In our September issue we compared
BioShock (360, PC) to the works of Melville, Welles and Peckinpah for its gritty action, thought-provoking plot and grim, oppressive setting shot through with obsession and madness. Most amazingly, its world just feels alive, thanks to the complex, intricately interconnected systems that drive it (and that you must manipulate to succeed). Years ahead of its time, its winning marriage of philosophy and carnage manages to satisfy both the simian killer and the refined gentleman in us.
Runners-up: musical outing Rock Band, lavish space opera Mass Effect, the ultra-peppy Super Mario Galaxy and the five-games-in-one bargain that is The Orange Box (primarily for its well-written and blazingly original first-person action-puzzle game Portal).
