Though it unfolds from a first-person perspective and features firearms including the shotgun, flamethrower, crossbow, and machine gun, it would be a significant stretch to say that BioShock is a typical shooter. The series at large is great when the cutscenes and audio logs are skipped, but it's simply sublime when all the flowers are smelled along the way. BioShock Infinite is perhaps the most welcoming to new players at first, but it quickly reverts to type, and arrives at an ending that fans are still analyzing to this day. The BioShock series is accessible, but immensely deep, and the way the setting is constructed to complement the environmental storytelling approach that System Shock 2 made popular is a stroke of genuine genius. Much of the series' storytelling tackles complex political and cultural themes in a way that can also be enjoyed by those who are only interested in the overall tone and atmosphere rather than the (often convoluted) narrative. When the story is peeled back a few layers, however, it's evident that a far more compelling tale is being told, shining an interrogative light on the works of fiction writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. Players could be forgiven for thinking that the first BioShock is just a formulaic survival horror game.

RELATED: BioShock's Reported Development Hell Isn't Surprising, But It's Not The End of the World Storytelling in BioShock is Complex, but Accessible If reports are to be believed, the future of BioShock is in limbo, but that doesn't mean that its immense quality and influence should be ignored or forgotten. Each has their own merit not just as great experiences, but as fundamental pieces of art that are the bar over which Prey and We Happy Few attempted to clear. Irrational Games made made three BioShock entries between 20. Its quality can still be felt, even a decade after the last mainline release. However, Irrational Games' magnum opus stands alone atop the first-person environmental storytelling mountain, and it will be tough for any game to dethrone it.

From Clockwork Revolution and Judas in the future to Atomic Heart and Prey in the past, the series has a lot of fans that have clearly taken cues from it. It's been a while since players have gotten a new BioShock game to sink their teeth into, but other developers have tried to fill the void.

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