This HUB is designed as a place for a review of Bioshock (AKA System Shock 3). The game is a sequal of System Shock and uses many of the same aspects in terms of game play and mood, just this time it is set in an underwater city.

So would you kindly read the rest of the review

It's basically "System Shock 3", so it is all about choosing the RIGHT upgraded skills / weapons and then using them in the RIGHT combination at the right time and place. It's agonising having to decide which upgrades to unlock though, and yes I have been doing some evil "harvesting" = me bad, and will probably burn in hell - LOL.

I wonder if the tabloid newspapers will pick up on the "harvesting" issue and do their usual front page "ban this sick filth" temper tantrum. Hypocritical bastards.

Yes, Mr Bubbles is very bad ass, and should only be attacked when you are 110% ready, and even then you need to think exactly how and where and when you are going to take him down. I am playing on the hard difficulty setting, and am now at level 5 or 6 so I have unlocked some great weapons / skills combinations, but I still have to have a proper plan for Mr Bubbles involving all the toys and tricks I can think of. Running up to him and shooting him in the face is just not a good idea.

All the classic shooters like Stalker / System Shock / Deus Ex / Half Life, etc, all kicked your ass big time in the first few levels, so as to teach you the game, and none of them were "run and gun" games in the same way that Doom / Quake or the 1,000 other FPS clones are.

Trust me. This game is as good as a shooter can get, but you do have to think about some of the combat situations. Does that make it difficult? Not really, providing you realise that you have to use more than just your gun when the shit really hits the fan. Mr Gun will still save your ass, but there are loads of things in the world that will give you an extra edge, providing you use them. I've completed it 1.5 times, and yes I am replaying it, because it really is that good. My favourite level was the Sander Cohen "Theatre" level, and I have since learnt that level was made by the same guy who made the infamous "Cradle" level in "Thief 3".

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Conclusion It's an amazingly brilliant game that's well worth its 95% score and yes it is an absolute classic. A bit short as you can blast through it in circa 20 hours, but if you play around with the combat variations via experimenting with different combinations of upgrades, and you explore every inch, then you can stretch it to circa 30 hours. Well worth playing twice, and although there is no multiplayer available, that is not a failing.

PS: The guy who made both the Cradle and the Theatre levels deserves an Oscar and I want to have his babies.