Okay: My Thoughts on #Bioshock (A Thread)

First, Bioshock (1) is the game that made me realize that videogames can be art. I will never forget standing (not sitting) in Justin's living room during a cook out and playing the opening sequence. When the bathysphere opened to reveal Rapture, I was forever changed.

While I had played atmospheric games before (looking at you Myst) this was the first time where I really felt like I was IN the world. As far as setting is concerned, it seems like every inch was perfectly designed. There is detail in every nook and cranny.

The game is not perfect. But it will forever be in my top five of all time.

I enjoyed playing Bioshock 2, but it is not as revolutionary to me. Now, before I go on, I should clarify that it is the one I have played the least.

I feel like it is a solid sequel to B1, but without really being a leap forward.

On to my favorite of the series...

I have played and beaten Bioshock Infinite at least 12 times. The moment I finished it for the first time, I immediately began my second playthrough.

I think the thing that most defines the Bioshock series to me is the running commentary on Free Will and whether or not it exists. I think that, of the series, Bioshock Infinite best addresses this.

I think that Bioshock Infinite has the best character design and scripting. It was the first time I was really glad that I had an AI partner. Usually, they are clunky and more a burden than a help. But Elizabeth rules and I love the dialogue scenes before her and Booker.

Now, let me be clear: The ideology of the game is not nearly as clear as it could be. Clearly, the racists are bad, but also so are the revolutionaries? Is killing Comstock good or bad? How should the player feel about going on murder sprees across numerous universes?

I also recognize that the ending is a little "Whaaaaaa?" But, I love time travel and timeline stuff so I really enjoyed it. Plus, by the end, I felt so invested in the characters that the ending really mattered to me.

One final thing: My idea for a new Bioshock game. We've done water and air... time for earth.

It is 1968, the middle of the Cold War. Scientists and Investors from Russia and the USA have disowned their countries and formed a supposedly utopian society. Their new home is buried deep underground to avoid threat from nuclear weapons. Their society is powered by-

-geothermal forces and magma. You are a US Marshall tasked with capturing a Russian war criminal. He is a scientist with information that could save 10s of thousands of lives. He has fled to the underground for Sanctuary. You must infiltrate, capture and escape.

Once in, you find that it is not the Utopia that the founders claim. It has become a Security State. The founders were so focused on safety that it became totalitarian. The fugitive has been captured by the societal authorities and sentenced to death. You have to rescue him-

-before the sentence is carried out and his life saving knowledge is lost forever. Once you have saved him, you two have to work together to escape.