First Impressions: Bioshock (PS3)

My first experience with Bioshock was in August, 2007, when it was released.  My roommate ZorTheRed was the sort of gamer that was known to purchase games as soon as they were released, in hot anticipation of amazing play experiences.  He had already played a bit before inviting me to give it a shot.  I still remember that weird and cool sensation the moment I realized that the opening cinema had ended, and the game had begun, I could now control my movement.  

More than ten years later (and one year after Jaconian kindly gifted me with the game) I'm actually sinking my teeth into the BioShock.  I think this game is perfectly suited for where I am in gaming.  It shows of the PS3 perfectly.  The cool art-deco underwater design of Rapture is always highlighted, creating a detailed atmosphere in a way I don't think was easy to do on previous systems.  When cinematics unfold, it is completely smoothly integrated with the gameplay, but also looks amazing.  There are many triumphs in this game, and I can see why it is an undisputed classic.  

But, of course, I am also a big-time nitpicker, so here goes.  I chose medium difficulty because, as the menu option says 'I have played First Person Shooters before.' Maybe I should switch to easy, because it has been a while since I last played through an FPS.  But I'm stubborn.  

My experience is that the controls don't feel right.  It took me a long time to find out how to flip the Y-axis, thinking it wasn't possible. And by that time, I had gotten used to the other way around, and had to flip back.  Again, this may be because I am rusty, but I have trouble, especially during intense action moments, where I have trouble aiming, or reacting in time.  I get lost in the middle of a fight.  

Second is that it just seems like there's too much fighting.  What I love the most about the game is the art-design and the story.  It's beautiful and well crafted, and really very interesting.  But I feel like that is clogged up with a bunch of fights.  Additionally, the standard issue-bad guys are pretty gross and evocative.  But before long they're just 'enemy #1 and enemy #2' and their design becomes fairly unimportant.  I wish the game had been a bit more thoughtful about its use of enemy combat, and less 'gamey.'  It just feels like the game is throwing things at me, and that bores me.

While watching me play, Jane commented that she wished it was more like 'Myst' - ie: puzzle based and non-combat.  I can definitely see that.  I think there's a happy medium between standard FPS and Myst.  And that's a little more my speed these days.

Anyway, despite these many nits I picked, I really enjoy BioShock, and I'm thinking about it while I'm sitting here, at my job, where I'm supposed to be working.  I guess I'll go do that now.

-D