Previous news: 25 August 2007

Bioshock!
Games are similar to movies in lots of ways, one of them being many are released every year but only a mere handful turn out to be classics that demand to be experienced.

I knew ever since I heard about Bioshock that it would be something very special. For a start it was being made Irrational Games who have always managed to produce hit after hit: SWAT 4: 85%, Freedom Force: 88% and of course System Shock 2: 92%

I've discussed System Shock 2 before, but it's a game worthy of repeated play and discussion. It came into being when members from the legendary Looking Glass Studios splintered off to form Irrational Games. Ken Levine was one of the ring leaders in this formation because he felt that as talented as the Looking Glass team was, they were too focused on advancing the art form of games rather than creating commercially viable games. The fact that Looking Glass closed it's door a few years later suggests that perhaps Levine was right.

Irrational had a troubled birth and produced System Shock 2 under very limited resources. Also many of the team had never even shipped a game before, a fact which gave them a fresh outlook but a lack of gut feelings to guide them through the complex throws of such an undertaking.

The co-operative element of the game was something that took considerable resources to achieve. Ken Levine is quoted as saying in hindsight he wished they'd used this development to focus on further refining and enhancing the single player aspect.

That was 1999, but eight years into the future Irrational had earned their stripes and secured the funding to make Bioshock the game System Shock 2 never could afford to be. By basing building on the Unreal 3 engine they've almost guaranteed themselves a beautiful looking end product. But what really makes Bioshock beautiful to witness is the art-deco inspired art design, it's something very fresh and different to the usual sci-fi & space, horror & old buildings or LotR & fantasy elements that are typically paired together.

Fallout was similar in its ambititions to produce a game with familiar game play elements but a compelling new and alien environment. When talented and creative minds get the financial backing to create games that can appeal to the mass market, we're finally able to justice to what once were low budget teasers of what was possible.

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Mav