Bioshock (360) Review

Bioshock was an experience for me, on a deep down emotional level.

From the moment that the game case touched my hand something deep inside me wanted nothing more than to hate this game.

And so I began my trek through the halls of rapture, searching for reasons to fuel my hatred so I could justify ripping into this game and giving it a terrible score.

I found Nothing.

And i kept trying to invent reasons, ANYTHING I could get my hands on to make the game seem worse to me.

And the only thing that kept coming up was after 4-5 days of playing when the game still was going strong. - its too long.

A pathetic lie just being used to fuel my desire to hate this game.

Now in reality, looking back, I fucking loved it.

This FPS does everything that a fps should do, but the real measure of quality to me is atmosphere. Few FPS since half-life (one) have ever had the atmosphere where i really felt it, And Bioshock does. Where most games fail Bioshock does it right, and it raises the bar to a new standard.

I wanted to hate it so badly, but I found myself coming back every chance I had. It made me feel almost dirty, like an addict sneaking a fix.

Visually perfect, the shadows and the look makes the atmosphere almost thick enough to choke a bitch with. The like 1940's style to everything made Rapture feel like it could really exist somewhere. The models are rich and detailed, the environments are designed for a purpose in rapture, not an arena in a game, and as such provide another level to the atmosphere.

Overall the sound was pretty quality, since storyline is told using casettes found all over rapture you have to assume that the main storyline isnt going to sound like two guys talking over soup cups with a string. The voice actors do a good job conveying the emotions that occur in their lives and as the case may be, their deaths. Guns sound like they should for being 1960's guns, realistic noises for bullets vs random environment when you miss your mark. Random enemies don't repeat the same lame 1 liners constantly, and actually talk to themselves like crazy people should.

The guns and physics were firm, the gameplay side was great. 51? Tonics and like 14? plasmids for some sweet customization options to facilitate a variety of play types. Multiple types of ammunition for each gun, but not enough of a single type of ammo to make you feel comfortable, adding to the atmosphere of survival. Sporatic gun upgrades to allow you to keep using the same weapon against increasingly stronger enemies, environmental kills, inventive traps. Overall just a winner in the gameplay department.

The storyline, although I hated it at first, is fantastic. Subtle hints that later turn into grand perspective changing events that you didn't notice when they happen. A fantastic plot culminating in one of the single most thought provoking events I have ever experienced in a game (Andrew Ryans Office) and a deep (although short) ending.

Despite my earlier feelings about the game, I give Bioshock a 10. If you havent played this game, go get it, now. There is a reason it won game of the year its a goddamn masterpiece of gaming. There are 3-4 events in the course of this game that will stay with me forever, they are that good.

The damage was 910 Achievement Points over 25-30 hours of Gameplay, Long for a FPS but good throughout.