User Reviews (1 - 11 of 283)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

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

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 52 / 59
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 43 / 49
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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.

Best Gaming Experience in a long time!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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.

Bioshock is crazy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm not gonna go into detail

The game is an instant classic.

It is an must buy for 360 owners !!!!

nuff said

This is a no-brainer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Simply amazing.

This is by far the most unique single player FPS experience I've had.

What lies at the bottom of the sea?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Bioshock - Circa 2007

GOOD:
- Beautiful graphics with a very unique art style.
- Unique and original story that is mature, in not only the great story telling way but the bloody and violent way (think Edgar Allen Poe meets Rob Zombie or Gattaca meets Saw), To make a long story short this game is not meant for kids (also note this game has some foul words).
- Use genetic powers to great effect like shooting a hive of hornets from your arm or freeze/burn people and objects or even trick enemies with life like decoys. Also get several different types of not only guns (like the Tommy Gun, Shot Gun, Grenade Thrower and Chemical Thrower) but also different types of ammo (like Armor Piercing, Explosive Shot, Freeze Shot and Electric Shot).
- Interact with the environment; electrocute water (and the people standing in it), use telekinesis to throw and move objects (even throw a rocket back at its shooter, this effect works very much like the Gravity Gun in Half-Life 2), set up booby traps like electric trip wires, land minds, as well as spring pads.
- Great A.I. that not only can really fight back and set up tactics (like flanking and covering) but also stalk the player to sneak up and try to kill the player. Also note that the enemies will not always try to kill you but sometimes try to kill each other, seeing as there are many groups that are at war with each other in this game. Another noted effect is that the enemies will flee when losing a fight and go to an ammo/health pick-up machine in order to even their odds (you can also ahead of time booby trap said machines).
- Great and realistic sounds effect, which really help drive mood as well as theme, also note that the music ranges from period pieces that drive the games theme (like Papa loves Mambo, and Unforgettable) and mood pieces that help establish the horror/action atmosphere of the game.
- Top notch voice acting that really drive home the games story, setting, era, and mood, note that some voice-overs are not only passionate and memorable but will creepy you out.

BAD:
- Some might feel that the endings (one good and one bad) are a lack-luster compared to the rest of the game.
- System hacking mini game (which plays like the old game Pipe Dream on Game boy) might get old/annoying after a while.
- Game is fairly linear, which will make replays of this game less enjoyable to some players.

IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- A unique style which is a mix of Art Deco, industrial, and something all its own.
- The game takes place in 1960 but a Sci-Fi theme runs through out, with things like flying robots and underwater cities. It should be noted that nothing here feels out of place and tacked on (think something like the movies Dark City or Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow).
- Most of this games story comes in the form of spoken dialog from either audiotapes you pick up and listen to or people who talk to you over your short-range radio, this is how most of this games story is played out and told, although you can skip the audiotapes if you want, but you will also be skipping most of the story (the story brings to mind books like The Shining and 1984).
- Fight characters called "Big Daddies"/"Mr. Bubbles" who are huge monstrous creatures that look like they got on heavily armored diving suites from the 1930's; these guys/things are tough and will take all your power and skill to defeat (think the Nemesis from Resident Evil 3). After you beat them you get either kill or save another creature called the "little sisters" which are these 5 year old looking little girls, it should be noted that these "little sisters" are filled with a power source (a genetic material called ADAM) that your character needs to level up.
- Switching between plasmids or weapons on the fly can be a bit frustrating in combat unless you hold down the Left/Right bumpers (think of theses like the Xbox 360's versions of R1 and L1), doing this will pause the game and left you pick your weapon and plasmid.

GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- System Shock (PC)
- Fallout (PC)
- Condemned: Criminal Origins (360)
- Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (PC, 360, PS3)

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- There is a demo out for this game on Xbox Live Marketplace.
- In the limited collector's edition you get a "Big Daddy" figure (they are one of the more noted characters of the game, who look like they wear those old time diving suites) you will also find a DVD that has videos with the "the Making of Bioshock" documentaries and it even comes with Soundtrack.
- Originally the "little sisters" characters were supposes to be a type of sea slug, but it was change to look like a little girl so the player (you) would have a conflicting emotion about if you should kill them (the "little sisters") and take their power or let them go and not get much power.
- The books and ideas that inspired the story of this game came from the novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand.
- This game is also on the PC.

"I Chose... Rapture"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 14
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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

Beautiful, scary, & fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 14
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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.

Almost Perfect FPS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The story of Rapture and Bioshock is second to none. Im probably about 25% completed with the game right now, and it already beats out Gears of War in my opinion. The graffix, gameplay, story, etc, are all top tier. Rapture is so deep that Im still finding out new things every few minutes it seems. The single player campaign is just amazing... which is a good thing because Bioshock doesnt have a multiplayer. But, if you want the best multiplayer- get Gears. If you want an engrossing story and unique weapons/powers and story- get Bioshock. Unless you dont like FPS, of course. Even then, this does FEEL different than any other FPS Ive played thus far. Its definately different (I dont want to spoil anything, so my review can only be 'so' detailed). Bottomline- Recommended.

EDIT: I have completed the game twice to get both endings... Man, they are pretty lame. I played this game for probably 40 hours total and it was worth it for sure (Im a family man, so this kind of time is abnormal). But for such a great game as it is- the endings fall short. It doesnt ruin the game one bit, but it does keep the game from being perfect. Its still recommended all the same, but the endings had to be mentioned- they are that bad. (9/10 score from me after completing the game). Not bad at all.

Best Looking gane of the year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 20
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is the best I have ever seen, it is a must have check out the demo...you will buy it @ amazon great prices. The game opens in 1960. The player assumes the role of Jack Fontaine, a passenger on an aircraft that crashes into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Jack swims for the only structure he sees, a lighthouse that serves as the above-surface entry point into Rapture - a grand metropolis under the water. Descending into the city using a bathysphere, he learns of the original prosperous history of Rapture through a pre-recorded film, narrated by the founder of Rapture, Andrew Ryan; but upon arrival the Player discovers that the once-prosperous city has decayed into a shadow of its former self. He is quickly led to safety by a man named Atlas, who communicates to Jack over a short-wave radio; Atlas believes that Jack is his only hope in reuniting with his wife and child. After moving through several levels of flooding infrastructure, the player is discovered by Andrew Ryan, who communicates with the player, assuming him to be an intelligence officer sent by either the KGB or the CIA.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 

Actions