4.5/5 ★ – bryansbane's review of BioShock.

Bioshock was an absolute behemoth when it hit the scene. Everyone was into the game, and for good reason. It’s incredible. The problem is that it never grabbed me as much as I felt that it should. I somehow got the same feelings everyone else experienced here, but with Bioshock Infinite. Regardless, Bioshock is a must play essential game of all time. Rapture is the greatest character of Bioshock. The underwater city from the first moment you lay eyes on it hypnotizes you with its beauty, wonder and freedom from the rest of the world. When you eventually begin to wonder through this abandoned and crazed enemy fueled environment you can’t help but think in your minds eye what it must have been like in its prime. The gunplay is not mind blowing, but very good and competent. The plasmids are a blast to use on your foes, and speaking of foes…does it get much more iconic than Big Daddy’s and Little Sister’s? Bioshock completely captures your mind and keeps hold of it until the experience reaches its end. There are minor nitpicks, like the final fight of the game, but the experience felt like nothing else at the time and still remains in the clouds with all of the other great video games that never leave the conversation. It may not be my favorite game of all time, but I wouldn’t flinch at anyone else calling it theirs.