by Matt Kelly

Created on: September 16, 2010   Last Updated: September 17, 2010

When I first heard about the imminent release of Bioshock, I thought it sounded like it was going to be a fantastic game, in fact I thought it was going to be groundbreaking. A brilliant concept for a story, a fast and intense, action packed first person shooter and fantastic graphics. Well, one out of three ain't bad as I'm about to explain.

The story revolves around a subaqautic city known as rapture, an idyllic community that is thriving, until genetic research in the form of plasmids (chemical enhancements to the body) turns everyone psychotic, slowly but surely the city falls into darkness and the perfect city is lost forever.

The game starts with you, the player, sitting comfortably in an airplane seat. There are no cut scenes so you're free to look around and take in the rather impressive graphics. Turbulence starts to disturb your rest when suddenly the plane is crashing through the atmosphere spinning out of control until it hits the murky abyss of the ocean. This set piece is done to tremendous effect and really is quite impressive.

You frenetically haul yourself up onto a stone staircase sticking ominously out of the swell, still charged from the crash you stagger upwards and through a dark doorway and on into a bathysphere (a cross between a lift and a submarine), then down, down, down into the bowels of the city, welcome.....to rapture.

Unfortunately from here on in the game doesn't live up to the hype it received. It got fantastic reviews and was well received by most, but for me, it was a bit of a disappointment. The story never really gets going, there's no twists, no intrigue, no reason to take an interest in your character what so ever. The game is pretty short and the ending is amongst the worst of any game I've played (think anti-climax times 100). For an FPS these are all elements which are important in making for an exciting and playable experience.

It's not all bad though, there are some accomplished aspects of Bioshock that mean it's not a complete and utter disappointment. The graphics are quite impressive (or at least were at the time of its release), graphics however should always be second to gameplay in my opinion. The water effects throughout the dying city are stunning at times, and the uneasy and disturbing atmosphere is quite well realised. The residents of Rapture are unhinged and at times can be somewhat disturbing, sobbing and screaming at their own tortured selves. Society was frozen in the 50's when rapture started to come

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