August’s release of 2k Boston’s BioShock had gamers, including myself, knocked flat on their asses. The shock-wave of undiluted awesome it generated was enough to make heads explode all around. The universe seduced players, enveloping them in the story and characters, but most importantly, the environment of the game. The world of Rapture was mesmerizing and astonishing, and the civil-war that has ravaged the city, smearing the walls in blood and driving the entire society to a maniacal murder-spree. Unraveling the mystery of what-the-hell-happened was absolute ecstasy. It was intoxicating, but also disturbing to wrench-club the skulls of the crazed population of Splicer’s, discovering the secrets of Sander Cohen, and eventually finding out who-and-what you are. It was an absolutely breathtaking experience all around, and I have no intention to ever go back and play it again.
Like a good mystery novel, once you know who-dunnit, the entire mystique of the story is lost. It’s over. BioShock’s magic is in its initial experience, discovering everything for the first time. When you complete the immensely satisfying “campaign, you feel fulfilled. Plasma upgrades, Big Daddies and the binary choice of the Little Sister harvesting/rescuing, they’re all part of the once-in-a-life-time-experience. Once-in-a-life-time. Playing it again feels like a chore, everything that consumed me before is gone, I am no longer enthralled with the mystery of Rapture. Even further deepening the game with DLC can’t tempt me in to going back.
I feel complete with BioShock. I’ve seen what I needed to see, heard what I needed to hear and clubbed who I needed to club. With Rapture in ruins, my harrowing escape was rewarded with a sense of accomplishment I’ve not felt in ages, and that kind of satisfaction can not be achieved again in this game. I’ll be patiently waiting for the next game that blows me away like this, but in the meantime, I can’t bring myself to play through BioShock again.
If I could play it on a clean slate with a clear mind with no recollection of what I had already seen I’d be deep in to it for the 2nd time already. Since I can’t do that, I’d be reliving this magnificent experience with absolutely no magnificence. BioShock’s charm is gone when you know everything about it.
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