Bioshock

Storytelling had a new bar to meet after Irrational Games released Bioshock. The spiritual successor to System Shock 2 was inspired in part by the ideals and theories in Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged and represented one of the most stunning examples of world building in gaming, period. The moment you step into the annex of the underwater city of Rapture is one that will always be remembered, and the unique framing device of using scattered audio clips to tell the story proved incredibly effective. The slightly less impressive Bioshock 2 still managed to tell an interesting story and retain the unsettling vibe, but didn’t hold a candle to the original, having been developed by a separate party. However, with Bioshock Infinite, even some series skeptics (such as myself) fell in love with the fantastic characterization, twisty plot, and breathtaking conclusion. If Irrational keeps making games, I think we’re all going to be all right.