Available For: 360, PS3, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Release Date: 2007
Rating: 18+/M
Genre: Science Fiction FPS, Action Adventure
Developer: 2K Boston (360), Digital Extremes (PS3)
Publisher: 2K Games


Introduction/Storyline:
The game starts off in a plane travelling above the Mid-Atlantic in 1960, reading a note on a gift reveals that your name is Jack. The plane suddenly crashes, and after surviving and swimming to the surface you swim towards a light house. Once inside, you travel down inside and discover a pod. You go in it, and it starts to bring you down into the water. A short message comes on a screen, by Andrew Ryan - and he talks about his creation. And then it's revealed in the distance; Rapture. A city underwater.

"A city, where the artist would not fear the sense, where the scientist would not be bound by pity morality, where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well" - Andrew Ryan.

Upon arriving, you discover the world of Rapture has changed. A man name Atlas contacts you through a radio, and promises to get you out alive as long as you help. And so your journey through Rapture begins...


Graphics:
The graphics and the detail are brilliant, especially when you take a minute to look outside the walls of Rapture and into the sea. There's some great detailing on the "Splicers" that make them super creepy looking, and unique too. There's a different look to each kind of Splicer, and some wear some very odd masks and costumes that just add to the whole feel of the game. The environment is dark, at times scary and very compelling. There's many levels and areas to explore, each with a unique twist - some are frozen over, some are completely covered in chaos and blood, some are overgrown or underwater, etc.


Gameplay:
The gameplay is similar to that of a typical FPS game with a very interesting twist - plasmids and tonics. Plasmids are genetic alterations that can take the form of many very interesting powers; ranging from your common electric and fire powers, to insect swarms, cyclone traps, ice blasts and more. The tonics are used to essentially boost your stats and abilities. There's three kinds of tonics; Combat Tonics (improve the players defense and offence capabilities), Engineering Tonics (improve the players hacking abilities and interaction with machines), and Physical Tonics (improve the player's physical and physiological properties). There's many you can try out and use, but they require ADAM. ADAM is the raw form of unstable stem cells, which can be collected through Little Sisters - which are used to generate more ADAM then the original source on it's own. But you won't find a Little Sister without a Big Daddy!


Sound:
The game is relatively quiet, there isn't much background music to the game but there is a lot that makes up for it. You do have the occasional music playing when there's a jukebox or something similar around, though it's usually old fashioned to suit the time the game is set in. You have a variety of PA announcements, promoting a variety of plasmids, tonics, and even people like Andrew Ryan. There's the jingles that play out whenever you're around a vending machine, so you always know when you're near one. There's the chatter between Splicers, whether they're trying to kill eachother or just having a conversation. The weapons, plasmids, gun turrets, Splicers, radio broadcasts from a number of different characters, etc - all add to the otherwise pretty quiet atmosphere. The eerie silence sometimes adds to the game as well, since it could be dead silent except for a Splicer that's crawling along the walls, hacking away at a dead body, or doing something else. You can always hear the loud stomping and roars of a Big Daddy, and the Little Sisters casually talking to them as if the world they live in is normal.


Replay Value:
Since there's at least 2 different endings, I think that adds a lot to the replay value. After completing the game for first time and discovering there was another ending - I played it through again right away. The endings are good enough to want to see both as well. They change depending on how you interact with the Litter Sisters - by either Rescuing them and receiving a small amount of ADAM, or Harvest them and receiving the max amount of ADAM you can get. The achievements can also make it worthwhile to play it through a couple more times, as well as the plasmics and tonics. There's such a large variety that you probably won't get a chance to experience them all, since you can only use so many at a time.


Overall:
Overall, this is a great game for both FPS lovers and those who want more out of the typical FPS. The unique setting, time, abilities and more - really make this game shine. You also have the second game where you're a Big Daddy to look forward to, as well as Infinite which really changes things up!

Rating:
Storyline: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Replay Value: 8/10
Overall: 9/10