Apart from a few annyoing design decisions, this creepy underwater shooter makes a big splash.
Every so often, a new standard in gaming is achieved. Halo gave us enormous levels without load times. Battlefield 1942 gave us huge battles with seamless vehicular combat. Quake brought us into a world where the mouse was used to look around a fully three-dimensional environment. Resident Evil introduced us to survival horror and suspense. What, then, does Bioshock contribute? The answer is level design.
In any given Bioshock level, there are a number of things at work. Firstly, and most apparently, is the aesthetic appeal Irrational has pulled off. Rapture isn't just Art Deco. It's post-apocolyptic Art Deco. And while any gaming afficianado can see where they've borrowed certain stylings from the Fallout universe, Rapture's architecture is still ingeniouis and very much unique. Second, it's varied. Each of Bioshock's levels contains the same basic principles of delapidated, 50's era design, but it's mixed up to the point that each level has its very own feel. Lastly, the detail put into each area just makes the world come to life. The game is chock full of viable map after viable map, and together, they form a wonderfully realized world where you're constantly judging your surroundings by how they may help or hinder you in battle.
Plasmids, weapon upgrades, and tonics all help to set the core of Bioshock's shooter gameplay apart from others in the genre, and there's enough depth there to keep even the snootiest First-Person nay-sayer relatively quiet. Plasmids are genetic enhancements that allow you to shoot electricity, set things on fire, trick your enemies into fighting one another, and that sort of thing. The weapons you find are fairly standard like a revolver, shotgun, and grenade launcher, but each can be upgraded at specific points in the levels; not only are they made more formidable, they also change in appearance, too, and break up the standard monotony of watching the same gun out in front of you through the whole game. Tonics are passive effect items that are always working; they help you hack security drones, open safes, take less damage, or even turn you invisible.
The main problem with Bioshock rears its ugly head whenever you die. There's literally no punishment for getting killed; you're just zapped to a previous section of the level and that's that. This totally obliterates any tension the game generates with its frightening environments and spooky lighting effects. Additionally, money and ammunition are so easy to find that you never run out of either. Even if you do spend all your money on first aid kits and eve injections, you'll be back up to having a full wallet before you know it. So, I'd say the primary drawback to Bioshock is that it's gameplay is so forgiving that it completely makes the suspsension of disbelief impossible... thus, it becomes very NOT scary and digresses from a "phenomenal game" to an "entertaining shooter".
Bioshock is one of the most beautiful games I've played with exceptional visuals, commendable voice work, and a decent plot that held my interest. If you enjoy things that are dark and scary, I highly recommend getting your feet wet with Bioshock.