Will 'Bioshock' Become the New Game of the Year?

'Bioshock', the greatly anticipated new FPS that has just been release to all platforms this month, has already been causing a buzz in the gaming world due to its new concepts conerning the genre, allowing the player to not only do new and great things in weaponry, but also in the fact that the storyline has taken them to an utterly different world, where instead of being in outer space or on a futuristic battlefield, you are taken to a world that exists under our oceans, where dangers lurk around every corner and you only have yourself, a genetically enhanced soldier, to depend on in this new realm of terror.

But, is it truly a unique and different approach to the FPS group? FPS games are merely nothing more than the ability to destroy things, via weapons and other means, in order to rack up a good point score. In this genre, there is very little that has been done to further the worlds of the FPS, except small tweaks that video game companies are putting in to give the games a slightly different feel. For example, last year's FPS that was considered groundbreaking, 'Condemned: Criminal Origins', was supposed to be a completely different take on shooting games, as not only do you shoot things, you were suposed to also be solving a murdeer case where you were tracking down a potentially dangerous serial killer, who has left many bodies and clues in his wake for the player to discover. While this was, indeed, a very different and fascinating twist to shooting games, it still did not change the fact that it was what it was...a shooting game. While these games are a very popular product in the gaming market, it still has a long way to go where it will be able to do anything that is considered 'ground-breaking' or 'truly unique'.

While for the last several years or so, the first-person shooter has dominated the gaming world and has always taken the prestigious award of 'Game Of The Year' (*ie 'Half-Life', 'Half-Life 2 ', 'Doom'),what does this say about the gaming industry as a whole? From what has already been seen concerning the gaming industry from my own observations and what we have learned from the trades, the impression is given that shooters are being given a higher classification of status when it comes to when they hit the shelves, how quickly these games are produced, and how quickly these games soar to popularity when they finally reach the marketplace to the home entertainment system. Therefore, it makes one ask the question of why these games are so popular? Is it because of the content where the player can take a weapon of their choosing and destroy everything in their path? Is it because of mankind's war-like nature and the sudden need to have those urges fulfilled by the simple insertion of a game disk and the press of a button that these urges are now quickly satisfied after paying fifty dollars at the local game retailer? There are many different ideas and concepts that one can draw and could be philosophized until we are blue in the face, but the fact still remains that with the current bias that is being placed upon FPS franchises, there are a great many games that are being left to fly in the breeze. If this bias continues, is there a chance that this style of game will dominate the market? One can only entertain a hypothesis at this point.

Now, before it can be automatically assumed that 'Bioshock' will become 'Game Of The Year', let us look at its current competition, as there are some other games that are hot on its heels right now that could very well give the popular franchise a run for its money. Rockstar has bene hard at work wth its new 'Grand Theft Auto IV' franchise, which is boasting a stronger combat system and also having an more immersive playing world. While it still remains to be seen if this is true after their last success with "GTA:San Andreas", with its five-area world that took players from the inner city of San Andreas to the outskirts and beyond, Rockstar will have to hope that all of the extra time that their creators have put into creating the new world of Liberty City, which has not been visited since "GTA III" and "GTA:Liberty City Stories", that this new stand in the creation of gaming worlds will be enough to help them make their way into the 'Game Of The Year' nominations. While it may not be ground-breaking in the sense of doing something extremely new, graphics play an intense part in the making of games, as they give the look and feel of immersion for the player, which greatly enhances the enjoyment of the game.

Then, we also have to take into consideration the 'Halo' franchise, with its new installment 'Halo 3', which is soon to be hitting store shelves. 'Halo', since its modest beginnings on the XBox Entertainment System, has met with great popularity and cult following since we first heard the tale of the Master Sargeant and his world. With not only great combat mechanics, online play, and an excellent science fiction storyline, 'Halo' could very well give 'Bioshock' a good run, as the game has met with such accolades within the gaming community and has had such a strong following for the last near decade since the beginning of the series. While this may be the one the last of the 'Halo' games that are coming forward, (*there will also be 'Halo Wars' which is also forthcoming) for those that are hard-core into the franchise and are waiting and anticipating of what will come next in the story.

Then, we also have the upcoming 'Earth No More', (*which still has yet to receive a release date), but with all of the press coverage on the game within the trades, it still has a great chance of giving 'Bioshock' some great competition if the creators can get the game out before the end of the year. With its unique storyline and different play controls, which center more on a story-driven interface and having to cooperate with several other players that you meet in the game as the game progresses, this program could very well stand a chance, alone, with all of these innovations. While there is still combat and the capability of having online play with others, the online play is unique and different in the way that you will never know who you are playing at any given time, as the identity is hidden and the other player joins the game as what is called a 'Stalker', who will play in a stealth mode where you will not know who or what is coming after you. In essence, a very different and modified form of the 'Deathmatch' games of the 'Duke Nukem' era. With all of these enhancements, this id definitely something that those who choose who gets the 'Game Of The Year' should look at.

Lastly, we cannot forget the upcoming game 'Prototype', which is also due out soon. 'Prototype' is being considered one of the biggest innovations in the one-player combat game, where the world boasts to be completely massive and open-ended to where there will be no exact mission that the player will have to entertain at any given time, but rather will have to play the game in order to get the information that they need in order to find out what the player will have to do next. It also boasts that in the game, your character is more of an anti-hero than a hero, where he will not only be able to attack and destroy enemy units, but also the player may have to kill innocent bystanders in order to gain information, such as what the government conspiracy is concerning the planet and secrets of his origins by absorbing their memories and skills, which will allow the player to do things such as drive vehicles, fly helicopters, and so forth. Also, the player will have to fight not only such things as enemy units and such, but also will have to battle infected beasts that were once human, and be able to not only absorb theri skills, but will also have the ability to take body parts from the fallen creatures and make them part of their own body as a weapon!

While these are but a few examples of games that may give 'Bioshock' some worthy competition, what remains to be seen is if those who are in charge of the nominations will take these innovations into consideration when picking what they think is the best title. While every video game company in the world vies for the coveted title every year by making progressive advances in how games work, graphics, storyline, and so on, it has seemed that all of that effort may have been in vain as they see another shooter be given the award for the billionth time. While video games are a business, and the video game industry looks to what will be the most profitable and popular in the way that people choose games and play games, is there possibly another way that the award can be chosen in order to make it fair? Why not treat the games very much like Hollywood does for an Oscar ceremony, where they have instead of 'Game Of The Year' only, how about best graphics, newest innovations, best storyline and so forth? If this could be done,not only will companies receive the respect that they deserve, it shows that they have made an accomplishment and that their hard labors are truly appreciated.