Almost four years after the original Bioshock game was unleashed upon shelves and showered by nigh perfect reception from critics and the public world-wide, and a year after its well-received sequel, the approach of a third game in the series has been promised. The demo of, which was displayed at the 2011 E3 convention in June, has excited every fan of the game’s predecessors and is at the centre of discussions between lovers of the chillingly dramatic, first-person shooter franchise across the web. But what is it that’s got all us Bioshock geeks so giddy? Well, firstly, here’s a brief run-down of the first two games’ features and why they are still so popular.

The Bioshock series has been developed by Irrational Games, a company which funnily enough hasn’t really produced any other overly successful games. They struck gold, however, with this project, which received no less than 9/10 from major critics, whilst several gave it full marks. The game won this great approval because it simply seemed to tick all the right boxes for a shooter. The story, for starters, was unique and enthralling, based around an underwater city built in the 1950s. The city, Rapture, was designed by a ‘peace-loving’ aristocrat who wanted the perfect world. The people of Rapture led happy lives, despite their new but subtle addiction to Adam, a drug created presumably by Ryan for unkown reasons, but which enhances the abilities and gives special powers to those who use it. Needless to say, the city fell into ruin as the drug addled the citizens’ minds and caused them to kill each other, just in time for the main protagonist to wash up on the city’s entrance after an ocean plane crash. Sounds far-fetched, huh? Well, it gets stranger, but bear with me. The most iconic characters of the game are the Big Daddy and Little Sister, who wander around the derelict city searching for the coveted Adam. Their role in the games becomes more clear as the story progresses, but initially we see only that the Big Daddys, massive, diver-like creatures, will risk life and limb to protect their female counter-parts. I won’t ruin the plot for those who don’t know it, but the Little Sister’s mysterious role adds a sense of intrigue to the story of Bioshock almost immediately. The story continues on to the second game in a similar fashion, though with a new and well-acted character as antagonist and several other protagonists. There are some other story elements which change but I won’t spoil the fun. All I’ll say is that the plot in the sequel is at the least just as good as the first, and will have a lot of people on the edge of their seats at times. 

The gameplay resembles that of a classic first-person shooter, but with a couple of splashes of colour and twists, the most prominent of these being the use of special powers acquired through the taking of Adam. These powers, as well as a fair range of weapons, can be upgraded throughout the game, and clever little details, such as being able to use the Electro-plasmid from Adam to zap a pool of water stood in by some nasty ‘Splicers’ (Adam addicts), help, albeit slightly, to make the game an even better experience. The storyline for the first Bioshock is also quite long, leaving lots of time to improve your abilities, though the same can’t be said for the second, which I thought was ever so slightly disappointing for its, in my opinion, shorter story. This is my only criticism, however. The action isn’t quite as hectic as the likes of any ball-busting shooter like COD, but the atmosphere is a lot more tense, as the genre of the game stretches to thriller, and even horror at times. These games aren’t for those who don’t enjoy being occasionally creeped out by psychopathic druggees, such as a mother crooning and weeping over her ‘baby’, which in sane terms is actually a bloody revolver sitting in a pram. That said, it’s no Silent Hill; the developers have achieved some good story-telling here, and most of the key characters are very engaging. 

At times, especially in Bioshock 2, there are moments where you will have to make decisions regarding the safety of others, and these decisions will affect your game’s end result (no spoilers!). Strip it of these small features, and Bioshock is a simple yet entertaining shooter, a solid base for a pretty deep game. The L.A Times finished their review, saying, “Sure, it’s fun to play, looks spectacular and is easy to control. But it also does something no other game has done to date: It really makes you feel”. Okay, so that’s a bit over the top, but even for an American to say that tells you something about the qaulity of these games.

Now that you hopefully know a little about the style of Bioshock, I can talk about the upcoming third game in the series, Infinite. Not much is known for definite yet, but the 15 minute run-through video released at E3 alluded to more of the intriguingly mysterious story telling and exciting gameplay. The visuals, too, look mesmerising, with huge-scale buildings blurred by wispy, realistic clouds surrounding the two characters as they flee from death through this new city – which is a key factor of the game. Instead of being set under the sea, you will now be running around in a city of the sky. The story gets stranger and stranger, I know, but by the end of the video you’ll be dying to find out what happens next. By the looks of things, decisions made by you will again play a part, with examples of the player deciding on which of two paths to take, and at one point the chance to intervene in the unjust lynching of a postman… It seems this sky-town, too, has fallen victim to rebels and villains. Magic abilities have gotten even cooler, as well, with the presumably leading female character of the game able to time-travel, bringing objects from other periods into play for your benefit, such as a Victorian carriage for cover from gun-fire. 

It’s obvious that once again, gamers are going to be captured by the awe-inspiring brilliance that is, Bioshock. 360 Gamer Magazine called the demo “an enormously impressive, heart-pumping rollercoaster that stunned through its sheer breadth of scope”. The game looks like it’s going to return with another emotionally exhilarating plot, more intense shoot-outs, even cooler abilities, and greater possibilities to affect your story. For those of you who’ve enjoyed the games before, you will understand what I mean when I say everything good about Bioshock is coming back; for those who haven’t played it, please do. Both Bioshock and Bioshock 2 get a 4/5 from me, and I’ve got a feeling Infinite’s going to be even better. 

by Joseph Carey