One would never have thought that BioShock, the 2007 Game of the Year at GameZone, would be a family game, but there were the teen girls, sitting, watching and throwing out instructions. The game is creepy, sure, but it felt as though there was safety in numbers.

BioShock is a tale of medical experimentation and genetic manipulation gone horribly wrong. It is set against a backdrop of the last century (1960, to be exact; and it has to be noted that the music, which has some of the scratchy intonations of the Big Band sound at times, is wonderful) when airlines flew low over the ocean and the planes had some luxurious accommodations.

Of course, a flight from one side of the ocean to the other that is uneventful would be boring, so in a typical fictional ploy, the plane has unexpected problems, and crashes into the ocean. You are the only survivor. While in the water, surveying the wreckage, you notice something rather odd – a fixture near the crash seems to be a rocky island with a concrete tower on it. Of course, because it is better than treading water in an oil- and fire-filled environment while the plane is slowly sinking beneath the surface, you swim to it. Exploration reveals a door in the tower, which leads to a bathysphere, which in turn leads way below the ocean surface to an underwater city called Rapture.

Rapture was the utopian creation of Andrew Ryan, an incredible wealthy man who disdained governmental regulations and sought to create a haven for scientists and artists to reveal their full potential as human beings. While Ryan may have had a great concept, the reality of the situation is much more horrifying. Genetic mutations have left the remaining denizens of Rapture insane, bloodthirsty and, in some cases, not quite human.

Even more surprising is that you, as the protagonist, seemed to be linked to this underwater city in some ways, and now you are trapped there. You have to uncover what happened, and work either toward safety or rescue, or maybe just get to the core of what destroyed this dream.

That, in a nutshell, is the story promulgated by BioShock, from 2K Games. The game is the same as that released last year for the PC and 360 platforms, but with a few additions. One of them is the inclusion of a new mode – Survivor. Want a clue as to the difficulty of this setting? The subtitle is “Every bullet counts.” BioShock, in the regular difficulty settings, has pick-ups hidden throughout the levels. You can replenish your ammunition at various times. Survivor mode cuts down on the drops. This mode is definitely approached only by those with a penchant for extreme challenges.

Another departure from the 360 is that BioShock for the PS3 installs onto the console’s hard drive. The PS3 version also has a better hacking system in place – it is much easier to control and work through the puzzles presented. Hacking? Oh, well, you have to occasionally hack into cameras, security bots, gun turrets, health terminals, and door codes to access or alter their function. You can hack a security bot, which will then hover near you on a level and help defend you.

Part of the game’s mechanics centers around the use of plasmids, which are injectible chemicals that affect your abilities in different ways. One of the first injections you take gives you the ability to cast electrical charges. This is a nice little weapon to have if you want to stun an enemy or, should they be standing in a pool of water, electrocute several simultaneously. In the months after BioShock’s release on the PC and 360, a download was available to get new plasmids. PS3 owners do not have to worry about that download. The new plasmids are part of the program for this console release. Also, in the coming months, Challenge Rooms will be available for download to PS3 owners. These are exclusive content that will set up puzzles or side stories to the main themes.

The enemy in BioShock comes is a variety of forms. There are the big daddies and their little sisters (hulking brutish beasts encased in metal with little girls that are twisted and warped), and splicers. The splicers are those that overdosed on plasmids and have mutated into nightmarish versions of humans. While these enemies can pop up at times – that standard scare tactic still can jolt on occasion – you will likely hear them muttering or coming before you see them. That muttering provides another eerie element to the game. The voices that float through the hallways of this world sometimes have a deep philosophical current underlying them, or can go completely in the other direction and just underscore the insanity that has gripped this once-idyllic city.

Sound is important in this game and the development team did a superb job, not only with the voice acting but with the period music as well. And when it comes to the graphics, it really does not get a whole lot better than this game.

BioShock took a year to get to the PS3 but the wait was worth it. This is a game that melds story and action, philosophy and insanity, gives pause for introspection while urging you along a designed course. It is the high-bar in the field, on one hand, but on the other, it creates its own genre.

Even if you are not the type that normally plays shooters, you owe it to yourself to see this game. It should be noted, though, that BioShock carries a Mature rating.

Gameplay: 9.2
There are some abilities to choose your own course through the levels but BioShock is, for the most part, a directed experience. You have to move from Point A to B, eventually, to advance the story. The game ramps up the difficulty the further you move into the world of Rapture. The game controls are not hard to understand or use.

Graphics: 9.7
Easily one of the most visceral FPS titles created for the PS3 or any platform. This game makes great use of textures, lighting and animation.

Sound: 9.5
The music is wonderful, and the voice work really gets the job done.  

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Concept: 9.3
It would be easy to dismiss the concepts behind this game as old hat, in light of the fact that the game released on other platforms a year ago. But that this is new to the PS3, with a few very nice additions, is still a pretty good thing. It may have taken a while to get this game to the PS3, but the wait was well worth it.

Overall: 9.5
Easily one of the best shooter titles for the PS3 in 2008, BioShock has all the elements of a first-rate action-adventure – it is creepy, it is suspenseful, it has top-drawer graphics and sound and it plays out very well. PS3 owners should have this title in their game libraries.