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History of BioShock | Retro Review

Today I decided to go back to the games from the recent past, and tell you the history of BioShock. This is one of my favorite games, I was going to make this retro review for a long time, and now, finally, the history of BioShock series on Geek-Blog.

Bioshock retro review

In fact, the history of the BioShock series begins with a game called System Shock. In 1994, Looking Glass Studios released System Shock. Since then, this game has been included in numerous tops of various ratings. Moreover, this game has greatly influenced the current gaming industry. Not least because of the fact that the developers combined a role-playing game and a first-person shooter.

System Shock 1

In 1999, System Shock 2 was released, in which everything was done according to all the canons of the second parts of good games. That is, the developers did everything the same, but better.

System Shock 2

In 2007, the main character of this article, the first part of BioShock, was released. And in fact, this game is the real spiritual heir of BioShock 2. The plot of the games is absolutely not connected with each other, but a lot of the gameplay elements and storyline features Bioshock draws from System Shock. Another source of inspiration for the creators was Atlas Shrugged, written by Ayn Rand.

bioshock 2007

1960, the main character named Jack as a result of a car accident falls into the underwater city of Rapture. This city was created by millionaire Andrew Ryan as an ideal, from his point of view, society. But the discovery of a substance called Adam, which gives people supernormal abilities, split the society of Rapture, which led to the fall of the city.

bioshock gameplay

So, we wander along the underwater corridors and rooms of this city, fight hostile mutants, and try to understand what happened. We are helped in this by both scenes on the game engine and various audio recordings that have become the hallmark of BioShock. As well as periodic radio conversations with other characters in the game.

bioshock gaming

BioShock is obviously closer to a first-person shooter but still has some role-playing elements. Firstly, with the help of plasmids, we can improve our abilities. Secondly, the weapons also undergo some changes. Also in many places, you can go through the game in many ways. But of course, in BioShock there are much fewer role-playing elements than in System Shock.

And of course the plot. Following the example of Half-Life, the creators of BioShock weave into the game a very solid story, interesting characters, detective elements, revelations at the end, etc.

Bioshock retro review

The most important thing is that the game has a basic idea. We see the empire fall. The millionaire Ryan wanted to make a city for the elite, a kind of VIP city. But the creator did not think of one small detail – the service. The cream of society did not want to clean the toilets, and those who were hired for this purpose felt like second-class people.

And this, of course, led to a rebellion, which was compounded by Adam, a substance that improved human abilities, and gradually made him a drug addict. It all started with a lot of dependence and turned people into creepy and aggressive mutant monsters.

Bioshock review

We learn all these details gradually, with the passage of the game. We look at the magnificent ruins, vintage posters in the style of the 50s. Our imagination literally draws how the city looked before the collapse. The game makes not only your eyes but also your imagination work.

bioshock two

But this, of course, is not all. Big daddies, little sisters, terrible moments with bloodthirsty opponents, moments of melancholy and wild action. The game is beautiful, atmospheric, and having passed it once you will remember it forever.

In addition, the game itself raises a lot of important topics. These are allusions to fascism, allusions to oppression and abusement, filed in a playful and very memorable way.

bioshock 2 review

In 2010, a sequel came out, BioShock 2, and in 2013 is released the third part of the series, which is a prequel, called BioShock Infinite. In the second BioShock, we played for a big daddy, and in BioShock Infinite we were transported a few years earlier, in the early 20s of the 20th century. Here we move from the underwater city to the air city and get a fairly new experience.

bioshock infinite combat

Many consider the first part to be the best, calling the second and third mediocre sequels. Many scold these games because of the lack of radically new ideas and the rejection of good ideas from the first part. But for those who became acquainted with the series starting from the third part, everything is exactly the opposite.

bioshock collection

In any case, if for some reason you missed the series of BioShock, I strongly advise you familiarize yourself with these games. The reissue called BioShock: The Collection will simplify your familiarization process.

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