Bioshock

Originally I was going to put this in with my birthday post but I felt it deserved its own post.  Some small spoilers ahead if you haven't played Bioshock.

I didn't think I had time to play Bioshock on my birthday.  I didn't start playing it until the night of Wednesday Sept 12th and kept playing on a day off I had on Sept 13th.  I have played it quite a lot since then until yesterday when I got the last of the achievements I was going to get.  I actually got all but one achievement which is for beating the game on the hard difficulty level.  I did all but 3-5 without any help from a walk through.  In the end there was a few things that I didn't notice or realize.  I went back and found some audio recordings and one upgrade station I missed to get some achievements.  I also had to restore and redo one part because I bumped off a character too early on accident which would have eliminated about 5 different achievements for several reasons.

I have to say Bioshock is one of the best games I have ever played.  At its core it is primarily a shooter with some interesting weapons (powers).  The thing that really makes the game great is how it is all tied together.  The story is really good and well told using numerous methods.  The design and layout of the underwater world of Rapture is quite amazing.  Also little details like sound effects and music seemed to always be there when you expected them.  There were a few powers and weapons I rarely if ever used other than to see how they worked.
My order of most used weapons:

1. Wrench
2. Research Camera (helps you learn how to attack enemies)
3. Grenade Launcher (primary weapon against big daddies)
4. Shotgun
5. Pistol (rarely used)
6. Machine Gun (rarely used)
7. Crossbow (never used)
8. Chemical Thrower (never used)

My order of most used plasmids:

1. Electro Bolt (my favorite by far)
2. Security Bullseye
3. Incinerate
4. Hypnotize Big Daddy
5. Telekinesis (mostly used to get stuff and every once in a while against nitro splicers)
6. Enrage

I never even acquired (bought) Winter Blast, Insect Swarm, Cyclone Trap or Target Dummy.

The story had some pretty good twists in it and made you think about what you had done and why.  The ending boss seemed a little out of place in the way the fight went.  The ending while very short seemed satisfying, there are two primary endings and one slight variation.  I would highly recommend this game if you area shooter fan at all or just want a really well done atmosphere and story.  You can see what others think on Game Rankings, it seems most liked it.  One small hint, don't attack Sander Cohen when you have the chance, it will allow you the chance to get several achievements.