BioShock Hands-On
We take the PlayStation 3 version of 2K's acclaimed shooter for a test drive.
BioShock made some big waves when it was released for the Xbox 360 last year. The unique game wrapped a rich story with first-person shooter mechanics in a stunning art style that made for one of the most engrossing experiences seen on consoles in a long while. Thankfully, PlayStation 3 owners will get a chance to see what all the fuss is about with the upcoming conversion of the game for Sony's console. We've seen demos of the game in the past few months but only just had the chance to try the game ourselves courtesy of a recent visit from 2K.
2K has roped in a cavalcade of development teams to handle the conversion of the game for the PlayStation 3. 2K Marin, 2K Boston, 2K Australia, and Digital Extremes are tag teaming the project, which aims to come up with a faithful conversion of the original game. The teams are also including a few bells and whistles in the form of content, as well as visual tweaks. Fans of the original game will be familiar with the single-player Story mode, which follows the trials and tribulations of plane crash survivor who stumbles onto a mysterious underwater utopia called Rapture.
The PlayStation 3 game, as we've noted before, is on the right track to capture the look and feel of the Xbox 360 game. The visuals are comparable, although there are some subtle differences in color and texture. The controls map intuitively to the PlayStation 3 controller and feel a bit better. The PS3's D pad seems like a much better fit for the hacking minigame. The controller's rumble support also had a nice feel to it. Although the experience is pretty much the same in the single-player mode, we noticed subtle tweaks, such as manual cycling of the load screen stills. The game also incorporates all the downloadable content that's been available on the Xbox 360. In addition, the game features trophy support, some of which are the same achievements seen in the Xbox 360 game, while others are different.
Outside of the proper single-player experience, we had a chance to try the Survivor mode, which offers a greater level of challenge that forces you to be smarter about how you play the game. Enemy behavior has been tweaked, and the damage you cause has been modified, so you won't be sailing through the mode even if you're familiar with the original game. We also got a look at the other big addition to the game, the puzzle rooms, which are a very slick brain-busting addition to the main game. 2K reps noted that the rooms will vary in scope and size, which will affect how long it takes you to play through them. While some, such as the Ferris wheel, we've seen before and can be done in short order, others will require more work.
BioShock remains a must-play game for this generation, so if you haven't checked it out yet, the PlayStation 3 version of the game is one more chance for you to give it a try. The game is coming together really well. The faithful conversion of the main game is looking good and might even be sharper in places. The additional content, challenge rooms, modes, and trophies are nice extras to have, although we obviously would have liked to see more. BioShock for the PlayStation 3 is slated to ship this October, so look for more soon.
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