Why did I wait this long?
The game begins rather abruptly with you surviving a plane crash and stumbling through the proverbial looking glass into the world of Rapture. Your presence goes largely unnoticed at first, but before you know it word gets around that there's a new kid on the block. The "block" in this case being an underwater city built in the 1940's. As difficult as it might be to take that premise seriously, trust me -- you'll get over it.
Very early on you get the distinct impression that something has gone terribly wrong in Rapture. Virtually everything's in a state of disrepair, personal belongings litter the streets and those inhabitants still alive are for the most part insane. In short - you'll need all the help you can get if you want to stay in one piece. Fortunately for you there's a little something called plasmids.
To cut a long story short plasmids are the result of stem-cells, genetic engineering and good marketing. The effects that they grant the user are spectacular to say the least.
The very first one you obtain enable you to temporarily paralyze an opponent from a good 20-30 yards away with an electric shock. Quite handy when the natives are determined to bash your head in and use it as a flower pot.
There is of course conventional weaponry as well. Starting at a common wrench and ranging all the way up to home-made grenade launchers. Most of these weapons can be customized and upgraded as well. With your handgun, for example, you can use common bullets if you wish, or switch to anti-personnel ammunition to dispatch of unwanted company. There are armor-piercing rounds as well for taking out pesky automated security systems.
The presence of a huge variety of plasmids (some of which even affect the difficulty of the game itself) as well as a large arsenal makes for plenty of ways to tackle any given part of the game. You can go in guns blazing if you wish - or lurk in the shadows and take the opponents out one by one. To explain the full depth of the choices available would take too long, but let me just assure you that you won't be disappointed.
What makes Bio Shock worth playing is however not the game mechanics - as good as they are. It's the fact that you are immersed (no pun intended) in this underwater world and the microcosm that dwells within. The attention to detail is incredible. Not only the wonderful retro-slash-steampunk environment but also the sheer insanity of a world devoid of ethics or morality. The plot of the game is told through several mediums. Radio communication with some of the more normal denizens of Rapture is perhaps the most common way you progress, but at other times you piece together information from audio-logs or even the occasional ghost-sighting (!)
I'm just gonna say it - this is one of the best games I've ever played. Top 5 at the very least. The graphics won't impress you in the same way Killzone 2 or Resistance 2 does, but assuming you're open-minded enough to look beyond that you will find that Bio Shock has something unique that no run-of-the-mill shooter has. It has a soul. A twisted, dark and scary soul to be sure. But insanity never felt this good.
I would give this title a perfect ten if not for the fact that the "exclusive downloadable content" that's available for the Playstation 3 comes with a 9 dollar price tag. Nine bucks is not a king's ransom, but on the other hand you don't get a whole lot of bang for your buck either.