5/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of BioShock.

System: Xbox 360 Started: June 25, 2009 Ended: November 2009 Flashback Review Seeing the launch trailer for the first time back in the day got me hooked as you fight against a monstrous Diver Suit guy with a giant drill and be able to use powers such as casting bees. And to top it off, you are in a city Under the Sea which is pretty cool. Bioshock is the next generation from the popular franchise System Shock, since developer Ken Levine was one of the key developers for System Shock 2, now he’s involved with Bioshock. I personally never played the System Shock games yet, but I should after being introduced to this gem in the late 2000’s. I love the horror and dreaded atmosphere of this game as it's set in a decayed utopian city under the sea called Rapture as it's filled with crazy drug-addicted psychos called Splicers as they attack you and crave for a substance called ADAM. Another notorious thing about this game is these Big Diver Suit Giant individuals called Big Daddies and they protect these female childs called Little Sisters as they gather Adam. You can attack the Big Daddies for the goods and capture a Little Sister and you can either save them or harvest them for more power. And it does affect the ending in this game. What makes this story even more brilliant is the interesting world building on how Rapture came to be by grabbing tape recorders and getting to know the backstories from the civilians and overlords of the districts you are currently in and their time in the Underwater Utopia. Bioshock’s gameplay is extremely tight and balanced so well that you always have to be prepared on your next decision before progressing, that includes stop and scavenge for ammo and items, equip a certain weapon or backtrack and explore because no matter where you go, you will always be ambushed by those splicers, machine turrets, Security Cameras and Big Daddies and it can be a surprise attack that they will hit from behind. Aside from having just weapons, you get to use these powers called plasmids that you can cast elemental powers and you can upgrade and use them as an advantage to increase damage, especially the level itself. Such as using Lightning Plasmid on enemies surrounded by a puddle of water. If I had to say anything flawed, it would be nitpicks. The challenge in this game is just right but there can be moments where it can be frustrating such as performing that Pipe Puzzle to get rewards or disabling turrets and locked doors. Even entering combat with the Big Daddy and those Splicers that can cling on walls is a sharp difficulty curve. But once you take those guys down, you feel like you are on top of the world. The Camera Mechanic can sometimes be a mixed bag that you have to stop the flow of the game and feels like a chore when you take pictures at enemies, but at least it's worth it since you will find out about their weaknesses if you keep taking pictures. Lastly, the extensive World Building can be too in-depth, but in a good way. In my early high school years, I did not know much about Ayn Rand and I remember playing through this game and was confused about this whole Ayn Rand-inspired theme. All I do is go around and kill some splicers and the level bosses. Shortly after finishing the game. I began to research Ayn Rand on my own by reading some of her books and more information about her ideals. Easily one of my favorite games of all time. If you have never played any Bioshock games in the franchise, Start immediately and play the first game to begin the trilogy. Bioshock is the later generation of System Shock and it's one of the best First Person Shooters in the 21st century with its vibrant dark atmosphere, interesting world building and tight gameplay that every decision you made counts especially when it comes to retreating as the challenge in difficulty is just right. This game is worth the replay value if you want to know about world building and Ayn Rand's mindset.