This is a type of game that mesmerizes with it's visual surroundings and audio. It's the type of game you think a lot about. The entire premise of the game is about being in an underwater city(or whatever it is) and it's hard to dismiss this game as just a typical first person game. Is it a horror game? In a sense, yes, but then there are moments where you find yourself invincible with plasmids and then it doesn't feel like a horror game anymore. Every fight seems epic as you go up against TWO Big Daddys or fight a room full of Splicers in the dark. BioShock is a game not to be skipped. Even for a rental, don't miss out on an amazing game.

I know I won't make many friends saying this, but I did not enjoy Bioshock. It's not a bad game by any means, but neither is it a great game. It's an okay game that looks and sounds beautiful. Bioshock does deserve praise, but not nearly as much as it's gotten.
The visuals are, indeed, stunning. I'll admit that I played the demo and made the decision to buy the game durring my first underwater decent to the city of Rapture. If someone said "picture an underwater city that was build durring the 50s," I'd have pictured exactly what Bioshock offers. Unfortunately, you are never really offered much of a chance of scenery. Occasionally you'll pass through one archway that will be covered in ice, every now and then a room will be filled with water, and every now and then a room will be completely dark, but it all looks like the same rooms that you're in. There are games out there that make this offense worse, but the graphics are Bioshocks best feature, so i feel this is a bigger problem than usual.
The audio in the game also contributes greatly to the atmosphere of the game. You hear the constant dripping of water, making you feel like Rapture is unnatural and nature is doing all it can to destroy it (I can't really describe it accurately. You'll know what i'm talking about.) You'll occasionally hear an old phonogram playing some old music that really does add a generally creepy element to the existig general creepiness. But as far as in-game music goes, bioshock has almost nothing to speak of. Silent Hill uses random ambiant noises to screw with your head, but it also has the best panic music I've ever heard, and even when there aren't monsters running all over, the music still adds to the atmosphere. Bioshock has a few moments, and occasionally it will have music in the form of the aforementioned phonograms, which is creepy, albeit at first. The developers were trying to go for a more realistic feel, and I'll grant them that if you're being chased by monsters in real life you won't have a soundtrack to accompany it, but it only works for the first portions of the game. It gets really quiet.
The only note-worthy gameplay element is the Plasmids, flourescent over-sized syringes that give you super powers. Yes, it does add an element of strategy to the gameplay, especially bringing the environments into your strategy; however, I cannot bring myself to call a game that gives you superpowers "original." Granted there is one that turns your hand into a hive of wasps, which is by far the most bad ass thing i've ever seeen, but they're not all like that. They all end up being lightning, or fire, or kenetic powers, and we've seen all those before. It's interesting, but not original.
Bioshock is a first-person shooter. This means you have guns, and you should use them. I say should, because ammo becomes an issue. There is plenty of ammo to be found, unfortunately your guns can hold enough for about three full clips before you run dry. The point of survival games is to horde ammo, and the point of first person shooters is to use it. You constantly have so little ammo that you hesitate to use it for fear of needing it seconds later. This is NOT how I want my FPS to feel.
The combat is completely uninspired. You shoot things. You can shoot turrets, or a bunch of a bunch of enemies that look the same, or Big Daddy's. That's it. The enemies aren't that interesting, and with excluding the Big Daddy's (they're optional), there are hardly any bosses to speak of. And i killed a few of those without realizing they were bosses.
There is also a half-hearted attempt to add morality to gameplay, but there are two endings, and those depend on whether or not you want to kill little girls. That's it.
This is my problem with Bioshock. It's an average FPS with high production values. The only things that stuck with me were the portions that were scripted. It's not a BAD game. It's a repetitive and uninspired game that looks awesome. Rent it.

BioShock. The name of this game is most recognizable in the Shooter category. This game delivers more than what an average human being can take. The game starts off when there is a plane crash in the ocean, and you have to swim to safety. You are introduced to the eerie-ness of the city Rapture. There is hardly any light to guide you, and you are suddenly frightened by Splicers. Splicers, essentially the most important things in the game. They provide you with items and research. You must kill them off and fight your way through. Through out the game, you enter different areas of Rapture, an underwater city and find odd and somewhat intriguing characters. The storyline in this game is AMAZING. I won't give away any key points, but I will say that the storyline is very creepy and entertaining. Your main objective is Andrew Ryan. You must get to him and kill him! But there is an even better boss in the end, but I won't spoil that. The guns and weapons you use in the game are quite fun to use. The best ones in my opinion are the Machine Gun and the Shotgun. You can upgrade weapons and make them 10x more epic. Lets not forget about the Plasmids. Plasmids are these things that include things such as fire and ice to kill the splicers with. Now, Big Daddy's. These guys are the fish bait for Little Sisters. Little Sisters are orphan girls that a lady named Tennenbaum took care of. But, have been released and Big Daddy's get them and use them as helpers. But you, the main character, must save or kill the Little Sister. Adam and Eve. Not to be confused with the famous Biblical characters. Adam gets you your plasmids, and Eve restores your plasmid energy. That is pretty much all about the game. The one thing, is that there is no multiplayer, and I wish there was some more content. But hey, who can argue with this?

THIS GAME WAS CRAZY THE PEOPLE SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE ON CRACK AND BIG DADDY WAS WIERD AND A GOOD STORY MODE

From the beginning you can tell that Bioshock is something special. The amazing visuals grab your attention and never let go. From the mysterious beginning to the mind bending end the storyline is gripping and takes you in directions no other game ever has. The world of Rapture is a beautifully rendered underwater city that has an interesting ruined art deco that will have you wondering what is around every corner. With customization options up the wazoo and battles that never play out quite the same way, the game has quite a bit of replayability. I couldn't write a review without mentioning the iconic Big Daddy and the terrifyingly sweet Little Sisters, which will pose an interesting moral question to players. Do yourself a favor and pick up Bioshock