So Thanksgivings is done with, and there won’t be any more games coming out during the holidays. They’re either out by thanksgivings or in January. It has been a very interesting year, as finally all 3 platforms are out and gaining power (especially the PS3). It’s no secret that this year has been all about shooters. Too many shooters for my taste. But hey, they sell.

So let’s start with the first game that comes to mind - BioShock. It was released in early August for the Xbox 360 and PC and is a superb first person shooter in and out. You play as some random guy flying over the pacific and the plane crashed in the middle of the ocean. To your surprise you actually survive and find your way to a watch tower. In the tower, you get into a sphere that takes you to the bottom of the ocean. There you find Rapture — a full-on city that was built for scientists that didn’t want to be disturbed.

The whole thing takes place in the fifties and just has this incredibly emerging atmosphere that makes you feel that you’re underwater in the ’50s. It’s an awesome feeling that can’t really be described in words. And apparently, something went horribly wrong here, it’s up to you to find out.

The gameplay is two-sided. One is your typical first person shooter, where you just kill everything. The other is based on using special powers that you gain early in the game. You inject yourself with what seems to be the fruits of labor of the scientists in Rapture. Basically, you get to choose from several special abilities, such as Pyrokinesis, Telekinesis and others. The first two stand for what they are, but there are other interesting twists. For example, you can send bees flying on your enemies, make them fight each other, become invisible for cameras and much more. This adds a nice freshness to the gameplay. For ammo you use a substance called “Eve”, which is drained whenever you use any of these _powers_.

What lets upgrade your abilities is Adam. The more Adam you have, the easier it is to fight. And Adam is what the conflict in Rapture is all about. Everyone has gone crazy and started killing each other over it. It’s gained from dead bodies and gives you an advantage over your enemies. Adam is harvested by little girls called Sisters. And they are accompanied by Big Daddies that protect them. If you hit a Big Daddy, you have to fight him. And that’s not the easiest task. When you’ve beaten him up, you can either save or harvest the Sister. Harvesting gives you more Adam and kills the girl, whilst rescuing gives you less Adam but, supposedly, changes the outcome of the game. Not that I’ve noticed anything different in the 2 playthroughs, so it’s a moral choice.

The graphics are solid. This game had the best water effects (before Uncharted came out) and overall a superb graphical and sound presentation.

The story also comes with a twist which is great and refreshing in the end, giving you a whole new view on the subject — and also giving you a wtf face.

All in all, it’s a great experience that should never be forgotten. And is definitely one of the best games of the year.