Monday, October 29, 2007

To rescue or harvest little sisters? "Bioshock" makes you decide


Spoiler alert - if you don't want to learn the ending of "Bioshock," stop reading now. If you aren't concerned about making bad choices before you finish the game, please keep reading.

2K Games' hit, "Bioshock," is the most popular FPS on the 360 since Epic's "Gears of War." After reviewing the game a few weeks ago, I finally finished it. I was so baffled by the ending, I googled it to see what was going on with the ending. And to my amazement, I made the wrong choice.

I have two children - a boy and a girl. My daughter, Lasendra, is just 8 months and I love her to death. I would beg, borrow, fight and steal for my children, if I had to. I would never think of harming her. In the game "Bioshock," you get a chance to rescue or harvest these small girls, around 4-5, maybe 6 in age. At the beginning of the game, I was listening to a guide on the radio tell me they were twisted little girls, made into killers. I heard what the guy was saying, and after you kill their huge protector, called a Big Daddy, you have a choice - to harvest her - to remove a parasite that controls her - and can end up killing her in the process - or rescue her and get some rewards, but not as many as if you harvested her and take your chances.

It's just a game, folks

At the beginning of the game, I opted to just harvest the little sisters. Why not? It's just a game - I would never, ever do that in real life - but the benefits *looked* awesome. Get the parasite - earn some upgrades and keep playing. Halfway through the game, I realized I was double-crossed by the guide and guess who led me away to safety? A little sister. From that point, I decided to rescue the rest of them. I started realizing I was doing a lot of actions in the game based on false pretenses.

As I rescued them, I received several upgrades from their leader, a mysterious woman named Tennebaum. She helps you recover also from being mind-controlled. At the end of the game, after the guide/alien/final boss was defeated, you see that the disease that overtook Rapture spreads throughout the world.

I was shocked - had I missed something? I took to the Web, looking at people's responses to the game ending. Some said they took the high road and didn't kill any little sisters - others said they harvested them like they were wheat farmers. Then, I saw both endings on YouTube.

I looked at the game and shook my head. As much as I loved the game, I was saddened by the fact that even killing one of the girls would give you the bad ending. I think the game really shines because of basic morality. You can just play a game or make a real-time choice that affects everyone in the game.

I'm gonna start the game again ... I want to see this new ending myself.

Don't worry, little sisters. I won't be swayed by being terrified - I'll let my heart guide me this time.

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