Very clever, very linear ... some RPG elements but in reality, a shoot.er

User Rating: 8.5 | BioShock PC
I'm not a fan of shooters ... I am more into the RPGs like Neverwinter and Oblivion. I decided to play Bioshock based on the great reviews and the comparisons to 'System Shock 2,' a shooter I liked with a lot of RPG elements. Bioshock also has some RGP progressions, and that means you can play the game in a style you like. Well, it means you can either freeze, burn or shock your enemies, and then hit them with pistol fire, shotgun, machine gun, etc. Sometimes you will use all of the above. The game is very clever and the plot has some nice twists. The graphics are awesome, and I had no technical problems on my Vista machine with an Nvidia GS 7600 video card. Gameplay is extremely linear. You will head exactly where you are told, and many times an arrow will be pointing you. There are many points in the game I felt actual 'fear' ... which is a pretty high compliment to any game. The negatives are that the gameplay gets repetitive and somewhat manipulative. In a crucial scene in the game - I won't spoil it - the game camera takes over and you get no choice in what ensues. Yes, that drives the game forward, but that is a mortal sin for any RPGer. Scratch a star for that.