose the right ones. If you prefer to use your wrench as a weapon then use tonics that improve swinging and power of the melee item. It’s up to you.
You will shoot your way through enemies and use your plasmids too, but something else you will find yourself doing a lot too is hacking. You’ll see many security cameras, turrets and flying robots out to get you and while you can destroy them you can also hack them and make them work to your advantage. To do this you enter a mini game sort of like Pipe Mania where you need to divert water through tiles of pipes from point A to point B. It’s fun for the first few goes but will get tiresome. Luckily you can simply pay money to hack or use what are known as automatic hacking devices later on in the game.
What makes this title stand out from so many shooters I’ve tried is that there are so many ways you can tackle your opponents. If you want to use guns that’s fine, if you want to freeze enemies with plasmids then go for it. You can even set traps with electric wires or mini hurricanes and lure enemies through them. There are so many options and you’ll want to come back and try something new and more entertaining to watch.
Obviously having owned a Nintendo Wii for the past two years and with the height of graphical power on it being Mario Galaxy I was going to be impressed with Bioshock’s visuals no matter what. But what impressed me more however is the underwater world 2K has created. It’s full of life and character and even if the visuals hadn’t been as good as they actually are it would still have been impressive. Since the focus is on being under the sea, the water itself needed to look amazing and luckily it does. Leaks, puddles and full on pools of water look frighteningly realistic and match what is also a game full of quality character models and surroundings. The overall presentation is simply outstanding. As for the music, it is as good as it looks. Of course you get the usual suspenseful music playing at the most heart racing of times, but hearing old tunes like “Beyond the Sea” playing on record players in random stores and rooms really adds to the character of the game. Imagine shooting down a Big Daddy with that playing softly in the background.
Not once did I have a problem with handling Jack and his large repertoire of abilities. It feels so nice to go back to a standard control after using a Wii remote to point in shooters like Prime.
This is a pretty lengthy game considering it’s a shooter. The adventure is split nicely with submarine type pods allowing you to travel to each area of Rapture with ease. What’s more, you’ll find next to no backtracking here, one thing that annoys many gamers. Once you’ve tackled one area you’ll move onto the next and not need to go back again. The adventure will last you well into the fifteen hour mark. Then you can try to get those final achievements and try a harder difficulty. Now I know many are going to complain that there is no multiplayer or online mode, but it doesn’t matter. Once you see how excellent the single player experience is you’ll soon get over it.
Buying an expensive console like the Xbox 360 is a big commitment and without great games to back up the hardware you’re wasting your money. Thankfully though Bioshock alone has made me extremely glad I’ve ventured to Microsoft. One thing’s for sure. Whatever game I buy next definitely has its work cut out for it if it’s to match the quality of Bioshock.
Taking the role of a young man named Jack your plane crashes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean forcing you to take refuge in a nearby lighthouse which is actually the entrance to Rapture, an underwater metropolis created by Andrew Ryan, full of deranged people, sick weirdoes and dark secrets. What is a pleasant change, Rapture is actually a fifties city so environment wise it’s unlike anything I’ve really played before. Upon arrival a helpful fellow named Atlas provides you with information and acts as your guide through use of a radio. In fact most of the back story is told through tape recordings found throughout the game which are excellently voiced and make you want to hear more about this underwater mess rather than play through and skip them.
Bioshock seems like a simple shooter at first glance, but there is a lot more under the hood of this game. Yes you have the usual pistol, machine and shotgun at hand, but a simple press of the L trigger will reveal a new selection of handy powers known as plasmids which effectively manipulate your genes and cells making you inhuman. Using tonics either found, purchased or mixed you can produce fire, ice, swarms of bees and dummies to attract enemies all with just your finger tips. They are essential for some puzzles and handy in battle especially when hot lead just won’t cut it.
There is a sort of RPG element to the title with guns being upgraded, health bars being improved and even a magic meter to keep an eye on. You can use up to six tonics at once eventually for your physical powers, strength, hacking ability and so on so there are going to be moments where you’ll need to choose the right ones. If you prefer to use your wrench as a weapon then use tonics that improve swinging and power of the melee item. It’s up to you.
You will shoot your way through enemies and use your plasmids too, but something else you will find yourself doing a lot too is hacking. You’ll see many security cameras, turrets and flying robots out to get you and while you can destroy them you can also hack them and make them work to your advantage. To do this you enter a mini game sort of like Pipe Mania where you need to divert water through tiles of pipes from point A to point B. It’s fun for the first few goes but will get tiresome. Luckily you can simply pay money to hack or use what are known as automatic hacking devices later on in the game.
What makes this title stand out from so many shooters I’ve tried is that there are so many ways you can tackle your opponents. If you want to use guns that’s fine, if you want to freeze enemies with plasmids then go for it. You can even set traps with electric wires or mini hurricanes and lure enemies through them. There are so many options and you’ll want to come back and try something new and more entertaining to watch.
Obviously having owned a Nintendo Wii for the past two years and with the height of graphical power on it being Mario Galaxy I was going to be impressed with Bioshock’s visuals no matter what. But what impressed me more however is the underwater world 2K has created. It’s full of life and character and even if the visuals hadn’t been as good as they actually are it would still have been impressive. Since the focus is on being under the sea, the water itself needed to look amazing and luckily it does. Leaks, puddles and full on pools of water look frighteningly realistic and match what is also a game full of quality character models and surroundings. The overall presentation is simply outstanding. As for the music, it is as good as it looks. Of course you get the usual suspenseful music playing at the most heart racing of times, but hearing old tunes like “Beyond the Sea” playing on record players in random stores and rooms really adds to the character of the game. Imagine shooting down a Big Daddy with that playing softly in the background.
Not once did I have a problem with handling Jack and his large repertoire of abilities. It feels so nice to go back to a standard control after using a Wii remote to point in shooters like Prime.
This is a pretty lengthy game considering it’s a shooter. The adventure is split nicely with submarine type pods allowing you to travel to each area of Rapture with ease. What’s more, you’ll find next to no backtracking here, one thing that annoys many gamers. Once you’ve tackled one area you’ll move onto the next and not need to go back again. The adventure will last you well into the fifteen hour mark. Then you can try to get those final achievements and try a harder difficulty. Now I know many are going to complain that there is no multiplayer or online mode, but it doesn’t matter. Once you see how excellent the single player experience is you’ll soon get over it.
Buying an expensive console like the Xbox 360 is a big commitment and without great games to back up the hardware you’re wasting your money. Thankfully though Bioshock alone has made me extremely glad I’ve ventured to Microsoft. One thing’s for sure. Whatever game I buy next definitely has its work cut out for it if it’s to match the quality of Bioshock.