Bioshock

Okay, so Bioshock 2 is on the horizon. Can you name a better time for a Bioshock review?

I picked this game up on Steam around Christmas time. I was looking for a game to play since GTA IV turned out to be a bust for me, and Steam had it up on their site for $4.99. I figured how could I go wrong? A game of the year candidate for $4.99, what the heck.

So I start to play the game, and I'm hooked right from the get go. The scenery is phenomenal. They did such an incredible job of the underwatever vistas that I was blown away. Right away you see this grand city under the sea as you're brought down in the bathysphere. The neon signs and the art deco architecture float serenely amongst the undersea creatures swimming in your sight.

Then you get introduced to the story. And what a great story it is. You're drawn along, learning about the underwater city of Rapture, and its founder Andrew Ryan. Who is Atlas? And how does he fit into the power struggles that went on. What is with the creepy little girls, and their protectors? The whole city is one great mystery, and you can't help but dive into it to figure it out. It all culminates in a mini climax about 3/4 of the way into the game. Where you finally are given all the answers to the biggest of your questions, and the game isn't even over yet.

So the graphics are great, the sounds are awesome, and the story is phenomenal. What's not to like? Well for me the biggest thing was the weaponry. I felt like the weapons were underpowered. It took a lot of hits to kill the bad guys even when you were using the right weapon/ammo combination. In addition, the fact that you had to use the right weapon/ammo combo to have the most effect against a baddie was annoying. I'd much rather have a simpler system. One combat system I really liked was the plasmids. They were a nice way to present different damage systems, as well as different ways to interact with your environment. Overall they provided a number of ways to accomplish your tasks throughout the game. So all in all, this is a great game. I highly recommend it, and I can't wait for BioShock 2.