BioShock Reviews

• Wow

  
  By A1SKSWWQT1CFP7 on 2007-08-23
  I have been an avid PC and console gamer for...well, as long as there have been PC and console games, and have probably played hundreds of the darn things over the last two decades, and I can comfortably say, that Bioshock, is one of the top two or three games I have ever played, and absolutely the best console game.
  
  It's one of those rare games, that has all of what you love about a great game, with none of what annoys you. I realized, after about 10 hours of play, that absolutley nothing was ticking me off. If there was ever a game that got everything right, it's Bioshock.
  
  Normally, you hear much about a shooter having an "absorbing story", and you're just like: "yeah, yeah, just shut up and let me shoot you". But Bioshock, actually does. The bleak, dystopian world scenario is hardly new in gaming, but Bioshock puts a great twist on things; and the art-deco 1940's sci-fi world is very refreshing and incredibly rendered. If you are as sick as I am of endless hallways filled with crates, you are in for a helluva treat. Not only does this game look amazing, but the design is so good, and so original, that it really does "absorb" you.
  
  The biggest suprise to me, was level of literacy, and period detail. This game wasn't really designed for modern kids, and certainly wasn't designed by one. The villian, an obvious nod to conceptual novelist Ayn Rand, ends up being more complex than the average "evil rich corporate Republican" guy we're all so sick of by now, and not only is the voice acting a-list quality, but they even speak pretty authentic 1940's dialogue, with accurate period inflection. If you watch an old movie from the 40's you'll notice that not only was the slang and colloquial language different, but so was the actual style of speech. The characters in Bioshock don't sound like modern mallrats in seersucker suits, they sound like people from the 40's. The sense of period is very accurate, moreso than most Hollywood films (although a "German" lady character has a very obiously Russian accent lol).
  
  Even the shooting, was fabulously fun. When I first started playing, I thought "oh no..shooting old revolvers isn't fun." But don't forget, even though Bioshock takes place in the 40's, it's still a sci-fi what-if adventure, and the assortment of weapons are a gas to use. And "adventure" is really accurate. Even though it's an FPS with a fair amount of bloody shooting, it really feels and plays more like an old Sierra adventure game than a Quake-style shooter. The plot matters in this game, unlike many others, and you spend more time exploring the amazing world and solving puzzles than actually shooting, so consider that a mild warning if you are a shooting "rivethead".
  
  Bioshock is a very long game, but it was so addicting, that I played it almost non-stop for 4 days and finished it. I actually just rented it, because normally games that are centered on plot don't have a lot of replay value for me, but this one I can imagine playing over and over, so the lack of multi-player doesnt really matter to me here. I'll be buying this sucker as soon as payday hits.
  
  In short, the hype around Bioshock is no hype. This game even killed Half-life and Halo for me, and that's saying a lot. Halo3 is going to have a helluva climb to even get near Bioshock, and i never thought I'd say that.
  
  To wrap-up, even though much of Bioshock's conceptual nods and references will probably sail over the heads of most modern teen gamers, it won't matter a darn. They'll be to busy being knocked out by the best visual world and gameplay mechanics I've ever seen.
  
  

• If you buy one game this year, make it this one.

  
  By A2BYPXW5Y0APQP on 2007-08-21
  I thought Gears of War was a good game, but I believe Bioshock outdoes Gears of War on multiple levels. First, the storyline is solid, I feel like I am participating in a self-directed movie, opposed to the typical experience of a weak storyline combining together sequences of violence. Second, Bioshock is not about who has the biggest gun, there is an element of strategy not found in previous FPS games with the exception maybe of Gears of War. Finally, the game is intuitive, easy to pickup. I am not a big fan of FPS games, typically enjoying games like Civilization IV, however, this game is one big exception.
  
  

• Game of the year - so far

  
  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2007-08-21
  Having a bit of hype surrounding it before it's release, BioShock does not disappoint one bit. In fact, as far as first person shooters go, games rarely get any better than this. BioShock takes the FPS to new levels thanks to it's brilliantly realized atmosphere and setting, and a story that is so engaging you'll think that you were playing an RPG. Taking place in a secret underwater city called Rapture, you get put right in the middle as things go very, very wrong quite quickly, and it's up to you to save the day using a barrage of traditional weapons, and some newfound abilities as well. What makes BioShock so great besides the atmosphere and storyline are the character customization options which really allow the gamer to get into the game and tinker around to your advantage. The overall presentation, from the sound design to the wonderful voice acting to the grimy atmosphere, make BioShock one of the best games to hit the XBox 360 yet, and definitely one of the best FPS' to come out in quite some time. If there's any downsides to BioShock, it's that the game has a lack of enemy variety and that it is a little too forgiving to the gamer. Despite that though, BioShock is a masterpiece of modern gaming, and any and every 360 owner should consider this an essential pick up.
  
  

• The most overrated game in the history of games

  
  By A2D3EIMH46WS1V on 2007-09-23
  If you google on the article "BioShock - Overrated Disneyland Ride", I share many of the sentiments. I just don't understand what game you reviewers were playing. It sure wasn't BioShock. I will try my best to not sound like yet another "This sucks" kind of person. The graphics are amazing; the spotlight lighting and shading is pretty advanced. Sometimes the enemy characters are so in the dark, they are hard to make out, but their features look pretty believable. I also liked the Big Daddy character mulling around. The story itself is also ok; a little different from the humans against the aliens shooters we are used to. But, I am paying $60 to actually play a game not to foam at the mouth for eye-candy.
  
  First, the gameplay is just so amazingly basic; You pick up guns, ammo, plasmids and you run around the dungeon like environment as characters pop up or the occasional turret or flying thingy. This may not be so bad except for the fact that you don't really get to use your full range of motions. You don't ever have to attack somebody above you or below you. It is a basic forward shooting, dungeon FPS (almost kind of reminded me of Doom 1). Oh yea, all of that is kind of pointless because if you aren't strapped for time, you can just respawn and finish off your characters without any real penalties.
  
  Let's look at Halo2 or Gears of War, for example. In Halo 2, you might have to take out a bunch of weaker characters close up and then snipe the more difficult ones from a distance while using your soldiers as bait. In Gears, it is the same thing; you are ducking behind walls corners so you don't get toasted by the Boomers, hoping your friendly characters might kill something. In Bioshock, I just kind of ran around clubbing people with the wrench because I never really had any ammo. I was bored to tears.
  
  Not a big deal, but what happened to Animation sequences or End chapter sequences. All I am getting is that silly radio message popup or maybe a diary message which I won't normally listen to. Those aren't very exciting and makes it hard to appreciate the story.
  
  Maybe I am wrong, It could be possible. I am flexible in my analysis of the game if you want to comment on it.
  
  And I am only at 60% completion, so maybe that other 40% is where the amazing part of the game is. I don't know. To be honest, I don't think I can continue.
  
  

• Not a fan...very disappointing

  
  By A1I35EP9PDDHU2 on 2007-08-31
  Wow, so apparently this game is a "perfect 10" based upon some game aficionados. I had high hopes when I purchased this game 3 days ago...already I'm bored with it. As a fan of FPS, I thought a "perfect 10" game would have me coming back for more. Not with this game. The game play was short, 1 dimensional, and lacking a multiplayer that would rival Halo2. I'm sorry, but for a FPS game (not games like Oblivion, which in my opinion is a far superior game) to NOT have a multiplayer or have serious flaws with their multiplayer (ala Gears of War) is a HUGE factor is rating the game. Since Bioshock doesn't have multiplayer, I took it down 2 stars.
  
