Head-To-Head: BioShock

Oct 27, 2008

About The Head-to-Head:

The Head-to-Head is designed to let gamers know which version of a multiplatform game is worth your hard-earned money. We break down each segment of a game, and then tell you which platform reigns supreme when the dust settles.

Last year, BioShock rocketed to the top of the sales charts with one of the most arrestingly horrific gaming experiences in years. After years of relative ignominy for Ken Levine, whose games have always been critical darlings but rarely commercial blockbusters, BioShock was an amazing vindication for the idea that gaming can deliver a poignant and artful journey. The game was originally released for the PC and Xbox 360. A year later, 2K Games has completed work on a PlayStation 3 version of the game in an effort to make BioShock as widely available as possible. While the single-player campaign remains largely in-tact, 2K is touting the PS3 version with an all new difficulty mode, redone visuals, and the promise of exclusive downloadable content. For Jeff Haynes' review of the PS3 version of this modern classic click here.

If you've been holding out for the PS3 version of BioShock, has the wait been worth it? Did you play through the game last year but are wondering if there's enough new content in the PS3 version to warrant a new purchase? Keep reading and I'll break down all the key differences between each of the three versions to help you decide which one will be right for you!

Price Points

The PS3 version of BioShock is available for $59.99. There is no special edition or extra bonuses similar to the Collector's Edition that shipped last year with the other versions of the game. Now that the PC and 360 versions of the game are over a year old each can be had at significantly reduced prices. The PC version is the ultimate bargain at $19.99, while the 360 version sells for $39.99.

Features

When it originally released, BioShock was a single-player only game. A year later it remains exclusively single-player focused. The PC and 360 versions of the game offered three difficulty settings for players to test their mettle (Easy, Normal, and Hard). The PS3 ups the ante with a fourth difficulty setting called Survivor Mode. Here bullets, money, health, and EVE are all extraordinarily scarce while enemies do more damage to you and require more damage before they're killed. To make it through even a small part of the game in this mode you'll need to approach every area with a sharp eye for tactics to ensure you do the maximum amount of damage while using the fewest number of resources. You'll also have to be judicious about choosing when to run by enemies instead of sticking around to fight. For players already familiar with the balance and combat possibilities offered by the different plasmids, this mode could be an engaging test of skill. For the average player, this mode is simply too punishing to be fun in any way.

The PS3 version also features the additional plasmids that were released for the 360 and PC version of the game. Another small feature bonus for the PS3 version are some character-based trailers that give an artful sketch of some of the game's most memorable enemies. The 360 version featured 50 achievements points to help boost replayability. The PS3 version matches the feature with a full complement of 50 Trophies to unlock. 2K also promises some unique downloadable content exclusive to the PS3 version of the game. In November, PS3 owners will be able to purchase Challenge Rooms, a series of puzzle-based chambers that offer players a little change of pace from the intense combat from the single player game. Fitting for a version of a game that's already a year old, the PS3 version offers the most comprehensive feature list of the three.

1. PS3

2. Xbox 360

3. PC

Control

BioShock was developed by Irrational Games (now 2K Boston), the renowned PC development house behind System Shock 2, Freedom Force, and S.W.A.T. 4. BioShock began life as a spiritual successor to System Shock 2 and has its conceptual roots in the world of PC design. The best controlling version of the game remains the PC version. The ability to create hotkeys for different weapons and plasmids, rather than cycling through them on shoulder buttons, in combination with the instant precision of mouselook make the PC version the best choice. The enemy attack patterns and AI animations, built around erratic side-to-side movement and sudden bull rushes, seem designed with the expectation that players will be able to rapidly adjust their aim in a way that most won't be able to do as quickly or efficiently with a dual analog controller.

The 360 and PS3 controls work equally as well. Both are mapped out identically. You'll cycle through available weapons with the right bumper or R1 button. Firing is relegated to the right trigger or R2 button. You can cycle through all available plasmids with the left bumper or L1 button, and fire plasmids with the left trigger or L2 button. Reload, jump, health and EVE recharges are all mapped to the face buttons. Neither controller works any better than the other, though if you're more comfortable with one over the other you'll probably be happiest sticking with what you're most familiar with. There are no motion controls in the PS3 version.

Overall

1. PC

2. Xbox 360 & PS3

Graphics

BioShock remains one of the most atmospheric and evocative games of this generation. It's lavishly detailed art deco environments and ghoulish enemy models have become as instantly recognizable as Mario's mushroom kingdom. All three versions of the game are terrific technical achievements that continue to impress. That said, the PC version of the game remains the best looking and most fluid version. With a good video card and RAM to spare, BioShock will run smoothly and with an extra textural crispness that can't quite be matched on the consoles.

2K games says the PS3 version has been visually upgraded with some higher-resolution textures made possible by the added storage capacity of the Blu-ray disc. In motion the PS3 version does look just a slight bit sharper than the 360 version, but I experienced more aliasing issues. So for its one improvement, the PS3 version has a matching drawback. The PS3 version of the game shares all of the old graphical issues from the 360 version, like occasional slowdown, texture pop-in, strange clipping issues, and occasionally glitched animations on dead bodies. Ultimately, neither console version looks better than the other.

Overall

1. PC

2. Xbox 360 & PS3

Sound

BioShock has some of the best voice acting ever recorded for a game. Taking a cue from the arch melodrama of its Ayn Rand source material, there's a fantastically believable frenzy and pulp hysteria to all of the voices which help enliven Rapture. The sound effects , excellent score, and terrifically treated period music all blend into one of the most absorbing soundscapes of any game ever created. If there is one single element of the game that deserves the moniker of masterpiece it was, and is, the sound design. The PS3 version of the game sounds a bit crisper and offers slightly more noticeable channel separation than the 360 version of the game, but it's a small difference and one most people won't be able to detect unless playing the game on multiple systems. Otherwise, the sound presentation is similarly excellent on all platforms.

1. PS3, Xbox 360, & PC

Presentation

BioShock follows the Half-Life school of thought in the presentation category. All of the game's narrative events happen as scripted sequences in the game world, taking place from the player's point of view. It's a fantastically effective storytelling technique that enhances the moody atmosphere. The PS3 version of the game requires a fairly lengthy ten minute install. The PC version of the game has the briefest loading periods of all of them, but the installation process here is even longer than the PS3 version of the game. Otherwise, the game's menus and customization options are all layed out in an identical manner. The biggest issue here will be your willingness to sit through an install period.

Overall

1. Xbox 360

2. PS3

3. PC

Overall

BioShock is a remarkable game, regardless of the platform you want to play it on. There isn't one single version of the game that will be right for every consumer. If you're a hardcore shooter, you'll enjoy the added challenge of Survivor mode and the lure of additional puzzle-based DLC for the PS3. If you're a stickler for graphics and precise controls, the PC version of the game will probably appeal to you the most. Ultimately, I'm going to go with the PC version as the winner, and still champion, of the BioShock realm. It offers the best looking visuals and the optimal control scheme which will ensure every minute you spend in Rapture is a memorable one. Survivor mode may well please the most masochistic gamers, but it's a feature that most people won't bother with because of its grueling difficulty. The additional DLC for the PS3 is a great feature, but a year after the original release, this would have been a better extra to include at no charge. It's not much of a bonus to have the privilege of spending more money to get some extra puzzle rooms (which aren't even out yet). If you've got a good gaming PC, you should have the best BioShock experience playing there rather than its console cousins.

Overall

1. PC

2. PS3

3. Xbox 360