BioShock is a 2007 first person shooter with RPG elements and not a small amount of survival horror dropped in. The game opens with the protagonist being the only survivor of a plane crash at sea where you wash up on a rocky island with a lone lighthouse. A short bathysphere ride later you find yourself in an underwater city built by a madman and populated by gene splicing lunatics, zombie-like automatons, and creepy little girls who gather the genetic material of the dead.
The underwater city of Rapture is eerily rendered with leaking, creaking passages and a deserted. Throughout your journey in Rapture the sites and sounds build a continual feeling that combines deserted buildings and a feeling that something really bad not just happened but is still in the progress of happening. While the main character remains silent throughout, the supporting cast and antagonists are fully voiced and very well done. Together they add greatly to the story telling experience and overall feel that I can sum up as early 70's sci-fi/horror movie. If I'd been watching this as a movie as a kid, I'd have been hiding behind the couch on a number of occasions.
The controls are typical of a first person shooter using the right land left buttons to select weapon and special abilities. Some spots are hard to navigate but I think that was more on purpose (exploring a ruined underwater city) rather than quirks of the programming. One potential detriment is the lack of ammo and healing supplies as you near the boss but at the same time it forces you to fight carefully and think creatively; something that most FPS games don't do.
To Sum it Up:
Controls: 4/5: Easy to use, easy to navigate, just a little finger tripping in intense fights.
Story: 5/5: If you're a student of history and you know a little about Ayn Rand it helps, but the story is fun and the two twists are actually surprising.
Graphics: 5/5: Impressive as hell. Creepy, sad, and with a vintage 60s/70s feel that was very genuine.
Sound: 5/5: Equal with the graphics the sound was tremendous. Early rock and roll wafting through corridors and sock-hop music. The best words I can describe it with are immersive and authentic.
Playability: 4/5: All FPS games come with a degree of frustration to me (I believe I may have mentioned I kinda suck at them). But beyond the little annoyances (terrain, ammo etc...) this one was just fun. I'd play it again.
Now I don't have BioShock II in my possession yet but I plan on getting to it before BioShock Infinite (I don't want to skip, I understand the story makes less sense if I skip right to Infinite and the Sky Mormons therein). So I'm actually going to backtrack to as I said I might do.
