DAY 64 / GAME 64
Bioshock
Back when the Xbox 360 was first released there were a lot of new games coming out that really showcased a lot of new tech. Bioshock published all these great trailers showing off their crazy engine and all it's fantastic water effects and I was super pumped by the time the game was finally released.
I remember Bioshock had this really fantastic intro. It was one of a few games where the introductory cinematic blends perfectly into the first bit of gameplay. You find yourself bobbing up and down in the water, waiting for something to happen and then you realize that you're actually in control now. The ability to render great looking water in a game never fails to impress me. I remember the stock method for rendering water in the first generation of Unreal Engine was used quite a lot and I really enjoyed it each time. Bioshock really took this to the next level and properly so being a game about living underwater. They multilayered the textures perfectly so that there was a real appearance of variety in the flow of the water.
But no matter how amazing this game looked. How gorgeous the underwater city appeared when you looked out of the glass windows and how the real time lighting played on the structures within; all of that was just a shell to encompass this fantastic story and unique FPS design. The whole plasmid+weapon design was fantastic. Being able to combine an elemental attack with a gun meant more creative solutions to your usual FPS combat. Firing electricity into a pool of water could mean shocking all within and using fire near oil or gas could start a blaze.
Just like it's sequels, Bioshock really struck a chord with me in a way only a few games do. In Bioshock one key component to the story is what suck with me, this is where you find yourself rescuing or harvesting the 'little sisters'. And of course, there was no way I could consider killing these little children; even if they were evil-ish. Bioshock 2 may have focused on this whole story aspect even more, but it certainly started with this one. The Little Sisters and their attachment to the hulking Big Daddies tossed a whole bunch of humanity to empathize with. If you're careful, you notice the Big Daddies carefully helping the sisters out of vents and crawlspaces to roam the city and if in danger, they protect them and run them back to a vent to escape into. The conflict emotionally of course is that the Daddies are a real obstacle in the game, but the moment you kill one and a little sister begins to morn over her friend and protector you realize it's not as black and white as you'd hoped.
I'm going to stop here before I rant way too long about this game. It's gorgeous, well written, well scored and well built. And any game that works in that parent-child bond goes far with me.
Bioshock
Back when the Xbox 360 was first released there were a lot of new games coming out that really showcased a lot of new tech. Bioshock published all these great trailers showing off their crazy engine and all it's fantastic water effects and I was super pumped by the time the game was finally released.I remember Bioshock had this really fantastic intro. It was one of a few games where the introductory cinematic blends perfectly into the first bit of gameplay. You find yourself bobbing up and down in the water, waiting for something to happen and then you realize that you're actually in control now. The ability to render great looking water in a game never fails to impress me. I remember the stock method for rendering water in the first generation of Unreal Engine was used quite a lot and I really enjoyed it each time. Bioshock really took this to the next level and properly so being a game about living underwater. They multilayered the textures perfectly so that there was a real appearance of variety in the flow of the water.
But no matter how amazing this game looked. How gorgeous the underwater city appeared when you looked out of the glass windows and how the real time lighting played on the structures within; all of that was just a shell to encompass this fantastic story and unique FPS design. The whole plasmid+weapon design was fantastic. Being able to combine an elemental attack with a gun meant more creative solutions to your usual FPS combat. Firing electricity into a pool of water could mean shocking all within and using fire near oil or gas could start a blaze.
Just like it's sequels, Bioshock really struck a chord with me in a way only a few games do. In Bioshock one key component to the story is what suck with me, this is where you find yourself rescuing or harvesting the 'little sisters'. And of course, there was no way I could consider killing these little children; even if they were evil-ish. Bioshock 2 may have focused on this whole story aspect even more, but it certainly started with this one. The Little Sisters and their attachment to the hulking Big Daddies tossed a whole bunch of humanity to empathize with. If you're careful, you notice the Big Daddies carefully helping the sisters out of vents and crawlspaces to roam the city and if in danger, they protect them and run them back to a vent to escape into. The conflict emotionally of course is that the Daddies are a real obstacle in the game, but the moment you kill one and a little sister begins to morn over her friend and protector you realize it's not as black and white as you'd hoped.
I'm going to stop here before I rant way too long about this game. It's gorgeous, well written, well scored and well built. And any game that works in that parent-child bond goes far with me.
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