A while ago, I went on to call
BioShock Infinite one of my all time favourite games despite being the third game in an already well received series of games as well as the confusing ending that it shows. Since then, the most I have reviewed of the
BioShock series are
Infinite and the two part DLC
Burial At Sea. So after several years, I decided its time to look at the first two games which helped establish the franchise and the whole idea of it being a spiritual successor to the
System Shock games of which served as the developers previous project before this came along. Its also important to note that while
Infinite remains distant from the first two games, its part of the franchise due to the name referring itself to the common gameplay elements that all three games and its spiritual predecessor share. So with all that said, let's review these two games that have been long awaited for a while:
BioShock
Set in the sixties in the fictional underwater city of Rapture, Jack (voiced by Adam Sietz) is the sole survivor of a crashed airplane and winds up at a lighthouse with a bathysphere which upon entering, takes him to Rapture. There he learns the history of it through archival footage scattered throughout this so called utopia while being directed by a man who calls himself Atlas (voiced by Greg Baldwin, aka the second Aku) and uses Jack to take over the systems at Rapture leaving Jack and we the players unaware that we might be nothing more than a puppet in one's own scheme. The game acts a first person shooter with elements of RPGs in which players can use any new found powers they come across via absorbing ADAM which is scattered around Rapture. The game persuades us to mix and match powers and weapons which can unleash all kinds of combinations for use. As well as ADAM, there is also EVE which is best described as the power meter needed to harness any powers players come across. Medical packs in the form of food and other supplies can be used to heal up Jack who will otherwise respawn at a nearby Vita chamber with limited amounts of health and EVE when he dies. Players can either go into close combat, lure enemies into traps, turn them against each other or make use of any nearby things such as security systems and turrets. You are given a camera to take photos with which gives Jack and the players new found knowledge of what they are faced with and there's lots of money to find which can be used at vending machines that can be hacked to get discounts. In addition to splicers who act as the main enemies that Jack takes on, there are also some Big Daddies who are big mutated machines that look after the Little Sisters of which Jack can either save or absorb the ADAM inside with both scenarios given to the player upon defeating the Big Daddy protecting them. Although quite dark and disturbing, you have to admire the work that went into this game because Rapture from the outside seems like a great place to live in prior to how things played out in this game. Anyway as the first game of the series, its great. We learn a lot, fight a lot and have a better understanding of when we are being used but are not aware of it (at least to begin with anyway). 9/10
BioShock 2
Set approximately eight years after the first game, players take on the role of Delta, a Big Daddy tasked with looking after his Little Sister Eleanor (voiced by Sarah Bolger, aka the
Once Upon a Time version of Aurora) who one day is separated from her by her mother Sofia Lamb (voiced by Fernella Woolgar, aka the
Doctor Who revival version of Agatha Christie) who uses some kind of mind control to make Delta shoot himself. Ten years pass and Delta is revived by Little Sisters under the control of Eleanor whom Delta is tasked with reuniting with before his connection to her is severed and also learns about Sofia's true intentions. Gameplay largely remains the same as it was in the first game with power and weapon combinations, hacking machines and various security systems and acquiring ADAM and EVE (oh now I get it) while also choosing to either harvest or spare any Little Sisters that Delta comes across which as a fellow Big Daddy, he can adopt also. The camera this time around lets players choose whichever way to take down their enemies and depending on how its done, points are awarded. Also unlike before, there will be parts that are completely underwater and as such some weapons and/or powers will be unusable. The game also has multiplayer as well which is a story driven one that serves as a prequel to the first game and unlike most games that don't spend enough time on the multiplayer side of things, the developers have actually done a well thought out multiplayer mode that is paired well with the main story which is great. So overall, I think it was good that the developers gave players the opportunity to play as a Big Daddy as they are the series mascot and the most popular enemy or anti-hero in the series so I think that adds a bit of fan service if nothing else. As for the rest of it, the gameplay is about the same as before but with enhancements and of course the ability to use whatever those Big Daddies use as weapons and powers. A great game that is both on par and surpasses what the first game gave us and its just great fun, but a bit sad when we find out the tortured history of Rapture as a whole. 9/10
So while
Infinite may be very distant from the rest of the series, it does share a few similarities with the world of Rapture even though Rapture itself is a lot darker and a somewhat crueler place to be in. Many have gone into this so called utopia and have come out learning that being someone's slave and not being aware of it is not good. And that the Big Daddies are not really enemies as such, they just want to protect their Little Sisters no matter what. They are great games and I hope we get more in the future. 9/10
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