First post! Me FTW

Hi. My name is Thomas Baker. I am, among other things, an avid gamer, a freelance writer and editor, an integration aide and a reasonably human being.

No, that's not a typo - I'm an editor, remember?

I was playing through Bioshock, a game recently released by Looking Gla- err, Irrational Gam- err, 2K Boston, and I felt like I had enough opinions on it to bother starting up a blog.

So that's basically what this blog will be for - me venting my gaming spleen.


Bioshock is being hailed all across the vast expanses of the Internet as a game that advances gaming as an art form - it's supposed to combine an involving plot, a cohesive visual aesthetic and solid, enjoyable action gameplay. It's also supposed to present the player with moral dilemmas that require deep consideration, and which are intended to challenge the player's values and preconceptions about gaming, and possibly humanity.

Bioshock is also being given insane ratings: 5/5, 98/100 and A+++A+. The current average of all review scores for the PC version, according to www.gamerankings.com, is 95.6/100 - phenomenal.

Bioshock was dubbed the spiritual successor to System Shock 2 as soon as it was announced, and SS2 was good enough that I married it and had several of its babies. Hence, from the day Bioshock's existence was made known to the public, I've been sitting around, wearing a bib and waiting for its release. When the demo came out I damn near brained myself with excitement. I sat watching it transfer, twitching and laughing nervously. My hype-gland was visibly throbbing.

I'm sure you get the picture - I was looking forward to this game. And don't get me wrong: I've purchased the full version via Steam, and I've played the first couple of hours, and I freaking love it. But in my eyes it's failed on a few vital points.

SPOILER WARNING (although if you've played the demo you'll already have witnessed the elements of Bioshock that I'm about to discuss, so soldier on if that's the case)

The game starts with your character's plane crashing near a surface-level entrance to Rapture, the underwater city that plays host to the game proper. That's not my concern - it's a fairly feasible way for the character to end up in the game's environment. This sequence is done so beautifully - I didn't take control of the character for some time because I thought I was still watching a cut scene - that I really don't mind the "Oh my, that's convenient" factor.

No, my major concern is that you're plunged into a very foreign environment inhabited by genetically modified freaks, called Splicers, and when you first come across a Plasmid - one of the gene-warping products available in the city of Rapture - the assumption is made that the player wants to leap headfirst into this DNA-corrupting lark. You're forced to use the Plasmid in order to open a door; the decision is made for you.

To rub chilli paste into the wound, gaining access to the Plasmid's juicy power-up actually requires you to take a syringe the size of a kitten and stab it into your arm. Despite the exceptionally unpleasant nature of such an act, your character knows exactly what to do, and doesn't hesitate in doing so.

The crux of my complaint is this: the developers don't give you the option, and they don't explain why. They give you options, such as which Plasmids to use and what items to buy, etc., but the assumption these options ride on is that you opted to screw with your own genetic code in the first place. The core of the diversity of gameplay rests on that assumption. For a game that supposedly challenges you to make moral and ethical decisions, that seems like a glaring oversight to me.

Beyond that, there's the frustration I feel about how the Splicers don't use the Plasmids that are readily available to you, and logically also to them. Looting their bodies will sometimes yield Eve Hypos, which you use to replenish your Plasmid ammo. Why are they carrying such things when they don't even use Plasmids themselves?

I won't comment on the presence of the Big Daddies and the Little Sisters, because I've only played a couple of hours of the game - their origin might be explained later. I'm worried that it won't, and that they'll just be interesting game mechanics instead of an integral part of a convincing fantasy world, but I'll reserve judgement.

It may seem like I'm nitpicking, but Bioshock was supposed to be an exercise in philosophy and human understanding, as well as a first-person shooter - so far I'm afraid it's been largely the latter.

A bloody good latter, mind you.