BioShock

E3 2006 Hands On Preview

System Shock 2 hit PCs about seven years ago, offering up a heaping helping of creepy gameplay and incredible atmosphere. System Shock 2 was widely regarded by critics to be a phenomenal game, garnering great reviews across the board (some critics even argue that System Shock 2 is one of the best PC games ever made). Mind-bogglingly, the game didn’t do too well commercially, and many feared that the System Shock 2 would be the franchise’s swan song. Not the case, according to developer Irrational. Enter BioShock, the spiritual successor to System Shock 2. BioShock was playable on the show floor at this year’s E3, and the results are already showing a lot of promise. BioShock is poised not only to continue on the legacy set out by the excellent System Shock 2, but it’s set to beat it at its own game.

The BioShock demo started out with the player encountering a Big Daddy, which is a hulking brute enveloped in a diving suit-looking outfit, complete with the “little man in a fish bowl” diving helmet. He walks slowly past your character, paying him no mind as he saunters on by. Another character is revealed in the care of the Big Daddy, referred to as a Little Sister. These characters basically act like a gorilla in the wild, attacking only when provoked or threatened. The Big Daddies protect the Little Sisters, whose sole job is to collect Adam, a genetic material capable of altering the genetic make-up of things. This scene presented a great example of how the enemy AI will do things a little different from the norm, acting realistically and non-mechanical.

The gameplay will pan out similarly to System Shock 2, but for those who didn’t have the honor of playing that one (unfortunately, there are a lot out there), BioShock plays out from a first-person perspective, but calling it a shooter would be like calling a shoe horn a member of the brass family of instruments. More of a first-person adventure game, you’ll progress through the game, interacting with a variety of characters, solving puzzles and so on. The real joy of BioShock comes from the sheer open-endedness of the game. There are tons of ways to approach a situation and several different outcomes, meaning that it’s up to you to play the game as you see fit. There is seldom a wrong way to approach a situation…well, unless you’re dead.

Graphically, the game looks amazing. The dilapidated, underwater city of Rapture looks incredibly detailed, with a ton of great looking lighting effects and detailed textures. The character models are extremely fascinating, sporting unique and realistic animations. For example, the Big Daddies will hulk around in their diving suit, plodding along with big, uncomfortable strides.

Even though the game has a ways from its early 2007 release, Irrational still had a lot to show for it. Expect big things from BioShock.

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