Graphics
Bioshock's graphics are amazing.  Although they sometimes get a feeling of some textures looking too glossy or like plastic that 2K's games all suffer from, overall the game looks phenominal.  Scenes like the moment your character survives the plane wreck or you see the wreckage to the first time the game bludgeons you over the head with the grandiose introduction to Rapture really help drive in the fact that this game went through a lot of going over with a fine tooth comb with its acute attention to detail.

Many developers as of late have been talking about water graphics and how that's almost a benchmark to graphical prowess.  This title's water graphics are spectacular, which is good considering the game takes place on the ocean floor.  Water flows in natural ways in the game and it looks pretty believable.  One of the cool things about the water in the game is if your character walks under running water, the field of vision becomes blurry as the water pours over it.

Sound
Almost instantly after noticing the stellar graphics, it becomes apparent how great the sound is in Bioshock.

The atmosphere in the game is just stunning.  All throughout the dying city of Rapture, water leaks from every little crack in the structure.  With every little waterfall, the sound of moving water is very well recreated.  The music in the game is also top-notch, getting licensed music from the 1940s to compliment a world where it hadn't changed for twenty years.

It's important for any first person shooter to have weapons the feel powerful.  Bioshock's weapons sound more than capable of doing damage, from the crack of the pistol to the small explosion of the shotgun and all things in between, the sounds of the weapons are top notch.

Voice acting in the game is another key part of the game that's pretty spot on.  Each voice actor achieves the goal of fleshing out their individual character pretty well.  You'll hear the voice acting run the gammut of being either completely insane to a regular person talking to you by way of the radio.

Conclusion
This game has been long anticipated.  Ken Levine and his team at 2K Boston, formerly known as Irrational Games, have really raised the bar with Bioshock in terms of both story-telling and gameplay.  Although the game did have an abrupt ending, the whole game leading up to it was a stellar experience.  It really is refreshing to see a title like this come out in a genre that's generated one cookie cutter title after the another, ultimately ending in many people possibly writing off some great games as a "Doom 3 clone".

Overall, this game is a must own, if only for the multiple ways of tackling a problem and the engrossing storytelling.



+ Immersive storytelling
+ A close attention to detail
+ Stunning sound and visuals



- Abrupt ending for a game with such an amazing story
- No block button for melee attacks
- No online play.  Not a major problem but maybe in the sequel