  The most annoying aspect of this game is when you play it on hard level. It takes a thousand shots to kill a regular enemy. It takes a million shots to kill a Big Daddy. This normally wouldn't be a problem, if it was easy to accumulate ammo. Unfortunately for a FPS game, you spend the entire time searching dead bodies and crates looking for ammo or money to buy ammo instead of actually enjoying the shooting aspect of everything. Some will chalk to this up to "amazing game play features" but its retarded. Its a FPS game, not a role playing game. What a waste of time.
  
  The same can be said for the powers that you use. You basically get to use your "adam" powers twice before you've drained it, THEN you gotta scrounge around even more to find "eve" (which refills your adam powers) or money to buy eve. Another huge waste of time.
  
  BioShock would have been astute to have the Eve recharge on its own, so you can enjoy using your powers instead of rarely using them so you don't accidentally waste them.
  
  Also, I played the game on hard and beat it quite easily. I found the Big Daddy's to be a lot harder than the final battle with Fontaine (the boss). He was so easy that it was laughable. What a lackluster ending.
  
  I wanted to enjoy this game, but for the aforementioned reasons, I was more frustrated than pleased. Be warned, this game is a RENTAL. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY BUYING IT!!! You will grow tired of it in a hurry.
  
  
• Technically brilliant, depressingly creepy
  By A2UEYQPG3HOWRU on 2008-01-16
  I really tried to like this game, but I couldn't get past the first few hours. It gets great reviews for its technical and "story" achievements but I wish all those magnificent skillz had been applied to something less ugly (artfully ugly, but still dog ugly).
  I kept feeling like a serial killer while shooting, clubbing, and burning very realistic looking men, women and children who left behind realistic looking twitching corpses. Call me soft, but I don't enjoy creeping through a duct to find a lonely woman listening to a melancholic radio song, and clubbing her to death with a wrench.
  There is no way you can feel like the good guy in this scenario. Not even if you refrain from harvesting the little sisters.
  If you like horror porn movies like "Saw", this is probably your cup of tea. If you flip channels when they air trailers for such movies, don't buy this game. It'll make you sick. I hope this counter balances all the wild enthusiasm and provides some needed caution.
  
  
• Too difficult for part time gamers
  By A1KUOSQ1YZZFTU on 2007-10-26
  This is written by a part time gamer who simply likes to enjoy a game. I find most games are far too difficult for the part time gamer even on the easy setting. All games should have a "Very Easy" option. I suspect that there are many others like me who would buy more games if they were not so difficult.
  
  I thought the rest of the game was great. Because this was frustrating rather than fun I give it a 1 star. I wish I would not have bought it to pay for being frustrated.
  
  
• "I Chose... Rapture"
  By A29BQ6B90Y1R5F on 2007-08-21
  Bioshock, without a doubt, is one of the video game events of the year. A first person shooter that is more than just a first person shooter. Not only is this game fun, but the storyline is thought-provoking and philosophical. This is more than just a game. This an interactive storybook of epic proportions.
  
  After being the only survivor of a plane crash in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, your only chance of survival is to seek refuge in the nearby lighthouse. The moment you step inside you're greeted by a banner which states: "No Gods or Kings. Only Man." Going further into the lighthouse you're soon taken to the underwater city of Rapture. A place where religion and morality do not rule the decisions of mankind. Where every man does what he chooses for his own selfish gain. The city is run by a man named Andrew Ryan. When you arrive in the city, however, its quite clear that Andrew Ryan's perfect world wasn't so perfect. The city lies in ruins and chaos runs rampant as a form of genetically mutated people called splicers roam the streets. With the help of a man named Atlas who guides you through the twisted city of Rapture, you'll have to survive long enough to get out.
  
  Throughout your adventure there are plenty of things you can do to advance the story. You'll find radio diaries that give hints to the downfall of Rapture. You'll meet people who will tell you things about Rapture. Some of these things, such as the radio diaries, are optional, but if you don't listen to radio diaries you'll not only miss out on some of the complex and absorbing storyline, but you'll also miss out on some of the game's better features. The voice acting contained within each radio diary is fantastic. You'll learn not only about Rapture, but Andrew Ryan and other characters who play a major role in the story. There are other things that move the story along as well, like running into ghosts who will give you more insight. Some of the mutated denizens give you hints (before you have to do away with them). There's a lot to piece together here. If story and character development are your thing: Bioshock delivers.
  
  As far as gameplay goes, Bioshock is a game that presents some complex things, but it's easy to play overall. Splicers are the most common types of enemies encountered in Rapture. You'll need an arsenal of weapons to take them on. As you progress through the game you'll have splicers that simply attack melee style, others that shoot at you and even some that throw explosives. When you first begin you only have access to a wrench. But along the way you'll pick additional weapons like a pistol, shotgun, machine gun and a few others that you can use to decimate your enemies with.
  
  Despite how difficult things might be, Bioshock doesn't penalize you much should you die. If the worst should happen you'll respawn from a Vita Chamber (basically a checkpoint) with some health and everything you had at the time of your death. The enemy also keeps the same amount of health lost. So even if you die over and over again, you'll eventually be able to kill whatever it is that's giving you trouble. Despite the challenge of the game, the simple fact that you can't die permanently does take away some of the challenge.
  
  The enemy AI is also pretty good. While they never stop attacking once they've found you, they do act the way you expect them to. If they're firing at you and suddenly run out of ammo, they'll run away from you to reload. If they hear your footsteps, they'll investigate. Your adversaries are no dummies in this game.
  
  There are also machines like gun turrets and security cameras around. You can keep out of the way of security cameras easily, but sometimes turrets can be a pain. However, despite how tough gun turrets and rocket launchers can be, the game allows you to short circuit them and hack them. Hacking is a little mini-game in which you must lead a fluid through a series of pipes to the exit. Most of the hacking mini-games aren't hard. Successfully hacking a gun turret or rocket launcher turns them on your enemies.
  
  There's more to Bioshock than simply killing your enemy, though. You'll also want to search the dead bodies of those you kill. Usually enemies carry ammo, money, first aid kits, EVE Hypos and some will even drop weapons. You can also search more than dead bodies. You can search any containers scattered throughout the game. Trashcans, cabinets, virtually anything that sits idly by. Sometimes you'll find money, ammo etc.
  
  Aside from searching corpses and containers you can also pilfer any food or drinks that are lying around. Food often restores health, while drinks will restore health yet take away a bit of EVE. Most of the drinks you come across are alcoholic drinks, and if you drink too much alcohol it will register and your vision will actually be impaired and you'll start to stumble around.
  
  In addition to all that searching, there are also vending machines scattered throughout the game where you can buy healing items, drinks, ammo and more. It'll cost you money. Like some of the machines you'll encounter, you can also hack into a vending machine, and you'll want to do so. Doing so lowers the prices on the items and makes more available.
  
  As you go through the game you'll also come across Plasmids. Plasmids give you powers. At first all you get is electricity, but later on you'll be able to command fire or even use telekinesis. There are several plasmids in the game, with their own little benefits. Electricity, for example, will let you activate switches and short circuit machines. You cannot use Plasmids limitlessly, though. Plasmids consume EVE and once you run out of EVE, you can't use Plasmids.
  
  In addition to Plasmids you'll also find tonics which grant you everlasting effects so long as you have it equipped. There are tonics which improve your physical attributes, engineering skills to make hacking easier, and your combat abilities.
  
  Throughout the game you're also given chances to upgrade your weapons. You can also shoot off stronger ammo as you get further, and at some point you'll have to. Some enemies are immune to standard shots but can easily be taken down with armor piercing rounds.
  
  The game doesn't just put most of these things there for your benefit, but actually expects you to use them effectively. For example, if there are a bunch of enemies standing in water, you're encouraged to electrocute the water. If there's an oil spill you're encouraged to set it on fire. You can put together lots of great strategies when it comes to your Plasmids and Weapons. Even better is that you can switch between them on the fly. Your plasmids occupy your left hand and your weapons occupy your right. You can't use them both at the same time but the game allows you to switch between them rapidly enough to the point where it doesn't matter.
  
  Finally, the game allows you to invent and construct items for you to use a long the way. You'll need to find components to invent items, though, and that's easily done through searching all those basic containers.
  
  As far as the game looks it is by far one of the most detailed and beautiful games out there. Everything about the game is given a fantastic look to it. From what your enemies look like to the vast city itself. The walls are detailed, the water is detailed all the flames and vending machines are detailed. Even better, the physics and other mechanics in this game work divinely. For example, if you bump into a trashcan, it falls over. If you're stepping over something, you'll find yourself walking a bit slower and stumbling over it.
  
  Bioshock is a stunning game. The long wait was well worth it. Tight controls, lots of variety in the gameplay and an absorbing storyline is what keeps this game afloat and makes it fun. It is without a doubt one of the best games of 2007.
  
  The Good
  
  +Enticing storyline full of philosophy and intrigue
  +Fantastic voice acting brings the already fantastic story to life
  +Lots of variety in the gameplay
  +Great sound effects
  +Great music score
  +All around beautiful game
  +The atmosphere of the game never settles
  
  The Bad
  
  -While it's nice that you don't get penalized or ever have to reload when you die, it brings down the difficulty of this game a bit. However, as I said, it's a good and bad thing
  
  
• Cream of the FPS crop
  By A1XWQ13VJDOQ7C on 2007-08-22
  When rating a game like Bioshock that has been hyped up for over a year, one has to consider these 4 important questions.
  
  1) Does it live up to the hype?
  2) Is it fun to play?
  3) Does it distinguish itself from other FPS?
  4) Is it a true next gen game?
  
  The answer to all four of these questions is a resounding YES!
  
  Bioshock brings you to the underwater city of Rapture, a dystopian world that is falling apart rapidly. Based on paper thin ideals and materialistic beliefs, the civilization of Rapture has fallen into insanity and sheer madness.
  A chemical called ADAM has tainted and distorted the minds, and bodies, of the citizens, turning everyone literally c-r-a-z-y!
  
  Psychotic, mutated and twisted citizens lurk around every corner of this destroyed beauty called Rapture. And it IS beautiful. Bioshock boasts some really amazing and beautiful graphics, fulfilling part of question 4.
  The architecture of Rapture is firmly planted in the 1960's and really adds bucket loads of flavor to the overall story and feel of the game. From posters to furniture, you really do get the sense that you are IN the 1960's.
  On the graphical note, the water, and there is plenty of it, is probably the best looking, flowing and most realistic water to ever grace a video game. I was simply amazed at the water. I hear that the Bioshock developers had a whole team working on the water effects/graphics alone. Well, it has certainly paid off.
  Bioshock also uses the Unreal 3 engine (think Gears of War), so the graphics are phenomenal and character movements are fluid and realistic.
  Details are abound. Weapons are detailed down to the most minute detail (ribbed design on the shotgun pump, cracks in the walls/floors). The lighting/shadows are stunning, and the character models are some of the most detailed in the video game world.
  
  Bioshock is a First Person Shooter. We all know that the video game shelves of our local stores are chalk full of First Person Shooters (FPS). Stores are literally teeming with them.
  One of the biggest arguments against the Xbox 360 was the fact that there was a lack of variety in terms of games, with the majority being FPS.
  I can safely say that Bioshock, though it may be a FPS, is FAR from your typical, standard FPS fare.
  
  While you will run into your typical FPS weapons (Shotgun, Handguns, Machine guns, explosives, wrench for a melee weapon and a few more standard weapons), you will also have access to something called Plasmids.
  Plasmids give you powers (i.e Telekenesis, the ability to shoot flames and electricity out of your hands, and even the ability to shoot wasps from your veins!)
  These powers really change the FPS dynamic in a very profound way. Will you shock your enemy, then beat the tar out of them while they are stunned?, or will you incinerate them? Or, better yet, will you unleash a horde of wasps at them and watch them freak out? Your Plasmid powers even interact with the environment. You can use the shock ability to jump start faulty door switches, and if you spot an enemy in a pool of water you can shoot them with the electricity and watch them convulse.
  
  If you spot an enemy in a pool of oil (yeah you will run into rooms that have oil spills) you can unleash Incinerate and watch them burn and spread the fire around.
  
  An enemy throwing explosives at you, or is your way blocked by debris? No problem, with Telekenesis you can grab those pesky explosives in mid air and fling them back at the thrower or at debris blocking your advancement.
  
  Also, you will find tonics along the way that will enhance other abilities, such as melee strength, hacking and even a tonic that will emit a shock to any enemy that attacks you with a melee attack, a sort of high voltage retribution.
  
  On a side note, there are different types of bullets for each gun ranging from electrified ammo, armor piercing ammo and anti-personnel ammo. And if that's not enough, later on in the game you will be able to create your own ammo!
  
  Yes, I did mention hacking earlier. Rapture has its share of vending machines (where you can buy ammo, health kits and plasmid refills), ammo machines, health stations, security bots, gun turrents and security cameras.
  If you get in close to one of these machines, you will be given the opportunity to hack the machine. In an ingenious design, if you decide to hack a machine you will engage in a small mini game.
  Does anyone remember an ancient game called Pipe Dream? The hacking mini game requires you to connect the "entrance" to the "exit" via two different types of pipes. There is a time limit however because fluid flows from the "entrance" and you need to get the fluid to the "exit". If you fail, the machine will overload and you will take damage, however you can retry as long as you have health left.
  
  Later on you will find hacking tools that will give you the option to auto hack, though its not always successful. You can also opt to pay a rather large amount to buy a guaranteed auto hack - but that would be boring!
  
  There is quite a bit of collecting involved in Bioshock as well. There are the plasmids, tonics, ammo and even money all scattered about the city of rapture.
  With all of that in mind, it is easy to see that Bioshock does in fact distinguish itself from all other FPS on the market, fulfilling question 3.
  
  Gameplay, well that is another story. 2k games boasts that no two romps through Bioshock will be the same. And I can see why they make this claim. You have options, I mean lots and lots of options on how you want to go about your killing. This basically fulfills the second part of question 4, Bioshock IS a true Next Generation title.
  
  With every said so far, it is safe to say that Bioshock is VERY fun to play. First of all, the controls are rather easy and follow the standard FPS controls that Halo popularized.
  There are three difficulties, allowing you to ease into the game, and easy to use menus and interfaces.
  The story line is very immerse, original and interesting. I can say that I have NEVER played a game with the same story line.
  Also, Raptures history is revealed via tape recordings and diaries that you collect along the way, adding even more flavor to an already over flowing flavor pot.
  Basically Bioshock is equal parts an action game, survival horror game and a stripped down Role Playing Game in the vein of Deus Ex. And its mixed really well. Nothing ever feels over done or boring.
  
  Also, following in the vein of "choose your own adventure" type games, Bioshock presents you with situations in which you will have to choose, morally, which way to go. This adds even more to an already amazing game. And, unlike other games that offer this, your choices and actions WILL affect the game.
  
  Overall, Bioshock lives up to the hype and is a must own for all Xbox 360 owners. I will warn that there is a lot of blood, gore and violence, not to mention a wide array of mature themes involved.
  If you are into these things, and of age, you MUST pick this game up. Do not pass up on this, even if you are sick of the First Person Shooter genre, I guarantee that Bioshock is a unique and engaging experience that you will not regret paying $60 plus for.
  
  Price is one of the biggest factors that can scare away potential consumers, since next generation games cost so much, consumers want to be sure that the game they are spending their hard earned money on is actually worth it. I can honestly say that Bioshock is worth it.
  
  
  
• Simply the best.
  By A13OJQ9S8WGL1N on 2007-08-22
  Very simply put right now this game is easily the best shooter to come out for the 360 in a long time.
  Not only does it have some very tense and fun gameplay.
  
  The lighting and graphical displays shown within are pretty much second to none as of this moment.
  
  I bought the game on midnight of the 20th/21st and immediately went home to play it. The experience of just how good the graphics are was 10 fold when I was playing with the lights off. I dont even have a HDTV and I was purely impressed by just how good everything looked.
  
  The game also goes a long way to genuinely disturb and creep you out.
  Its not the typical BOO factor like games like the Resident Evil series and maybe even FEAR. Not that that is a bad thing.
  But this game tends to be creepy on a psychological level only truly experienced by playing first hand.
  The idea of this underwater utopian city gone completely wrong may not be the most original idea but it is definitely executed well.
  
  The sounds are easily the number one thing that makes the game so creepy at times. If you do get to play it, find a spot to just stand still for a moment and take it all in. You hear everything from steam pipes creaking to soft whispers of one of 2k's delightfully twisted characters coming from somewhere up ahead. And the sounds you hear aren't always necessarily right around the corner. Which is whats so great, the voices you hear may be coming from the other side of a wall or a room down the pathway.
  
  The AI is also really impressive. They do things like run and jump into water when set on fire, they take off running when they get low on health. They attack in numbers at times making for some very frantic and fast paced combat. The number of weapons and plasmid modifications is truly something to behold. The ability to aim your electric shock at water and fry your opponents may not seem like a big deal, but when you can do that instead of wasting numerous rounds of ammunition believe me you will appreciate it much more. The weapon combos are great. You can shock and stun opponents, set them on fire, freeze them, tag them so that security drones will attack them instead of you. All the while still being able to do something as simple as a shotgun blast to the face.
  
  I do wish cycling weapons was a bit quicker at times. Your right hand weapons are bound to the RB button and you have to cycle thru them in order to find the right one which can be annoying in times of a fast firefight. But you can easily overcome this.
  
  Bottom line is, this one definitely has my vote for Game of the Year, or maybe Assassins Creed but that one is still yet to be seen.
  
  Go out and buy this one if you can, it is definitely worth the price of admission.
  
  
  
  
• Let's not get carried away here
  By AFI0V99P0LKCY on 2007-08-26
  Yes, this game is immersive (it does take place under water after all); yes, the story is more complex than some; yes, the overall conceit (an Objectivist culture gone mad--madder?--under water) is nice. But let's be honest: the graphics are not up to the standards of, say, Gears (the plant life for instance, is blocky and primitive; and some of the vaunted water effects seem slapdash); and certainly it is easier to set a graphical mood in these unremittingly dark corridors than it is in a more well-lit world (take it outside and let's see how a landscape is presented). The gameplay, while complex for an FPS really is RPG-lite; and anyone who has played Deus Ex: Invisible War will recognize Bioshock's obvious anxiety of influence. I also think the "save" system--you get cloned, rather than die; your opponent's health, on the other hand, deteriorates---marks an ominous turn in gaming towards ease of play: the game is simply too easy and an easy game is not really a game at all (beating Ninja Gaiden on Very Hard, now that's an achievement; managing to shock two hapless psychos who conveniently stand in water is something my Granny, bless her, can do). I wonder if the acclaim this game is receiving has anything do with the industry's lamentable habit of starving gamers in the summer: anything is going to look good after one of the bleakest summers on record (Vampire Rain, anyone?).
  
  
  Let's wait for Halo 3, Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed before we start talking about the game of the year.
  
  
  
• No "Halo Killer"
  By A2828AYF487JL6 on 2007-10-09
  Before playing Bioshock, I kept reading reviews that said it looked soooo much better than Halo 3, even though Halo had yet to ship. I have to say, I think they're wrong. Bioshock is quite detailed and enjoyable to look at, but has grossly shinny surfaces (dull surfaces being something Halo excels at). Additionally the "sky boxes" for the underwater city pale in comparison to the miles of "real geometry" used in Halo 3. I found the levels to be very detailed and convincing, till I walked up to a window and saw a badly distorted and over-scaled matte used to portray the skyline...
  
  Gameplay is entertaining, but "moral choices" for which the game has been lauded, are little more than tacked on. Other than the different outcomes of the game, there's really very little that these choices will impact. You may receive slightly more Adam one way or the other, but the real choices are how you spend it not how you get it.
  
  Storyline is excellent with twists and turns, though like a Shyamalan movie, are only really good the first time around and are kinda obvious to astute folks. Some plot points seem to appear fairly quickly though the game continues to hit you over the head with them just in case you didn't see them coming.
  
  My one complaint is that the game is simply dark and depressing for the sake of being that way. It is in the "sci-fi horror" genre of course, but the same story could have been told in a compelling way without the horror clichés. It may well have been scarier without all the clichés. I played it with 5.1 headphones to up the ante and the scary parts were still pretty obvious. Swelling music, flashing lights, just plain darkness... The one time the game genuinely scared me was when there was no music, little sound, and a big fairly well lit room...
  
  Overall, it's a fun game with good gameplay, excellent story line, and very detailed scenes.
  
  
• Best Gaming Experience in a long time!
  By A36RXCL7TPN975 on 2007-08-21
  This is by far the most interesting, fun, adventurous game since last years Zelda for the Wii. There is so much to do in this game, you can hack into safes, invent items, shock someone in the water, use a crowbar to knock someone out, anything you want to do, you can. I didn't hear about this game until last week when Microsoft released a demo of it last week. I played the demo and immediately got hooked. I went out early this morning "21 Aug 07" and purchased this game. I have played it for roughly five hours and it has been so much fun. It's not super confusing and it's like a choose your own adventure game. The classical eery music is an added plus. If you own an XBOX 360 and you are looking for the "Next Big Game", or you just want a Phenomenal gaming experience, purchase this game, I guarantee you will not be disapointed. The only negative for me is that this game really makes other games look really bad. But that's a negative that I will just have to deal with. Now I am going to shut off the laptop and get back to playing.
  
  
• Great game, but parents be warned...
  By A15I7C8DHNMOLL on 2007-08-24
  Let me start off by saying that this is an excellent game. The gameplay excells. The graphics are near-perfect. Combat is interesting and dynamic. The story demonstrates the dangers of moral relativism. It's a well thought out, well executed game. Rapture's landscape is simply amazing.
  
  That being said, it is very much deserving of the M rating. Blood is shiny and realistic. Mutilated corpses line the streets. The language is strong with many random uses of the f-word. This is unfortunate as it is unnecessary. The idea of a hidden utopia under the sea filled with crazy people is very unsettling in and of itself. The gore and language does nothing but take the focus away from the naturally unsettling landscape and suspensful story line. It is a non-stop gorefest in the same vein as "Saw."
  
  I cannot wait until the day when videogame developers learn that this stuff isn't necessary to make a great game. Without the extreme violence and language, this is a phenominal game in every sense of the word.
  
  
• Reasonably Good
  By A1JSPVBO30TFSE on 2007-09-04
  I can tell you right now, this game will not live up to the hype. It cannot possibly live to the hype. The hype suggests that the game should arrive with sexual favors and pudding as a feature, and no game is as good as the reviewers would have you believe Bioshock is. Surprise, surprise - the game has a number of issues that keep it from being the transcendental achievement the press want it to be, but that doesn't stop it from being a very solid game, worth your $60 investment.
  
  Let's start with the basics. This is ostensibly a first person shooter, in the family of Halo, but owing a little bit more to Oblivion and Deus Ex so far as implementation goes. Or F.E.A.R., I guess, though that one had multiplayer. Which, shock of shocks, is one of the major knocks on the game. This game was never designed or balanced for multiplayer use, and, as such, there's no multiplayer. No deathmatch, no leaderboards, no team sports, no cooperative. To preserve the atmosphere of the game and to produce a better single-player title, the multiplayer was never intended to happen. If you cannot tolerate a game without multiplayer (I personally don't see how anybody could tolerate one, as I agree with Yahtzee!'s assessment of the Xbox Live community in general), then this game is not for you.
  
  As far as the actual gameplay goes, a great amount of puffery and chest-beating has been made with respect to the RPG aspect, but I honestly don't see it here. There isn't really any kind of character development or progression - the plasmids are merely guns that work with your left hand and don't have a trigger, and the tonics function basically like equip-able items in other games - and, overall, you don't get the RPG "feel" from this game. The feel is, more than anything, reminiscent of Doom 3 (to which it has been compared), with a dark, moody setting and some very cleverly disguised monster closeting (i.e. instead of just popping out of the wall, some monsters will walk into a room behind you after you go looking for something and start playing around in the water).
  
  I'll admit it - after about half of the game, I was pretty bored. You run through the stock of enemies (who don't behave in nearly as intelligent a fashion as implied) pretty early on and most of the game is spent shooting the same types of critters with the same set of voices and the same general behaviors. While the environment is constantly interesting to poke around in, the adversaries are lamentably not. Hacking also plays a major role in the game, which would be great if the mini-game didn't 1) arbitrarily decide that you just plain lose sometimes; and 2) take thirty seconds to play through on its easiest difficulty. While you can work your way up to not having to hack a couple of common targets, you'll be playing Pipe Dream right up through the end of the game. Pretty tedious.
  
  So what's so good about the game? Well, for starters, it's a shooter I finished, which is saying something, because I become terminally bored with just about any of them after about the halfway point, for mostly the same reasons as those I've listed here. This one kept my attention all the way through to the end. The game isn't overly long (a problem many games have - sixty hours is not just right; it is far too much for an old man like me with a job and a house and a personal life), which is a plus for me. The voice acting is the best I've personally ever heard in a video game - so good that you don't notice that it's voice acting in most cases. The artistic direction is pretty good as well, capturing some of the sixties architecture.
  
  With respect to the source material and authenticity, there's some quibbles to be had. The guns and ammunition you find are distinctly more 1920s than 1950s, the music is mostly big band and crooners, and while the game might be considered reminiscent of Objectivism, the philosophy is way, way too far off to be considered any kind of a critique, or even a reasonable examination. The Atlas Shrugged vibe is, however, carried off with aplomb, for which the art director in particular deserves some praise.
  
  This is a pretty great game. I played it, finished it, and am wondering whether it would be worth it (news flash - it won't) to go back through on Hard to get the final achievement I'm lacking. It's worth anybody's $60. I wouldn't pronounce it the game of the year at this point, with Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed and Rock Band and Halo 3 and any number of other AAA titles due out, but it's a good game, and a good use of the medium to turn a shooter into something other than a twitchy-flinchy-shooty-bangy-kill-a-thon and still be effective and straight-faced about it. Any game that can stir a moral reaction in its audience through its content and story is pretty solid (and you will have a moral reaction to the Little Sisters and what goes on in Rapture). I wouldn't call it art, but it's some great entertainment.
  
  
• NO REPLAY VALUE!!!
  By AE4OCU9CAOVA1 on 2007-09-23
  I beat it in one week only playing it averagly. I mean it was fun...but when you beat it what then? I got none of my powers back and none of my upgrades back. I see 10 out of 10 in what i think was Game Informer (not sure) and I know now never trust the magazines. Always go by the the number one basic rule of gaming try it before you buy it. Next time before I buy any game with great reviews i'm head'n to Blockbuster, what about you?
  
  
• Beautiful, scary, & fun!
  By A741G7WWT2D8Z on 2007-08-21
  If you haven't heard about this game, check out the videos on XBox Live or the demo: or the videos on other game review sites... It's a fun, cool game.
  
  ART STYLE
  Game is set in 1960, and the art style is a snazzy, art-deco style reminescent of Fallout (at least the fake "ads" in the game). The setting of the city on the bottom of the ocean is a visual treat along with the omni-present water that is leaking into most structures.
  
  ACTION
  The game mostly focuses on action and fun. The save system doesn't punish players for character death and encourages players to try out various strategies. The combination of plasmids ("magical" powers) and regular weapons makes for some entertaining ways of defeating enemies. If you like shooters, you'll take great pleasure setting up ambushes and responding to ambushes. This definitely is a first-person shooter, though the plasmids make this have somewhat of a feel of a role-playing game.
  
  THEMES
  The general theme is the fall of a utopia society. Rapture, the city, is literally falling apart and buckling under the weight of the ocean. You also have some moral choices to make during the course of the game.
  
  Overall, the combination of everything is just right and its a extra fun (scary) to play at night.
  
  
• You don't get into Bioshock...it gets into YOU
  By ALC6LWQXBHIPG on 2007-08-22
  You don't get into Bioshock....it gets into you.
  
  
  
  My very first impression of playing this game was that someone watched enough episodes of Lost and translated it into a very good game.
  
  Elements:
  
  - you are on a trip in a plane presumably to see your parents when the plane crashes in the middle of the Atlantic.....check
  
  
  - you wind up on a mysterious lighthouse which transports you to a mysterious city.....check
  
  
  - you communicate with mysterious people who may or may not have ulterior motives.....check
  
  
  - wierd medical experiments are taking place affecting people of that city.....check
  
  
  - some of those same people want to kill you.....check
  
  
  - you must choose whose side you on and how it affects your survival.....check
  
  
  Good enough?
  
  I am trying ot mkae my review short enough without giving spoilers away or be redundant to the official reviews and long enough to tell you that what you read is true!
  
  Bioshock is definently a step to redefining first person shooter. This is not your balls to the wall shoot em up, but rather a thinking person's game where the point is to interact and enjoy the story, creatively think your way past enemies and make decisions that will affect your game play.
  
  All of you have probably heard about the creative elements of the game play...others who reviewed it have covered it, so I really don't want to get into that...if you have read enough about it I would say you have to see for yourself.
  
  What is more important to me is how much this game creeps up on you and scares you into playing a little bit more. This game IMO revolutionizes the FPS because of the content. It's pretty much doing things storywise what Resident Evil and Doom has been trying to do for years.
  
  I am recommending that if you play this game, don't do it on anything less than a home theater system.
  
  I am playing this on a 51" HDTV, 7.1 surround sound with the lights on dim and my goodness it is IMMERSIVE. YOU WILL JUMP...you will laugh...you will be scared....the first time I faced off with a big daddy it was to be believed. It crept up behind me...I heard it coming and instead of turning with my joystick I literally truned around and luckily I didn't already aggro it but it was up on me and walked byand my heart was in my throat. There is this one scene early on (and u get to see it in the demo) where you see a sillouette of a lady rambling to a baby in a carriage and it's truly eeirie and there are SO many moments like this throughout the game. You can gather recordings to listen to the insanity that these people were into. And sometimes feel sorry for some of the people that you have to kill.
  
  And yes, there are even more mysteries in this game. again similar to Lost...and this is where I wrap up:
  
  - Is it a coincidence that your plane crashed here?
  
  - What is the story behind the tattoes?
  
  - What went wrong and made these people crazy?
  
  - Who or what are the Little Sisters and why must you choose?
  
  - Why would any seemingly sane person that wound up on this island willingly inject himself with gene altering material to get powers and what effects will they have on your character by the end of the game?
  
  
  If you are looking for a game that will keep you in the dark while you play it in the dark (best way to play) BUY...THIS...GAME. I have a feeling that this will be the bestseller of the year...Halo my sell the numbers due to the fan base but Bioshock will sell because of the immersive story alone
  
  
• A BADLY NEEDED BREATH OF FRESH AIR!
  By A32O98PFC3OP7K on 2007-08-28
  I am a serious gamer (an adult, 42 years old). I put in my age so you know my perspective. I have been a hardcore gamer for at least 10 years and have played many a game, especially shooters. The genre has grown pretty stale, with the same concepts rehashed over and over, albeit with prettier graphics. The last really creative shooter was Deus Ex, which blended the FPS and RPG worlds. Bioshock is it's spiritual successor, really merging the two genres in a wholly unique setting. One pro review I read said calling it a game is an understatement - I agree. It is so much more because of the story, the stunning voice acting, and the underwater setting circa 1946. So much incredible detail has gone into every main area - graphics, acting, story, gameplay - I have been pretty much blown away, and I was close to just finding a new hobby. I highly recommend this game.
  
  
• Bioshock - Dissenting Opinion
  By A1LCIJ9MY1E1G on 2007-11-23
  The game Bioshock has been rated highly by the player community and the game press, but I find that the game has serious shortcomings that really reduce the enjoyment of the game.
  It's hard to rank the flaws from serious to less serious, but they add up.
  The game is primarily a first person shooter. As such the weapons, challenges and non-player character behavior is important to player enjoyment. In Bioshock, the weaponry starts underpowered, and fails to progress at a rate that keeps up with challenge difficulty, even though the game designers provide sparse and highly scripted "weapons upgrades". The NPC algorithms are primitive, for instance the routing algorithms are highly flawed (NPCs go to odd or impossible places and often get stuck) and the designers use ultra high speed translation by NPCs such as the splicers or "Rosies" exhibit to enhance difficulty. This speed motion often seems unfair and frustrating. At other points in the game, the designers provided "barrier" puzzles that simply consist of lots of NPCs gangin up on the player. It's easy to eventually defeat these puzzles, but not rewarding at all. Contrast Bioshock to Half-life2 where the player is constantly involved in trying to figure out what happened or what the authorities or covenant are up to in order to progress. Bioshock is nowhere near the Half-Life caliber of game play.
  Then there is the art work. Bless the artists for putting so much style into this game, but the game seems to be designed for the sake of the art, and I have to say, it is not that impressive. The style is 50s modern or in many cases 50s noveau-deco and although initially entrancing, is highly repetitive and becomes tiresome after several hours of game play. For instance there are only four or five variations of NPC splicers - they all look the same.
  Bioshock is set undersea, and the rendering of water and aquatic scenes is supposed to be the big artistic achievement, but frankly the water rendering (as on XBox-360) is not all that impressive. Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls III had much better fluid physics, tranparency, fog and refraction in its rendering of water than Bioshock and it was rendered on a much older engine and technology, XBox circa 2002.
  The event that finally put me over the edge (I refrained from throwing my controller through my LCD, but just barely) was the entirely frustrating finall boss battle. I won't reveal the end, but who's idiotic idea was it anyway to refuse players the right to save their game during this battle? Are we trying to prove the level designer is more manly than the players or something.
  In short I recommend that prospective players or gift buyers simply skip Bioshock and go to Half-Life2 orange box, a true masterwork in the FPS/Adventure genre.
  
  
• Proof that solid graphics and moodiness can sell an average-at-best shooter.
  By A3UJX4L5AKUWQM on 2007-12-10
  The only thing shocking about Bioshock is the undue praise it gets.
  What is essentially an FPS with a passable array of weaponry and mildly useful superpowers is coated with very dark and moody, yet colorful graphics... then seasoned with a light dusting of bargain brand macabre story... and voila! You have Bioshock.
  There was a lot left for wanting in this game.
  
  The control was a little loose and switching from powers to weaponry could have been smoother. It feels very much like a PC game meant to be played with more precise and flexible controls. Enemies dart around very quickly, and unless you're the Flash on the analog sticks, you're going to endure a little frustration. A sharp FPS experience is easily marred when burdened by console controllers if no corrective measures are taken to tone it down half a notch. At the least more customizable analog options could have been included, such as acceleration, which makes a huge difference. When it comes to FPS, poor control options like that are a bad decision.
  
  The graphics and physics were nice, although I'm a little tired of games intentionally being excessively dark in order to convey that angsty, brooding atmosphere. There was a lot of neon, which I suppose contrasts with the inky blackness to provide light and shadow and impress all the eye-candy addicts. For me, the style was a swing and a miss. I've seen better atmosphere and artistry in a plethora of other FPS games. That old 50s style imagery that reminded me very much of Fallout, but is not intended to be campy in the least. It is intended to reflect the era in which Rapture evolved, but again a swing and a miss for me.
  
  Plasmid powers are a nice gimmick, but aren't as useful to gameplay as I thought they would be. There are 9 powers (some with different levels), but since many are weaker or not as useful as others, you end up using 2 or 3 the majority of the game. Most are simply attack abilities anyways, which are easily replaced with a big gun. Combine this all with sometimes outrageous EVE (plasmid fuel) power usage. Psi Ops did the "plasmid" thing a long time ago and did it better.
  You can always turn to your weapons.
  
  Weapons. 6. Only 6. For an FPS these days, that is pathetic. You can upgrade them, but they are for the most part the same weapon. Sad. I might as well go back to those plasmid powers... at least they are prettier.
  
  Hacking. OK, so Bioshock is very obviously trying to be the next System Shock. Unfortunately hacking in Bioshock is simply a game of Pipe Dreams. If you don't like that, you can buy insta-hack items, which use up some useless cash and make hacking kind of a moot point. Another swing and a miss...
  
