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BIOSHOCK
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[BioShock Gallery]
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| GAME STATISTICS |
| A.K.A.: |
N/A |
| Release Date: |
 August 21, 2007
 February 21, 2008
 August 24, 2007
 August 24, 2007
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| Publisher: |
2K Games |
| Developer: |
2K Boston |
| Genre: |
Shooter |
| # of Players: |
1 |
| ESRB Rating: |
M |
| Our Score: |
9.5 out of 10 |
| Our Reviews: |
Ape - Review below.
To submit one, click here! |
| Systems: |
Playstation 3
Xbox 360 |
| Websites: |
Official Website |
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9.5 out of 10
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| It's ironic that the setting of this game is a city beneath the sea called "Rapture" because rapture is exactly what you feel when you sit down and play this gem. BioShock could very well be the best game to have hit store shelves in 2007, which is saying a lot when it came out in a year where Halo 3, Rock Band, Mass Effect, God of War II, Guitar Hero 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, and several other, stellar titles hit our shelves. But seriously, BioShock may have them all beat hands-down.
As stated in the beginning, aside from a few seconds at the start of your game, you spend all of your time experiencing the world of Rapture...A world that is both hideous and beautiful at the same time. Rapture as a whole, including both the environments and the people, was created so well that this game can actually suck you in to the point where you feel such a place could exist. You feel as if you could almost be viewing a true story...Well, within reason, of course. The sounds, the way folks talk, the environments themselves all set the tone extremely well and allow you to get absorbed into the game as you play through. |
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The story continues where the visuals and audio leave off, providing the player with a fantastic story with some twists and turns thrown in. The story itself is almost like a novel; it leaves you, the player, seeing the same things everyone else sees, but coming out of it with a unique viewpoint of what you just saw. It's this great storytelling that helps propell BioShock into the spotlight amongst all other first-person games out there.
Gameplay-wise, BioShock is no slouch, either. You've got plenty of weapons to discover, and options to upgrade them all as you go. On top of that, you'll also have plasmids at your disposal which allow you to throw fire from your fingertips along with several other nifty abilites. With a fairly large assortment of offense, it's hard to get bored...Especially when you find out that each weapon reacts to each enemy differently. |
That brings us to the enemies. The generic enemies in this game almost have as much personality as the main characters themselves. They're not evil creatures trying to rip your flesh apart. They're genetically altered humans, fully aware of who and where they are, that have just gone off the deep-end a tad while coming to the realization that their appearance has been altered for the worse and they're stuck beneath an underwater city, with no hope of escaping because of it. The Big Daddys as well, who guard the Little Sisters you save/kill during the game, also have their own unique personality. After saving/killing a Little Sister and returning to the same area later, a Big Daddy will likely be there...knocking on the outlets in the walls where the Little Sisters hide, confused as to why nobody is answering his calls.
The characters, environments, and the story just make the world seem so alive...However, there is one single drawback, one that prevented BioShock from getting a perfect 10. During the course of the game, you have the option to save or destroy the Little Sisters you encounter. If you save them all, the story is easily one of the best you'll find in a video game. If you destroy them all, however, you get the same story...Which really doesn't make any sense. The only real difference during the gameplay is that you'll hear a few different bits of audio that you would have if you chose to save them. I can't imagine that it'd be too hard just to slightly change the story so that it would make more sense if you happen to chose that route through the game. However, that is a fairly minor gripe amongst an almost overwhelming amount of good. |
 
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Simply put, if you own an XBox 360, you absolutely must play this game. The gameplay is fun and encourages experimenting, the story is thought-provoking and strangely believeable to a point, and the environments and characters just scream with personality. When you roll it all together, you've got an amazing piece of media and one that everyone should experience. - Ape |
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