I recently decided to give The Darkness a rent, and I'm very happy I did. Overall, I'm liking the game a lot. However, if you are looking for a dedicated shooter then this isn't it. To me The Darkness is an RPG. Yes, you do your fair share of shooting, but just as often you're exploring the New York subway system, talking to people, and playing with telephones and unlockable content. Similar to how Oblivion is an open world RPG that has fighting elements, I think The Darkness leans that way as a very linear RPG with heavy shooting elements. Click "read more" for the rest of the scoop.

Bioshock is the next generation first person shooter from 2k Games coming this August. Set in an underwater bathysphere in 1960 BioShock promises to present the gamer with decisions he's never faced in a video game before. A complete description of BioShock is outside the scope of this article, but on the BioShock website 2k Games promises "No encounter ever plays out the same way twice. No two gamers will ever play BioShock the same way."

Merely one feature that separates BioShock from the FPS background noise is the use of genetic enhancements. The same thing that contributed to the demise of the citizens of Rapture plays a key role in your journey to liberate or condemn the failed social experiment and its inhabitants. Plasmids and tonics are the two types of genetic enhancements available in BioShock (at least the two types we know about so far). It appears you can find them in vending machines scattered throughout Rapture, much like cigarettes in the 80s. Genetically enhancing yourself is done Mr. Brownstone style by injecting the dose of glowing goodness into your arm from a syringe. Yummy! What are plasmids powered by? Eve, of course, the fictional derivative of Adam (a substance collected from dead bodies by the creepy little sisters you've seen in the trailers).

2k Games has released a ton of information (including videos) on many of the plasmids available in BioShock. Click "read more" for pics, vids, and descriptions of the plasmids we know about so far.