BioShock (2007)

I actually replayed this through the BioShock Collection but that wasn't an option for an individual game so here we are.

Long story short, for as long as I can remember, BioShock has been my favourite game of all time. This is my first time playing it again in a LONG time, but that's because I'm someone who likes to take long breaks in between play throughs or rewatches of my favourite things. In my humble opinion, it's the closest you can get to recapturing the magic of playing or watching something for the first time.

I love everything about this game. The world especially. Rapture, plasmids, splicers, Big Daddy's and Little Sisters, every single bit of it I adore. I'm not over exaggerating when I say that the first time I played this game changed everything for me. It genuinely unlocked my imagination unlike anything else had at the time.

The gameplay loop is so damn addictive to me. Balancing your weapons and plasmids, upgrading them, managing your ammo, first aid kits and eve hypo, then adding in the various enemy types, especially later in the game when you start to get some splicers who have electro bolt and such.

But the best part is of course, the story...which I guess also kind of also goes with the "world" stuff, but yeah. The story is bloody brilliant. The characters, the lore, the twists, turns and reveals, it's all marvellous. There's just so much detail in here, it's one of the richest gaming worlds out there. From the audio diaries, to the writings on the wall, the remnants of an old world and then if you're a real die hard fan, you can read/listen to the prequel novel, BioShock: Rapture.

Yes, the final boss fight is underwhelming, but it's just that, underwhelming. It's not "bad" in my humble opinion and certainly doesn't ruin the game by any stretch, but it's really no different from any other Big Daddy fight. In the same breath though, I don't what else they were supposed to do. The entire game was built around fighting splicers, bots and Big Daddy's. There really wasn't much else they could've done unless there just wasn't a fight at all and it was just a cutscene.

Nevertheless, yes, this does absolutely, without a shred of a doubt, remain my favourite game of all time. There's just nothing like it in my humble opinion. (Game finished on August 27, 2025)

Would you kindly read my BioShock review?

This title is a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling and immersive gameplay, set in the haunting underwater city of Rapture, the game blends first-person shooting with RPG elements and philosophical themes, particularly around objectivism and free will. It is even considered a spiritual sucessor to the System Shock 2 title released previously, the art deco aesthetics, eerie audio design, and compelling narrative, especially with some iconic twist, set it apart as one of the most influential games of its time.

Combat combines traditional weapons with Plasmids (genetic powers) similar to some mechanics coming from System Shock 2, offering variety and strategy and tactical feel, while some mechanics feel a bit dated today, the game's atmosphere, narrative depth, and moral choices still hold up remarkably well, it is definitely a must-play classic that helped redefine narrative in games, and remember... A man chooses, a slave obeys.

Beyond its shooting and powers, what truly elevates the experience is its environmental storytelling, audio diaries scattered throughout the ruins of the city slowly tells you the ideological collapse of its utopia, turning exploration into narrative discovery. The influence of System Shock 2 is evident not only in mechanics but in the way the world itself becomes a character, telling stories through abandoned offices, flooded corridors, and propaganda posters peeling from the walls. Every location feels carefully crafted, reinforcing the themes of ambition and the fragility of grand ideals.

The game’s impact also lies in its confidence to challenge the player directly, culminating in one of the most memorable revelations in gaming history. The narrative cleverly manipulates the conventions of player agency, forcing you to reconsider your role within the story. Even years after its release, the blend of philosophy, strong art direction, and tightly paced progression ensures this as one of the best gaming experiences. Few titles manage to intertwine gameplay and narrative so seamlessly, making it not just a great shooter, but a landmark in interactive storytelling.

At first I didn’t entirely get why everyone was saying this was a masterpiece but goddamn I get it now.

Don’t get me wrong from the moment I saw the setting and the vibes I was sold, but listening to the diaries for the first section of the game I was confused (and also not very good at the combat yet) but man when the story kicked in I couldn’t stop playing. It definitely holds up; and while I enjoy a gameplay loop and loredrops more similar to Dishonored, the story/twist in this game is unmatched. Also very easily top 5 game settings, Rapture is gorgeous and tragic.

(Also yes I didn’t know the twist SOMEHOW even though I’ve watched gaming content for years. If you haven’t played the game yet and haven’t been spoiled yet PLAY NOW BEFORE YOU ARE)

Wow. It's very hard to put into words how much I enjoyed playing Bioshock. So much that I'll have to make it short and simple; otherwise, I would be here for a whole week.

Bioshock, being a game that was released in 2007, hasn't aged badly. Like, AT ALL. When I first started playing, I swear it felt like a videogame that had recently come out. Somehow, the game captures your interest from the very beginning. Whether it's because of its amazing story, decision-based actions, or the variety of both powers and weapons that it has, it definitely has a lot to offer. The freedom of exploration it gives you at the start lets you roam the areas freely and without any hurry in the world. Which is quite surprising coming from a first-person shooter!

It almost feels like the game pretty much forces you to explore and not speedrun through it since there are a lot of collectables and items that give you context and info about the plot. And I'm very sure of the fact that, if you skip all of it, you won't understand jackshit. And I honestly loved that fact!

