Cynical's Bioshock Demo Thoughts

It is no big secret that Bioshock is one of my most anticipated game releases of this year. As with all anticipated games it becomes difficult to maintain some form of objectivity about the game in order to critically analyze the game's release. Of course, a demo which is designed to promote the release of a game is not the best medium in which to critique a game. However, it does give us a feel for what we will experience when the complete package is released for retail.

Bioshock deals with the concept of dystopia. A dystopia is a civilization which is considered to be oppressive and is often represented as a form of authoritarian or totalitarian control over its citizens. Recently, Half Life 2 has taken gamer's to Gabe Newell's alien dystopia. Half Life 2 had basically torn a page out of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and presented the player with a regime which they wanted to hate. An oppressive form of government which made players emotionally involved with through the nature of their repression. Bioshock, on the other hand, is a vision of a utilitarian utopia which has taken its citizens to a place where they can live in one man's vision of what a free society should be. However, as seems to be the way with utopia's there is not a silver lining to the cloud of Andrew Ryan's vision. There is a more sinister side to the reality of breaking away from conventional society. A world which is not meant to have any limits ultimately is destroyed by the very ideals which it stands to uphold. That is where the gamer is placed in Bioshock.

The gamer finds themselves treading water after surviving a plane crash. The scene is not like Lost where you are a part of a number of survivors who are desperately trying to pick up the pieces after an accident. It appears that you are the sole survivor. You tread water surrounded by burning wreckage. The flames are excellent and provide fantastic contrast against the blackness of the night sky and the water. As you move through the floating wreck and debris you see a light house standing out of the middle of nowhere which will offer you some salvation from the horror that you have just experienced.

Stylistically the game looks fantastic. The art deco style is also obviously influenced by some communist art as Andrew Ryan is portrayed in massive sculpture sporting his utilitarian slogans. The graphics are excellent, however, while Irrational may have had a dedicated coder to work on just the water in the game. The depiction of running water still highlights the limitations of the hardware and the skills of those people attempting to create them.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of demo to be had. It is possible to get a feel for the game, but the area which is available to the gamer is limited, narrow and scripted. This is quite the opposite of what we are led to believe the game will be which is a "relatively" open world. It may be that some gamers play this demo and are somewhat misled as to what the game is actually about. Those parts of the game which are available are definitely moody and atmospheric. The lighting is effective and the use of shadow as a means to create atmosphere is (as should be expected) becoming a standard part of the gaming landscape.

After the release of the demo this game is still on my list of most anticipated games. Considering it is due out on the 24th of this month it seems the anticipation doesn't have long to wait. Hopefully, this game will provide us with a dystopia worth hating. A vision which, while being idealistic, has deteriorated and created the basest form of human settlement. These are the things which Half Life 2 attempted to create but failed miserably in their application.

The Moral Decision

Game developers believe that they can create environments in game which force gamers to make moral choices which will affect the outcome of a game. However, I don't believe that these simulated environments successfully manage to create the same basis for moral choice as we face in life. The reason for this being that these so-called moral choices have no forcible impact on our lives. While they may affect the outcome of the game it is possible to replay the game while taking a different path and experiencing the story line applied by making different "moral" choices. Bioshock is one such game which will attempt to give gamers the opportunity to experience a world of moral choice. Ultimately, I don't believe that these games really provide much of an impact on a gamer's life beyond the time spent playing them in the first place.

A game which has been released of late which offers gamers the notion of consequence based on choice is Flat Out: Ultimate Carnage. You may be surprised to hear someone say that but this is very true. The choices which you make in Flat Out: Ultimate Carnage are not moral choices but they are choices which can directly affect you winning or losing a race.

I wouldn't have said that this was the case for previous versions of the Flat Out franchise. For the first time in the series impacts with objects and with other vehicles in the game actually can impede your progress more than helping it. The in game objects actually do appear to carry some weight to them. Hitting a large piece of metal scaffolding can slow your car down significantly. While impacting with objects and other vehicles can provide you with a nitro boost the actual impact can slow your vehicle down more than then nitro boost will speed you up. This creates a constant form of decision making process involved in the game. You are constantly deciding whether picking up a little bit of nitro boost now will provide you with a greater benefit for later in the race, or, whether the speed you will lose based on the impact with the objects will be more detrimental to your overall progress.

This is an immediate process of determining whether the pros and cons of your actions will have a positive or negative impact on your overall position in the race when you finally cross the finish line. If you don't win the race you may have trouble progressing through the game. I have found this to be a far better means of implementing a "cause and effect" based system within a game rather than the high moral ground associated with "moral choice" in game. The basis of your decisions can immediately affect the outcome of the race you are in.

Unfortunately, the physics system in Flat Out: Ultimate Carnage was not effectively implemented. As the heavy objects seem to have far greater impact on the cars you start with and less impact on more expensive cars that you can purchase later in the game. This is a shame as the difficulty later is easier based on the cars you purchase. It would have been nice to have a consistent process throughout the entire game.

I don't believe that making games which are devoid of moral choice are a good idea, but the way in which cause and effect affects in game moral choices are poorly implemented and of little impact on games overall. At least, with Flat Out, the decision making process has an immediate impact on the outcome of a race and gamers can find themselves making Pros Vs Cons decisions many times throughout the course of a racing event.

The Search For Perfection

I have an unnatural fascination with Wii Bowling. It is the continual need to try to get a perfect score. Maybe it is more than a fascination and is an obsession, but one day I will crack the 300.

It is more than just playing a game now. It is a constant revision of style, tone and pace in order to try to nail the perfect bowl every single time. It even comes down to a feeling of paranoia at times that the game won't let anyone bowl a perfect score. But, I am sure, it is more that the controllers and their sensitivity merely reflect the imperfection of my action.

I tend to spin the ball from right to left. I haven't managed to master the left to right spin, which is a flaw in my delivery, but something which can be developed and eventually implemented.

Playing bowls reminds me of the good old days of gaming when the top score was everything. All you wanted to do was to get in the top ten highest scores list. You wanted to master the game and imprint your initials on the arcade machine so that everyone else could see. However, Wii Bowling is sadly lacking a top score list. It would have been a nice touch to be able to compare your score to everyone else's. See how you fared on that machine. These things don't appear much in gaming. The use of a score as a point of comparison has slowly been phased out of gaming. We are presented with winners and losers. You either win the multiplayer or you lose it. You can't rate yourself based on a score. There is no possibility for considering what may or may not have been your personal best. It is a shame that gaming has lost this ability to be able to define itself in more ways than just winning and losing.

The picture that I have posted here shows the longest run of strikes that I have had. 9 in a row is the best I can manage. But one day I will manage to master the lanes and bowl a perfect 300.