I very much enjoyed this game mechanically. The gunplay, the powers, the fast-paced movement is all exciting. And like its predecessors, the setting is so vibrant and imaginative--I think I may even actually find Columbia more compelling than Rapture. And Elizabeth is a fresh take on a video game companion, providing benefits to the gameplay without being a hindrance, all while being nuanced and interesting as a character. All that said, the one thing that holds this game back from being truly great are the godawful politics. It really sucks that it makes it very clear that the oppressive regime is to blame for all the ills of this world... and then halfway through says "oh, but the oppressed and disenfranchised people are also bad because they're too extreme." Give me a break. Recasting people of color and other historically repressed minorities as villains sours what is otherwise an excellent game with some interesting ideas. BioShock deserves better!