BioShock (2007)

I took two attempts at playing this about a year apart and I think I gave up at the same point both times. I wanted to keep going because I had heard great things but I just wasn't having fun.

I can never get into huge games that have complex mechanics and 20 menus to scroll through. The exception is apparently the Jedi games. Maybe they are a masterclass in easing the player into the mechanics and UI.

Bioshock has a great environment what I'm sure is an excellent story, but I couldn't bring myself to care about it. I like the concept of having to make choices that impact the story's outcome, but in practice it just overwhelms me. That is why I often give up on games that have hundreds of quests. If I know I won't do all of it, then why bother doing some of it?

As I said in my review of Sable, I didn't mind being bombarded with 7 quests at a time because I enjoyed the world enough to know that I eventually wanted to get to each quest. And I did, because it wasn't as much of a quest as it was something I wanted to do. I didn't want to do anything in this game but keep going so I could convince myself that the game was worth buying. There is a game, The Call of Cthulhu (which I reviewed), where choices have a major impact on the outcome. I think I enjoyed that game because the concept of these choices was tied to the point of the game.

Anyway, this was more a rant about big AAA games than a review of Bioshock, but that is why I didn't like the game and why almost every game in the top 120 of my ranking is a small Indie game.

BioShock – A Timeless Masterpiece That Still Haunts and Inspires

Developer: Irrational Games

Release Date: August 21, 2007

Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

Overview

Some games fade with time, while others become immortal. BioShock belongs to the latter. Stepping into the underwater dystopia of Rapture is just as mesmerizing now as it was at release. It’s a first-person shooter, yes, but one with a depth of narrative, world-building, and atmosphere rarely matched in gaming history. This is not just a game—it’s a thought experiment on free will, morality, and the dangers of unchecked ambition.

From the moment I descended into the dark abyss of the ocean and first laid eyes on Rapture’s neon-lit skyline, I knew I was in for something special. But nothing could prepare me for the journey ahead—the horror, the philosophy, and one of the most shocking narrative twists ever delivered in a game.

What Makes It Great?

✅ A Living, Breathing World

Rapture is a character in itself—arguably the most detailed and atmospheric setting in gaming history. Every flickering neon sign, bloodstained hallway, and crumbling art deco structure tells a story. The way the world slowly reveals its past, from grand ideals to its violent downfall, is nothing short of masterful. Even after all these years, few game environments feel this alive.

✅ An Unparalleled Narrative with a Legendary Twist

The core story is gripping, pulling players through a mystery laced with social commentary and moral dilemmas. Andrew Ryan’s vision of a utopia without government control collapses under its own contradictions, and you’re left to pick up the pieces. The way the game explores the illusion of choice—culminating in one of gaming’s most iconic twists—still holds up as one of the smartest pieces of storytelling in the medium.

✅ Deep, Strategic Combat

At first glance, BioShock plays like a standard shooter, but it quickly becomes something more. The combination of firearms, Plasmid abilities (essentially magic powers derived from genetic modification), and environmental manipulation creates endless possibilities. Electrocuting enemies standing in water, setting oil slicks on fire, or hacking turrets to fight for you—every battle is an opportunity for creativity.

✅ The Big Daddies – The Ultimate Predators

Big Daddies remain some of the most terrifying and well-designed enemies in gaming. These towering, heavily armored guardians roam the city, protecting the eerie Little Sisters. Every encounter with them is a brutal, chaotic battle requiring planning and resourcefulness. They aren’t just obstacles—they are a core part of what makes Rapture feel real.

✅ Moral Dilemmas That Matter

The choice to save or harvest the Little Sisters adds weight to your actions. While the immediate consequences aren’t drastic, the ethical implications linger. It’s a rare case where a game doesn’t tell you what’s right or wrong—you have to decide for yourself.

✅ A Soundscape of Fear and Wonder

Few games use sound design as effectively as BioShock. The distant echoes of Splicers whispering in the dark, the heavy mechanical breathing of a Big Daddy, the classical music playing from broken radios—every sound adds to the immersion. And the soundtrack? Hauntingly beautiful, mixing eerie orchestral scores with old-time jazz, perfectly reflecting Rapture’s decayed elegance.

✅ Visually Stunning Even Today

Despite its age, BioShock still looks incredible. The Remastered edition makes it sharper, but even in its original form, the bold art direction carries it. The neon glow against the ocean backdrop, the detailed character models, the grotesque beauty of Splicer mutations—it all creates a world that is equal parts stunning and terrifying.

What Could Be Better?

❌ Combat Can Feel Dated

While the depth of combat is great, the gunplay itself isn’t as tight as modern shooters. Some weapons feel weak, and aiming can feel floaty at times. The Plasmids help keep things interesting, but purely as a shooter, BioShock isn’t as refined as it could be.

❌ Enemy Variety Could Be Stronger

Splicers are creepy and well-designed, but they make up the bulk of the enemies. More enemy types would have helped keep encounters feeling fresh.

