BioShock
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Video Game Reviews of BioShock
Customer Review: Just another FPS
Summary: 3 Stars
From the reviews and accolades this game has received, I expected something a little more interesting. In fact it's just another FPS that follows directly from the tradition of the first great FPS ... Doom. Replace demon-possessed monsters in an underground maze/gate to [Hades] with zombified colonists in an undersea maze-city, and you've pretty much got Bioshock. It even has the same annoying habit of presenting you with "goals" that become pointless as soon as you reach them -- i.e., Guide: "That's fantastic, good job! You found the all-important key. But oh no! Now this tube has collapsed, preventing access to the door. Curses!"
OK, OK, there's also this subtext about the city itself and its mad-scientist/entrepreneur creator (I forget his name already, ... Ryan I think?). There's the zombified "little sisters" you're trying to rescue and cure, and you have a sort of guide whose primary role seems to be to nag you until you give up trying to kill off all the baddies and move toward the goal -- i.e., saving his family. And yes, the aesthetics are different and the graphics are infinitely better than they were in Doom. In addition to traditional weapons, you get these genetic super powers that allow you to incinerate things and throw objects with telekenesis. Also the AIs are slightly better, and the physics are more realistic in some ways. You can beat the dead zombies with your wrench even after they're dead, and their mutilated bodies flop around. That's grimly humorous for a while. (But gee, 2K game designers, I wonder why almost all the corpses are shapely women wearing skirts and garters? Maybe you should relax on this couch here and tell me about your mother.)
Whatever. Apart from these mostly cosmetic differences, at its heart Bioshock is Doom all over again ... which, in practical terms, means it's fun for a few hours -- beating zombies with a wrench and shooting robot-like baddies with electric shotgun blasts -- until you realize how much time you're wasting going after pointless goals. Three stars.
Customer Review: Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
There is not much to say about BioShock that hasn't been said already. This game is not your average FPS, where story is not that important and your goal is simply to shoot everything that moves. BioShock has a very well constructed and deep story (which I won't talk about in order to avoid spoilers).
Graphics are stunning, especially water effects. You will find yourself admiring the beautiful city of Rapture every step of the way. Animations are well done, and interaction with objects feels right.
Sound does a great job creating an ambient that involves you from the start, and keeps you on your toes all the time.
Gameplay is very addictive. The only awkward thing was getting used to the controls at first. The fire button is the R2 trigger for weapons and L2 for plasmids, when normally, for every FPS the fire button is the R1 trigger. There is no option to change this setting, but you quickly get used to it.
I can't compare this release to the 360 or the PC, since I haven't played those. But this is a very solid game, and if you like FPS this is a must have.
On a side note, BioShock is the "spiritual successor" of the System Shock series. I highly recommend you play both System Shock games if you never did. Just a recommendation since those are great games (especially System Shock 2). You don't have to play them to get into BioShock though.
Customer Review: A GEM Of A Game...Even If It's Disturbing At Times
Summary: 5 Stars
Much has been written about this game already. My quick and dirty take on it is this: GET IT & PLAY IT...You won't be sorry!
I didn't really know anything about Bioshock before sitting down to play it...But once you complete the game, you'll know the entire story behind it. This is shared through a variety of sources of info during the game. Starting at Ground Zero means you're going to quickly find yourself transported to an absolutely WEIRD and DISTURBING "Paradise" that requires you to simultaneously make value judgments while murdering pretty much everyone who crosses your path...The end result is a whole lot of FUN & GUN gameplay, made even better by supplementing std shooter weapons with a quite diverse and inventive variety of weaponry that will often give you a quilty pleasure when you see what they do to your enemies...
The Plasmids are just plain out WICKED and you'll certainly be glad you're the one using them instead of your enemies. Torch 'em...Freeze & blast 'em...Or just send a killer swarm of bees on them and watch as they helplessly flail away while screaming their last breaths of life. Like I said, just WICKED. Becoming invisible adds so much to the gameplay that you'll probably use it for the entire rest of the game once you acquire the ability.
Rapture is just overflowing with some pretty messed up characters. It would've made more sense to me if it was set in the future instead of the 40's, since everyone knows the technology required to build an underwater city this diverse and complex didn't exist back then...But since it's a video game so you just kind of accept it and enjoy the experience.
I've played through both Bioshock and F.E.A.R. and from what I read, I expected F.E.A.R. to be edge of your seat "scary". It wasn't. In fact, Bioshock will have you on the edge of your seat so often, you may fall off a time or two. But Bioshock is also disturbing on a psychological level. It's always a DARK environment, like F.E.A.R., but the surprises waiting around the next corner are much more mental and sinister in Bioshock. The Splicers are absolutely INSANE individuals and Big Daddies will pretty much pursue you until one of you dies. As for the people now running what's left of Rapture, well the old saying about "the inmates running the asylum" couldn't be more appropriate...
Prepare yourself for some immersive gaming and this is one game you won't be finishing in just 10 or so hours...There is much to explore in Rapture once you start and you'll probably devote every free minute to this highly addictive game. Just don't be surprised if you wake up in the middle of the night and think you see a Spider Splicer heading towards you on your ceiling...
Customer Review: Terrific!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm pretty new to video games and this is the first First Person Shooter I've ever played. It is definitely creepy and violent, enough that it made me a little uncomfortable early on. I got over that very quickly! The game is very detailed with lots to explore, a creative story, and many adversaries, weapons, and powers. I liked it enough to play through twice.
Even though the game play is very linear, there are a number of ways to battle your enemies, which is great - there's no right or wrong way to fight, and you will be fighting a lot.
For PS3 owners there is a set of "Challenge Rooms" available for download on the PlayStation Network. It's $10, which is either a ripoff or a steal depending on how hooked you are on BioShock ... I thought it was a steal!
Customer Review: One of the BEST FPS titles out right now!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was totally shocked by the awesomeness of this game. The concept is amazing and the overall game is just great. It is a suspense/thriller type of FPS so it is at first Very VERY scary to play - it took me a week to get used to the shocks. I cannot wait for the sequel!