The soundtrack

70-year old music in a cutting-edge, modern shooter

It was weird because…

There’s no genre more visceral and action-driven than the first-person shooter. As such, orchestral bombast and/or pulsing electronica are usually the order of the day.

Instead, BioShock used an original score by Gary Schyman (download it here for free) but more pointedly, it also featured a selection of original recordings from the '30s, '40s and '50s, from the likes of Perry Como, Bing Crosby and Noel Coward. Check the full list here, courtesy of Xbox Live evangelist Major Nelson.

But it worked because…

BioShock was the thought-provoking, atmospheric and tragic story of doomed ‘50s undersea utopia Rapture. Exploring the decaying art deco remains of the nightmarishly ravaged city to period-appropriate popular music made its fall all the more real and affecting. In that context, nothing was eerier than the ghostly strains of The Inkspots’ If I Didn’t Care.

For those exploring further, a BioShock EP was released with the limited edition version of BioShock. It contained remixes by Moby and Oscar The Punk of Beyond The Sea (Bobby Darin), God Bless The Child (Billie Holiday) and Wild Little Sisters (Moby original), all as featured in the original game.

Our advice? Steer clear.