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BioShock: From Rapture to Columbia
A unique and extraordinary saga of video games.
In just three installments, the BioShock saga made a special place for itself in the hearts of players. These games boast completely unique and extraordinary stories and worlds. The first two installments take place in the underwater city of Rapture. Immersed in the Art Deco style and a 1950s atmosphere, the player advances through an open, intelligent gameplay that encourages creativity and careful use of the resources provided by the surroundings. BioShock Infinite, the third installment, draws us in to explore the floating city of Columbia in a uchronic, steampunk-laden 1912.Third Éditions aims to pay tribute to this hit series—which, despite its short history, has already gained critical acclaim. Dive into this unique volume that explores the games’ origins and provides an original analysis of each installment.
Discover a complete analysis of the three installments of the BioSchok Saga! The video game will not have secrets for you anymore !
EXTRACT
After years marked by total abstruseness, the early 2000s saw the transition of PC games to the world of consoles. In market terms, game consoles had reached a general-public status, ensuring high popularity—but the PC market put up strong resistance, in particular by selling downloadable games through stores such as Steam.
Numerous PC-based developers, such as Warren Spector (Deus Ex, Epie Mickey), Peter Molyneux (Populous, Fable), and of course Ken Levine, began developing for consoles. In the same vein, numerous genres that were typically destined for PC gaming began migrating to consoles. This change certainly had numerous causes, one being Microsoft’s arrival on the console market with Xbox (with architecture close to a PC). In addition, typical inconveniences in PC development were eliminated (games no longer had to be designed for a wide variety of configurations, as a console by nature has a stable internal architecture). Finally, there was the question of pirating—even though it exists on consoles, it is much more common on PCs.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi - Fascinated by print media since childhood, Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi wasted no time in launching their first magazine, Console Syndrome, in 2004. After five issues with distribution limited to the Toulouse region of France, they decided to found a publishing house under the same name. One year later, their small business was acquired by another leading publisher of works about video games. In their four years in the world of publishing, Nicolas and Mehdi published more than twenty works on major video game series, and wrote several of those works themselves: Metal Gear Solid. Hideo Kojima’s Magnum Opus, Resident Evil Of Zombies and Men, and The Legend of Final Fantasy VII and IX. Since 2015, they have continued their editorial focus on analyzing major video game series at a new publishing house that they founded together: Third.
Raphaël Lucas - Raphaël has over fifteen years of experience in the world of video game writing. A reader of Tilt and a fan of a renowned French video game journalist AHL, he first pursued a university éducation. After obtaining a master‘s degree in history from the University of Paris 1, he then became a freelancer for PC Team before working for Gameplay RPG and PlayMag. In October 2004, he joined the group Future France and worked for Joypad, PlayStation Magazine, Consoles + and Joystick, not to mention a few other contributions to film magazines.
In just three installments, the BioShock saga made a special place for itself in the hearts of players. These games boast completely unique and extraordinary stories and worlds. The first two installments take place in the underwater city of Rapture. Immersed in the Art Deco style and a 1950s atmosphere, the player advances through an open, intelligent gameplay that encourages creativity and careful use of the resources provided by the surroundings. BioShock Infinite, the third installment, draws us in to explore the floating city of Columbia in a uchronic, steampunk-laden 1912.Third Éditions aims to pay tribute to this hit series—which, despite its short history, has already gained critical acclaim. Dive into this unique volume that explores the games’ origins and provides an original analysis of each installment.
Discover a complete analysis of the three installments of the BioSchok Saga! The video game will not have secrets for you anymore !
EXTRACT
After years marked by total abstruseness, the early 2000s saw the transition of PC games to the world of consoles. In market terms, game consoles had reached a general-public status, ensuring high popularity—but the PC market put up strong resistance, in particular by selling downloadable games through stores such as Steam.
Numerous PC-based developers, such as Warren Spector (Deus Ex, Epie Mickey), Peter Molyneux (Populous, Fable), and of course Ken Levine, began developing for consoles. In the same vein, numerous genres that were typically destined for PC gaming began migrating to consoles. This change certainly had numerous causes, one being Microsoft’s arrival on the console market with Xbox (with architecture close to a PC). In addition, typical inconveniences in PC development were eliminated (games no longer had to be designed for a wide variety of configurations, as a console by nature has a stable internal architecture). Finally, there was the question of pirating—even though it exists on consoles, it is much more common on PCs.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi - Fascinated by print media since childhood, Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi wasted no time in launching their first magazine, Console Syndrome, in 2004. After five issues with distribution limited to the Toulouse region of France, they decided to found a publishing house under the same name. One year later, their small business was acquired by another leading publisher of works about video games. In their four years in the world of publishing, Nicolas and Mehdi published more than twenty works on major video game series, and wrote several of those works themselves: Metal Gear Solid. Hideo Kojima’s Magnum Opus, Resident Evil Of Zombies and Men, and The Legend of Final Fantasy VII and IX. Since 2015, they have continued their editorial focus on analyzing major video game series at a new publishing house that they founded together: Third.
