Bioshock for the Xbox 360

Man, they nailed this game. From the beginning CGI movie, (that can suck you in) to interactive intro, which finds you swimming away from your plane that just crashed into the ocean (with amazing water and flame effects) all the way to the to the finish of the game, Bioshock will have you on the edge of your seat.

The only real gripe I have with the game is the lack of consequences for dying. You can re-spawn close to major battles with Big Daddies and put an end to the fight, which leaves the Big Daddy (or other villains) in the weakened state that they were in just before they killed you. It's also just as easy to reload from the numerous and frequent saves that you can make just before you fight a Big Daddy or enter an area that you have an uneasy feeling about. No consequences make for an easier time getting through the game.

The game takes place in an underwater city called Rapture. It was built to be a utopia, away from all the naysayers and common folk on the surface. Not to spoil the story, I can just say that as you progress through the game, you find out why Rapture turned into the sunken city you are now fighting your way through. The story is quite fantastic and the way that it unfolds, through narratives and by collecting scattered tape recordings is really cool. If you're not too big on a game's story, you really don't have to remember much to make it through the game and just have fun shooting up the place.

One of the neat innovations about the game is that many players will never play it the same way due to the fact that you can use some of the traps in the game against your foes. You can hack security bots and guns to turn on the baddies or rig medical dispensers to blow up when the villains run to recover health. Some of the hacking mini games can get a tad tedious after a bit, but if you're staying at it until the end, it's a small price to pay.

Just a small note about the graphics and sound: they are spectacular. The artists for this game really wanted to bring Rapture to life and they succeeded. Through amazing scenery (in and out of the city) and subtle, yet effective samples of water, fire and electricity, the game makes you feel like you've been on vacation in Rapture after you get back to reality.

There are 50 achievements available and I got 47 of them on my first play through. The other three don't equal as many points, but if you play through twice, you should have no problem getting all of the 1000 achievement points.

I'm sure that most people that have Xbox 360s have played this game, but there are always people out there that, no matter what hype a game gets, many may still find themselves pondering whether or not to try the game. I say, rent it immediately and if you can afford it, buy it. You may not go back immediately to Rapture, but I promise you, you will be back, just to see the other ending. 10 out of 10.