41 Bioshock T-Shirts to Evolve Your Wardrobe

Created by Ken Levine as a callback to the critically acclaimed, but criminally underlooked, “System Shock” series, “Bioshock” and its successors are stories of retro-history that focus on various themes determined by the time period they are set in. From “Bioshock” and its examination of what exactly it means to be a man, to “Bioshock 2” and its exploration of family, to “Bioshock Infinite” and patriotism, each game ties back to the others with its mature look at dark themes as well as a devotion to strong gameplay mechanics and beautifully written story lines.

When “Bioshock” was first released, people immediately gravitated towards its interesting look at a “what-if” scenario involving a secret city built under the ocean that was essentially the poster child for objectivism. As soon as the game is loaded, players are immediately greeted to the city of Rapture and its inhabitants. The city’s founder, Andrew Ryan, can be heard over loudspeakers casually dismissing the main character as a threat as he continues to delve deeper into Ryan’s world of ethically ignorant citizens. Andrew Ryan’s speeches help to create a strong atmosphere for the player as the world becomes increasingly haunting with every step further he takes.

“Bioshock 2” takes a similar path as its predecessor, despite being built by a different company. Following in the footsteps of the previous art team’s famous “Big Daddy” characters, the design team for the sequel decided to put the player in the suit of one of these creatures. Of course, it wouldn’t be a game if your character didn’t operate outside the bounds of a normal Big Daddy, and here it is no exception. Your character can use tools that a normal Big Daddy would be unable to, as well as bond with a young woman that has suffered for many years under her mother’s insane tutelage.

With “Bioshock Infinite” though, the game developers that built the original “Bioshock” are looking to create something different. Instead of looking to the murky depths of the ocean and the kind of people that would be willing to live down there, Ken Levine and his team have created “Columbia,” a city in the clouds filled with jingoistic nationalists who believe George Washington was a god amongst mortals. Players will take the role of a private investigator in search of a woman who has been kept beyond her will with hopes of rescuing her.