Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developer: 2K Boston/2K Australia
Publisher: 2K Games

Utilizing Unreal Engine 3, there was really no doubt that Bioshock would heavily feature shaders, complex geometry, and awesome texture resolution. What is perhaps a surprise is how the 1950s-styled theming, use of colors, symmetry, and placement of key pieces in various scenes makes for an aesthetically pleasing prospect.

"How much is that doggy in the window?", and other ironic era-centric music blares out of juke-boxes; recorded capitalist propaganda periodically pierces the air via loudspeaker; and top-notch voice acting bring the story to life. It won't dazzle you, ala Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighters, but it will set the mood and draw you in.

Bioshock plays a lot like the Elder Scrolls series, except in a shooter-format: do you want to start your enemies on fire, cause them to be ambushed by rocket-launcher turrets, will you turn invisible and crack them with a wrench, or simply confront and out-gun them? Already paced like a thinking man's game, a simple hit of a key pauses the game and lets you choose a different weapon or "plasmid", which only adds to the feeling that tactics are encouraged.

Instant re-spawn after death and the huge number of ways to "abuse" the game make for a relatively easy, but highly enjoyable romp, especially for those reared in sandbox titles like Star Control II or Grand Theft Auto. Although Bioshock is completely linear, it gives you a such a plethora of choices within its one-way track, that it is almost impossible not to have fun with this game.