Bioshock is truly without a doubt one of the best games I have ever played. It is a fun shooter that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Bioshock unlike most first person games focuses on the story rather than the game itself. This is not to say that it’s gameplay is not good as well, just that the point of the game is to dive into the rich world of Rapture. In the game you are you. You see the character’s arms and hear him grunt but that is all. You get no name or anything. This is common in games but Bioshock pulls it off so well that is really easy to immerse yourself in the game. You will find yourself feeling all the confusion, terror, and heartbreak that the main character feels.

                The setting is beautiful in it’s own dead city sort of way. The rooms look like they were really used. You can look at Rapture and see that it was once a place of life. The care that went into making this city is incredible. If you notice I did not rate the graphics the highest. This is not what I am talking about. The graphics are not the best on the system. What I am talking about is how the city feels, how they made it where even with the unreal qualities of the world there is still a hint of familiarity about this place.

                The lighting is also fantastic. Some of the rooms are barely lit, not in a way that it was annoying but added to the horror. There was this one room where I was up to my knees in water and it was barely lit. All of a sudden the lights shut off and I hear movement. My description doesn’t do it justice. It scared the heck out of me. The lighting adds to the setting telling you the city is dead but something still lives inside.

The gameplay as I said before is also good. Not as important as the story line but they did not disappoint. It has a classic feel to it with a little twist on it. They give you a verity of weapons and these things called plasmids. Plasmids will give you powers like the ability to shoot electricity or summon a swarm of bees. As you go through the game you can get different types of ammo and level up your plasmids.  There are also other things that you can get for your character called tonics. They modify the traits of the character, giving you extra strength ect. These items and Abilities add RPG elements to the game which compliment it nicely.

There are a few things I don’t like however. One is the difficultly. Don’t get me wrong it adds to the feel of the game. It is just it always seems you are running out of ammo or low on health. Another thing is some areas feel like a maze. Even with a map there is a level or two that you can really get lost in. Another thing that bugs me is the lack of reliability. Well there is a little bit but once you’ve gone through the story the game becomes a little boring. You no longer have that shock or surprise that kept your blood pumping during your first playthrough. However you find yourself wanting more. The game designers solved a little bit of this with the audio diaries. The audio diaries provide a look into what Rapture before and during It’s fall.

Alright my final verdict is if you like intense stories or horror games then it is for you. It is a great game to add to your library. Just know that you only get the thrill once. I would save the audio diaries for last if I were you. It gives you something to do after you have done the story.