BioShock wet, wild & wonderful

BioShock, Xbox 360, 2K Games/Irrational Games. Rated M, MSRP $69.99.
WHILE RECENTLY DISCUSSING BioShock with some gaming friends of mine, an interesting word made more than one appearance in our
dialogue: "perfect".
That’s not a term I like throwing around when it comes to reviewing games.
The inability for words like that to accurately summarize my feelings on a title is one of the reasons I eschewed a numerical rating system in the first place.
Can you call a game perfect and still feel the same way about it five years down the road? Or five months? Or even five days?
I’m not sure if there’s such a thing as a perfect video game, but this much I do know: BioShock is as close to earning this distinction as any other game I’ve played so far this year.
On the surface, it appears to be just like any other FPS you’ve spent time with.
There’s a plane crash, you survive, but you find yourself in a strange underwater city with a heavy dystopian vibe and some seriously angry citizens.
But it doesn’t take long for BioShock to start weaving its spell.
Rapture, the aforementioned metropolis, has an amazing art deco style that leaps to life unlike any other game setting in recent memory.
Faded posters, sweeping architecture and eye-popping aquatic panoramas are deftly contrasted against the bleakness of perpetual fear and horrific acts of violence.
It’s an amazing tapestry of lush cinematics and jarring, unforgettable encounters. But it never crosses the line into gratuity, showing remarkable pace and poise as it lays out the table for gamers.
As if the stunning art direction wasn’t enough of a main course, BioShock reinforces the wow-factor with something else you don’t find everyday in a video-game: a truly scintillating story.
Often the last thing frame-rate obsessed developers care about, a stirring narrative can make a bad game tolerable and a good game great.
It’s a slow burn and chances are that action junkies won’t have the patience to get to the really meaty parts of this dark and often warped tale.
But for most, BioShock’s steady diet of mysterious plot points and satisfying payoffs will make it hard to put the controller down.
Speaking of controls, there’s some slick game mechanics at work here as well.
The various actions and commands are laid out where FPS veterans will have little trouble finding them and the response and turning times seems perfectly in synch with the on-screen mood.
Switching through the host of Plasmids, tonics and weapons you collect during your trip is smooth and even the auto-aim is respectful in the amount it helps, so as not to deaden the experience.
And as I once quipped about my girlfriend, BioShock’s got all this and great looks too.
The press release from 2K Games claims that BioShock has the "most detailed and realistic water effects ever developed in a video game", and there’s little evidence to suggest this is anything but the truth.
It’s not quite the technical leap forward that Gears of War was, but it’s definitely a game that dazzles on a standard television and will blow you away in glorious HD.
Sound work is usually one of those talking points I mention before I get into what’s wrong with a game, but in this case there’s cause for cheer.
From the dank, eerie ambient noises to the satisfying clunks and echoes of combat to the exceedingly exceptional voice acting, BioShock boasts an incredible aural experience.
You only notice sound quality like this when it’s done utterly wrong or absolutely right. In this instance, it’s most definitely the latter.
Now, right on schedule, it’s time for what’s wrong with this title.
It’s hard to point out flaws in this masterwork without sounding like a nitpicker, but one fairly obvious one is the lack of genuine penalty for dying.
Upon joining the choir invisible, players will emerge from one of the many Vita-Chambers littered about Rapture with replenished attributes.
Enemies aren’t quite so robust, so that monstrous Big Daddy you dented earlier with your wrench will still have that dent when you return to avenge your recent dispatching.
It’s not exactly an exploit, but once you’re aware of the system it does take a lot of the deterrent out of full-on suicide attacks.
Also, there’s no multiplayer mode, which is bound to annoy some gamers out there.
I’m always happy to see a game focus on its primary mode instead of diverting resources for a needless online experience, but people hoping to use BioShock to frag all their buddies will undoubtedly disagree.
And the Mature ESRB rating is definitely warranted here.
Besides the many instances of gruesome violence, there’s a palpable dark and sinister tone running through the entire game. So resist the urge to rent this for your kids, if you can.
BioShock had a lot of hype to live up to upon its release, and yet it somehow found a way to meet, if not entirely surpass even the loftiest expectations.
From its unrivalled art direction to its gloriously rendered visuals and sound work, all the way through the engrossing tale that underpins the entire affair, this is a true high-water mark in terms of video gaming.
A critical masterpiece in every sense of the term and an essential gaming experience for all Xbox 360 owners.
Upside: A triumph of art, sound, story and gameplay. Nearly flawless.
Downside: Maybe a little too easy, unsuitable for kids.
Bottom Line: A must-play title, no questions asked.