I am Andrew Ryan and I am here to ask you a question:
Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?
No, says the man in Washington. It belongs to the poor.
No, says the man in the Vatican. It belongs to God.
No, says the man in Moscow. It belongs to everyone.
I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something
different. I chose the impossible. I chose...
Rapture.
- Andrew Ryan
Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?
No, says the man in Washington. It belongs to the poor.
No, says the man in the Vatican. It belongs to God.
No, says the man in Moscow. It belongs to everyone.
I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something
different. I chose the impossible. I chose...
Rapture.
- Andrew Ryan
The chilling opening speech to Bioshock, after you (a fella named Jack) crash land in the ocean whilst travelling in a plane. The nearest bit of safety is a mysterious lighthouse...climbing the stairs and pushing your way into the building, the door closes quickly behind you. The short darkness then crackles to life, with a rendition of Frank Sinatra's 'Beyond The Sea' playing you wander down and enter a circular pod, passing a statue of a very impressive man. Once in, the sphere drops into the ocean, and after an introductory video with said speech, you are given your first view of the underwater utopia known as Rapture.
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| Just a glimpse of Rapture |
* WARNING * YET AGAIN I HAVE TO WARN OF MAJOR SPOILERS, just like the Batman blog.WHEW*
So Bioshock, a game that came out in 2007 and is still regarded as one of THE best games ever. Now I don't say that because it is my opinion, but every game I blog about in this series will be regarded by myself as the best ever, but indeed around the world it got some crazy reviews!! The game was heralded as a new page in gaming, where the genre was almost taking itself too seriously and in turn made many gamers put the controller down and go... holy shit this is real. Now that statement may sound weird but I will reveal the biggest and best part of the game at the end of this blog, so would you kindly read on. The start to Bioshock is one of the most chilling moments in gaming, rounding it off by beating a woman with a wrench. Yes it is gory, yes it is scary, but there are some things that standout for me. Just like my Batman blog i will discuss a few of them :) enjoy!.
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| Welcome to Rapture, on your right... murder! |
CONTEXT CORNER (I advise you to read this awesome backstory!!!) CLICK HERE!!
On December 31, 1958, a massive working-class uprising, led by Atlas (a revolutionary and hater of the system Andrew Ryan created), occurred in upper-class locations around Rapture. This sparked a civil war between Atlas and Andrew Ryan. This was mainly due to the addictive need for ADAM ( a dangerous gene changing drug) in most of the city's residents, turning them later into Splicers. During the 1958 New Year's Eve Riots, traditional ballistic weapons and Plasmids (powers gained from the use of ADAM, like fire and ice) were used on both sides. The major conflict lasted about four months, but the violence continued to break apart the society of Rapture. Since then, Rapture fell into poverty and disrepair, the general maintenance of the city is slowly degrading, with its residents killing and plundering for drugs.
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| Give us a cuddle? |
So one of the first things that will make you shit yourself is the Splicer. These creepy things are actually people. They were the residents of Rapture before the civil war, now drug addicts and searching for their fix. These guys and girls will do ANYTHING for it too, they will use pipes guns knives hooks and explosives just to see if you have drugs, They are the scariest of enemies purely because they don't give a crap about their actions. The game design is perfect too. They shriek and insult you, scaring you into running from them as they stalk you. They move out of your firing line and throw themselves about. The Splicers do indeed become gun fodder later on. But Rapture has a much bigger and deadly enemy, one that even a gang of Splicers won't go near.
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| HOLY. SHIT. |
This mean brother is the Big Daddy. Yes. He is terrifying. Let me give you the scenario. You are wandering around, and you come across a Little Sister. You head in to get her and then you hear a sound. Like a whale or a dragon, can't quite tell. Then you turn and see one of these guys. You try to attack, thinking you could be quicker. You aren't. The Big Daddy runs straight towards you with full intent on ripping you apart. most likely, you will die. These beasts are hulking protectors of the Little Sisters and only after killing them will you get a shot at the young girls. I have to mention these guys, purely because I was so scared of them when I first played. Here is the scene... If this doesn't make you slightly uncomfortable then would you kindly never play the game. They are more important than they first seem too, but its really in the sequel to Bioshock that you get to understand the character and purpose of the Big Daddy.
