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Wow

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 168 / 174
Date: August 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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.

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.

Simply the best.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: August 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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.

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.

Almost, nearly perfect

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Deciding if this game was worth 5 out of 5 was really a no-brainer. Having played lots of computer games and valued them for things like: atmosphere, intelligence, ability to create suspension of disbelief, graphics, intuitive gameplay, maturity, attention to detail, addictiveness, voice-acting, sound, action, scariness, soundtrack and style it scores at the highest level for each. How many other games can claim that?

Basically there are so many things to recommend Bioshock that it's hard to know where to begin. Do you start with the fact that it's one of the best FPS on the market or just talk about the sheer amount of creativity fuelling the whole experience? In this game you pump the buttons like any good shooter while having to think and even make limited ethical choices. Plus there is a dialogue (if you're up for it) between yourself and a story that references everything from Ayn Rand and eugenics through to militant strikes and elitist propaganda. Shoving in the near RPG level micromanagement of your character's abilities you really should be in clover here. Bioshock tries to please everyone and pretty much manages to do so.

The story has you plunging into the city of Rapture--a decaying, undersea 40's style vision of the future--following a plane crash. Once in you are initially led around via a radio link to one of its disillusioned inhabitants as you discover genetically altered `splicers' and a technology that seems culled from a lunatic meeting of H.G. Wells, J.G. Ballard and Phillip K. Dick. Going further you also mutate and increasingly depend on bizarre chemicals to survive. Soon it is becomes entirely commonplace to incinerate, freeze or telekinetically slaughter your enemies with a flick of your wrist. Then of course there are the `Little Sisters' leeching from the corpses you've left behind, who you in turn need to leech from, while deciding if its right to kill them or save them.

So is this the perfect game? Unfortunately the answer is no. Rather than becoming more interesting (i.e., more creatively challenging) at the crucial pinch-points it runs back to dully launching large numbers of enemies at you and forgetting its IQ. This soon gets to be irritating when you've been fully lost in the world and then frequently thrown out of it by crass stupidity. It tends to leave a bitter taste in the mouth.

Similarly the game lacks any element of stealth, there are very few puzzles worth a mention, the respawn points are silly, the environments are often just background (indestructible light fixtures, etc), the AI can be uneven and the whole thing has quite openly begged, borrowed and stolen from other games. If you've played a lot of shooters then you may be taking a tour down memory lane.

The final recommendation is that you should buy this gorgeous release even if it is flawed. When playing through Rapture the problems that would sink an average title become niggles and minor complaints in an otherwise rewarding and completely entertaining experience.

Bioshock is undoubtedly one of the finest games ever made and it has set the benchmark that other companies will either meet, exceed or get nowhere near when releasing their own product. It is an evolution in gaming such as befits the content that rightfully put it there.

Oh ... my ... god ... easily Game of the Year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: August 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If I could give Bioshock more than five stars, I would.

This is one of those rare games that is THE reason to buy an Xbox 360 if you haven't already. Halo did that for the first gen. Xbox ... now Bioshock comes along for the 360.

Like other reviewers here, I've played virtually every FPS out there and Bioshock is at least one, if that not THE, best I've played.

The story is great, the characters (especially the Big Daddies) look amazing and the environments are breath-taking. Much like when I play Half-Life 2, I kept thinking to myself as I walked around Rapture, "It would've been cool to see this place before it went to hell."

I LOVE games like this that totally absorb you and keep you wanting to play (I'm addicted, much to the chagrin of my wife). About half of the way through this game, I couldn't wait to start it over again so I could experience everything again.

The pluses: The idea of plasmids and tonics is insane ... love the fact that the conventional weapons are just that, conventional and not energy weapons ... the Art Deco look of Rapture ... damn. Oh wait, and you get to become a Big Daddy?!? Nice!

Only one true minus ... no multi-player. Would have been incredible to suit up against other people in these environments. But, I guess that's why this game is so good because the developers focused solely on the single-player. Here's hoping a multi-player add-on is coming.

OK, maybe two minuses ... I haven't played in the most difficult setting, but in the default setting, it's almost too easy. Maybe I've played too many FPSs, but this wasn't that difficult once I got the hang of the controls. Will take another spin thru in the hardest setting and see how that is.

Until I played Bioshock, I thought Halo was the game by which all other FPS were going to be measured. Now, I'm not so sure ...

I'm ready for Dreamland, Mr. Bubbles!

A rare and truly great gaming experience.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: August 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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.

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.

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