Pre-Owned Bioshock (Xbox 360)

Simply put, this game is a masterpiece. The story is amazing, engaging you from the opening sequence right until the credits. The sound is some of the best I have heard in a game, with the ambient noises and music really putting you into the mood that you are in a 50's time frame underwater. The control is superb, and the feel of the weapons are very balanced. The best aspect of the game is simply how many options you have to play. Do you rely on your plasmid powers to shock, scorch, and throw around your enemies like a deity of chaos? Do you run through the corridors with guns blazing? Do you hack into security turrets, guard bots, and security cameras, turning the defenses of the city against itself? Or do you use a combination of the above? As the creator of the city of Rapture tells you, "A man chooses." 9.5/10

Although I heard great things about this game, I came into the game with relatively low expectations because not only am I not generally a fan of first-person shooters, but also of the horror genre. However, when my parents got it for my birthday (fairly conservative parents when it comes to gore and such), I decided to try it out, and before I knew it I looked at the clock and it was 3 in the morning. I have to say, not only is the gameplay extremely fun and free-form, the storyline is deep and engaging enough that rather than blast through levels, I've found myself searching every nook and cranny not only for items, but for diarys. On that same note, although I'm playing through it on easy mode (I'll go back on normal and hard later) and could easily take on pretty much any opponent because of that, I've found myself slowly approaching corners and such out of fear of enemies just because of the effect of the dark atmosphere of the game. In short, great game, highly emersive storyline, and I would definitely buy this game if I hadn't gotten it as a present. =P