:: WORLD RECORD TIME
:: POWER OF THE ADAM2K Games has officially announced that Bioshock is coming to mobile. The announcement is an exciting one, although there’s also this pervading sense of worry - even anger - that some seem to have about it. So I’d like to take a few moments to try and explain why being able to play Bioshock on your iOS device ain’t so bad.
Some people have asked me why I’d even want to buy a graphically inferior version of a game I probably already own for as much (or possibly more) than I could buy a “better” version for, and the answer is simple: portability. Of course it looks better on the systems that have high-end specs and lack a 2GB install cap, but I’m not about to drag my console of choice and a TV around with me everywhere I go.
Being able to play Bioshock on my phone - even if it’s not graphically up to par with the other versions - means I can return to Rapture any time I want. If I’m traveling, waiting in line, have downtime and no PC/console handy, and so on, I can simply pull out my phone and start throwing plasmids around.
This is another concern/assumption I’ve seen a lot of and it makes me sad. There’s this automatic (and severely biased/unfair) notion that mobile games must include in-app purchases. This is simply not true. There are a number of premium games on mobile that don’t offer any sort of in-app purchases, a couple of which have even come from 2K Games.
Remember XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Civilization Revolution 2? No in-app purchases. So when 2K says Bioshock won’t feature any in-app purchases there’s little reason to doubt them.
Mobile ports of big-name, AAA games tell us one very important thing: mobile ports of big-name, AAA games are possible.
Just about anyone who doesn’t immediately write-off mobile as a gaming platform (perhaps they were bitten as a child?) will admit to thinking things like “I wish this was on iPhone/iPad, then I could play it whenever I want!” With each successive port of a big-name game, the more likely we are to see more of them. It doesn’t have to be big AAA games, either. There have already been ports of other less 'mass-appeal' favorites like The World Ends With You and Dragon Quest VIII, and in the case of the former the port is even arguably (not really arguably) better than the original.
While the original soundtrack for BioShock is delightfully foreboding at regular points, it's often the subtle introduction of familiar tracks from days gone by that really makes you tense.
The most iconic of the bunch is Bobby Darin's 'Beyond the Sea.' Full of lyrics like "Somewhere beyond the sea, she's there watching for me" and "My heart will lead me there soon", out of context, it sounds romantic and sweet. Walking down the corridors of Rapture and hearing it in the distance, you're pretty afraid as to what's about to get you. Liked the song beforehand? Don't expect to hear it in the same light ever again.
'Danny Boy' is another one. So iconic, so familiar. It's always had a sense of melancholy to it but there's threat within those words when tied into the world of Rapture. Context has rarely been so important in a game until now.
Soon enough, even seemingly innocuous delights such as 'Papa Loves Mambo' and 'It Had to Be You' start having an edge to them. The beauty to BioShock is that it makes you question everything, even seemingly pleasant music. The sheer fact that you know this music and probably equate it with happier memories just makes it all the more unnerving.
When BioShock arrives on iOS, make sure you stick those headphones in - it's going to be an essential part of the experience. In the meantime, why not get yourself acquainted with it via a Spotify playlist?
No joke: Bioshock on iOS is a direct port of the classic first-person adventure/shooter. The whole game - all the areas, enemies, dialogue, memorable moments, hidden cats, etc - has been made to work on the iPhone and iPad. There’s even that odd dip in the right-hand staircase in the lighthouse when you find the bathysphere.
The visuals have been scaled-back a bit, of course. Otherwise there’s no way it would clock in at just under Apple’s maximum download size of 2GB. That’s not to say it looks bad, though. There may not be dynamic shadows or fog effects, and the textures may be a lower resolution, but Rapture still the super-creepy underwater dystopia we’ve all come to know and love.
The port supports MFi and other bluetooth controllers, but also sports a set of touch controls that have been optimized for the experience. Naturally a controller is the more comfortable of the two options when it comes to a game like this, but the touch interface is about as accessible as I could’ve hoped for.
Bioshock doesn’t have a concrete release date or price just yet, but it will be available later this Summer as a premium release with no in-app purchases.