At a time when games are focusing more and more on easy, casual play, BioShock delivers a mature, complex experience. The game is reminiscent of the type of hybrid shooters found on the PC in the late 90s, like Deus Ex and Irrational's own System Shock 2, but streamlined not just for consoles, but for players who have never dipped into the deeper end of the shooter pool. On the whole, the complexity of those experiences is intact. Controls on the 360 version are responsive and laid out well, offering a short learning curve even for the most devoted of WASD fanatics. The only thing missing is a simple inventory system, something that would let the player see what engineering components or plasmids they have on hand without rushing to a specific area of a level. This is a very small gripe, however, compared to everything else BioShock offers.

This is a game that will entertain you for its entire lengthy playtime. It's also a game that will leave you pondering its narrative in the moments before you drift off to sleep. It's a tale of moral imperative, the nature of man, tragedy, betrayal, right, wrong, and the gray that lives in-between. And if you're not interested in the depth its story line explores, it's also an immaculate action game, with enough ways to bludgeon, maim, and blow stuff up to hold you over until Halo 3 arrives.