One thing that I found useless at first was the ability to respawn without losing any of your items or valuables, as well as spawning back to places you were near on the map. It somehow felt like cheating, but oh boy did I end up needing them a lot after! I believed it would make the game a lot easier, but even if it does at a small level, it becomes very helpful towards the end.

And okay, don't get me started with the world and character designs. I have played a LOT of games, but I swear that Bioshock has something in its style that I've never seen before. Okay, I know it's steampunk, but the fact that it's underwater made it all better. It looks decadent, old, and like it's in complete and utter disrepair, and I was absolutely loving all of it and exploring all the areas. Overall, Bioshock just feels different. It's hard to explain, but I know what I'm talking about.

I'm very satisfied with my ending, and even though the final hours felt a bit rushed, I enjoyed every second of it. I wish I had played it sooner, because wow, I've missed out on a heck ton.

Ayn Rand sucks and her ideas are bullshit.

WIth that said, what an amazing and thought provoking game. Its story and concepts are so... I cannot find a better word: delicious. I played for the first time only like ten years ago and I remember having a blast with the concepts and the villains. The mechanics and scary atmosphere where also an absolute blast: it was not full horror like Cold Fear or Dead Space but a more atmospheric, "vibes" kind of horror, full of contrasted colors and retro-futurism.

I think I will have to give it a try to the whole trilogy soon. Playing the Bioshocks at this point is like missing an important course in the first half of your gamer curriculum.

If I was trying to convince someone that video games can be art, I suppose one of the games I would show them would be Bioshock. I’m not claiming this as an original thought of my own as many critiques of the game upon release mentioned this same thing

You play as Jack, who after a plane crash finds himself in the underwater world of Rapture. Rapture was created by Andrew Ryan, a business magnate who is like a cross between John Rockefeller and Walt Disney. His purpose was to create a utopia that was free from all interference whether it be the government, church or law. However, by the time Jack reaches Rapture, everything has gone to hell and he must escape

It's not imperative that the gamer be familiar with the works of Ayn Rand, but it can help with your understanding of the philosophy of how Rapture came to be

However, you are free to ignore all the “deep thinking” that is incorporated into the game, because it is just so much fun as you battle your way through Rapture while meeting its (mostly) insane residents, Big Daddys and Little Sisters

As you move forward in the game, you’ll soon discover the long history of Rapture and how and why everything went wrong

You have conventional weapons, but you’ll also find yourself using ADAM, which is a genetic material that can give Jack certain powers. It’s also great fun to lure enemies into traps of your making

There are definite roleplaying elements to the game as you can choose (and switch out) which plasmids you wish to use at a given time and there are opportunities to increase certain abilities of your choosing. In certain locations you’ll find vending machines which allow you to restock up on supplies

The game has a very strong narrative and is very immersive. I loved the plot. The world of Rapture is both beautiful and brutal. As I said, the game makes you think, but you can ignore all that if you wish and just enjoy the exceptional gameplay

Of course, the plot twist at the end of the game is one of the best ever

Bioshock is probably the best FPS I have ever played, and inarguably one of the best games from it's console generation. I played it many times when it was "new" and broke it out a few times over the years. Recently I have beaten the Switch port, which is what this review will primarily be considering.

Bioshock is 15-ish years old now, but despite that I think it holds up amazingly well.

Bioshock manages to make the setting, Rapture, as much if not more of a character then the actual people in the game. By slowly revealing the history and state of the city, you grow more and more invested in is descent into madness.

The snippets of voice recordings telling the various peoples' stories hold up extremely well, with a diverse and talented cast of voice actors. The story is primarily told by this method meaning it also ages well.

Story is at the core of Bioshock, delivering a concise, but exciting experience.

Graphically the game holds up well, granted I was playing the remastered version on switch, so im sure this is due to that.

gameplay wise, I think this is where the game shows the most age. The controls are still pretty tight, but the aiming, particularly with some of the guns, isn't great. I love the blend of options that the player is given for overcoming obstacles, various powers create some really fun variety and strategy, but these are still also sometimes hurt by the aiming.

The biggest weakness though is in enemy variety. It largely isn't there, you will fight waves of basically 4 kinds of splicers, 2 kinds of turrets, big daddies, and occasionally flying robots. This is enough for a fun experience, but I did find myself feeling like the enemies began to grow a little same-like (though few things are as satisfying as bringing down a big daddy and harvesting the little sister).

Finally, despite it being an amazingly well thought out setting, the maps themselves really began to feel similar. A few sections felt unique, particularly the garden, but a lot of the game is spent exploring tunnels and chambers that all sort of blend together.

Overall, this game is a masterpiece. It is a must play for video game fans. The switch port gives great accessibility to the game, and I loved playing it on the go.

I played thru this game several times on PS3 when it was new, and then revisted it years later. Now that it has also come out on Switch I am playing it again, and I have to say it holds up extremely well. Granted this is a remaster, so the graphics have been touched up, but still the story, the recordings, the gameplay, all amazing.

I am close to beating it, but will give full thoughts once I do.

