Welcome to Rapture
BioShock tells the story of Jack, a plane crash survivor. He swims his way on shore, when all of the sudden, the doors open to reveal the entrance to a once self-proclaimed utopia, Rapture. The creator of this now-dystopia is Andrew Ryan, who has such a believing personality that gives him life on his own. Soon after, you are introduced to plasmids. There are four types of tonics, and this is what gives BioShock the elements of an RPG. You must be certain what type of tonics you have, and that will determine whether you will be successful or not. Soon after the intro, you are introduced to one of the most troublesome SOBs you will see in a game: the Big Daddies. They are basically the protectors of the game's Little Sisters. The Little Sisters are the suppliers of ADAM, which are necessary to completely enjoy the game, although they aren't necessary to collect. In order to refill on plasmids, you need EVE, which is indicated as a blue bar under the health bar. What's amazing about this title is how accessible it is. You can play the game however you want, and when you die, there are no penalties. However, this is also noe of the negatives of the game as well: there are no penalties. For casual gamers, no penalties is like Heaven, but to hardcore gamers, this is disappointing. Nonetheless, it is a noteworthy addition.
Another plus is how amazing it looks. BioShock once again proves how good looking a title on the Xbox 360 can look, and it reminds Sony about how games should look on the PS3. The controls are tight, which is just awesome for me. The biggest addition, however, is decision making. You must decide whether to harvest or save the Little Sisters, making you ask yourself about your morals and your true decisions if you were really in that type of situation. The game is amazing since it doesn't really force you to make a decision, yet people do it anyway. You can also design your own weapons. Sure, there are the standard fare such as the pistol, shotgun, and rocket launcher, but it is how you sculpt these weapons that is a big change. You can either increase the rate of fire, the clip size, or power. And, best of all, it is visible on the weapon itself.
The only major downside is no multiplayer. Some people believe that BioShock would not do good in the multiplayer area, but others say that BioShock would make an excellent multiplayer game. Imagine using the plasmids in multiplayer versus opponents over Xbox Live...oh, what could have been. There will be downloadable content, however. Also, the game may be too easy for some. Even though it does have three difficulties, it is dumbed down due to no penalties after death.
BioShock is a great title to have as part of your 360 library. Not only is it a gorgeous game, it controls great, the story is wonderfully woven, and it is beautifully designed. I highly recommend this game to any 360 or PC user.
PROS
-Amazing visuals
-Tight controls
-Nicely-woven story
-The RPG elements are a welcome addition to the standard FPS fare
-Your decision truly affects the outcome of the game
-Weapon crafting is well designed
CONS
-May be easy to some
-No penalties after death
-No multiplayer