BioShock vs Half Life 2: Episode One
BioShock
BioShock is one of the most highly acclaimed steampunk-themed shooters that has a very interesting twist - your very character's DNA can be modified through the use of a selection of plasmids and a special resource called ADAM, allowing you to have superhuman abilities which will serve you well, sometimes more so than the weapon you wield, in your adventure through the fallen underwater city of Rapture. Aside from the many violent mad men (a.k.a. Splicers), the game also provides players with challeging encounters with the iconic Big Daddies and Little Sisters.When it comes to non-military-styled shooters with an intensely immersive storyline, BioShock is among the handful of the "best of the best" (which includes the Fallout series, the Borderlands series, the Deus Ex series and others). The game boasts of having a rather dark storyline that actually challenges you to think about it in a more in-depth way; to link all the clues together to get the complete narrative that is surprisingly a lot more engaging that you'd expect.
2K Games has just released the remastered version of the very first Bioshock last year and if you can get it on Steam, you really should. The very unique experience it can offer you is very well worth the cost.
Half Life 2: Episode One
Half Life 2: Episode One is the first standalone game in Valve's spin-off trilogy for its game series, Half Life. Featuring a gameplay that closely resembles Half Life 2, its namesake, this game provides loyal fans of the game a nice continuation (somewhat) in the series' storyline. Similar to Half Life 2, this game has a lot more scripted scenes as well as puzzles and strategic combat rather than simply adding in more aliens for you to fight and weapons for you to fight with.Despite its rather short game duration, Half Life 2: Episode One gives its hardcore fans something to chew on as they wait - endlessly - for a Half Life 3. And naturally, being released in 2006, the game has a more polished look. To be honest, it's a great alternative game to Half Life 2.