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SWEATY PALMS
Volume 49, No. 17, September 20, 2007 |
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| MASTERPIECE: Bioshock is one of the most atmospheric games ever made. It’s pretty much perfect. |
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- Welcome to Rapture -
Bioshock
2K Games
PC, Xbox360 (MA15+)
The Game: After surviving a plane crash near the surface entrance to Rapture, you take refuge in the decaying, dystopian metropolis built on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Finding the population have descended into madness you slowly discover through audio journals, and conversations with various inhabitants of the city, what has occurred to cause the downfall of Rapture.
The Play: Use Plasmids and Gene tonics to ‘splice’ your genetic code to give you extra abilities.
There are around 70 to discover and you will need to use them imaginatively if you want to survive. The game encourages lateral thinking and is not just a mindless shoot-everything-that-moves type of game.
A major element throughout the game is the Little Sisters. They are little girls who have been implanted with a sea slug which has physically modified them to produce ADAM (the stuff that allows you to splice Plasmids and Gene Tonics).
To get to them you will have to tackle their protectors, the Big Daddies, huge lumbering brutes in modified diving suits, who are incredibly dangerous. This is where the game forces you into moral decisions. After killing their Big Daddy and capturing the Little Sister you can either harvest her for ADAM (killing her in the process) or rescue her by killing the implanted sea slug. This only nets you half the ADAM you would get if you harvested the Little Sister. So more power, or moral high ground… your choice.
The Terrain: The 1950s art deco architecture of Rapture is beautiful. Each and every room is different; it’s not just generic corridors, but grand architecture on a colossal scale. The developers have not just created an extremely functional city to explore, but have created a work of art.
The sound is the best I have heard in any game. Just listening to all the clanks and groans of machinery, the constant trickling of water, the litanies of the splicers (citizens which have been driven mad from too much ‘splicing’) as they wander the city mourning what they have become, is fantastic.
The Experience: Playing Bioshock is a joy. All the elements blend so well together to make it one of the most atmospheric games ever made. The masterful audio, voice acting and stunning visuals makes you feel as if you are in an undersea city on the brink of collapse.
Bioshock is a hard game, but attains the happy balance of being difficult without being frustrating. Bioshock has set the standard for all story-driven shooters. It is a masterpiece of game design and should be considered an essential purchase.
5/5 stars
– LS Yuri Ramsey |
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| INTENSE: The Darkness can become gory. |
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- Dark puppet -
The Darkness
2K Games
Xbox360, PS3 (MA15+)
The Game: You are Mafia hitman Jackie Estacado. On your 21st birthday your uncle Paulie tries to have you whacked but you survive, only to be possessed by an evil force known as the darkness. As you seek your revenge, the darkness conspires to puppet your choices and actions to its own nefarious purposes.
The Play: The Darkness is a first-person shooter that plays a lot like an action/adventure. As you follow the story you are given the freedom to roam parts of the city, exploring and doing side missions. The shooting is violent and intense, with the building darkness powers turning you into an unstoppable and increasingly gory killing machine.
The Terrain: As the name suggests, the game is dark and plays out entirely at night with plenty of shadows to draw your darkness power from. The art design and lighting present a world dripping with atmosphere.
The Experience: Early in the game, the player learns how to eat an enemy’s heart to gain more power. If you can entertain this kind of comic-book violence you will be absolutely wrapped in this game. The action is solid and visceral, while the story presents a chilling vision complete with some very disturbing plot twists. This is more than just a guilty pleasure.
4.5/5 stars
- Sean Roberts |
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