The epitome of narrative in a world that exists beyond the player's interactions.
The World
Bioshock takes place in a vibrantly dark, underwater dystopia, created with the intention of being the ideal scientific and artistic community free of war and ignorance. Upon arrival it is obvious that the vision for rapture has failed tremendously and the world has fallen into darkness and chaos. The level design is varied and constantly unique. What would be simple corridors become beautiful passage ways that separate the complex and beautiful world of rapture from the vast ocean just outside. The world is consistently dark, taking place distantly under the surface where very little natural light penetrates. Rapture has broken into a civil war and the violence and chaos has added to the darkness. The city is crumbling under the weight of the ocean along with the social and political conflicts that exist within, and because of this theme of destruction throughout the entire world, a sense of desperation and even sadness is apparent in those who truly invest themselves completely in this game. It so effectively sends it's messages and portrays exactly what it intends that the world feels as if it exists in complete destruction as well as in complete unity. I can try to describe and explain the world of Rapture, but the truth is that words cannot convey the actual feeling that the world and overall experience instills in the player. One thing is certain, and that is that the world and art in Bioshock is one of the main things that makes it special and superior to the vast majority of games.
The Story
Bioshock manages to achieve story telling and narrative beyond what I had ever imagined possible. The game feels less like a shooter and more like an interactive story. This tale puts the best Hollywood movies to shame and even most books aren't as detailed and well thought out as the story in Bioshock. So much thought and creativity was put into the story, every character feels like a real person who exists independently of you, even though you will only see or meet most characters once. The actual objective of the main character changes throughout, while the main goal of the game remains to escape the disturbingly beautiful world of Rapture. This keeps the player interested. Unlike so many games these days, things actually happen, the story moves forward, and the player makes crucial discoveries to his existence along with the existence of Rapture and its plagues. This games is not without its twists and turns, but they are delivered effectively and dramatically. The ingenious use of audio diaries to develop and progress the story allows the player to continue engaging in the action while furthering the tale of Rapture. Attempting to summarize the story of Bioshock is futile, because the relationships that exist within the world, along with the ever-changing and developing plot line are much too complex and surreal to put into words.
Sound and Visuals
No game is portrayed as artistically in both the delivery of sound as well as visuals. Every detail in this one of a kind world is a piece of art. The technical graphics are great for a 2007 game and still hold up compared to games coming out today. Even more impressive are the artistic graphics; no other game really comes close in that department. Bioshock has arguably the best soundtrack and voice acting of any game ever made. The voice acting is incredible and dramatic, but not to the point of over exaggeration. Every delivery perfectly conveys what the character is feeling at that time. Desperation, anxiety, sadness, and most importantly insanity. These emotions dominate the psyche of the population of Rapture, and it makes for a daunting and satisfying experience.
Gameplay
Bioshock's gameplay is often overlooked and even disliked by many critics and players alike. While it isn't the perfect, polished, and clean shooter that the gaming community has come to expect, it still definitely has its place in gaming. By putting a varied weapon selection as well as a variety of plasmids (lightning, fire, etc) to the players disposal, Bioshock's gameplay makes for a chaotic, yet fun shootout. Action sequences are fast paced and call for on the fly strategy making, which many games seem to have forgotten about. The main issue with Bioshock's gameplay is that it is static and remains the same throughout. That isn't to say that the action gets old, because the game throws enough interesting challenges at the player to keep the game interesting. The encounters with big daddies make perfect use of what first person action games have to offer, the player really feels like they are fighting the monsterous beasts.
Bioshock's features are all great when looked at individually, but its the way that the entire game comes together that makes it stand above the rest. When played in it's entirety, Bioshock makes for a deep and artistic experience that will get the player involved like no other. It is easier to classify this is a work of art then a game.
The World : 9.4
The Story : 9.6
Sounds : 10
Visuals : 9.5
Gameplay : 9.0
ACTUAL Overall Score : 9.8
(Gamespot doesn't allow anything between .5 and .0 so i just gave it a 10)