When looking into the future that the next generation of games has to offer us, it's truly hard to pass up the opportunity to pick up a title that is as immersive and beautiful as Bioshock. Beyond all the media circus and hype surrounding the game itself, Bioshock is a surefire contender for Game of the Year by far and truly does deliver an imaginative and exciting gameplay experience.

Gameplay: The root behind Bioshock's intuitive and fun gameplay system is linked mainly to the fact that the background story that you find yourself involved in is so rich and well developed that you can't help but get sucked into it yourself. If you rush through the game there's no doubt that you'll get a very different experience than if you actually play through the game, in full and really explore every nook and cranny in the undersea world of Rapture. As the story progresses itself as you play along, you also come across the audio diaries which help explain the story more in depth and give you the details behind how Rapture became the way it is. The mix of FPS with RPG elements, truly make the game experience unique to itself. The ability to customize your character via the use of different tonics and even the choice of plasmids you use, not forgetting of course your arsenal of weaponry and ammunition, play well into the myriad of ways you can inflict pain, suffering and satisfying carnage to your foes. Although the number of weapons you have to choose from is somewhat limited, you can always manage to find new ways to dispose of your enemies with them, in conjunction with your newfound powers. But one of the somewhat more, disturbing elements to the weapons system is the fact that the wrench, the basic melee weapon you carry with you from the beginning, can be in turn the more powerful weapon in your arsenal. The number of plasmids you're offered do ten to grow thin as you progress through the game but they never truly fail to disappoint. After all, electrocuting people, throwing objects at them with your mind, swarming them with insects and even just setting them ablaze is a lot of fun, isn't it?

I'm giving the gameplay aspect of Bioshock and 8 out of 10. I'll explain in a bit more detail below, in the difficulty part of my review.

Graphics: Simply put, the graphics are phenomenal. Running off the Unreal Engine means that you know before you even load it up that the game will be a visual masterpiece. Right from the beginning of the game itself you're made witness to just how good the graphics are overall. The lighting effects, textures, everything flows well with the undertone of the game and truly makes the experience that much greater. From the dark atmospheres, to the bloodstained walls, floors, people, writing on the walls, etc. (can never have too much blood) to the characters and beyond, you really couldn't ask for much better. You definitely will not be disappointed by the visual beauty of the game. Despite the fact that it is a quite dark and well, needless to say, slightly deranged environment that you find yourself in.

10 out of 10

Sound/Audio: Playing this game in surround sound makes it much better than it already is. The voice acting itself is a strong point, although the style of the game doesn't offer you many true face to face experiences with most of the characters you encounter while playing. However, the quality of the audio diaries you come across and the radio conversations and jibber-jabber you come to know, love and sometimes hate, is well done and in the case of Sander Cohen and the all too hilarious Dr. Suchong are quite deranged and entertaining indeed.

As for sound in general. Your weapons and plasmids go off with good quality and usually result in either comedic or very satisfying counters. Whether it be screaming, explosions or otherwise, the sound in this game is top notch.

9 out of 10

Value: Being a single player only game, Bioshock does deliver a very good experience overall. Depending on the type of player you are and the way you play the game in itself, you can find yourself spending hours upon hours creating chaos and discovering the intricacies of the world of Rapture. or you be done within 10+ hours and find yourself, perhaps saturated. Opinions vary, but the if played in detail and with imagination, Bioshock can deliver a very satisfying gaming experience for an intermediate to long duration of time.

7 out of 10

Difficulty: Difficulty wise, the game is a bit of a pushover. But not in every aspect. The excessive use and locations of the vita chambers truly does numb down the experience. Dying and being resurrected with no actual penalty is a bit of a weak point to the game, nullifying any type of challenge to the game, overall. The enemies you face are one in the same, from start to finish, although they get stronger and tougher to kill as you go, Research bonuses, upgraded plasmids and weapons make them less of a thorn in your side. Big Daddies remain the big challenge of the game and they're a tough bunch, more so early on in the game than later. But they're no pushover, unless you count respawning in your vita chamber and chipping their life away slowly as a pushover. And lastly, one of the bigger disappointments, overall and especially difficulty wise is the final battle with Atlas. You truly can find yourself beating him with little to no danger to even having to use a single med kit throughout the entire fight, let alone each phase. Luckily, the gameplay experience overall manages to overshadow part of the disappointment that the conclusion delivers.

6/10

Overall I'm giving Bioshock a nod and a 9 out of 10.

Pros:
+ The Graphics are amazing
+ The story is very immersive and rich in depth
+ Voice acting is well done and flows with the story very well
+ Setting people on fire, having them jump into a pool of water and then electrocuting them just doesn't get old

Cons:
- Limited array of weapons and plasmids available (Wrench is OP)
- Replay value can differ from person to person
- No penalty for dying is pretty weak and makes the game easier than it should be