"Cohen's an artist, says some. He's a Section Eight, says I. I've seen all kinds of cutthroats, freaks, and hard cases in my life, but Cohen, he's a real lunatic, a dyed-in-the-wool psychopath..." ―Atlas
Next on my list for standout moments in the game, is the introduction of Sander Cohen. A poet artist and all round brilliant character. He is a big player in Rapture because of his talents. But due to the societal problems, Cohen was forced to change his ways... but he still was a bit artistic in his madness. He became sadistically impassive to the deaths and suffering of others... using them in his several artistic works to impress you with. Yes, I know right :/. Mr Cohen forces you to work for your right to meet him, and you get to explore areas that impress and scare, rich in detail along with the running commentary from the creator himself. He screams at you to 'SMILE' or telling you to 'fly little moth'. The scene is a superbly designed set piece, as the music gets deeper and your nerves are tested, Cohen gets more mad as you complete his sculpture. His appearance as he walks down stairs in full character is a great moment. From there, it is your choice whether or not to kill him. Do you release him from Rapture and the mental breakdown that is his life? Or do you spare him to continue his serial murders for a 'creative cause'. Would you kindly put your answers in the comments section?
"With genetic modifications, beauty is no longer a goal or even a virtue, it is a moral obligation. Do we force the healthy to live with the contagious? Do we mix the criminal with the law abiding? Then why are the plain allowed to mingle with the fair?!"
- Dr. Steinmanf
Another moment of greatness in Bioshock is one that I can't forget. I hate creepy games. I don't know why I play them because they haunt me. You are asked to visit the local hospital in Rapture, and if anybody knows horror you will know that its always a bad idea to visit one. The surgery room is your goal... but as you go you hear stories from Dr. Steinman, dictating his surgeries through audio tapes. You search through the surgery, coming across several dead bodies, blood stained walls and several posters advertising his great skill. But, when you finally meet Dr. Steinman, you realise that he is addicted to making people perfect. His character is not dissimilar to the main guy in The Hurt Locker, obsessed with his art to the point where he has to do his job no matter what the consequences. Bioshock delivers Steinman as a man hell bent on creating the perfect person. As you can imagine, many of his subjects fail by his standards and he hangs them up as a reminder. The scene itself is amazing, perfectly designed and the horror of his failure truly hits home as you watch his mind degrade before you, documenting his madness through the tapes you find. He is a very scary character indeed.
So, like my other blog, I have described a few moments of my time in Bioshock. There are plenty trust me. But this next one is the best. It is the biggest spoiler of all. It will need slight backstory too. So bear with me. When you arrive in Rapture, you are greeted by a friendly Irishman named Atlas. He is nice enough and helps you through the tunnels and areas. In return for helping you he requests if you would kindly help him out with various tasks, including helping his family. For the majority of the game you become good friends with Atlas, believing his stories and following his advice. The you meet Mr. Andrew Ryan himself. The creator of Rapture and a man who is trapped inside his residence within the city, afraid to leave. He explains why you are here in Rapture, why you crashed. He then breaks down the fourth...fifth and every other wall possible. He explains to you how the words 'Would you kindly?' are words that force you into doing it, almost hypnotherapy. Now just imagine, you play games platy of times, following the path set before you; no matter how big the game is at some point everyone will end a certain way. Bioshock understood this and used it to its advantage. The game is linear for sure, but it accepts that and blatantly throws it in your face. The misconception that you are doing anything for yourself is ruined, making you a slave to the words 'Would you kindly?'. After this revelation. Ryan decides he has played his last card, handing you his favourite golf club and asks, 'Would you kindly hit me in the head'. You beat Ryan to death even though you try not to. Its a shocking scene. One that reverberates most likely for the rest of your gaming life. I loved this moment, I loved this game, it made me actually think about the meaning behind why we play games.
