[As with
most of my reviews, I try not to reveal plot lines and key points, but some are
necessary. For the most part, the reviews I write are more how I experienced
the work, not about the work itself. For the an important part of the work is
what we bring into it, almost as much as what the author brings.]
So
tonight, at the end of 2013, I finished up Bioshock 2, the second half
of the Rapture story. I've needed an escape for the past few weeks,
someplace to go in between hospital visits. My routine has been
interrupted, and sometimes that's good, but there are times that I've come home
to an empty house and wanted another world to dip into. And so I've got
my Kobo Mini (see last post) for books, and I installed Bioshock 1 and 2
on my computer. With my time all messed up, I caught myself playing until
2am (after all that's not late, is it?) and exploring a city constructed at the
bottom of the sea.
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You start
off surviving a plane crash, and swimming in the Atlantic to a mysterious tower
on a island, and from there, you descend into the modern/classic architecture
that would come out of Ayn Rand's Fountainhead or the decadence of the 1920's. Many scenes remind me of the
Fox Theatre in Atlanta, or even the posh reception room at the front of Emory's
Hospital wing. But the city, Rapture, is in disrepair, and the people
living there not much better. The most striking part of entering the
city is Bobby Darin's "Sailin'" playing on 1940's radio (the story
starts in 1959). Perhaps that's the best part of the game, the music
itself. From Bing Crosby's "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime," to
Patti Page's "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?" the crooning
sounds fit perfectly into a place where drugged madmen, monstrosities with
giant drills for hands assist young girls in extracting chemicals from dead
bodies (in almost a creepy Lolita sorta way.) There's actually a soundtrack that is available
on Spotify or Amazon, and playlists on Spotify where people have taken the
music and lined it up as it appears in the game. One final point about
the music, the haunting version of "Jesus Loves Me" sung by a
delusional German trapped in a room is one of the strongest usages of music in
any video game, or in any modern media.
Then, as
you look at the artwork displayed proudly at the beginning of the game, you
realize that the founder, one Andrew Ryan, is very directly created from the
philosophies of Ayn Rand. Bioshock
1 takes Objectivism, points
out its obvious human flaws, inserts scientific breakthroughs, and then
stretches it all to its logical extreme. In this world, you get to look
at John Galt's world without morality, and in a world where the ability to
change your DNA in a Laissez-faire system
without any regulations, it gets bad fast.
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I've said
in the past that Ayn Rand's (and therefore Andrew Ryan) ideas are good, but
they don't take into account human nature. I've also said that Rand's
attitude that Christianity and Objectivism cannot mix is wrong, and in this
game, Religion is a main theme. Bibles are smuggled in (indeed, Ryan
thought that any communication with the outside world was forbidden), followers
of Christ are seen throughout the game crucified, men cry to God, "Why
have you forsaken me?" right before they start shooting at you. But
before my Christian friends would decry the game as unplayable, I would argue
that this game is an Apologetics dream. In this game, you are presented
with ideological arguments, and the choices you make in the game will determine
the verdict.
I call it
"a game," because Bioshock 1 and 2 are essentially two halves
of the same story. The sequel intertwines in wondrous ways, so much
so that it is impossible to play it without the original first. I do
agree that the first half is better, much like John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Two different pilgrims
finding their way to Heaven, and finding temptations all along the way.
But the first half, with Christian, is much better. Thing is, with
Bunyan's work, you can read the first half, and it will be complete. With
Bioshock, you've got to play both halves for a complete story.
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The
second story starts with you being one of those monstrosities with drills for
hands, and 10 years after the first, you meet Dr. Sofia Lamb, who has
instituted a Socialist society after the downfall of the Objectivist one.
It, too, dismisses religion (in fact, Lamb inserts herself as the savior
of the people, and is worshiped much like God), and in that, Lamb, like Ryan,
does not take into account human nature. It is an argument used for both
ends of an ideological spectrum. I don't understand that, as
ideologically sound both arguments are (and, in truth, pure Communism is a
great idea, if you leave human nature out of it, same with Pure Objectivism),
both can never work. They are Thesis and Antithesis. The notion that
compromise, a Synthesis, is the only way it would work, and I would have to
agree.
There is
a prequel book, that was published in 2011, that I have yet to read, and want
to. Also, there is a third game, Bioshock
Infinite that I
have yet to play.
CAUTION The games are best played with the sound on. BUT, the insane inhabitants of Rapture have no problem using vile
language and violent acts. These are not to be played with kids around. Oh, and one more thing... Bioshock 2... it crashed my computer every time I quit playing it. Nothing major, but I did have to cold reboot it every time. Looking online, it seems it's a widespread problem with no available fix. Had something to do with Windows Live or the Graphic system (and I had a store bought legal copy, not a pirated copy). I even re-downloaded a copy from the Steam system, and it did the same thing. So.... yeah... just to let you know.
One last
thing, to wrap things up. This is a first-person shooter game. I usually
don't like those games, and with the exception of Half-Life, I can't
stand them. They are better fit for those who just like the violence and
like large explosions. I like neither. But the plot line and the
arguments given are superb, and so, to bypass much of the difficulty I have with
this genre, I put it on easy. In truth, the end of both games became too
easy that way, but on Medium (and I tried that) I became bogged down in just
trying to stay alive. So if you don't like first-person shooters, play the game
on Easy, and if you like these games, put it on Medium or Hard, whatever your
choice.
