Bioshock is quite simply amazing.
It is probably the most atmospheric game I have played. The game oozes quality from the very start.
1stly the demo available on Xbox live is basically the 1st level with a few aditions. But the demo gives you a really good idea of whats to come. The moment you surfice from the plane crash you can see attention to detail. Take the water droplets on the camera, each one refracts to light around you giving a very realistic view of the image. The flames work beautifully and the sinking plane bubbles the ocean. You look up at the light house and the fog adds to the vista. All this on the very first level and you will only see it for a few seconds.
The world of Rapture is stunning sight from the very start. It's the little details the amaze me. As you go down to Rapture a film plays with great voice acting as this film plays watch the particules of dust float in the air. These litttle details could have been skipped, but they didn't and they add to this amazing atmosphere that is created.
The sound track both musical and effects wise is top notch. Each item has it's own tick, click and buzz. The voice acting is perfect and the music is of the 30's or 40's period and works extremely well.
The bads guys are nuts and hard to kill. They appear to dodge well and attack from many angles, they even run away to recharge or get medical help then come back to hit you again. This is done extremely well. The big Daddy is a sight to see and some what disturbing with thier little sisters. Daddy's are tough mothers (????), but once you have one down you can get a bucket load of cash and then either harvest or save the little sister. As yet I haven't had the heart to harvest a little sister, I am having trouble with the idea you kill this little girl. Once you save, one they some times give you a little item and then go hide in these strange holes.
Not only do you have some interesting weapons, you have these special powers called Plasmids. The 1st of which is electric bolt which stuns people with electricity so you can hit or shoot them. If a baddy is standing in water this immediately kills them. And there are some great variations of plasmids fire, freeze, bees etc. The trick is to use them with a weapon for best effect, all are fun and very satisfying.
There are the sentries you can hack. These things will either kill you or you hack them to protect you. Another great addition to an already varied game.
I am playing on hard, and boy is it hard. You can save when and where ever you want and once you get killed you are reborn in Vita Chambers. So effectively you never really die, just get reborn. But it's still bloody hard.
A true quality game. More than worthy of any Xbox 360 owners collection. May even be game of ther year, but thats going to be a tough one with Halo 3, COD 4 and all the others coming out in the next 2-3 months. You know, I reckon those poor saps the only own a PS3 are truly missing out here, maybe it'e time they went and bought a console that actually has games for it. My PS3 is a dusty ornament on the shelf next to my Xbox 360 thats getting over used.
Buy this game, if you don't own a 360 go buy one and then buy this game.