I got a copy of BioShock from my friend and started playing it today. The first thing I noticed was the visual and audio presentation. This game looks fantastic. The water really stood out to me because its so detailed and the small effects on your screen add to the realism effect. The other things in the game environments look really polished as well. I really enjoy the art deco style because almost no game follows this style. This is really refreshing compared to your typical space combat scenario. Another strong suit is the audio; when you are walking around rapture, the under water metropolis you play in, all kinds of really creepy noises make the atmosphere extremly tense.

So far what I’ve noticed is that when you compare the visual and audio together the atmosphere created is amazing. No other game can come close to the tenseness of Rapture. I was legitimately scared by the game when the crazy splices began to attack you.

The thing I’ve noticed is that so far I am not a fan of the game play. The shooting mechanics does not feel satisfying like Call of Duty and Halo. I just don’t feel powerful while I’m wielding them. However the plasmids feel really awesome. Shocking someone or lighting them on fire feels really visceral. The plasmids, as they call them, seem to be the main mechanic to focus on.

Overall I’m really impressed with BioShock’s visual and audio presentation but I feel that the gameplay is not satisfying. These are only my initial feeling so they are subject to change.