26 April 2013

Bioshock

Bioshock does what its name states.  It shocks us with a twisted, warped version of life - bio - through a science-fiction, steampunk lens.  It takes things we value you, like infanthood and parenthood, and warps it by giving us a woman singing a lullaby to a handgun in a stroller.  It gives us what-if scenarios, like what would happen if objectivism was to be made into the government of a city, or what would the US look like if racism hadn't been abolished.  You watch yourself descend into moral depravity to stop the moral depravity of another man.  What's the difference? 





Spoilers, y'all.  





No, seriously.  I'm gonna spoil the whole damn thing.  Stop reading and go play.  





If you aren't gonna play, then don't bother reading either.  Instead, go play anyways.  





I read an interesting article that was pointing out the similarities between Bioshock 1 and rapture with Bioshock: Infinite and Columbia - which, of course, makes sense, since the whole multiverse theory sets up for the two to be intertwined.  What the article noted was that the main character in Bioshock 1 is a clone of Andrew Ryan, and in Infinite, you are literally the same person as Comstock. 

I find it interesting that this theory pervades the Bioshock franchise (full disclosure - I never played Bioshock II).  One of the distinct things about 1 and Infinite, though, is the extreme violence going on.  You are forced, in order to stop the depraved acts of a psychopath, to perform depraved acts of psychopathy, against a character who is literally yourself.  Talk about subjectivism.  In Bioshock 1, it's easier to discern the line between good and evil - save the little sisters, and you fall, marginally, on the high moral ground.  But in Infinite...ah.  There is no such distinction.  

It's a fun game.  The mechanics are pretty awesome.  But the story is where it is at.  There's nothing quite like listening to a choral version of "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" while your daughter drowns you.  It's heartbreaking. 
























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