Why Bioshock Is So Damn Cool?

It's been blogged and discussed to death, but seeing how Bioshock Infinite might actually get produced relatively soon, I thought I might be able to get away from it.

*On the off chance you've yet to play this game, I'd like to mention that I refuse to leak any spoilers, but you really should play this title before reading. (also it'd make it easier to follow) Don't worry, I'll wait...*

I bought Bioshock five, maybe six, years ago and haven't stopped playing it since.  It's by far my favourite game and receives the utmost respect amongst anyone who might call themselves a "gamer" or have simply picked up the title.  It's utterly brilliant to the extent that it's hard to believe Ken Levine, writer of Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite, when he claims Bioshock Infinite will blow his previous title away; as beautiful as the new game is shaping out to be.  It'll either be an achievement or a sad reminder of what could've been, but more on that later.  Why was Bioshock so damn cool?

You know when the components of a film or an album come together in such a perfect manner that it blows your mind? (Pulp Fiction, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not)  It's what Bioshock did for video games; making it possibly first example of "artwork" in a video game medium.  The plot, the characters, the environment, the visuals, the music, it all tied together in a breathtaking experience.  The game (which I just lost) ran just like a film in the sense that game-play didn't interfere with the unfolding of the plot. You aren't playing a game, you're playing a story, a reality, a person.

The gist is, you play as Jack, a guy with some of the worst luck you could imagine, who, after a plane crash, ends up in Rapture in 1960.  The thing is, Rapture has changed dramatically since it's completion in 1951, and the utopia promised then didn't turned out as planned.  While trying to make your escape, you slowly piece together what turned a perfect civilization into the apparent hell it's become.

"Just you, and me, and all the tasty ADAM I can drink." -Thuggish Splicer

Bioshock, as you know (or if you're too much of a jackass to take the time) takes place in "Rapture."  The brainchild of Andrew Ryan, Rapture was build at the bottom of the Atlantic in the 1940's with the intention of being a utopia; making it one of the most badass environments ever created, especially for a game.

"...I chose the impossible. I chose... Rapture. A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well."

―Andrew Ryan  (I dare you to write a better description)

Rapture was so wonderfully thought out.  The steely, steampunk atmosphere with beautiful architecture allows this underwater marvel to come alive.  Rapture is as real as "Neverland" in the mentality that, beyond our better judgement, this city lives in our minds to the extent that it becomes believable.  It's just that imaginative, but unlike Neverland, I'd wish a trip to Rapture upon nobody.  To accompany this visually striking environment, the annoying HUD which typically plagues the screen of most games, is completely unobtrusive. There's absolutely no distraction from the awesome textures Rapture has to offer, and despite being released in 2007, the graphics look damn good, even with today's standards.

One of the best, and ingenuitive, aspects of Bioshock was how the tale of Rapture's downfall unfolded before you.  The audio diaries, vocalized recorded journal entries on the citizens of Rapture, found along your journey through the heart of the city, was a brilliant addition.  Slowly, as you gather more and more, you begin to understand just what the hell happened far below the surface of the Atlantic.  This was done without interrupting your game-play, without having to use blocky, godawful cut-scenes and dialogue, and most importantly, the audio diaries were a believable invention of Rapture.  It told the history flawlessly without any breaks in continuity.

 "Splicers sealed Johnny in before he could—Goddamn Splicers!"

―Atlas

The characterization within Bioshock was the icing on the cake.  Each character was complex, individualistic, and unbelievably well written, especially for a game.  The character of Andrew Ryan was clearly based of the ludicrous ideals of Ayn Rand (Andrew Ryan --> ew Ayn Rand, with a left over "r"?).  Atlas, a poor revolutionary Irishman in a similar spot as yourself, who happens to be the only person looking out for you.  Then there's Ryan's army of "splicers", genetically enhanced former citizens of Rapture.  Think meth-heads armed to the teeth with weaponry and superpowers. (you have a better explanation?)  And who can forget the infamous Little Sisters with their Big Daddy companions. (I still shutter at the thought of fighting those motherfuckers)  Altogether, it makes for a marvelous and terrifying experience.  Whether you hear a splicer screaming in the background, a musical score adding suspense, or you turn a wrong corner and find yourself standing a tad too close to a Little Sister, there's fear lurking in every nook and cranny.  (also one of the few games I've played were enemies are willing to "play dead" scaring you shitless.)

"Not to be fucked with" was never more accurate statement.

Lastly, and I didn't think about this until recently, but I thought of probably the only thing that could have added anything to the first Bioshock title.  In order to contrast with the hellish, and all too familiar, city of Rapture, was to include a "boarding the plane" or airport scene.  It wouldn't have had to be much, but just something to intensify the difference between the "real world" of the 1960's and that which is home to the splicers.

The main point of mentioning any of this is that Bioshock was one of the greatest feats in video games. (play it and play it again)  As of now, Bioshock Infinite, which has boasted up a storm, is expected to be released March 26; and if it turns out to be anything like it's expectations, it definitely has potential to surpass it's predecessour. (and I don't say that lightly at all)  If you don't believe me, give it a once-over.