I've never been a big fan of many of the GOTY games that have come out in recent years. Didn't care for Halo, World Of Warcraft, Resident Evil 4 or Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Many of these games didn't do it for me or were games I was apathetic to.
In 2007, I thoroughly enjoyed a potential GOTY for the first time in years. BioShock is one of the best games I've played in 2007 or any year for that matter. No game in recent memory has meshed graphics, gameplay, ambiance and sheer fun as well as BioShock does.
The graphics in this game are spectacular. Irrational Games (I'm not calling them 2KBoston) paints a gorgeous picture of a futuristic 1960 underwater megalopolis. The Art Deco buildings, the posters for various events, the attention to detail and the proper weapons all fit in perfectly.
The gameplay is a joy. It's a FPS with excellent controls. It's easy to get into. At first, it can be a bit tricky to get the right weapons or plasmids on the fly but eventually you can change them without any problems. The camera is perfect, the 360 rotation on the gamepad is perfect as well. You'll have no problems playing this one.
The ambiance is tremendous. The acting in this game is superb and effective. The soundtrack of licensed songs include Bobby Darin, the Ink Spots and various novelty songs like "How Much Is That Little Doggie In The Window?" along with the original, foreboding soundtrack. You'll play around with 1960's style slot machines and machinery, hack talking vending machines and face off against crazy, crude-looking security cameras. There are many little digs to the setting, such as the pep bars and cream-filled cakes.
Best of all, the game is absolutely a lot of fun. The game is dark and foreboding but the game also packs a lot of humor. The little cutscenes that appear for buying a new plasmid, the sometimes hilarious audio diaries, listening to "If I Didn't Care" by the Ink Spots while the splicers downstairs in the bathroom are talking crazy and hearing the Little Sisters talk to their Big Daddies and calling them "Mr. Bubbles" are some of the great stuff you'll hear and see.
Yes, the game might be a little too easy with the Vita-Chambers and the fact that enemies retain their damage, making even the Big Daddies easy to defeat after you respawn. Yes, the game might be a bit too short, Yes, there's no multi-player. And yes, you'll have so much money that you will be able to auto-hack everything. Still, there is plenty to do. You can photograph enemies for extra powers, beef up your character, invent stuff and you can try to find every single item for Achievement Points. There's another 3-5 hours here.
The game has Autosave and allows you to save anywhere. The load times are not intruding and only occur between sections of Rapture. The game runs smooth as silk.
The minor quibbles didn't affect my score. This game is absolutely perfect. If you have an Xbox 360, you must BUY this game. 10/10 and my choice for GOTY 2007. Congratulations, Irrational Games!
In 2007, I thoroughly enjoyed a potential GOTY for the first time in years. BioShock is one of the best games I've played in 2007 or any year for that matter. No game in recent memory has meshed graphics, gameplay, ambiance and sheer fun as well as BioShock does.
The graphics in this game are spectacular. Irrational Games (I'm not calling them 2KBoston) paints a gorgeous picture of a futuristic 1960 underwater megalopolis. The Art Deco buildings, the posters for various events, the attention to detail and the proper weapons all fit in perfectly.
The gameplay is a joy. It's a FPS with excellent controls. It's easy to get into. At first, it can be a bit tricky to get the right weapons or plasmids on the fly but eventually you can change them without any problems. The camera is perfect, the 360 rotation on the gamepad is perfect as well. You'll have no problems playing this one.
The ambiance is tremendous. The acting in this game is superb and effective. The soundtrack of licensed songs include Bobby Darin, the Ink Spots and various novelty songs like "How Much Is That Little Doggie In The Window?" along with the original, foreboding soundtrack. You'll play around with 1960's style slot machines and machinery, hack talking vending machines and face off against crazy, crude-looking security cameras. There are many little digs to the setting, such as the pep bars and cream-filled cakes.
Best of all, the game is absolutely a lot of fun. The game is dark and foreboding but the game also packs a lot of humor. The little cutscenes that appear for buying a new plasmid, the sometimes hilarious audio diaries, listening to "If I Didn't Care" by the Ink Spots while the splicers downstairs in the bathroom are talking crazy and hearing the Little Sisters talk to their Big Daddies and calling them "Mr. Bubbles" are some of the great stuff you'll hear and see.
Yes, the game might be a little too easy with the Vita-Chambers and the fact that enemies retain their damage, making even the Big Daddies easy to defeat after you respawn. Yes, the game might be a bit too short, Yes, there's no multi-player. And yes, you'll have so much money that you will be able to auto-hack everything. Still, there is plenty to do. You can photograph enemies for extra powers, beef up your character, invent stuff and you can try to find every single item for Achievement Points. There's another 3-5 hours here.
The game has Autosave and allows you to save anywhere. The load times are not intruding and only occur between sections of Rapture. The game runs smooth as silk.
The minor quibbles didn't affect my score. This game is absolutely perfect. If you have an Xbox 360, you must BUY this game. 10/10 and my choice for GOTY 2007. Congratulations, Irrational Games!