Despite my relatively short time with Bioshock, its credentials are so strong that it is fully deserving of high praise.
Enough with the teaser accolades, let's get down to the real business of the analysis of Bioshock. The game is gorgeous. It manages to do things that I would not have believed possible at this point in game development. Dynamic water effects such as gushing torrents pouring through into the environment from the ocean, convincing fire (even fire on water), and lighting that I can only woefully describe as "awesome." Of course, all of these things are lent the game by the engine. Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is the most impressive engine to date. The prowess and power that it gave to Gears of War developers has only been magnified here. Virtually everything is interactive (and consequential to the story). Everything detail is finely crafted. Every physics calculation is convincing if not accurate. This engine enabled Bioshock's developers to create a truly great game with no lack of creativity in detail.
Speaking of details, the artistic theme of the game is magnificent. Set in an art deco theme that was assembled remarkably well (lends itself well to the game and the story), everything in the game stays true to the visual style. Character dialog and speech styling, music, aesthetic niceties...every detail is instantly recognizable as a fitting element of the game. Everything preserves the illusion and immersive qualities of the environment. And everything helps to move the game along in an entertaining way. Dialog is fun to listen to but also plays an important role in the game play. Gadgetry is clever and interesting, very much true to the art deco styling and very much a believable extension of the real mid-20th century technology were these gadgets, guns and technologies actually available at that time. Details are where so many games miss greatness, but Bioshock delivers.
Game play is excellent...very fun. Its combination of "standard shooter" weaponry and what can only be described as "force powers" (thank you to my friend Azazel for the nod to Star Wars) is a kick. There's nothing like electrocuting a zombie and then beating him/her over the head with a pipe wrench for the kill. The pace is fairly quick, though exploration is necessary to really draw the most out of the game. In addition to the run-and-gun aspect, the game has a horror/mystery thing going on. The story is very much opaque at the beginning and only starts to become clear by listening to NPC interactions, talking to your "guide," picking up audio journals along the way, and enduring the rantings of Ryan, the game's signature evil persona. But again, this is nothing new...Fear was very much a run-and-gun with a better than average horror/mystery story to bolster it. Perhaps a better example is Half Life 2, but you get the point. However, I wouldn't be saying this if Bioshock weren't different.
So this brings me to why Bioshock is so great. It's not just the insane visual and audible beauty, fascinating story, or solid game mechanics...it's the innovative components and the level to which they exist. Hacking is one example of this. There are several things in the game that can be "hacked," a minigame-based process that takes on the aspect of a puzzle. Yeah, it's pretty easy (in my opinion), but I'm literally a rocket scientist...what do you want? ...and they do get harder. Hacking has several uses as it leads to new combinations of weapons and ammunition, decreases in item cost at the games vending machines, and the ability to control security drones, to name a few. Additionally, as I just alluded to, there are endless combinations of weapons and ammunition, enhancements and special abilities that make each person's game a little different. You can be as clever and unique as is warranted by your taste as you progress through the game. As in Riven or Myst, there are a thousand ways to think about and approach a problem. And while Bioshock is much more linear and less intellectual than the aforementioned, it is just as true and just as important from the standpoint of game play and having a unique experience. Finally, the persistent Little Sister/Big Daddy combination is totally cool. It represents one of the game's many path-based decision modalities forcing, in some cases, the player to select a fundamentally good or evil option when dealing with the pair. This multimodal enemy presents a persistent problem for the player throughout the game, often requiring a non-palatable interaction with the enemy but, equally often, allowing the player to opt out of confrontation. This enemy adds a dynamic, unexpected and seemingly random interaction in the game that seems to rather drastically affect the course of the game. It is unclear whether the good or evil decisions made regarding this enemy have long-term consequences, though I would be remiss in not pointing out my opinion that it is highly likely and that I would be utterly disappointed were it not the case.
All in all, I'd say my generic GameSpot "classification" selection for this game says it all...instant classic. I'll be honest, my excitement about and expectations for this game were quite low. I was and continue to be completely blown away by how it has totally reversed my thinking. Any game with the power to positively squelch my expectations for mediocrity and replace them with the sense that this game will be long lauded deserves a perfect 10. I recommend this game for ANYONE casually or intensely interested in FPS, horror/mystery or gaming in general.