Omar Ismail
Banned
Basic Information
Available for Xbox 360 and PC (under the Games for Windows brand).
US release date: August 21st, 2007
PAL: Aug 24th
Japan: TBA
Developer: Irrational Games (acquired by Take Two)
Publisher: 2K Games
Genre: Shooter
Game Rating: M (Mature)
*Blood and Gore
*Drug Reference
*Intense Violence
*Sexual Themes
*Strong Language
Specs: 1 Player | Dolby 5.1 Surround | HDTV 720p | Marketplace Downloads | Xbox LIVE Aware
Marketing Info
From the Official Homepage
Biologically mod your body: Plasmids are genetic augmentations that empower you with dozens of fantastic abilities. Send Electrobolts storming from your fingertips, unleash a swarm of hornets hatched from the veins of your arms, strategically turn enemies against one another with irritants.
Take control of your world: Hack devices and systems to reprogram enemy security bots into personal bodyguards, modify vending machines to change prices, and transform machine gun security turrets into powerless pieces of metal.
Upgrade your weapons: Look for Fire-For-Effect stations located through Rapture. Craft variants of ammo and plasmids by picking up materials in the city to modify them at U-Invent kiosks.
Experiment with battle techniques: With BioShocks free-form combat options, gameplay scenarios can be approached with a variety of weapons, active and passive plasmids, environmental objects utilization, exploitation of political alliances, or a combination of techniques. Find your style but know when to adapt.
Explore an incredible world: The unique art deco world hidden deep under the ocean is vividly illustrated with realistic water effects and truly next generation graphics.
Make meaningful decisions: Do you exploit the innocent survivors of Rapture to save yourself or risk all to become their savior?
Story
The game takes place in an underwater city named Rapture. Surviving a plane crash at the beginning of the game you find your way to this lost city, a decrepit and crumbling shadow of its former self. The ocean is reclaiming the space, and the inhabitants have turned into bloodthirsty mutants. During the course of the game you uncover how Rapture fell from its grace of a 1940s Utopian dream to the current nightmare. Minimal use of cutscenes are used as information is spread around the environment itself in newspapers, posters, and radio broadcasts.
Enemies
Splicers: Deformed, genetically modified Rapture citizens who are now remnants of Ryan's army, the Aggressors cannot survive without ADAM due to their extensive biological modifications. They wear little or no armor, and normally roam the levels of Rapture, searching for other inhabitants to kill and steal ADAM from. As their name would suggest, they are aggressive and quick to attack, and will use their enhanced physical strength, group tactics and, sometimes, semi-biological weapons to kill all in their path.
Gatherers: (Little Sisters) Originally to be portrayed as slug-like, genetically modified sea creatures but now shown as genetically modified children, the Gatherers were created by a scientist named Dr. Tanenbaum as a solution to the ADAM shortage. They extract ADAM from the dead with the tools they carry and eat it, their bodies reprocessing it into a usable form. The team designed them so the player would have a moral conflict in shooting children, to obtain ADAM as well as severe difficulty due to their relation to the Protectors as their charges. According to lead designer Ken Levine, the Gatherers have a direct link with the main character. In a recently released audio file, Levine clarifies how the player cannot physically harm a Little Sister, but they can "harvest" the ADAM from them (a process which they will not survive). This will be presented via audio, and a black screen.
Protectors: (Big Daddies, or Mr. Bubbles and Mr. B as some of the Gatherers call them) Mute, lumbering bio-mechanical monstrosities, created to protect the Gatherers. They are heavily armored and wield high-powered weaponry, including a large drill. Their armor somewhat resembles a large diving suit. Most of the inhabitants stay out of the way of the Gatherers and Protectors. They will not attack you unless provoked and according to lead designer Paul Hellquist "Once you mess with them, you find out why no one messes with them." In a recent trailer/commentary for Bioshock, it was revealed that, despite their size and typically slow movements, they become incredibly fast once engaged, in some cases quicker than the player.
Security Bots: Throughout the city of Rapture, they are called via alarm by various security cameras. Security bots appear to hover and fly using the same method as helicopters and are armed with machine guns. When disturbed, the security cameras' siren will sound and an unlimited supply of security bots will pour out for a limited time. The only way to take them down is to shut off the security system by using ADAM to turn it off. The security system can also be suborned by the player, either by "hacking" it or using the "Security Beacon" plasmid on an enemy.
Official requirements for PC Version
Developer's Podcasts said:
Collector's Edition
* Big Daddy figurine
* Making Of DVD
* soundtrack CD
The BioShock Limited Edition will be available to US and Canada exclusively at GameStop and EB for US$59.99 (PC LE) and US$69.99 (Xbox 360 LE)
Figurine (more pics)
Huge promotional statue in 4 EBGames/Gamespots around the US.
Reviews
10/10 on OXM UK and 95% on PC Gamer
Informative Links
2K official homepage
Wikipedia
BioShock product report
IGN
GameSpot
Xbox.com
Podcasts
Episode 1: What is BioShock
Episode 2: Player Choice in BioShock
Episode 3: What is Rapture?
Episode 4: The Developers
Episode 5: The Evolution of BioShock
Episode 6: An Exlusive look at the Little Sisters of BioShock
Episode 7: Inside the Animations
Episode 8: The Physics Behind BioShock
Episode 9: The Story of Andrew Ryan
Episode 10: BioShock on PC
Episode 11: Plasmids in BioShock
Videos
BioShock trailer
14 minute developer walkthrough
7 minutes of gameplay footage
E3 2007 X-Play footage
EcoShock trailer showing crazy AI!
