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BioShock lets you do the impossible as you explore a mysterious underwater city. When your plane crashes, you discover Rapture - an underwater Utopia torn apart by civil war. Caught between powerful forces and hunted down by genetically modified "splicers" and deadly security systems, you have to come to grips with a deadly, mysterious world filled with powerful technology and fascinating characters. As little girls loot the dead, and biologically mutated citizens ambush you at every turn. Now you're trapped, caught in the middle of a genetic war that will challenge both your capacity to survive and your moral allegiance to your own humanity. Make meaningful and mature decisions that culminate in the grand question - do you exploit the innocent survivors of Rapture to save yourself - or risk all to become their savior?

User Reviews about BioShock

PS3. I got stuck on a level where all of the paintings were supposed to show up. I even followed a tutorial and help online to get passed this glitch, didn't work, and I did everything I was supposed to. Possible glitch?? Besides that the game is great. Just too bad I never got to finish it. -- Stuck

1960


A turbine engine listlessly shudders beyond the steel iron hull. The image of family - your loved ones - glances momentarily towards your present location. Another moment passes before the shrill screams of passengers deafen the watcher's ears as all vision recedes to black.

Light reemerges with a title. Bioshock.

Originally unearthed for the Xbox 360 and PC platforms in 2007 the game quickly garnered not only the gaming worlds respect but one of it's most prestigious honor: Game of the Year. In 2008 the game finally found it's way to the Sony PS3 console with the all important "Extra features".

As the actual game begins and the player takes the rein of our unknown player, he finds himself in quite a pickle. Surviving the plane crash "somewhere in the pacific" quickly turns out to be the simplest thing on his schedule.

A lighthouse hangs ominously over the darkened water. It being the only refuge from a watery grave, our hero sets foot on the concrete behemoth instantly bringing to life a dead structure. After the short introductory phase by one "Andrew Ryan" our protagonist is quickly unleashed to the world of Rapture - a dystopian world perpetually stuck in 1959.

Bound to progression the man hastily enters the first grisly room to finally be confronted by the resident drug/elephant in the room: plasmids. Once the two of you have been acquainted the floodgates to splicing your genes open up, each with a chemically altered characteristic. But what is a plasmid and how did it get here?


The short story: Andrew Ryan, the curator, created Rapture in the eyes of not land dwelling ideologies. In this same vein, he and other like minded individuals created gene-splicing or plasmids. Their cost? A pinch of Adam; this being their genetic wire frame holding all the little pieces together.



These "powers" work exactly the same as the firearms and act similar to how magic would in any given RPG style game. This being, of course, a first person shooter (FPS) you'll have access to both styles of play.

And whether you decide to wield the power of electricity or set the world ablaze, remember, too much of a good thing will drain your eve (natural plasmid energy reserve) and leave you defenseless while seeking another injection. So remember, a smart splicer is a happy splicer!


When you awaken the uninviting world of Rapture is waiting. Genetically mutated freaks known as "splicers" roam the city searching for the next hit of Adam. The carriers of said miracle science are itty bitty little girls covered in death's skin wearing the torn remnants of their innocence. But to attack one of these "Little sisters" would be to anger their guardian the "Big Daddy" which has quite the temper when startled.

Once you've dealt with one of these colossal tin cans you'll finally be allowed to taste the venom of Adam but only if you decide the fate of the little sister first.

But in a world where the fabrics of morality lay in tatters and the only certainty is the need for self preservation; can you heed the painful warning that Rapture cries, attempting to thwart the darkness and be their savior or will you fall forever to the alluring corruption of greed and inflated self importance?


Besides all that intoxicating game play, the main attraction to the world of Rapture (the city itself notwithstanding) is the excellently written storyline; one that contains more twists, bumps and heart then most games readily produced. The steadfast attention to detail is simply amazing. The working of every little nuisance inside the city creates such a world full of life, death, and destruction that it takes repeated viewing to fully explore the length of yarn on display. It also helps that it's being told solely through the eyes and ears of our intrepid captive creates a much more riveting standard for video interaction narrative.


To say anymore would be telling.





