Exclusivity means everything to gamers nowadays. You could even go onto say that exclusivity is the very life source of every existing fanboy in the world. Although Sony have been in the console business one and a half generations longer than Microsoft, the Xbox has managed to accumulate some unforgettable title such as Gears of War, Halo and of course, Bioshock. As I mentioned earlier, exclusivity is everything nowadays, and when Bioshock was announced to have a Playstation 3 version in the oven, pandemonium broke out on gaming forums worldwide, capturing the very essence of  console patriotism. Of course, the Playstation 3 didn’t escape the tunnel of treachery unscathed, losing one its most precious series of all time, Final Fantasy. I suppose 2008 was a declaration that almost nothing can stay exclusive forever, and as my brief mourning passed for the Final Fantasy series, a copy of 2K’s Bioshock found its way into my Christmas stocking. Of course, as a Playstation 3 owner, I hadn’t really given Bioshock a proper look over, but when the announcement was made, friends of mine urged me on to get it, something I can now thank them for.

          Bioshock has one of the most gripping and intense narratives in gaming history, even matching that of the Metal Gear series, the whole story is told from the first person perspective of a silent protagonist, capturing every moment. The game is set in 1960, and whilst flying over the Atlantic Ocean, the plane you are on plummets into the dark waters below. Scrambling out of the wreckage you find yourself bobbing in the water as burning debris begins to sink around you, creating one of the most memorable opening sequences to a game. As you swim around, you spot a tower perched upon a rock in the distance and go to investigate. Inside you climb into an invention referred to as a Bathysphere which takes you under water, where you discover something fascinating...

         

The city of Rapture was built by the mastermind Andrew Ryan, a man who wanted nothing to do with outside world corrupted by the criminals, government, and communists. It soon became populated by many who sought to live a new life in the concealed whereabouts of the great city. It wasn’t long before the inhabitants of Rapture soon found ADAM, a source of energy that could grant positive genetic modifications to the human body, such as the power to ignite, freeze, or move objects with the mind. Rapture sounded like the perfect haven, but the use of ADAM didn’t go without its downsides too; those who pumped themselves with it soon became deranged and homicidal, referred to as Splicers. Andrew Ryan himself also found himself opposed by two other influential idols within Rapture, Atlas and Frank Fontaine who wanted to take away his power. Soon Rapture fell, people being slaughtered in the streets as Ryan closed himself off from the wonder he had created.

          As you enter Rapture, you get a warm welcoming by one of the Splicers who tears apart a feeble bystander just metres from outside of your Bathysphere. You also find a radio transmitter from which Atlas guides you with. As you advance through the first few hours of play, you will be bombarded with questions as you uncover many locales overrun with deranged Splicers. Audio tapes are also scattered about the place which can be picked up, depicting moments from the inhabitants’ lives during their stay in Rapture. It's all quite hard to comprehend at first, but with patience, you will steadily be able to solve just what happened in Rapture’s twisted past. However, if you just want to get on with the game instead, you don’t have to listen to any of the taped messages.

          The game is broke down into separate chapters, each allocated to one of the many in-game locations, which can be revisited through the use of the Bathyspheres; pinpointed around the areas. Atlas will guide you through each stage, hoping to lead you to Andrew Ryan and a safe way out of Rapture. Each area has a unique feel to it, and each harbours its own back-story, for example; Fort Frolic used to be a shopping mall, but has become the lair for Sander Cohen, once a talented artist who pumped himself with ADAM, and instead of paintings, he used frozen people in his works of art. There won’t be a single moment in Bioshock that won’t feel eerie, if you’re not face to face with marauding Splicers all the time, you are trying to evade the iron-bound Big Daddies, huge golems that watch over the ADAM-collecting little sisters.

          Four paragraphs to flesh out the story seems a little too much, but without the basic understanding of how Rapture became what it is, you’re liking for the game may falter somewhat. As for the gameplay, as I said before, Bioshock blends the horror survival and first person genres whilst throwing in RPG elements too. You will start the game off with the standard issue wrench, the game’s iconic piece of weaponry; as you advance through the game you will pick up other weapons including a shotgun, machine gun, crossbow and more, each with their own set of upgrades. The game will play out just like any other first person shooter to begin with, you just walk around, and shoot at enemies using the R2 button. However, apart from just having an arsenal of guns, you are also loaded with Plasmids, the genetic powers I mentioned earlier. The first Plasmid you come across is the Electro Bolt Plasmid, allowing you to spray electricity using the L2 button, however you cannot wield a weapon and Plasmid at the same time, instead you will have to vary between the two, working your way through packs of Splicers. Just like health, your Plasmid energy, known as EVE will also need replenishing, just like reloading a gun as it were. The standard Plasmids such as Electro Bolt and Ignite seem a little lacklustre at first, but as you progress you will gain more interesting and useful Plasmid, such as Telekinesis, allowing you to catch enemy grenades in mid-air and launch them back. This perfect mixture of Plasmids and Gunfire is a real treat to experiment with, making every enemy encounter a unique experience. The guns even come with different ammo types specified for different enemy types.

         

Apart from the actual battles, there are a lot of other features you can mess around with too. When playing Bioshock, you will encounter many security and vending machines along the way, which can be hacked, opening a mini game every time you do so. The mini game will require you to re-arrange a grid of pipes in order for water to get from one end of the puzzle to the other, sounds simple, but harder hacks have smaller spaces and broken pipes too. The success in hacks can allow you to open doors, buy cheaper items, or even turn hostile security bots into allies.

          Another RPG element that needs to be mentioned is the in-game gene tonics. Throughout the game you will find small vials laying around which can grant the player inhuman modifications such as more damage resistance, better hacking skills, or even tweaked combat skills, the choice of tonic can determine which play style suits you best. Apart from simply finding Plasmids and tonics, you will also be able to purchase them from Gatherer’s Garden vending machines where you can spend ADAM you have gathered from either harvesting or rescuing Little Sisters.

         

For a game release a while back for the Xbox 360 first, Bioshock still looks ace, the design of Rapture is seamless. Characters may lack a huge amount of variation, but tries to keep things as real as possible in a 1960 setting. Music is also a key factor into making the game successful, each score trapping the very essence of isolation and the underwater setting. Just like Redwood Studios did with Dead Space, the in-game sounds tell a story of their own, the most iconic sound being the moans of the Big Daddies as they lumber around the vacant halls of Rapture. The voice acting is also superb; the many long speeches of Andrew Ryan are so developed and perfectly spoken, once again grasping the very atmosphere surrounding the game.

          Overall, I can easily put my hands up and say Bioshock is definitely one of my all-time favourites, it creates its own genre, and delivers perfectly on every aspect, from the piercing storyline, to the way it incorporates Plasmids into the gameplay. If you haven’t played Bioshock already, it isn’t just available for the Playstation 3, it’s also on Xbox 360 and PC too.