Top 10 New Videogames: Live from E3 2007

• gaming
• Rock Band
• Halo
• Xbox360
• PlayStation
• Wii
• E3

10. Bioshock

Platform: PC, Xbox 360
Developer: Irrational Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Release: Aug. 21, 2007

Bioshock is an attempt to class up the entire roleplaying game (RPG) genre. Set in a disintegrating underwater utopia in 1960, the game has the traditional RPG emphasis on character improvement, such as acquiring new powers. But instead of cracking open a musty old spellbook, you buy injectable, DNA-editing “plasmids” out of kitschy bathroom vending machines. And the game environment is possibly the most interactive to date—other games claim to offer multiple ways to deal with enemies, but that generally means the choice between a direct confrontation and some sort of triggered, scripted shortcut. In Bioshock, you can fight through a scene using traditional first-person shooter gameplay and weapons, or you can turn the world into a weapon. Hack a medical station, and wounded bad guys trying to use it will end up poisoned. Light an oil slick on fire, and not only will unlucky targets catch on fire, but you can then use telekinesis to turn them into flaming projectiles. The game also has a sophisticated sense of atmosphere and pacing, but it’s the smart update of RPG stereotypes that made Bioshock one of our show favorites. —Erik Sofge

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