Raphaël Lucas - Raphaël has over fifteen years of experience in the world of video game writing. A reader of Tilt and a fan of a renowned French video game journalist AHL, he first pursued a university éducation. After obtaining a master‘s degree in history from the University of Paris 1, he then became a freelancer for PC Team before working for Gameplay RPG and PlayMag. In October 2004, he joined the group Future France and worked for Joypad, PlayStation Magazine, Consoles + and Joystick, not to mention a few other contributions to film magazines.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2016
26 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Nicolas Courcier
21 books6 followersPassionné depuis l’enfance par la presse papier, Nicolas Courcier n’a pas tardé à lancer avec Mehdi El Kanafi son premier magazine, Console Syndrome, au cours de l’année 2004. Après cinq numéros à la distribution limitée à la région toulousaine, il décide de créer avec Mehdi une maison d’édition du même nom. Un an plus tard, la petite entreprise sera rachetée par Pix’n Love, éditeur leader sur le marché des ouvrages consacrés au médium du jeu vidéo. Au cours de ces quatre années dans le monde de l’édition, Nicolas aura édité plus de vingt ouvrages consacrés à des séries phares, dont il aura lui-même corédigé un grand nombre : Zelda. Chroniques d’une saga légendaire, Metal Gear Solid. Une œuvre culte de Hideo Kojima et La Légende Final Fantasy VII et IX. Depuis 2015, il poursuit sa démarche éditoriale articulée autour de l’analyse des grandes sagas du jeu vidéo au sein de la nouvelle maison d’édition cofondée avec Mehdi : Third.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 26, 2023
Философия, сюжет и совсем немного истории создания игровой серии Bioshock, которая сильно повлияла на жанры FPS и immersive sim. Для фанатов, коим я являюсь, неподготовленному читателю будет сложновато. Написано несколько сумбурно (возможно дело в трех авторах), личность Левина практически не описана, внутренних процессов не замечено. Прочитал и ладно.
September 22, 2018
This is the second of the 3rd Edition books I’ve read and certainly won’t be the last. These books are great for fans of the games/series they highlight that know the story well but want to delve more into the environment that birthed the games, the symbolism and overarching themes present, and even the plot itself for some of the more convoluted games.
Just like my review of their book on Metal Gear Solid I found myself a little bored during the first chapters introducing the environment of gaming prior to bioshock/2k games being founded. While the information was interesting the many lists of games defining genres only had an impact if I knew the games and otherwise felt a bit empty. Once the actual plot summary started I found myself much more interested as I had missed several elements of the story in the game due to not playing DLC or missing an audio log here and there (especially where the Lutrecs were concerned). The latter sections on ideology presented, use of propaganda, and visual and music aesthetics were absolutely delightful. Learning about the interactive narrative presentation Bioshock is designed around and the developer's anti-cutscene opinions have reshaped how I think about the games and their style of presentation. I also appreciated that the book was divided up into 2 sections with the first being focused on the games in Rapture and the latter half being about Infinite, including Burial At Sea. This was a nice way to not have to constantly flip flop between two radically different worlds until they tied together at the end of Infinite.
Like before I have both the physical and kindle but mostly read the kindle. The kindle version does have a few typos here and there but nothing that prevents understanding or changes words. On the off chance the publishers do see this I might suggest having some test readers check the kindle version to cut down on those since I think it does hurt the professionalism when it’s more than 1 or 2. The physical copy itself is lovely as long as your cat doesn’t eat the bookmark so I’ll suggest that version.
I decided to take 1 star off simply because the opening sections were so dry for me and I wish some of the other chapters had been just a bit more in depth or longer but overall I really enjoyed the book. I'll be back for reviews of the Final Fantasy and Zelda books coming out soon.
Just like my review of their book on Metal Gear Solid I found myself a little bored during the first chapters introducing the environment of gaming prior to bioshock/2k games being founded. While the information was interesting the many lists of games defining genres only had an impact if I knew the games and otherwise felt a bit empty. Once the actual plot summary started I found myself much more interested as I had missed several elements of the story in the game due to not playing DLC or missing an audio log here and there (especially where the Lutrecs were concerned). The latter sections on ideology presented, use of propaganda, and visual and music aesthetics were absolutely delightful. Learning about the interactive narrative presentation Bioshock is designed around and the developer's anti-cutscene opinions have reshaped how I think about the games and their style of presentation. I also appreciated that the book was divided up into 2 sections with the first being focused on the games in Rapture and the latter half being about Infinite, including Burial At Sea. This was a nice way to not have to constantly flip flop between two radically different worlds until they tied together at the end of Infinite.
