Five Reasons Not to Miss BioShock
Aug 20, 2007
BioShock is a new video game released this week for the PC and Xbox 360. While it doesn't have the hype machine and built-in fanbase of Halo 3 and it's probably not going to sell five million copies like the latest installment of Madden, we think it's a game you won't want to miss. Here's why:
1) This Is Not Your Usual Video Game
One problem with video games is that they draw from a very limited pool of influences. If you're not a Lord of the Rings, Aliens, Simpsons, or Mario fan, video games might seem to be speaking a different language. They're often built to appeal to an insular group of, yes, geeky guys. But the world of BioShock draws from some unexpected influences. How many games have nods to Stanley Kubrick, the Coen Brothers, or Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged? At this point, only one. This is the game that breaks out of the embarrassing boy's club of video gaming.
2) You Don't Have to Be Good at Games
BioShock is very accessible. You can change the difficulty level whenever you like. It's always clear where you need to go and just what you need to do. If you die, you simply re-appear in a "Vita-Chamber", so you never have to reload the game and play the same area over and over again. There are no dead ends or wrong choices. There's even an exhaustive encyclopedia of features in the game that you can easily call up with a single button press if you're unsure about something. The game is excellently paced for a variety of types of players, so not being good at games is no excuse to miss BioShock.
3) Excellent Value for the Time and Money Spent
This is a generous game that will give you more than your money's worth. BioShock isn't a canned cinematic spectacle. It lets you make important choices. You're in control, picking which powers to take, deciding how fights should go, and sometimes driving the story in particular directions. Your choices will make the game play differently than it does for someone else. In fact, after you've finished, you'll be tempted to play through a second time to watch for all the little details you missed the first time, especially now that you've discovered the secrets of BioShock's story.
4) It Will Make You Care
One of the things BioShock does well is appeal to your emotions. Most shooters have monsters waiting to spring out of closets, but BioShock is populated with creatures who live there. Many are crazies who wander around muttering angrily until they see you. But there are also giant creatures in diving suits called Big Daddies, protecting strangely inclined young girls called Little Sisters. Their interactions with each other, and with you, are the emotional core of the game. You choose whether to save or kill them, and then you deal with your own reaction to their pitiable groans or sobs. Furthermore, the stories of people's lives unfold as you explore, told through top notch writing and voice acting. In a way that few games can manage, BioShock will not let you be unmoved.
5) Everyone Loves This Game
At the time of writing, BioShock is receiving 99 percent on review aggregate sites Metacritic.com and Gamerankings.com. This is going to be a slam-dunk critical success, and it's bound to appear on -- if not at the top of -- Game of the Year lists. There will no doubt be better commercial successes this year, but there aren't likely to be any critical successes like BioShock. This will be the game to talk about in 2007.