Bioshock: 9.5/10

Bioshock plays like a combination of Half Life 2 and Resident Evil 4. The story telling is reminisent of Half Life, not relying on cut scenes but instead allowing the story to evolve as you explore your environment. The gameplay is like Resident Evil minus the annoying quick-time events, ridiculous boss fights, and laughable dialogue. What reminds me most of Resident Evil are the vending machines scattered throughout the game from which you buy ammo, health, upgrades, and the like. They, of course, make no sense, but the game covers that with a quirkly sense of humour that reminds me of the merchants from Resident Evil.

Enough with the game comparisions. Bioshock is set in 1960. Your a sole survivor from a plane crash who finds refuge in the massive, under water, city of Rapture, rendered in moldy, art deco, glory. You soon realize that things ain't quite right in Rapture as the citizens are, for the most part, genetically altered lunatics lead by the cities founder, Andrew Ryan, who wanted to build a capitalist utopia free from the annoyances of government regulation and morality. The game is varied and well paced. The weapons are interesting and fun to use, especially the genetic enhancing "plasmids" that allow you to gain all kinds of nifty powers like telekenicis and the ability to shoot wasps from your hands - what fun! The mood is dark and creepy, but not overpoweringly so. The developers never forget that, above all, video games are supposed to be fun.

Story: 5
Interface: 4
Game Play: 5
Challenge: 4
Fun: 5

Overall: 9.5/10