Like before I have both the physical and kindle but mostly read the kindle. The kindle version does have a few typos here and there but nothing that prevents understanding or changes words. On the off chance the publishers do see this I might suggest having some test readers check the kindle version to cut down on those since I think it does hurt the professionalism when it’s more than 1 or 2. The physical copy itself is lovely as long as your cat doesn’t eat the bookmark so I’ll suggest that version.
I decided to take 1 star off simply because the opening sections were so dry for me and I wish some of the other chapters had been just a bit more in depth or longer but overall I really enjoyed the book. I'll be back for reviews of the Final Fantasy and Zelda books coming out soon.
January 18, 2024
Две звёзды на goodreads — в правилах записаны как хорошая оценка книги. Но выше поставит не смогу — мои ожидания не совпали с реальностью.
Начиналось вообще отлично! Хорошие рекомендации проверенных критиков. Затем довольно глубокое погружение в историю (а именно за такими вещами я хожу в такого рода литературу). А вот дальше идёт пересказы, пояснения за ссылки и неумолкающий фанфары. В целом не против, но фанаты игры едва ли найдут что-то принципиально новое. А там, где можно было бы остановиться и немного больше раскрыть тему (например, почему из студии активно уходят люди? И не повторяет ли Левин историю своих персонажей?) ничего кроме упоминаний найти не удастся. При этом описание источников для вдохновения, философский анализ и культурная ценность сделаны хорошо, если книга была написана для среднего читателя. Разбор музыки в Infinite очень понравился, второй после курса истории в начале книги сегмент, который подарил мне какие-то новые знания.
Но почитать все равно можно.
Начиналось вообще отлично! Хорошие рекомендации проверенных критиков. Затем довольно глубокое погружение в историю (а именно за такими вещами я хожу в такого рода литературу). А вот дальше идёт пересказы, пояснения за ссылки и неумолкающий фанфары. В целом не против, но фанаты игры едва ли найдут что-то принципиально новое. А там, где можно было бы остановиться и немного больше раскрыть тему (например, почему из студии активно уходят люди? И не повторяет ли Левин историю своих персонажей?) ничего кроме упоминаний найти не удастся. При этом описание источников для вдохновения, философский анализ и культурная ценность сделаны хорошо, если книга была написана для среднего читателя. Разбор музыки в Infinite очень понравился, второй после курса истории в начале книги сегмент, который подарил мне какие-то новые знания.
Но почитать все равно можно.
June 23, 2023
I feel bad saying this, but this reads like someone published a book report about a video game. There's even an entirely too long section giving a description of every event in the game. Not a novelization...a very dry "this happened, then this happened, then this happened".
There are some good discussions about philosophy, but it's not new ground for fans of the series who have looked any deeper than surface level.
There are some good discussions about philosophy, but it's not new ground for fans of the series who have looked any deeper than surface level.
September 22, 2024
Обожнюю серію Bioshock і завдяки враженням і спогадам, що вона подарувала, гратиму в будь-які майбутні ігри Кена Левіна.
Сама книга включає в себе і історію розробки, і розбір сюжета, і потенційне майбутнє серії.
Добре зайде у якості доповнення, після проходження ігор. Мені сподобалось, а більше і не треба.
Сама книга включає в себе і історію розробки, і розбір сюжета, і потенційне майбутнє серії.
Добре зайде у якості доповнення, після проходження ігор. Мені сподобалось, а більше і не треба.
August 6, 2025
Авторы типичных школьных сочинений с помощью Википедии и дневников разработки приготовили вам продукт текстовый тематический фактосодержащий. Рецензии Игромании лучше мотивируют на перепрохождение и вызывают больше восторга (бадам-тссс). Единственный плюс издания - пересказ сюжета позволяет структурировать в памяти сценарные потуги, неровно намазанные на местный геймдизайн.
December 3, 2021
Un must per gli amanti del gioco...in quanto saggio però sente la mancanza di una bibliografia e questo mi ha impedito di dare cinque stelle. Comunque un must have
September 1, 2023
Большая часть книги полный пересказ сюжета каждой из частей Биошока. Как плюс так и минус. Мало новой информации
June 6, 2022
tl;dr
some very intriguing comments on different aspetcts of series
some commonly known comments on different aspects of series
plot summaries of games definitely takes too long
would recommend when you miss the history of genre chapter and plot summaries
I consider myself as person interested in bioshock and how it changed gaming landscape, but i don't now if i would recommend this to anyone. definitely drop whole intro to history of genre and plot summaries, beacause they aren't essential for other part of book, even if you don't remember plot well.
some very intriguing comments on different aspetcts of series
some commonly known comments on different aspects of series
plot summaries of games definitely takes too long
would recommend when you miss the history of genre chapter and plot summaries
I consider myself as person interested in bioshock and how it changed gaming landscape, but i don't now if i would recommend this to anyone. definitely drop whole intro to history of genre and plot summaries, beacause they aren't essential for other part of book, even if you don't remember plot well.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews