Listmania!
In the mood for Bioshock?
Bioshock (Xbox 360)Bioshock (Xbox 360)
Buy new: £24.99 / Used from: £10.50
At its heart, it may be a simple FPS, but it has been crafted with such attention to detail that Rapture becomes a truly unique experience. So where do you go next?
Atlas ShruggedAtlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Buy new: £5.89 / Used from: £3.45
Ken Levine has already stated that Andrew Ryan is partly based on the work of Ayn Rand. An epic novel that features some truly frightening 'heroes'.
20,000 Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea20,000 Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Buy new: £2.00 / Used from: £0.01
The feel of Jules Verne's underwater adventure is clearly present in Rapture and its lead antagonist.
The Island of Dr Moreau (Penguin Classics)The Island of Dr Moreau (Penguin Classics) by H.G. Wells
Buy new: £4.43 / Used from: £1.68
H G Wells' tale of biological experiments and the cruelty of man. Splicers anyone?
The Haunter of the Dark and Other Tales: Haunter of the Dark and Other Tales No. 3 (H.P. Lovecraft Omnibus)The Haunter of the Dark and Other Tales: Haunter of the Dark and Other Tales No. 3 (H.P. Lovecraft Omnibus) by H.P. Lovecraft
Buy new: £5.96 / Used from: £0.95
There are video games which more directly reference the Cthulu Mythos, but Bioshock still triggers the kind of dread that only Lovecraft could create.
The League of Extraordinary GentlemenThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £3.50
Although this masterpiece is set sixty or so years before the events of Bioshock, it still features a whole host of similar references (from Wells to Verne).
Blue Submarine No. 6 [DVD] [Region 1] [NTSC]Blue Submarine No. 6 [DVD] [Region 1] [NTSC] by Satoru Ozawa
Buy used from: £16.95
This anime series features mutations, submarines, and the insane humanist Dr Zorndyke. What more could you ask for?
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Two Disc Edition) [DVD]Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Two Disc Edition) [DVD]
Buy used from: £0.97
A flop at the box office, this film deserves a second go. It wears its pulp influences on its sleeves, and is hugely enjoyable.
The Aviator [DVD] [2004]The Aviator [DVD] [2004]
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £1.23
The week before Bioshock was released, I watched this film for a second time. Howard Hughes is supposedly another inspiration behind the Industrialist Ryan.
Citizen Kane [DVD] [1942]Citizen Kane [DVD] [1942]
Buy new: £2.98 / Used from: £2.45
Ditto Citizen Kane. In fact, if Bioshock had been made into a film in the 40s, they would have chosen Orson Welles to play the head of Rapture.
Stay DownStay Down by Two Lone Swordsmen
Buy new: £9.98 / Used from: £4.78
And whilst you're dreaming of Fontaine Fisheries, why not listen to some underwater inspired ambient techno?
The Dead SeaThe Dead Sea by Xela
Buy new: £12.19 / Used from: £7.00
Or how about something a little scarier? Xela go all haunted shipwreck on us, and the effects are mesmerising.
Art Deco 1910-1939 (VA)Art Deco 1910-1939 (VA)
Buy used from: £44.40
I have not read this book so I cannot comment on the quality, but it seems like as good a place as any to start looking at the art movement that is the basis of the games design.