❌ A Disappointing Final Boss

For a game that builds up tension and mystery so well, the final battle is a letdown. It leans too much into traditional boss fight mechanics instead of delivering something more in line with the game’s narrative depth.

Final Verdict

⭐ 10/10 – A True Gaming Classic That Still Holds Up ⭐

Few games manage to create a world as immersive, a story as thought-provoking, and an atmosphere as haunting as BioShock. Even after all this time, it remains a must-play for anyone who values deep storytelling and masterful world-building. While some mechanics feel slightly dated, the game’s brilliance far outweighs any flaws.

If you’ve never played BioShock, now is the perfect time to dive into Rapture.

BioShock is one of the greatest and most iconic video games of all time. This game captures its setting, Rapture, with fear, wonder, and magnificence. In your arrival, you will most certainly feel dread but something keeps calling you to keep moving forward. But, as we get accustomed to Rapture and its inhabitants, the dread eases and the tension rises.

The world-building is phenomenal. Right off the bat we're introduced to Rapture and grasp a basic idea of the world around us. But, still we ask questions, and those questions push us to beat the game; to find out the true mystery and origins of Rapture. Cutscenes do not take up a big portion of the game. We play through entire sections without cutscenes, and it still tells its story wonderfully without a break from the addicting nature of the gameplay.

The mechanics such as plasmids, tonics, and upgrades really innovated the FPS genre to a whole new degree upon its release. Its influence on the industry, really shows how much of a masterpiece it is. Not to say, there isn't flaws. But, dammit, the storytelling and gameplay make up for it!

I did it. In 10 days I beat BioShock, BioShock 2, Minerva's Den, BioShock Infinite, and Burial at Sea. All of it. I have a lot of thoughts, but I mainly wanted to do it because I feel like my tastes in games have changed over the past 10 years and I wanted to experience them again. I think that'll be the last time for a while I'll pick them up. It's funny to think "maybe I'll play this again in my 50's" but it's true. It's a wonderful series with many goofy things that I have to forgive it for (I mean...Booker didn't recognize himself just because Comstock has a beard? Come on...). This second go around (in spirit, I beat BioShock Infinite 3 times in a row when it released, and BioShock 1 twice when that came out) the rose tinted glasses came off, but instead of seeing a "perfect" game series what I saw instead was a pile of media that was important to me in my 20's.

I'm glad I did this. So long, for now, friend BioShock. I'll come visit again, some day.

Started this one up again. I haven't played in many years, and it holds up remarkably. It's not a difficult game, and that may be why. For me, games often show their age when their mechanics needlessly impede progress or pacing makes things feel glacial. The only thing that really feels "off" that didn't used to is Rapture itself. Don't get me wrong, I love it all the same, but this time around it feels a little too ruined. The game takes place in 1960 and absolutely everything is in ruins. Rapture was founded in 1946. Burial At Sea, which takes place in Rapture, is in 1958. So in 2 years ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING is covered in blood and no "normal" people remain? (Also, I know that there's an infinite number of dimensions, and maybe they all line up differently. But Still, even if Rapture fell in 1950, was it that quick? The audio logs give the impression that it was soonish.) And are there parts of Rapture that aren't ruined? Ones that are still functioning with non-psycho splicers roaming around? Rapture looks super big. Maybe?

Here's the thing, though. It's a video game. It needs to make concessions for technical and gameplay reasons, and I understand all of it. Plus, it still works beautifully. This isn't a knock as much as it is a recognition from me, 13 years older than I was in 2007. Still enjoying it. Just about to meet Sander Cohen.

I have played this game at least 5 times since it was first released, and then I played the newest remastered edition for the 8th generation consoles. Bioshock The Collection came out about 5 years ago for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, I have platinumed the game twice on PlayStation 4.

What can I say that hasn't already been said about this masterpiece of a game? It's a personal game for me because when I first laid my eyes on it at the age of 8 and experienced watching my brother getting into that submarine that takes you to the world of Rapture, I was amazed! When I first saw Rapture, it was nothing I had ever seen before. I had never been so blown away about a video game before, but when I saw Rapture's introduction, I had goosebumps and still do to this day! I love the characters and the plot twist (especially the one mid-game). I have so much love for this game, and I think I always will.

I want more people who haven't given this game a chance to take the plunge! Play this game; it is a great experience!! I would highly recommend playing this game with headphones, in the dark, it will definitely make the experience more immersive!!

...is still immersive and terrifying as it always was. Coming back to it in 2020, I wondered if Bioshock would still meet the rising standard of gaming after all these years. And of course, it did.

Sure, some of the graphics are starting to show its age. Perhaps stories in games have moved past drip-feeding hints with radio-logs. But the demented beauty of Rapture is just so strong and immersive it's hard not to get invested. I must applaud the artists who brought this place to life. That first descent into this city, and the introduction of the first splicer, are all very cinematic even with the older graphics. This attention to setting and environment carries through the whole game. Every single location has a personality and aesthetic of its own, making it so great to explore.

I found the game itself pretty easy on normal. I struggled a little at first, but the amount of loot I got was quite generous. The Vita Chamber seemed a bit superfluous in that regard because it farther diminished the risk of death. By the end I was maxed out in both Health kits and Eve shots, in addition to maxed out cash. It made the ending a little bit anticlimactic, so I'd recommend hard mode for players experienced in FPS games.

After trying for years, 'The Fountainhead' and 'System Shock' had a baby! Congratulations to the happy couple! Now, would you kindly write them and ask if they could take the series to space and make it all come full circle?

I have fond memories of playing this game a couple years after release. The gaming laptop - a giant 18 inch desktop replacement - I received as a graduation gift could barely run it. I had to bump the resolution of the beautiful screen down to eight hundred by six hundred and all the graphical fidelity settings down to low. Even though my window into this universe was small and blurry I couldn't turn away from what shone through.

A plane crashes into the middle of an ocean with only a lighthouse near by to save you. With no choice but to descend down into the abyss in a bathysphere you soon find yourself trapped in a world gone wrong. Rapture, the independent underwater nation where the world's best and brightest fled to be unmolested by the overreach of lesser people, religion and government is in ruins. With nothing but your wits, a wrench and the closest thing you have to a friend guiding you by radio, you begin to unravel what went wrong. However, just as the residents of Rapture thought separating themselves from the wider world would bring them their wildest dreams true, you too find out that nothing is as it seems..

I suppose this could be best categorized as a first-person shooter with very light role-playing and puzzle mechanics. I would even go as far to say there are elements of the 'immersive sim' genre popularized by Ion Storm's Deus Ex twenty years ago. The combination is a compelling one as exploration is the name of the game, and it is easy to become lost in the world unfolding before you. Story bits and exposition are largely doled out by audio logs strewn about the landscape. Beyond exploration your only real way of interacting with the world is deciding how to deal with the inhabitants of Rapture that don't take too kindly to your presence there. You will be rewarded for completing the combat encounters the way you want. You can develop your abilities such that you become an unstoppable melee powerhouse wielding only a wrench. If you take to the multitude of magical like abilities at your disposal, you can focus on those if you so choose.

At the end of the day, this game is one not to be missed, and there are very few reasons not to. Beyond it's humble beginnings on the Xbox 360, it looks like this thing has even been ported to the iPhone and iPad. If there's a gap in your knowledge of the contemporary gaming pantheon, it would be filled nicely by a run through this game.

I finally managed to finish this game after my 3rd try. I think my first try was on PC, next I tried to play on PS3 (which was impossible), switched to PC again to finish it. And I finally accepted the fact that I suck at FPS games. Here are my thoughts and random notes about the game:

TL&DR; I would really like to see this game with a slower gameplay, less weapons, less plasmids, a longer and more informative intro sequence and more cinematics overall.

I see many people praising the balance of the game. And some people find it "too easy" even on hard mode. But I believe normal mode is too hard and easy mode is just too easy. You can finish the game by using the same weapon in easy mode. You never get low on ammo, health, eve etc. So for me the game had a balance issue.

Plasmids were fun but limited plasmid slots were no fun at all. And because there are some essential plasmids like electricity to open doors and fire to melt ice blocks, you never want to switch them with others so your two slots are always full with those two. Yes you can easily change them at certain points but that limitation made me try less plasmids and always stick to the essential ones. Same goes for passive abilities. You need to purchase empty slots to use your new abilities.

Big Daddies are amazing but they lose their charm after a certain point. Wish they were a little less frequent in the game. But becoming a Big Daddy was a great idea and it was well executed.

The graphics, sounds and overall art style is amazing. One of the most consistent video games in the art department, surely. You get the same vibe from the main menu, fonts, level designs, music, UI, HUD, etc... They created an amazing video game world. But some repetitions in sound was distracting. How many times I heard enemies say "Father, why have You forsaken me?" is beyond me.

Finally, the cinematic at the end... Really? It was way too short.

I wasn't planning to continue the series but when I heard that you play a Big Daddy in the sequel, I'm sold.

Bioshock is an anomaly. It is the antithesis of what a shooter is today. Oh, do I remember when this game came out. Installing it was a risk, as my PC was very crappy (like today) so I did not know if I could run it. Yes, my initial run of Bioshock was with very low graphics. But oh, was it the first of many.

The great thing about this game is how the story is presented not in cutscenes, but in real-time scripted scenes, similar to Half-Life. This, in itself, is a win for me since it's done with so much attention to detail and design. That, and the fact that Rapture, the underwater city, is a horrifying place. I love good atmosphere in games, and you 'feel' being underwater, a sense of claustrophobia, and dread as you walk the hallways of the sunken city and beyond.

Join all this with some classic songs from old, and you got yourself one of the most beautiful, yet creepy, locales in videogame history. The gameplay is intuitive, you shoot or you use your psychic powers. It's that simple, but there is so much to do, so many power-ups to collect. By the end of the game, however, you realize you can't really have all of them at once. You may have to replay it to find new weapons and powers.

Play this game. Enjoy it. You will really like it.