Playable demo of Bioshock now available on Xbox Live

[Legend11]

Ok I just got done playing part of the demo and here're my thoughts :)

Presentation: 10.0

Graphics:
The graphics are very good but what truly stands out is the level of detail and the atmosphere is in the game. From the very first moment you enter Rapture you're welcome by a scene of horror as one of it's denizens brutally kills another. It also becomes quickly apparent how much detail is in the game as it seems every room and area has been lovingly handcrafted with and made to feel real, as if there truly was some disaster that destroyed a living breathing society. I can only wonder at the amount of time and effort put into that detail as it blows away everything from Gears of War to Resident Evil 4.

The atmosphere itself reminds me of the start of Resident Evil 4 when you enter the house and try to talk to the old man, the feeling of dread you get as you're wonder when he's going to attack, well that feeling is everywhere in this game. I literally hid the first time I saw a Big Daddy attack and kill a man, I was behind glass and a pillar but I still felt the need to hide and wach. This game completely sucks a person in, in fact after I got killed in the game and got up to post here I paced around for a bit trying to get back into the reality of being in my livingroom on a sunny day.

Sound:
Not much to say here except that the voice acting, music, and everything else related to sound is simply perfect. An old record played in the game really does indeed sound like an old record. Insane people really do sound insane. And the music and atmosphere sounds are dead on and help the atmosphere of the game tremedously.

Gameplay 9.5

It probably deserves a 10 and I'm giving it a 9.5 not because of a flaw in the game, but because it's not what I completely expected. I thought it would be about 50/50 adventure/shooter but it appears to be more shooter than that. Don't get me wrong it takes nothing away from the game as the combat in the game is very well thought out and is extremely well done.

Also the enemies in the game seem more real than in other games, from their unique voices and dialog to their animation, it's just like the areas in the game in that it's all lovingly handcrafted. I've always wondered what an artist must feel like to spend so much time on a character's animation or areas of the game in which people might only spend a few seconds or minutes and not even notice the amazing work he/she has done.  There are many times like that in this game.

Also the controls in the game seem very well laid out. It's extremely easy to switch through many weapons and abilities quickly and everything in the game is very responsive. It's hard to imagine anyone coming up with a better control scheme for the game.

ps. Well that's all I can think of, except to mention as others have that the water indeed is pretty amazing and the decor is fantastic (endimion's description which nails it). Also if you go into this game expecting an adventure game you might be a little disappointed but as an action game it'll make you extremely happy.  Games like this are very rare and hopefully it gets the attention and sales it deserves.