Much to the horror of poor gamers everywhere, this fall sees an
amazing succession of high-profile titles being released in the span of
two months. From the latest iteration of frat-favorite Madden to
Blue Dragon (the next RPG to suck 80 hours out of your life),
there’s something available for absolutely every taste. With the
release of BioShock, though, we may have seen the finest game of
the season—if not the entire year—and it’s still only
August.
BioShock is an art-deco-saturated story detailing the fall of
Rapture, an underwater bathysphere designed to house a utopian society
filled with the best and the brightest. As is usually the case with
these kinds of plots, something goes horrifically wrong—and by
the time you arrive on the scene, the entirety of Rapture is filled
with genetically altered mutants, murderous robots (is there any other
kind?), and enough eerie set pieces to make John Carpenter piss
himself.
So how does BioShock set itself apart as the finest game
you’ll play in 2007? One word: detail. From the ridiculous range of
customization options (don’t want to shoot that creepy little girl? Why
not light her on fire, or cover her in bees?) to the stunningly
rendered water effects, everything you see in Rapture really makes you
feel like you’ve stepped into a horrible tragedy where everyone is
desperately in need of some bullet holes to the face.
The only possible disappointment with the title is the lack of any
sort of multiplayer. Then again, with a story and visuals as rich and
immersive as these, there really isn’t much room for anyone else.
Leaving out multiplayer options in favor of polishing the title to its
current level of shine seems to have paid off—BioShock is
an adventure that most gamers will want to experience over and over
again.