A man has a choice. I chose... to buy BioShock.
"I am Andrew Ryan, and I am here to ask you a question: Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? No, says the man in Washington, it belongs to the poor. No, says the man in Navatica, it belongs to God. No, says the man in Moscow, it belongs to everyone. I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose to build….
Rapture. A city where the artist would not be bound by the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by morality, where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well."
BioShock is a first person shooter from 2K. Actually, it's not really and FPS, it's more of an RPS, role-playing shooter. The game pretty much creates it's own genre. That's the first sign that this game is gonna be something awesome.
Bioshock begins in 1960, over the Atlantic Ocean. You play as Jack. You're sitting on a plane when all of a sudden, the plane crashes. You go down, but somehow survive the crash. And there's a lighthouse. In the middle of the ocean. That being your only hope, you go in and find a submarine-like machine called a Bathysphere. It brings you down to this huge underwater city called Rapture. But upon entering, you realize something has gone horribly, horribly wrong.
What went wrong is just the beginning of BioShock's great story. It's like a book you just can't put down. But being that most people who play BioShock don't read much, I'll put it a different way: It's a really, really, great story. Just when you think you have everything figured out… BLAM! Epic plot twist. The story will keep you on the edge of your seat, or nearest object you can sit on. And throughout the story, there are some choices you must make. There's a good choice and a bad one, but making the decision is mind-numbing,
When you first arrive at Rapture, you witness your first sights of the city from the inside. The whole city is dark, with genetically mutated freaks running around. The atmosphere is really creepy. Every time you take a step you will cringe and wonder if there's anyone there. Stuff doesn't pop out at you too much, so when stuff does, it will scare the living daylight out of you.
The great graphics contribute to the game's creepy atmosphere. Everything looks great. The character models are great, and are highly detailed with blood smudges and deformed body parts, since there are only about 2 sane people you'll see in the whole game. But what really stands out are the water effects. They are the best ever seen in a video game. Water splashes, leaks, and puddles all look like they were filmed and put in the game.
Another thing that contributes to the game's creepy atmosphere is the soundtrack done by Gary Schyman. The real tracks are mostly violin, but are really done well. The in-game music is mostly just creepy noises and the occasional "dun-DUN!", but it makes everything that more creepy, and is a really better choice than an actual music track.
The only flaws with this amazing game are very minor. Every now and then, the game will freeze for a second or two. The other flaw is that near the end of the game, the enemies just don't take very much damage, especially if you're playing on one of the higher difficulties. That makes it a big chore to defeat one enemy.
Overall BioShock is an amazing and creepy game. The great story and creepy atmosphere will keep you playing for hours straight,
SCORE: 9.5/10
Positives
+Creepy atmosphere
+Great soundtrack that fits the whole game
+Awesome story
+Tough good or bad choices
+Bits of RPG-like traits here and there
+Amazing water effects
+Great graphics
Negatives
-Hitches that cause the game to freeze for a few seconds
-Later enemies don't seem to take much damage