Xbox Living

2K games released the demo of their upcoming dystopian thriller Bioshock this week. Today I finally got a chance to take it for a spin.

If you haven’t heard much about this game yet, here’s the premise. In 1946, a rich, eccentric man decides he’s fed up with the world as it is. Frustrated with the state of capitalism, communism and religion worldwide, he seeks to create a new world. Cleverly named ‘Rapture’, his new metropolis is built underwater.

The game itself takes place in 1960. The protagonist (that’s you!) is aboard a plane which crashes in the waters above Rapture. Fortunately, you happen to land near an elevator which takes you down. It’s not long before you realize that Rapture is not as its creator envisioned. As you explore, you learn of what went wrong, and how you can survive this nightmare. I’ll save the details for your run with the game.

To put it simply, though, you’ll find yourself in a world with first-person shooter gameplay similar to Resident Evil or Silent Hill. You’ll be exploring dark hallways with filthy restrooms and eerie sounds, finding weapons, ammo and health items as you explore. That’s not to say the game is not unique.

For one, it’s entirely first-person perspective. As far as can be seen in the demo, you don’t see your character - even in cutscenes. This definitely makes the game feel more real as you explore. I recommend playing in HD with the lights off, if you can.

The graphics are unimpressive at first, as you crash underwater and see some fuzzy, oddly-moving objects. Once you surface, though, you begin to notice the impressive water effects. Exploring the full environment again unveils new levels of detail that make the city of Rapture come alive.

The gameplay is much like your classic zombie-fighting game, but with a few twists. For one, you have an unusual weapon at your disposal. It seems some of the substance that has created this insanity is able to alter your own genetic code, giving you the ability to fire lightning bolts (and eventually fire, as screenshots suggest) from your hand. Telekinesis is also promised. This is useful both in combat and for other purposes as you explore the underwater city.

Although it’s not visible in the demo, Bioshock also promises to present RPG-like customization to your character as you explore and expand your own abilities. There are supposedly over 70 customizations that can be made to your character through the gene-altering ‘plasmids’ and through ‘tonic’ items.

The gameplay within the demo is very linear, and it’s unclear as to whether or not the game will open up and let you do some exploring on your own.

As for sound, Bioshock presents eeriness that is again reminiscent of Silent Hill, but in good ways. The voices behind the zombielike characters are more coherent than in similar games, which makes it even more chilling as you hear them talk, or sing, around the corner. At times, it’s unclear exactly where the voices are coming from - which again adds to the suspense.

Bioshock definitely seems like a worthwhile game to pick up if you’re in for a creepy thriller. If you’re the type that can really get into a game and craves that feeling of involvement, Bioshock will deliver. When the demo concluded, I was left wanting to know what was behind that next door.

Bioshock, which has been in development since 2004, hits North American shelves on August 21, with European and Australian launches on the 24th.