Game Name: BioShock
Game Genre: First-person shooter
Developed by: Irrational Games (Remastered: 2K Boston, 2K Australia)
Published by: 2K Games
Released in: August 21, 2007 (Remastered: 2016)
Platforms: PlayStation 3/4, Xbox 360/One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows
Played in: MC Windows (with DualShock 4 Controller)
Written by: Yiğit DORUK
Date: 03/31/2021
BioShock: Infinite is probably one of my favorite games of all time. That game has impressed me so much that even today when I think about it, I got goosebumps. As a lover of the Steampunk genre, I struggled a lot to find decent games that focus on clockwork and steam. While you could already guess, there were not (and still...) many games to suit my desires, the only example I could think of except BioShock: Infinite would be Dishonored series, and that's it. Its gameplay was nothing that revolutionary or perfect, but it packed its amazing story with an exceptional atmosphere far above the skies that even so-so gameplay could not prevent the game to become amazing and brilliant. After I finished Infinite, I decided to play its DLCs (Burial At Sea) but I realized that those DLCs were related to previous games and I have not played them yet. I was always planning to play both games to learn more about this amazing BioShock setting, and its stories that scattered around its beautiful cities and lighthouses. So, that day finally came and I finished the first game and I really have mixed feelings about it. Did I like the game? Not so much. Did I get what I was expected? Unfortunately not. Am I happy to play a BioShock game after so many years? Absolutely. Did I like the story? Somehow... And this question list might go on forever, so I think it is better to stop here before things got complicated. Most of the problems that I had with the game probably about its technical and gameplay-wise portions. I have no trouble with playing older games (I recently played Baldur's Gate games and it was a blast!) but it is very surprising to see how bad can a remaster be made (it's a whole another topic, believe me). However, apart from the "remastered" version of this game is being a disaster, I think the game feels pretty outdated when played today. But, luckily, today we will not cover that technical wombo-jumbo. This semester, it is all about Storytelling, so we will review our game under the light of the Narrative/Story aspect - using the same titles, as usual. Because of that, I am really happy to cover what this game strong at, while providing some upsetting points on where the game fails at those aspects.
BioShock Trailer
BioShock is not your typical shooter, it blends some elements from RPGs like customization to the already familiar first-person shooter formula. As I mention before, I have tons of things (and complaints) about this aspect of the game in terms of gameplay, combat mechanics, and GODDAMN PUZZLE SYSTEM. But, I am holding myself and try to focus on the storytelling aspect, as promised. Every BioShock game revolves around some kind of utopian ideal, or better to be summarized as: "There is always a man, a city and a lighthouse" (mentioned by Elizabeth in BioShock: Infinite). So there are lots of common aspects in each BioShock game and the "EVE and plasmid" system (referred to as Vigors in Infinite) is one of them. Before the Utopian dreams have not fallen apart in Rapture, people of the Rapture were using those plasmids and gene tonics -thanks to the rise of ADAM in the industry- to enhance their day-to-day abilities and become some kind of meta-humans as each citizen in Rapture thrives to become. Two biggest opposing forces in thriving to producing more and more plasmids, Fontaine Futuristics and Ryan Industries, produced a variety of different enhancements including, but not limited to generating electric bolts, burning, freezing, mind-tricking, ... As a player, you use and discover those different abilities along the way, whilst covering the secrets beneath those technologies and learning more information about them. I think the whole "enhancement" system and usage of a secondary resource bar (EVE) really set this game from its other competitors when it was released in 2007. Even today, we could not see the same level of improvement and creativity in first-person shooters (Hi CoD, I'm talking to you!). Because of that, while its combat system was not executed well, I believe the BioShock series is one of the unique and beautiful gems in the first-person shooter genre, and I always appreciate the efforts of the developers for making this kind of creative decision back in those days. In addition to being mechanically creative, I think the ability that they could easily merge this system within its inner narrative and world-building, is brilliant!
Here is the meaty part of the BioShock games, a mind-blowing and thrilling story set in an amazing city... I am not here to tell you all of the aspects of the story, neither to summarize it so if you want to learn more about its story, I highly recommend you to experience the game first, and then be ready to spend your entire evening reading an article after another in BioShock's Fandom page. I still remembering researching for days after I finished the Infinite, and spent a couple of hours after I finish this game. However, this aspect becomes a kind of a disappointment for me. I expected a narrative and story that is close to the Infinite because people generally state that the story aspect of the original game surpasses the Infinite's, and I could not find what I expected to find. In Infinite, we have a -kinda relatable- main character, Booker DeWitt - who could speak. Obviously, he is not the best character ever written, but the fact that he could speak really added to the narrative and ease the process of feeling empathy for the main character. But in this game, we have a character that could only shoot and move (I know the reason beneath that decision, but it lands on "Spoiler" territory). I think this single absence of feature kept me away from the story and also I could not interested in the main character because of that. Do not get me wrong, its story is still superior when compared to other similar games but when comparing it to the Infinite, I think I would prefer the story that made me feel something, rather than just appreciating it. In terms of narrative, I am not a huge fan of the "listen-all-of-the-records-and-documents-that-we-scattered-around-some-places-in-the-game-world-to-understand-the-story" method if that method is not executed by Hideo Kojima. Because of that, just like I did not like it in Infinite, I believe the narrative of this brilliantly created and designed universe deserves more than just record tapes. Even though I love the underlying story aspects of each game (haven't played 2nd game yet) and love the BioShock Universe, I think there is a huge room for improvements to be made in terms of narrative.
In terms of storytelling, I believe the biggest enjoyment comes from discovering new segments of the story while you are progressing and uncovering the mystery that you are wanting to know from the start of the game. BioShock perfectly answers this need and tells its unique story in a way that keeps your interest through the end, even the game lacks a lot in many different areas. Rapture is a beautiful city that captures every player's attention in just a gaze. Its atmosphere and setting are so unique that you are enjoying your time just by walking through the pipes in Rapture's different sections. As I mentioned, even though that I do not like the narrative method that is heavily used in the game, I still appreciate that they created some kind of "feeling of discovery" each time you listen to the records. This discovery feeling and learning more information about Rapture and the game's story was the most important factor for me when it comes to enjoyment. One thing that kept me apart from having fun in the game was the AWFUL-PIPE-HACKING-WHY-WE-ARE-DOING-THIS-MINDLESS-AND-BORING-ACTION-IN-EVERY-CORNER-OF-THE-GODDAMN-GAME system, accompanied by a bad combat system. Apart from being a mechanically (and design-wise) disastrous addition to this kind of game, I believe this "hacking" system has no place in the story at all. It does not fit any portion of the story, if it is, it might be so insignificant that I could not remember. I still do not understand why they decided to add this kind of system which has no value in any part of the game. Maybe for the sake of gameplay time? Probably.