Tuesday, October 10, 2006

BioShock (Xbox 360) Gameplay Walkthrough Impressions


Yesterday I decided to download the Gameplay Walkthrough for Irrational Games upcoming FPS/RPG, BioShock. The Gameplay Walkthrough appears to be from the Xbox 360 version, and aside from the fact that its audio left/right balance was reversed by default, the Walkthrough is quite impressive and makes me want the title even more.

The Walkthrough gives a few more details on the creation of the under water city of Rapture, however it's main purpose is to detail the features that will help set BioShock apart from the regular run-and-gun shooters.

In it, they showcase the game's enemy AI and the varying differences it has with different enemies. The Big Daddies, for example, will simply walk around looking to protect Little Sisters, and they've leave you alone if you leave them alone. Splicers, on the other hand, seem to attack you on sight, and they can come at you directly or leap around, including clinging to ceilings.

The gameplay mechanics demonstrated are very reminiscent of System Shock 2, which in my opinion is a great design decision. It shows how you can do ability modification via a wall panel, you have boosters, modifiable weapons, you can search corpses, hack security systems and bots, etc. The designers want to give the player lots of options in how they approach situations, and the Walkthrough shows that they're on the right track.

Audio seems to play a large part in the game as well. You can hear many enemies before you see them, such as Big Daddies stomping around or Splicers muttering about people watching them. Little Sisters are also quite cute, with there innocent "Look Mr. Bubbles! Adam!" In this instance, Mr. Bubbles is a Big Daddy, and Adam is the "money" of the game. It appears Little Sisters harvest Adam from corpses, and you'll be able to kill them for it or apparently protect them and find a way to get it from them.

The BioShock Gameplay Walkthrough is a large download, however it shows off some actual gameplay from one of gaming's most anticipated titles. Worth a watch.

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