  Inventions. A nice little time waster. Having to find machines scattered around where you can do it is annoying. This is no Dark Cloud or any other game where inventing/combining items is exciting and fruitful.
  Tonics were a great part of the game and allowed the most customizability to your gameplay experience. This was singlehandedly the best thing Bioshock had to offer.
  Research added a bit of spice to gameplay as well. Studying your enemies and getting to know more about them in order to more effectively deal with them was great. Unfortunately most of the time this resulted in just a damage bonus, but in the case of teleporting enemies, where you were suddenly able to see where they were moving, this mechanic added to the experience in a more satisfying way. I would have liked to have seen better enemy variety though. Most were just the same enemy type with a different weapon.
  
  Now mash all of this together and cover it with a story of evil and mayhem and ... blah blah. I didn't buy into it. At all. Since the main character offers nothing in terms of reactions, I felt no connection to him, the story or the game. It all just felt lifeless. It is also mainly delivered through radio chatter, which is so impersonal and boring.
  
  You can replay it to see the ending you missed (there are only 2), but aside from a few yes/no type choices, the gameplay will be the exact same. To me, that's not replayability... that's reiteration, which is not the same. No online is a crazy omission as well. With any FPS on the PC or next-gen consoles, gamers expect multiplayer. When it comes to games like Bioshock with very poor replayability, it becomes essential. However, most people seem content to pay top dollar for this kind of oversight. In the end, Bioshock will be overhyped and overadulated for a few months and then wink out of the gaming consciousness forever. Until then, you can enjoy what I consider a banal exercise in FPS wannabe-ism for 10-20 hours.
  
  
• A great game!
  By A3UYQWTVZAOHM0 on 2007-08-22
  There are a ton of reviews here detailing the great aspects of this game, and I agree with them all. So, in the interest of time, I'm just going to touch on why I gave a 4 out of 5 instead of a perfect score.
  
  There are two things that keep me from going insane with joy over this title. The biggest is the system they use for resurrection. If you die, you respawn in the nearest tube, and continue on your way. This means that some really difficult fights can be made much easier. Simply drop your hammer, and die. You respawn with half health, and rinse and repeat. You could really go through the game without ever using a health pack if you were lazy enough.
  
  Second is the interaction. There's some great stuff, and when splicers started dieing on my poison health station, I was stoked. However, I think it's odd that creatures don't come looking for you when you die. You get to start over in regards to aggro, and with big daddies, get a free shot.
  
  Please, however, don't let this make you think too badly of an otherwise next level game!
  
  
• Best game I have ever played
  By A10L8O1ZMUIMR2 on 2007-08-23
  I don't play A LOT of video games, but I got a 360 a few months ago (I previously owned a PS2, PS1, and N64) and got BioShock the day it came out. It is without a doubt the best game I have EVER played. Gears of War and Max Payne are up there, but BioShock is so creative and awesome. If you own a 360, this is a must. Even if you don't, you can always buy one. It's a fun game while it's challenging, but not too hard to the point where it's extremely frusterating.
  
  This is truly a one-and-only game.
  
  
• Buy it now, if you like shooters this one is one of the best
  By A26AYU9JUCHS6J on 2007-08-28
  So this game is basicly awesome, fun and very addicting, dont listn to the guy who gave it one star it truly is a work of art the graphics are top notch i dont know what else needs to happen for it to impress that guy, but if he dint like this game then he just dosent like video games too much. He calls those of us who like the game cave dwellers that only come out of our rooms every 10 months well i just think that guy is out of line if he likes to go out so much then why dosent he just go out and stop making fun of the gamers who love this game and stop making fun of the people who would rather just play their favorite video games opposed to going out, it dosent make you any less of a person and it sure dosent make him any better than you. Also most people have a lot of friends on live who they chat to while playing so its not really an anti social thing either. I guess im done my rant i just dont appriciate that guy making fun of the gamers who love this game.
  
  
• A rare and truly great gaming experience.
  By A3CTI496KXMB0K on 2007-08-31
  What hasn't already been said about Bioshock? I'm probably only 1/3 to 1/2 complete with the game, and I've been drawn into it like very few games have ever drawn me in. Easily one of the most atmospheric, immersive, and genuinely eerie entertaining experiences, you play the role of a plane crash survivor who, by chance (or fate?), stumbles into an underwater metropolis built by a crazed megalomaniac, Andrew Ryan. The city is in shambles and is in overrun by splicers, humans who've altered their genetic code so that they are almost beyond recognition and have lost much of their sanity. The oppression and desolation is thick and palpable, as you first set foot in Rapture. The rest is for you to discover..
  
  Bioshock is the most complete package in a single-player gaming experience. A compelling and subtly-told story that doesn't rely on cutscenes or cheap gimmicks will ignite your curiosity. A set of ancient looking weapons, combined with the power of plasmids, genetic modifications that give their wielder super-human powers, will intrigue you. You will need to make hard decisions at every turn on how to proceed, what genetic powerups to employ, and what weapons to keep at your side. I found myself wrestling with decisions on how to proceed or how to deal with different situations in the game.
  
  On the technical side, Bioshock looks absolutely beautiful. It's a great application of the Unreal Engine (which is what Gears of War was built on), and even trumps Gears' visuals from time to time. The sound design is brilliantly executed. Make sure you have a proper surround setup, as the game will envelop you with a creepy, crawls-under-your-skin aural experience. Placement of effects is well done in a convincing 360 degree soundfield, and you will readily use this to your advantage in hearing from where enemies are approaching. The game runs smooth and has very minimal load times that only occur between major areas. You'll likely play in an area for an hour or two before ever encountering a load time.
  
  Bioshock is as complete as a gaming experience can be. It will make you think, thrill you, frighten you, engage you, and haunt you.
  
  If you have a 360, you have no excuse.. Get this game now.
  
  
• I am a BioShock widow!
  By A1H1A3HVORKQEF on 2007-10-13
  I bought this for my husband as a gift . I was a little nervous about buying without his input but based on the majority of reviews it sounded worth the chance. I don't play video games and my husband is a weekend player at most, that is until BioShock. He LOVES this game. He plays nightly and sometimes for hours (as opposed to his previous half hour or so). I find myself watching him play and I enjoy it as well. The details and grahics are amazing on every level. Based on my husbands' response to this game, I would have to say "go for it". I've read a lot of buzz about it being game of the year. It would surely have our vote.
  
  
• The first XBox 360 game that truly blew me away.
  By A3C2A3D2KG1F1A on 2007-10-17
  It's rare these days for games to really blow me away. I've been playing games for years and in the last few years it seems that no matter which game I play, it seems as though I've been there - done that. In rare occasions games will break new ground, but more often then not it seems as though games use rehashed formulas that have been tried and true, albeit boring at times.
  
  Really, when it comes down to it Bioshock doesn't really break new ground per-se, it just does everything right. It features a rich story line, great play mechanics, amazing voice acting and mind-blowing graphics. Lets talk about each of these subjects.
  
  The Story Line
  I never like to give away too much in my reviews, so I'll just say what you probably already read about if you read anything about this game. The game starts out with you stranded in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. You don't know much of what happened, except that you were involved in a plane crash. You spot a lighthouse in the distance, next thing you know you're being sucked into the city of Rapture. At first sight it seems like Rapture is a great place to be. You hear stories of how the city doesn't let religion interfere with science and that the city of Rapture offers true freedom. You quickly realize Rapture isn't as perfect as it seems at first (go figure). You quickly learn of a man named Andrew Ryan, the main bad guy involved in the rise and fall of Rapture. Immediately you feel as though you must find out what exactly is going on here. The story sucks you in and doesn't let go, one of the reasons this game is so great. You will come across many diaries in the game that you must listen to, so you can fully understand the somewhat complex story line. Don't worry, each diary is spoken and can be listened to while you play.
  
