It will grasp you, pull you in, shock you, creep you out and leave you speechless - this game is a must.
The game, beginning with a mysterious plane crash, unveils an underwater utopia known as Rapture, created by an eccentric Andrew Ryan. Ryan is portrayed as a great visionary and businessman who strongly believes that self improvement is the key to a successful world and is not deterred by moral dilemma. Afraid his philosophy would be both rejected and frowned upon Ryan creates Rapture; a haven where citizens can live out their dreams without restrictions of law and government. However it is clear that when Jack, our protagonist arrives, something has occurred that not even the city's great creator could have foreseen. While in the safety of his bathysphere (an underwater contraption) Jack witnesses a seemingly brutal murder committed by a deranged citizen known as a splicer.
Although set during the 1960's, science has advanced many times the usual rate due to Ryan's vision of self perfection, resulting in the discovery of a substance called ADAM – stem cells derived from a form of sea slug. ADAM was found able to be produced on a large scale by planting these slugs into young girls known as little sisters. Splicers are freaks, genetically mutated by the ADAM who have lost their sanity in the process. Jack embarks on a mission to discover what disastrous events have taken place down on the bottom of the sea, and what caused the seemingly accidental plane crash that landed him in the exact location of the bathysphere descending to Rapture.
Armed with conventional firearms from a machine gun to a more spectacularly developed rocket launcher, along with some extra firepower in the form of plasmids – genetic modifications from the ADAM allowing you to harness several special abilities such as fistfuls of lightening, the harsh world of Rapture awaits.
You will soon find yourself feeling unpleasantly isolated making the intelligently developed moral issue of weather you either harvest the little sisters you come across (for maximum ADAM, thus destroying the host), or you choose to rescue the girl (making your next encounter that much more difficult), feel far more meaningful than many would expect at first glance.
Do not expect a hassle free ride with Bioshock. The game provides plenty of challenges that keep the gamer attentive whilst holding the tension, provoking knowledge of what awaits round the next corner. One of these most infamous and exciting challenges take form in the Big Daddies – guardians that look over the little sisters as they collect their ADAM. These gargantuan monsters will cause you to consider all options before often unloading many rounds in attempt to finish them.
There are a few annoyances that you may come across during your time in Rapture. After long periods of play it is not uncommon for play to freeze for up to a few seconds at a time. This can be irritating; especially during combat. The other main 'problem' I experienced during game play is the fact there is no real punishment if you die. I'll explain, each time you die you are revived at the last Vita-Chamber you encountered. While this can be a small annoyance if you have travelled a fair distance without encountering another chamber on the whole this isn't an issue. The problem comes that there is no consequence but to be returned, even all the enemies retain their damaged state, allowing for a more reckless (yet far less satisfying) 'hack n slash' approach.
Although these little hiccups can interrupt the otherwise seemly flawless presentation, they become easy to overlook as you are entrained by Bioshock's vast environments and luscious story telling. Bioshock is not your average game; it mixes solid mechanics with an utterly stunning packet of creativity that moulds a universe you are truly able to immerse yourself in.