I’m excited to review this series, mostly because I enjoyed the moral decisions in the first and second BioShock. However, BioShock Infinite was slightly different, which I will explain further down near the end of this post. This series has an awesome story in what is an alternate reality of Earth, set in the various points of the 20th century. Last year, BioShock 1 & 2 were remastered and are now available on PS4 / XBOX ONE.
BioShock
[Platforms] PC / PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4 / Steam / XBOX 360 / XBOX ONE
[Gameplay]
- [Combat / Strategy] There are several strategies on how to take on challenges; from direct combat, stealth tactics, traps, or even the option to trick enemies into killing each other. There are automated turrets where destroying them or Hacking are both viable options; vending machines and other systems can also be Hacked. Hacking is accomplished by playing a mini-game to connect pipe segments [on a grid] from one end of a pipe to another within a short amount of time.
- [Plasmids] A first-person shooter with various weapon options & Plasmids [special abilities] at the player’s disposal; The player may switch from one active weapon and Plasmid at a time. Certain weapon & Plasmid combinations can be more effective against enemies; different variations of ammunition are available & can be advantageous versus specific enemies.
- [ADAM] The player will receive a resource called ADAM from completing certain tasks; after defeating the Big Daddy guardians, ADAM can also be extracted from Little Sisters. ADAM can be exchanged from a Gatherer’s Garden to purchase new Plasmids / upgrades.
- [EVE] Using a Plasmid consumes a resource called EVE, which can be recovered by utilizing the EVE syringes found all over the game. By exploring Rapture, the player can collect currency from the bodies of killed enemies and random locations in-game; the money can be utilized at vending machines to restock on ammo, Health, EVE & other items.
- [Health] Medical packs are found throughout Rapture to restore Health. If the player runs out of Health, they are then relocated to the nearest Vita-Chamber with limited amounts of Health & EVE, There is an option to turn off the Vita-Chamber revival, which then the player dies if they run out of Health and forces them to restart from the last save.
[Choices] There’s some role-playing involved, such as the ability to make choices on whether or not to spare the Little Sisters [less ADAM if they are spared]. The choices you make regarding the Little Sisters WILL determine the ending of the game.
[Thoughts] I found this one to be quite impressive; I would say it’s well worth playing and has at least some replay value, depending on if the player chooses to kill the Little Sisters or to spare them. Stealth is certainly an option, but it does not seem to affect the story of the game much, as far as killing the random enemies you come across.
[Final Verdict] Play it!
BioShock 2
[Platforms] PC / PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4 / Steam / XBOX 360 / XBOX ONE
[Gameplay] Same combat mechanics as the previous BioShock, however, the player won’t have access to a very wide variation of guns in this one. You use the Big Daddy’s drill as your primary weapon, which consumes oil over each use; there’s also a Rivet Gun, which has various types of ammunition for certain situations. Stealth isn’t much of an option since your character is quite loud and halls aren’t very wide. Most of the game features, like the Vita-Chamber, vending machines, Gatherer’s Garden are all about the same.
[Story] Eight years after the first BioShock’s events, you [Subject Delta] play as one of the Big Daddies, with an attachment to a special Little Sister named Eleanor, which happens to be the antagonist’s daughter. One difference [compared to the first Bioshock] is that if the player spares the life of the Little Sisters, they will have to escort the girls around so that they can extract ADAM from dead bodies. The player then gets another choice on whether or not to let the Little Sister live or leave through the tunnels that they are able to navigate. Some locations in the game take place while the player is outside of the confines of Rapture, underwater, and limited on what actions they can do. Another new feature is the Big Sister which appears at each level after the player has either harvested or spared all the Little Sisters in a zone / level. Big Sisters are the toughest enemies in the game and very agile, so expect them to be a challenge.
[Thoughts] Extremely enjoyable of a game; also with choices of who to kill / let live, so there’s replay-ability. I personally liked this one the most out of all three, so I will recommend it to anyone who enjoys a first-person shooter with some role-playing mechanics.
[Final Verdict] Play it!!!
[Platforms] PC / PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4 / Steam / XBOX 360 / XBOX ONE
[Gameplay] Like the previous games, BioShock Infinite is also a first-person shooter; however, the choices don’t make much impact except for slight variations in the story, but no significant change to the ending. In comparison to Rapture’s small confines, Columbia gives the player much more space to combat enemies and various strategies on how to approach them. As the character, Booker, you fight you way through the city using a wide variation of tools to accomplish tasks. Only two weapons are carry-able at a time; other weapons and ammo are acquirable from random locations or enemies. Unlike the previous games, the player has a regenerative shield [because why the fuck not]; health works the same way, and medical kits are found around the game. If the player dies, they are revived back to a safe area, but lose some money [still can revive if no money left]; regains some Health and is given extra ammo, while nearby enemies are also healed slightly.
[Resources] Plasmids are now Vigors, with similar, but some different abilities. Vigors require Salt [EVE]. Your character now has options to equip Gear, which you have four slots of [Boots, Hats, Pants, Shirts]. Infusions are a booster for Health / Salts / Shield capacity, which also fully restore whatever is chosen. A new feature is the Sky-Lines [intended for transporting cargo], which the player has to traverse with the “Sky-Hook” at their disposal, which can be used as a close-combat weapon as well. This new feature allows for new strategies and variations of combating foes or as to escape combat when near death. Booker explores Columbia with another character, Elizabeth, who controls herself, and cannot be harmed; she also will recover resources for the player, if they are in need of them in battle. She also has an ability to open one portal [Tear], which open into an alternate reality to supply the player with weapons, resources, cover, etc. Elizabeth is skilled with lock-picking, but you will need to find a certain amount of lock-picks, depending on the difficulty of the lock. There are four difficulty modes: Easy, Normal, Hard, and 1999; the last difficulty is unlocked upon completing the game once.
[Choices] Some points in the story can make a slight difference to certain situations, but as I stated earlier, it’s not enough to change the ending or matter, to be honest. Optional side-missions are available, where there may be more backstory unlocked or more useful equipment / items.
[Burial at Sea] the expansion / continuation of the main story. The story continues in different location from Columbia; a similar setting [Rapture] as the first two installments of the BioShock series. Time is very fluid because of the events in the game, and the confusion just escalates as the story continues on. To prevent spoiling of the story, the simplest way to explain it is that Burial at Sea continues a while after Bioshock Infinite’s conclusion.
[Thoughts] I liked the game, but I wasn’t impressed with the lack of role-play effectiveness; it makes sense though, as the ending is meant to go a certain direction. It’s a great game and not one I would’ve wanted to miss out on; buy it if you see a sale on it.
[Final Verdict] Play it if you can find for a cheap price tag.
