Bioshock is Extremely overrated.

Thank you for responding.The Most Important ElementI most definitely agree that games are meant to be played. However, that does not mean that because they are games, and are meant to be played ,that gamplay is the most important--although it is important, I submit that in the case of reviewers such as IG(Norant, in my personal opinion), Gamespot, Xplay, Game Informer, etc, gameplay should not be the focus, and thus the gameplay is not enough evidence to consider BioShock overrated. Instead, I feel that mainstream reviewers should instead focus on the balance of everything--graphics, sound, gameplay, story, theme, replay value, etc. without giving special weight unless specific to the game, which is what I implied. Any work of art must maintain a sense of balance. However, I will come back to this later in my additional arguments.Response to ProThe WeaponsPro asks if the weapons are really important enough to upgrade. I say that they are absolutely important enough. It was in my experience that later in the game, even with Level 3 plasmids purchased, they really did not do much to harm enemies. Sure, Incinerate! lit the enemies on fire, damaging them, but other than that, unless one were to use the Enrage plasmid, causing enemies to turn on each other, the player had to use "real," weaponry to survive, as most of the plasmids were not dealing enough damage--in other words, I believe that Pro's statement should be reversed, and that the plasmids were more side arms than the guns. And naturally, as the game progressed, more powerful weapons were acquired, and more upgrades were made available. So, there shouldn't naturally be too much of a problem (challenge, of course, but not problem) facing, as in Pro's example, a menacing Big Daddy when more menacing weapons became available.EnemiesI will concede with Pro on this point about variety of enemy strategy. However, that does not mean that this is such a detriment to the playability of the experience that the gameplay becomes rubbish. The patterns of an enemies attack, while they can get old, are not hard to be compensated for with other elements of the game itself.JackI agree with Pro that Jack's actions were not a choice. The difference I have with him is that this automatically becomes a bad thing. It seems that Pro's standards of a quality protagonist are that of the idea that the player, and thus the player's character, have a choice in the events of what transpires inthe game. What he fails to understand, as I explained in Round 1, is that the fact that Jack had no choice was the entire point of the game's theme. Jack was a slave when he was being ordered about by Atlas. This was the whole idea--and it was meant to make an impact on the player. It was not, to me, some flaw. It was, as I said in Round 1, the thing the game wished to have the player experience, and be moved by.Summary of my ResponseIn other words, I say that, when speaking about BioShock, the worst one could say about the gameplay, is that it's average. And now for my arguments.Additional ArgumentsNow, I'd like to look at BioShock as a whole game, including all of its components--common components that most video game reviewers agree that all games should be judged on. After all, how could one determine its worth without looking at the whole game? I'll be examining the Graphics, Sound, Gameplay/Playability, Story, and Replay Value.GraphicsWhen looking at BioShock, I think it can be agreed that even now, and especially in 2007, the game is beautiful. The art deco Rapture and interior areas of the city were all very representative of what was clearly trouble in paradise--and the city looks it too. The infrastructure of Rapture looks abandoned, broken, and the inhabitants of Rapture appear appropriately mad for the pitiful state that they are in. Big Daddies look very behemoth-like next to the pitiful, diminutive Little Sisters. And one could continue. Basically, the graphics of BioShock are stunning, and deserve the praise they received.SoundJust as the graphics draw the player into the world of Rapture, the sound does the same. Oldie's music plays in the background on radios, giving the feel of the 40s and 50s. Guns and explosions sound fairly well. The voice acting and dialogue is absolutely top-notch--admittedly only for the main characters and dialogue. to be honest, after a good hour, the cries of splicers and Little Sisters grow uninspired. However, as the extras' voices and dialogues are bland, the voices and dialogue of the main characters are some of the best I've heard. Andrew Ryan's voice and speeches in particular I found to be very stirring and powerful. This is why I most definitely found the sound to be, though sometimes dull, significantly above average.Gameplay/PlayabilityBioShock's gameplay, as I believe I have successfully proved, is, at worst, average. However, because it is average and not poor, this is the key to the gameplay. Because the gameplay isn't broken, the other elements of the game can still shine through, and, in my opinion, more than compensate.StoryWhile I already discussed the story and theme of BioShock in the last round, I will gloss over it here. In short, the story of BioShock is simply spectacular, and original, in that it was one of the first games I played that really felt like a philosophical piece--one that made the player think about things from a different perspective, and learn. Not to mention that the story itself draws you in and holds your attention. So, the story, to me, could be considered stellar, and thus more than deserving of its praise.Replay ValueSome would define replay value as having a different experience every time. But in simpler terms, the real question is whether a player would want to experience the game a second time. I think that, at least for me, the game is most definitely playing at least a second, and possibly third or fourth time, to re-experience this great game. Thus, the replay value of BioShock, I feel, can be considered well above average too.SummarySo, to surmise my second round argument, I'd like to focus on the fact that the average gameplay does not destroy the game's deserving of a 9 or so from a reviewer. he graphics, story, sound, and replay value completely make up for the relatively minor setback of BioShock in its gameplay, and so, the game is not overrated.Thank you, and I look forward to Pro's response.ReferencesBioShock