BioShock vs Dear Esther
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.
Dear Esther
Dear Esther is one of the few rare games that managed to evoke strong powerful emotions simply with beautiful visuals, euphonious instrumentals, and an immersive and narrated story filled with love, loss, guilt and redemption. Previously a cult mod, the game sends you on a journey of exploration and self-reflection as you explore a remote and uninhabited island in the outskirts of Hebrides where apparently a mysterious Esther has summoned you here.The best part about all of this though is that the game is, unlike most heavily story-driven games, very replayable. Every play-through will give you a new experience as the audio, visuals and even the events that happen are all randomly generated. So, if you enjoy story rich games, Dear Esther is a game that will unequivocally captivate you.