When BioShock was announced, few would have known the impact it would have on the gaming landscape and few would have known just how well it would turn out. Coming from the guys behind the two System Shock PC games, there was history but there was also unknown. This was a brand new take on the 'Shock' style of games and both System Shock 1 and 2 were very complex, perhaps too complex, for today's more casual gaming world. However 2K Games have proven us all wrong and BioShock has not only turned out to be a contender for game of the year but perhaps the first game to really make you buy a next generation console. Yes, the game really is worth a couple of hundred bucks if you have to fork that out.

When BioShock begins, you are on a plane which suddenly takes a turn for the worse and you end up neck deep in one of the world’s big oceans, with no other survivors and no food. Conveniently you spot a light house, and from there you discover the world of Rapture, a failed utopian society where one Andrew Ryan tried to take the best of the world as we know it and build an undersea society for the elite and rich. As the previous sentences suggest, this under water world has failed and this is where the game kicks in. It grabs you by the scruff of the neck and does not let up until the final credits roll. If ever there was a game that you just could not put down, could not stop thinking about when you're away from it and continuously coming up with strategies, this is it.

BioShock at its core is a first person shooter and if you want to play the game like a typical FPS, you can. That's the beauty of this game - there are so many ways to play it and almost anyone can play it. The developers have really tried to make this challenging for hardcore gamers, which it is, but also give casual gamers a reason to play with an extremely easy difficulty level and even an arrow showing you where to go. It is clear that the developers wanted to ensure as many people as possible would get the full story, and for this they have to be commended.

There is also a side story to the game which can be completely ignored if you wish and that is the presence of Big Daddies and Little Sisters. During his failed campaign, Ryan turned some little girls into monsters and you can either save them or harvest them for their power making you a more powerful character. The latter option however puts you on the bad side with Big Daddies, one of the most formidable foes you will face not only in this game, but in gaming in general. The fights with the big daddies are some of the highlights of the game, but it’s also interesting that 2K Games has given you the option to plow through the game without even touching one.

There are also a lot of RPG elements to this game. As well as weapons you will find ‘plasmids’ - genetic enhancements which allow you to throw fire, hypnotise things, melt things etc. This in combination with weapons offers a good balance and there are many puzzles you will have to solve with them. You can only carry a number at a time so you will often have to interchange them. The ability to upgrade weapons also exists if you have enough cash, and if you find enough unique items and you can even build your own weapons in some areas of the game. You can also hack various items in the game to work for you against the enemies which gives you the chance to play BioShock less as a shooter and more as an adventure game.

One thing which has to be pointed out though is that this really is one of the scariest games around. As you progress further, it becomes more disturbing as the true extent of Andrew Ryan’s debauchery comes to pass. You are continuously guided by Atlas, who's family has been kidnapped and, along with getting out Rapture, this is a side quest for you to complete. There are times if you’re playing at night that this game will feel incredibly scary, and that is a tribute to the developers that you can be sucked into BioShock's world so much.

There are only a few sections in the game where you feel the developers are extending the game unnaturally with 'collect the item' quests. Despite this, the game will take you quite some time to finish and even then there is a number of things to do and the world is entirely explorable. The setting of the game under water is a true master stroke by 2K Games as it gives a natural utopia feel and allows for some of the most incredibly striking visuals you will see on the 360 console to date.

With that said, it is apt to conclude the graphics in this game are simply stunning. This is the Unreal Engine 3.0 done right. Walking around the world you will see that the artists have created a truly unique world that never gets bland or boring, and the scope of the undersea utopia is truly second to none. Rapture is one of the most detailed and gorgeous places to visit in a virtual game for a very long time. The characters are also highly detailed and sometimes the graphics seem beyond virtual, as if you could reach out and touch them. The sound has also not been forgotten with some incredibly atmospheric tunes belting out, and murmurs and screams from the enemies, yelled at you from start to finish. 2K Games has even gone to the length of licensing the famous song ‘Under the Sea’.

As you can tell, we're very much in raptures about BioShock. In the beginning of the 360's life it has been hard to see one game that would sell the console and now we finally have it. BioShock is a game that if you consider yourself a gamer you simply must own, let alone play. Finishing this game will become part of gaming culture, in that if you haven't done it, some will consider you less of a gamer. We can't gush enough about this one. The only problem - the huge effort 2K Games will have to put in to top this for the inevitable sequel.