But what I remember more about SS 2 more than anything else, is that it's the scariest game I've ever played. You think Resident Evil, Alone in the Dark, and Silent Hill are scary. Those games are fucking child's play compared to SS 2. What sets SS 2 apart from those other horror games? One word; atmosphere. It has atmosphere that was unprecedented back in 1999. Flickering hall lights, voices echoing down the hallway, robots gone haywire, mutagenic lifeforms coming from every direction, and audio recordings of people going mad. "Glory to the Many. I am a voice in their choir." It's the most frightening sci-fi story since the first two Alien movies. And let's not forget SHODAN, one of the most memorable villains of all time. Even though I haven't played SS 2 in many years, I still have nightmares about it. Nightmares about cyborg midwives, nightmares about crew members transforming into hideous abominations, nightmares about voices in my head repeating, "We are, we are, we are, we are."
I'm glad to say Bioshock follows the tradition.
I rented Bioshock for my 360 yesterday. For those of you who've played Bioshock but not SS 2, I can assure you, the claims that Bioshock is a "spiritual successor" to the SS games is wholly accurate. The only difference is Bioshock is set in a 1950's Atlantis gone horribly wrong instead of a spaceship overrun by hostile alien lifeforms. That, and the graphics in Bioshock are way better, and the sound is in 5.1 surround. But otherwise, it's pretty much the same, which is a good thing.
Bioshock is not as complex as SS 2 was. It's much easier, and easier to figure out. On the other hand, some clever nuances were lost. Still, I like what they've done; Plasmid powers are more useful than the psychic powers in SS 2 were, guns never break on you, (yes, your firearms can jam in SS 2 from repeated use. This was one of its few flaws, your guns would jam more frequently than than the times you ran out of ammo. Then again, I found ways around that . . .) The camera lets you research enemies more easily than SS 2's method was, and is it just me, or does the "incinerate" power let you use fire like Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist does? There are many ways to best your foes in Bioshock, which I like. Oh, and telekinesis works like the Gravity Gun from Half-Life 2.
And in case you're wondering, I'm choosing to save the Little Sisters, not kill them. It's my nature. I'm a savior, not a conqueror. When given a moral choice in games, I usually go the good route.
My only beef is, I'm playing the 360 version, not the PC version. If I had the PC version, I would have mouseaim. I am absolutely fucking lethal in a shooter game if I have the precision of a mouse. Here, on my 360 gamepad, not quite as much. Headshots are lucky shots I tell you.
Yeah, but I predict that years from now, I'm gonna have nightmares about cosmetics surgeons that compare their surgeries to works by Picasso. I can see it now.
Bioshock has a cool intro, by the way:
"I am here to ask you a question:
Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?
No, says the man in Washington; it belongs to the poor.
No, says the man in the Vatican; it belongs to God.
No, says the man in Moscow; it belongs to everyone.
I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something
different. I chose the impossible. I chose . . .