  Gameplay Mechanics
  Bioshock is an FPS, with a few RPG-ish elements. The game is based in the 1960s, so you wield weapons of that period. What's really cool is that you come across what's called Plasmids that alter your DNA and allow you to perform incredible feats such as throw fire, throw electricity, and throw just about any other object through telekinesis. There are quite a few plasmids available, the only trick is deciding which ones you want to keep. You only have a few slots for plasmids, so you must choose carefully. More slots will become available as you play.
  
  To obtain plasmids you must gather a substance called Adam. The way you obtain Adam is through little girls called little sisters, which harvest Adam from dead bodies. You have to defeat "Big Daddies" in order to get to the little sisters and harvest the Adam. Once you beat the big daddy you have a choice. You can free the little sister of her parasite and gain a little bit of Adam, or you can sacrifice her to gain the maximum amount of Adam. This decision can be tough. You are promised that if you free them you will be rewarded, however if you free them you only get 1/2 the Adam. Also, your decision will alter the storyline a bit. Also, you can purchase tonics with Adam. Tonics are passive in that they don't really give you any new attacks, instead they offer abilities such as walking faster, or taking less damage from attacks.
  
  One other cool feature is that you can hack machines such as cameras and vending machines. In order to hack a machine you have to beat a little fun mini-game, which will vary in difficulty depending on the machine you're hacking. Typically if you hack machines such as vending machines you will be offered more goods and lower prices. If you hack cameras and guns then they will turn on your enemies. There are many more gameplay elements, but I don't want to make this review much longer then it already is. Trust me, there is plenty here to have fun with.
  
  Graphics and Sound
  The sound effects and voice acting in this game is way above average. Every line is spoken so convincingly that it really does help draw you into the game. The music in this game fits the theme perfectly.
  
  The graphics in this game are nothing short of amazing. In fact, these are some of the best graphics I've ever seen in my life - on any platform. The dynamic lighting is amazing, the fog effects are incredible, the water effects are some of the best I've ever seen. This is the first time I've been truly blown away by graphics on the XBox 360. I can't believe how amazing this game looks. Everyone was all excited about the graphics on Gears of War. I never really understood why. The visuals on GOW are good, but the color palate grew boring - everything seemed to be some sort of gray hue. Bioshock however has a very large color palate, from very dark and Doom-esque to very bright and vivid. The textures are very realistic. If Bioshock was a 10 for graphics, then Gears of War would be a 4 just because Bioshock is much more beautiful and very dynamic. The first time you see a spotlight shining along the wall you will know exactly what I'm talking about.
  
  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a graphics snob, but when graphics are this good it really does help draw you in. You always hear people say "Graphics don't make the game". Although there is truth to that, visuals like this really do make the game more immersive. It's like the difference between standard and HDTV... it's just better.
  
  To conclude I would like to say that this is a must own single player game. This game does just about everything right. Although each element in this game in itself isn't really ground-breaking, the way everything is tied together so perfectly is. I didn't explore everything in this review, that job is up to you. Go buy this game and find out what makes Bioshock such an epic experience.
  
  
  
  
• Simply amazing game!
  By AUK3W2HN9LK8Y on 2007-08-22
  Forget everything you've heard about any great 360 game to date, BioShock has taken that crown achievement for the moment. Whether it will weather the storms of Mass Effect, Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4 is yet to be seen though. I can tell you this, this game is going to likely be a most serious contender for game of the year!
  
  For 360 owners, this game is all that and a bag of chips. If you own a 360, YOU MUST buy this game. The only people that will not find this game enjoyable at the moment will be the PS3 owners, who will likely get a taste later on down the road. But hey, who needs fantastic games for their $500-600 game console when they can just watch BluRay movies all day, right?
  
  
• THE AMAZING GAME WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!!
  By AQ5ZT28PU2T7K on 2007-08-22
  Its beautiful, its sharp, its fast, and just very, very well done!!! Plus its pretty freaky and the amazing visual effects and voice work really pull you in!!! Don't rush around like a fool. Take a look around at EVERYTHING. Its all looks fantastic. The storyline keeps you wanting more and more. If I could... 10 stars!!!
  **I'm adding to this review now because I just finished the game for the first time around. I wont make you read much and I'll sum it up in a very short way... THE BEST GAME I'VE EVER PLAYED IN MY LIFE** PERFECT!!!
  
  
• A Different Perspective
  By A2ONKPI3JH5HUJ on 2007-08-27
  I enjoyed everyone's viewpoints in the Amazon reviews. I thought it would also help the potential buyer to know things about this game that aren't highly publicized, but are important to note.
  
  Graphics - It's been compared to Gears of War as either being better or almost as good. This really depends on your perspective. Both games actually run on the Unreal 3 engine. Both games run at high frame rates and almost never stutter. I think Gears might look a little crisper, but the artistic design and lighting from BioShock is currently unparalleled within the XBOX 360 realm.
  
  Sound - In all of the games I have ever played (and I am sure there are games I am missing here), BioShock stands alone and has actually created it's own league. The 1940s music & score coupled with voice-acting that sounds like it's from a 1940s movie (as mentioned below), weapons/environment sounds, and 5.1 implementation are second to none at this point in the game development continuum.
  
  Gameplay - Here is where I would like to share a different perspective. The save at any time functionality, to me, is a good thing. I know some folks don't like it and say it lessens the challenge. I believe if you are in that camp, you have the freedom of saving less frequently thereby personalizing the level of challenge that's right for you. I particularly don't like doing the same things 15 times until I get it right. This promotes frustration and not satisfying challenges. With BioShock it is a necessity to be able to save at any time because you can experiment with different solutions in dispensing enemies. Each option is a joy to experience. Another under-mentioned fact is that the load and save times last only seconds allowing the "save at any time/point" functionality to be practical. Some games have extremely long save and load times, making the "save at any time/point" functionality a mixed blessing. Also the controls, while not revolutionizing the FPS/RPG-lite genre, are super tight. The controller layout is well designed & implemented. All these little game-play tidbits combined make this game great and head and shoulders above 99% of the rest.
  
  Story -The story is on par with the God of War stories in that it takes an old idea/story (Greek mythology vs. Jules Verne) and creates something totally innovative, dark, and fresh.
  
  Conclusion - This game is not Ninja Gaiden challenging, nor is it meant to be (Ninja Gaiden is awesome in it's own right). It is an experience that I believe really starts to straddle the line between a movie and a video game. I agree with Hieronymus below that no one will know what game-of the-year is until the year is up. This is going to be one of the greatest years to be a gamer in that there will be so many AAA quality titles released this fall/winter. It will be tough to manage your time and money on which games to own and play. Nonetheless, BioShock will surely be a top-tier contender and a must-own title for any XBOX 360 owner.
  
  
  

• BioShock Signature Series Guide (Bradygames Signature)
• The Official Xbox Magazine [1-year]
• Electronic Gaming Monthly
• Play

• The Darkness
• Mass Effect
• The Orange Box
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Limited Edition
• BioShock Signature Series Guide (Bradygames Signature)