So the dust settles on Bioshock after about 10 hours. But these hours are genuinely some of the best out there. The rich history behind Rapture is their as long as you choose to find it. Like a great novel, Bioshock unravels itself slowly, hitting the big reveal and leaving you with a great memory. It is one of many great moments in the game. It is scary yet incredible place for a game to be set. It has many features that people may need to know too. Levelling up weapons, hacking security turrets, the ability to mix gunplay with the gene changers known as plasmids. The game is brilliant. Go out and pick it up as soon as. This brings us to the end of another gaming blog. Next in my series will be Red Dead Redemption, number 2 in my top games of all time. So expect that in the next week. Once again, thank you for reading... and would you kindly read my other blogs :)
A man builds a city at the bottom of the ocean. That's a marvel. Another man happens to be on a plane that crash lands on the same city in the middle of the ocean. Why, that sounds more like... a miracle. - Andrew Ryan
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| Scarier then it looks |
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| The curtain is raised |
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| Almost like Joker... |
"With genetic modifications, beauty is no longer a goal or even a virtue, it is a moral obligation. Do we force the healthy to live with the contagious? Do we mix the criminal with the law abiding? Then why are the plain allowed to mingle with the fair?!"
- Dr. Steinmanf
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| Would you kindly tell me what you need sorting? |
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| The mistakes.... |
- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. These people will liberate themselves."
- ―Atlas
So, like my other blog, I have described a few moments of my time in Bioshock. There are plenty trust me. But this next one is the best. It is the biggest spoiler of all. It will need slight backstory too. So bear with me. When you arrive in Rapture, you are greeted by a friendly Irishman named Atlas. He is nice enough and helps you through the tunnels and areas. In return for helping you he requests if you would kindly help him out with various tasks, including helping his family. For the majority of the game you become good friends with Atlas, believing his stories and following his advice. The you meet Mr. Andrew Ryan himself. The creator of Rapture and a man who is trapped inside his residence within the city, afraid to leave. He explains why you are here in Rapture, why you crashed. He then breaks down the fourth...fifth and every other wall possible. He explains to you how the words 'Would you kindly?' are words that force you into doing it, almost hypnotherapy. Now just imagine, you play games platy of times, following the path set before you; no matter how big the game is at some point everyone will end a certain way. Bioshock understood this and used it to its advantage. The game is linear for sure, but it accepts that and blatantly throws it in your face. The misconception that you are doing anything for yourself is ruined, making you a slave to the words 'Would you kindly?'. After this revelation. Ryan decides he has played his last card, handing you his favourite golf club and asks, 'Would you kindly hit me in the head'. You beat Ryan to death even though you try not to. Its a shocking scene. One that reverberates most likely for the rest of your gaming life. I loved this moment, I loved this game, it made me actually think about the meaning behind why we play games.
 |
| 'A man chooses. A slave obeys' |
So the dust settles on Bioshock after about 10 hours. But these hours are genuinely some of the best out there. The rich history behind Rapture is their as long as you choose to find it. Like a great novel, Bioshock unravels itself slowly, hitting the big reveal and leaving you with a great memory. It is one of many great moments in the game. It is scary yet incredible place for a game to be set. It has many features that people may need to know too. Levelling up weapons, hacking security turrets, the ability to mix gunplay with the gene changers known as plasmids. The game is brilliant. Go out and pick it up as soon as. This brings us to the end of another gaming blog. Next in my series will be Red Dead Redemption, number 2 in my top games of all time. So expect that in the next week. Once again, thank you for reading... and would you kindly read my other blogs :)
A man builds a city at the bottom of the ocean. That's a marvel. Another man happens to be on a plane that crash lands on the same city in the middle of the ocean. Why, that sounds more like... a miracle. - Andrew Ryan
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