Pros:
* Superb narrative that never ceases to interrupt gameplay nor disappoint
* The world of Rapture is a monument to video game excellence. It in and of itself could self contain a game with minimal exertion
* The ability to actively effect the environment to hurt thy enemy
* Ability to actively enhance your character with tonics, weapon upgrades and crafting offers RPG like augmentation



Cons:
* Prototypical gunplay can sometimes feel antiquated and dated
* A lot of the plasmids don't really feel very polished
* Hacking
* Ending (cut scene)


Conclusion:

To say Bioshock is anything less then a crowning achievement would be an insult. The game easily bumps shoulders with the most renowned of video games inside their "hall of fame". And while there are the occasional hiccups, most of which are issued directly to the hacking mini game, so much of the presentation - from the story to the gameplay to the graphical prowess - is fantastically delivered that any issue feels extremely minor and unimportant. The truest testament to the brilliance is the fact that I've been through Rapture three times and enjoyed it more with each consecutive play through.

Bioshock is an outstanding game not to be missed by any. If for some reason you've not enjoyed the fruits of Eden then you owe it to yourself to take a bite today.

Final score: 95/100
-- Somewhere over the Pacific

The story, the atmosphere, the music, the effects - all of it - all of it works together to completely suck you in and make you part of the story. This is hands-down one of the best games for the 360. It's done so well, it's scary. I shudder just thinking about it!!! -- Easily one of the best FPS ever.

Bioshock is a very unique, very fun first person shooter with an engaging, dystopian storyline and an environment that oozes with feeling. Set in an underwater city called Rapture, you use a combination of weapons and genetically enhanced abilities known as Plasmids to accomplish tasks that slowly reveal the mysteries of Rapture and its apparent destruction from within.

Bioshock has been endlessly praised for its environment, and this praise is justified. Rapture is an isolated, haunting place that throws the player into roller coaster of feelings with its odd mix of the familiar and the bizarre. The game looks incredible with beautifully rendered environments and amazing effects (dig the water!) and the performance on the PS3 was practically flawless and glitch-free. While after a while the look of the areas could sometimes borderline on monotonous, everything is kept fresh with the incredible sense of time and place. Bioshock takes place in 1960, and Rapture, as a city built by those who chose to flee American society and create a type of Ayn Rand-esque Utopia for themselves, retains that old time feel of mid 20th Century America in a way that, despite its startling contrast with its steampunk backgrounds, still feels very natural and genuine.

Another area where Bioshock really excels is in its sound design. This game begs to be played with surround sound. The excellent sound effects and ambient noises come from every angle and really help create a very high level of suspense and intensity. Hearing enemies from a distance but not being able to actually see them was very creepy, and the way my subwoofer rumbled when a Big Daddy was in the vicinity got my heart racing every time. Again, the developers have done a splendid job of creating a fantastic environment that stays in your head after you put the controller down, and the sound is a huge part of this.

The biggest flaw of Bioshock for me was the ability to re-spawn after getting killed and have the enemies be in the state you left them before you died. This made pretty much every enemy, with the exception of the final boss, beatable just by simply re-engaging them over and over again, as they wouldn't recover their health. A system of checkpoints, where you'd return to a save point and have to start the fight all over again, would have made the game much more challenging. From my understanding, the PS3 version has a patch that allows you turn off the vita-chambers (aka re-spawn points) so that you can do just that, but I was unaware of this until after I beat the game.

Also, the game description on the box touts the fact that you must make philosophical choices to determine the fate of the civilians of Rapture, and I've heard other's discuss this element of the game as well. In reality, this is a very light aspect of the game and not very deep or involved at all. Especially right after playing a game like Dragon Age: Origins where you have to make so many very difficult choices that have immediate and long term effects on your overall experience with the game, the "choices" of Bioshock seem like philosophy for middle schoolers in comparison. So while the decision making is an element of the game, I don't feel it's a strong point and feel there are lot of other great things about Bioshock that FAR outshine this aspect.

Overall, I really enjoyed Bioshock a lot and would highly recommend it. It has a great combination of strong gameplay, intriguing story, fantastic environments, intense action and hardcore suspense to keep you coming back for more. Turn the sound up and enjoy!
-- Original and Atmospheric

over the game Bioshock. I absolutely love the graphics and the storyline is pretty involving. The game arrived just days after ordering it and in excellent condition. I haven't played the second game all the way through yet, but I can't wait!!! -- I'm in Rapture...