The Extremely Late Bioshock Final Impression.

When I look back, I'm very surprised with how different the game felt between the beginning and the end.  The game gradually goes from FPS horror to an interesting FPS RPG that I've never seen before.  Yes, I know Bioshock is a spiritual sequel to System Shock 2, but I never played SS2...so no comments!

There were many moments of great satisfaction in Bioshock:

• Using your plasmids to find alternate methods to defeat your enemies.
• Killing your first Big Daddy with everything you've got.
• Crossbow - Bioshock's answer for the little sniper in ya.
• Using a Big Daddy as your personal bodyguard to clear out any obstacle.  No wonder Little Sisters love these guys!

The story is probably the most influential aspect of this game.  An entire city was created to explore and uncover the dark and twisted lives of its citizens, and it was your job to uncover audio diaries, and listen to people who once lived and suffered in Rapture.  On top of that, you had to fight your way through an infinite number of various enemies called Splicers, and there was always a boss battle (besides the real boss battles) around any corner, you just listened for the earth-shattering stomps of a Big Daddy.  On top of the great selection of weapons and ammunition, plasmids become crucial to your success, and there is never a perfect combination to handle the various situations in Bioshock.

I could go on about how great this game is, but I won't ignore the negative aspects.  You are overwhelmed with the number of plasmids, and there are many plasmids that I didn't care to use since I played the game by boosting my character's offense abilities, rather than using my environment to help me.  I understand the developers emphasized different ways to approach situations, but I reject those ways! (Inside joke, play the game)  I preferred my shotgun, camouflage and the plasmid that releases bees.  The backtracking wasn't a huge issue (especially since I played Metroid Prime) but it was annoying during those fetch missions.  Oh, and the invincible Big Daddy bug and audio glitches were a nice touch.

There is so much to talk about, but other videogame sites have discussed these in full detail...when this videogame came out. J  As for me, I'm moving onto Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty 4.  I've already beat Super Mario Galaxy (Collected 102 stars), which explains why it took me 2-3 months to beat Bioshock.  November was a rough videogame month for me. L