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BioShock
Microsoft X-Box 360
He promised them a
home. He promised them a
place where they could work
for their own, become self
sufficient, and live in peace
from the rest of the world. He
promised them the perfect
utopia to raise their family
in. Andrew Ryan promised
the people of Rapture a lot
of things.
But with all great ideas,
the margin for error always
exists to rear its ugly head
just when least expected
Such is the case with the
underwater city of Rapture
and its residents.
Taking place right after
the New Year’s celebration of
1959,players assume the role
of the mysterious character
only briefly mentioned as
Jack as the airplane he's on
plunges into the middle of
Sitting down with Buscemi's 'lnterview' remake
By Grant Wallace
Staff Writer
grarwntß7@yahoo.coin
■ ■ - 'vcr .m
m sat
I interview
Based off the 2003
film with the same title,
director/act or Steve
Resistance is Useless bvißsseonki
the Atlantic Ocean. Being
the sole survivor of the
crash. Jack swims to an
enigmatic structure where
he is quickly transported to
the underwater metropolis
of Rapture
Despite being released
mere weeks ago, BioShock
h;is already earned the
respect of the entire gaming
world w ith its intricate story,
amazing visuals, and tight
gameplay. From the hrst
bathysphere plunge into
the ocean and all the way
through the twist-filled plot
until the exciting climax is
reached. BioShock becomes
the perfect example of w hy
video games have become
such a popular medium
today.
In the game, players
tire plunged into the watery
world of Rapture where
images of the massive
city \ ait deco designs and
architecture unfold before
their eyes. Developed and
built by billionaire Andrew
Ryan in the 19305, Rapture
serves as sanctuary for people
that have grow n cautious of
the clutches of real world.
But as Jack arrives into
the envisioned utopia, he
soon discovers that it is
anything but perfect.
With such a lovely
environment to live in. what
Buscemi (Big Fish,
(ihost World) tries his
interpretation on the
original. Having never
seen the first “Interview”
(due to it's Dutch origin),
I can’t compare the two,
but this would have to
be my only complaint
about the movie: If Steve
Buscemi had written the
script himself, I would
have praised this movie
with much regard, but
alas, it is a remake.
Lucky for him. I'm
pretty sure no one has
ever even heard of the
original, so the storyline
is ironically enough.
could have possibly
gone wrong? Why are
former happy residents
now enraged and running
amok inside their once
perfect utopia? What is this
substance called “Adam”
that everyone is killing
over? These mysteries and
more are left up to gamers to
discover throughout Rapture
via audio tape recordings.
Only by piecing together
the stories and recollections
I
\ j •*1
Photo courtesy of xbox36o.freeki es
of the residents of Rapture
can Jack uncover what went
terribly wrong beyond the
sea.
One thing is for
certain though, the crazed
people of Rapture, now
dubbed Splicers by the few
remaining sane people,
would just assume bash
Jack’s head in than offer him
help. While most are still
dressed in their New Year”s
attire and masks, these
horrific Splicers are now on
the search for the substance
quite innovative.
Pierre Peders
(Buscemi) is assigned
to do an interview with
w idely renowned actress
Katya, played by Sienna
Miller (Factory Girl).
Katya portrays the
stereotypical actress who
sleeps around and does
coke to get by, a pretty
traditional character but
something 1 was willing
to overlook due to
Sienna’s flawless acting,
and it doesn't hurt that
she’s quite a looker as
well. Pierre excuses
this as a professional
interview, as he is
known as “Adam” and will
gladly kill anything in their
path to collect it.
But Jack isn’t
completely defenseless.
Not only are there many
types of firearms available
to keep enemies at bay, but
Jack also has the ability to
hack security bots to do his
bidding while turning the
tide of any fight. Yet out of
all the available weapons,
it’s the plasmids that will
save players’ hides the most.
By reconfiguring his
DNA structure with the
help of Andrew Ryan's
technology, plasmids tire
available to use freely.
Some of these powers allow
players to freeze opponents
solid, release swarms of
angry insects, or even
incinerate anything in sight,
but there are many different
tonics and upgrades that'll
add to Jack’s already stacked
arsenal.
The weapons and
more accustomed to
interviewing politicians,
and shows up unprepared
and impatient, leaving
Katya feeling like no
one could take her
seriously. A car accident
and a bump on the head
later, Pierre is being
taken up to Katya's
spacious apartment
so she can mend his
wound. Reminiscent of
the movie Phone Booth,
the remainder of the
movie takes place in
her apartment. As the
movie progresses, the
unlikely duo turn the
boring apartment setting
powers all control and
feel great. Using them in
conjunction with one another
is a great way to defeat the
tougher enemies, and the
sheer amount of strategy
involved with the weaponry
is amazing.
Even though BioShock
contains a taught story, an
imaginative atmosphere,and
perfect gameplay elements,
the few flaws that the game
possesses hinder the new
perfect experience.
Despite being a next
generation game with all
the nice bells and whistles,
the game can’t help but
fill game time with item
fetch missions and even
an escort mission. It’s not
enough to bore gamers, but
that old familiar feeling of
key-fetching in lAxim will
resurface for sure.
Other problems with
the game include a lack
in enemy variety, slight
buginess.and incredibly easy
into something unique
and exciting. Steve,49,
and Sienna, 25, have
an unlikely strong
chemistr>, something
unusual but overall it
enhances the storyline.
The two lie and
deceive each other
on and off constantly,
sharing their darkest
secrets and exposing
their “true” selves,
something commonly
done in interviews. The
genuine honesty in it all
is only truly revealed to
the very end. leaving the
viewers with their own
interpretation of what’s
it
difficulty, yet the biggest
flaw with BioShock is its
complete and utter lack of
closure and something to do
after the game is complete.
The endings, while
written and executed well,
are entirely too short for
a 10-12 hour game that
specializes in great story
telling elements. Spending
the whole game developing
characters and plot, only to
have a 30 second ending and
spit out back onto the title
screen is almost
unforgivable.
Not only that, but how
hard could it have been toadd
a simple multiplayer aspect
to the game? That alone
would have exponentially
increased game life and let
gamers feel they got their
S6O worth.
With all the minor
flaws aside, BioShock is still
the quintessential X-Box
360 experience. The game
challenges you in ways, such
as morally, that the gaming
industry as a w hole is just
now scratching the surface
of. Even w ith the juggernaut
Halo 3 prepping for release
in the upcoming weeks, it’s
extremely hard to suggest
any other X-Box 360 game
to play at the moment.
Waters’ Rating
9.0
to happen. Granted 1
usually despise these
kinds of endings, but
the design of the movie
made it fit perfectly.
Only released in
limited theatres early
this summer, the movie
will be out on DVD later
this year. So if my review
caught your attention.
I’d recommend watching
the trailer and book
marking it until it’s out
for the public.
8/10