Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Masterpiece"

Note: I usually write pretty long reviews but now, I'm going to be keeping them short and simple.

BioShock takes place in an underwater city called Rapture. Rapture and it's people have become victims to a huge accident gone wrong. Your job is to seek out who's responsible. In order to do this, you have to brave your way through the insanity also known as Rapture.

Graphics. BioShock features one of the best looking atmospheres in gaming history. Visually, this game looks great, it's actually beyond greatness. Framerate is super smooth, it never falters. Picture quality is sharp, crisp, and clear. No jaggies, no blurred out areas, flawless. Other developers need to take some lessons from the team at 2K Boston.

Story. I loved the story. City of Rapture, project or experiment gone wrong, people become spliced freaks running around with arsenals they shouldnt be carrying even if they were normal. Not giving away any spoilers, I'll let you find out on your own. Crazy and out of this world, twists and turns. The characters in this game are sadistic, ludicrous, insane, maniacal, madmen. It's like a beautiful, sick and twisted film. You'll love it from beginning to end. Personally, the ending left me disappointed.

Gameplay. Since BioShock is a shooter I'll start off by saying the gun-play is superb. It's very well done so you dont have to worry about it turning out like some of the games like Turning point and Frontlines. Besides gunplay, there are what you call plasmids that are special powers or skills that come from his left hand. You can freeze people with a skill called "Winter blast" and when you hit them when frozen, they will shatter into bits and pieces of ice. Demolishing them entirely. Plasmids can be upgraded and you can obtain new ones throughout the game. Weapons can also be upgraded and they're physically noticeable on your weapon. You can see it. Which is a huge bonus. Most games uses upgrades but you dont ever see the upgrade physically. There's an array of arsenal to your disposal. From shotguns, to crossbows, to your typical handgun. My only complaint is that it can get a bit repetitive. You run around fighting the same enemies throughout the entire game, except for the big daddys. They all look the same though. But you will hardly care once you get into BioShocks immersive world.

Sound. BioShock's sound is what stands out the most besides its atmosphere. Great sound effects, great sound in general, sets the mood and tempo of the game. Great voiceovers, one of the best casts that I've come across in a video game. Beautiful soundtrack. Masterpiece.

Replay value. If you're good at playing games more than once, despite it having a linear storyline, then you'll find some good replay value in BioShock. Personally, I dont like to play through the mission mode more than once. The only game I've beaten more than once or even twice in a campaign was Gears of War. But it was fun because of co-op. Otherwise, I wouldnt have bothered. And for the achievements. ;) BioShock is the epitome of a single player experience. The singler player is so excellent that you dont need a multiplayer or mini-games to enjoy it. This game was meant to be a campaign only game and I'm glad they decided to go with that formula. Some games just dont need multiplayer. Use that time to make the single player even better. And 2k Boston did. They did an amazing job.

BioShock was the biggest surprise of the year. This game never caught my attention until I came across many gamers that said it was a great game. Now, when there are many, MANY people saying something is great, it usually is. Not always, but most of the time. And BioShock truly is, one of the best games of all time. BioShock is not just an ordinary shooter, it consists of RPG elements, atmosphere, puzzles (hacking into safes, etc, to acquire items) quests, and fun boss fights. Most of it is the story and atmosphere that pulls you into its world. Once you start playing, you cant stop. So you better find a way to save Rapture once you're in there.