What do you get when you combine cinematic story telling, decision making with real moral consequences, first person shooter action with role playing adventure? You get Bioshock, a game I was late to since I was on a "gaming hiatus" when it came out in 2007, but got the chance to play it on the Switch. Wow! What a gem!

You play Jack, a survivor of a plane crash in 1960 who discovers a mysterious underwater city named Rapture. A "utopia" designed by business tycoon Andrew Ryan, it's based off of the concepts of Ayn Rand's Objectivism. There, you learn of the powers of ADAM, and how it's being used to create a super human genetic race. Unfortunately, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and these creatures want you dead. Along the way, you learn about the little sisters, guarded by robot-looking Big Daddies, who are very important to the story. Alongside allies Atlas and Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum, you venture throughout Rapture to stop Ryan, as well as fellow conman Frank Fontaine, from continuing to spread the dangerous ADAM.

The game was so much fun. I just loved the story telling through the audio tapes that are scattered throughout Rapture. The combat, while maybe a bit aged, was still enjoyable. The challenge was fair, but not easy. Just right. The variety of weapons and super powers are so much fun to explore. And let's not forget hacking! This unique element of the game results in lower prices at vending machines, as well as turning security devices against enemies.

While I know I'm way past the time when this was "the game", I'm still happy to have played it, beat it and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't had the chance to play it. It's a fantastic game, and could even be considered one of the best of all time.

Having been around games for over 3 decades (though I went through a long hiatus in the last one), I sometimes struggle to replay older games. I know how the rosy lenses of nostalgia make you look at them, which is why I rarely return to titles I played decades ago and absolutely loved back then: not being an impressionable kid anymore and being overexposed means there’s a very good chance I won’t see them the same way if I play them again, so I want to keep my memory of them intact. Conversely, I sometimes put off playing older games for the first time, even when they’re highly rated, because part of me feels like they were seen that way due to their release date, and the gaming world moves so fast that I probably already ended up, at some point, playing something similar that doesn’t feel as dated. Not saying this is the right attitude at all, but if I’m honest it’s something I often struggle with.

All this to say I waited to play the first Bioshock (and consequently the rest of the trilogy) partly due to this reason, and, at least in this case, I could’t have been more wrong. It’s funny. Technically, Bioshock would have to be considered an FPS, but I don’t know of any game out there that comes close to what this one offers, even today. Bioshock takes you to an incredibly unique world, so unique that I look at it as the actual main character of the game. Everything about Rapture feels believable, and rarely during my 12 hours of playtime did I not feel I was there, which is an incredible feat when you consider a decades long overexposure to a ton of different video game worlds. To me, the visual and auditory realisation of the world was Bioshock’s greatest achievement. The second greatest was its story. Maybe memory fails or I haven’t experienced enough quality narratives in games yet, but as a whole Bioshock’s story is nothing like anything I had seen in the medium: it’s highly creative, weird, engrossing, unexpected, timely, and told against a constant backdrop of blood, lunacy and creepiness that mirrors the darkest sides of the human experience almost too perfectly. And yet, it does this while pulling you into a world where, much like the real one, black and white almost never exists. Though the keyword here is almost, and it's a shame when that subtle approach disappears from the game. Overall, this is a beyond impressive exercise in storytelling, but one that, in my opinion, falls short at the very end, which is the only part of the the whole narrative I have issues with.

There are other aspects of the game that could be talked about, but I don’t think they are, by today’s standards, good enough to warrant their own section. By that same token, the few niggling combat issues the game has aren’t deal breaking in any way, so they’re also not that worth bringing up. But I do think the gameplay mechanics deserve a mention. Bioshock allows you to approach problem solving in a variety of different ways, meaning that, even if it doesn’t offer you much in terms of roleplaying elements, there’s a decent and satisfying element of strategic freedom in an otherwise fairly linear experience.

So yes, all these years later, Bioshock’s visuals, music and story still make it feel like a seminal game, even if, like myself, you only play it in 2021. I don’t think there’s many out there reticent about playing it because of what I mentioned above - having the impression that old games would most times feel dated or not that relevant today -, but in case you’re one of them, I can give you my personal opinion: Bioshock is absolutely not one of those games, and it will likely leave a lasting impression on you. 9.5/10 game for me.

Difficulty: Hard

BioShock is a very interesting game. I got this from the Humble Fight for Racial Justice Bundle and it was the game I was interested in the most since I played a bit of it on PSNow. I had high expectations and it almost exceeds them, but it's still really good.

I guess I could start with some gripes. The gameplay is rough around the edges. Even by 2007 standards. Dealing damage is inconsistent. At one point, you're shredding splicers with a few bullets. At another point, you're spending entire magazines on splicers. The crossbow is the best weapon in the game. Aim at the head and it's a one hit kill. If you miss, right click twice to skip the loading animation. Plus, ammo for it is cheap. The Incinerate and Electro Bolt plasmids force you to make them main stays with their uses outside of combat, making you barely use the other plasmids. Inventing items can make you overtuned if you search everything. Maybe the cost could've been higher given how bolts deal a lot of damage. The morality system doesn't add much to anything. The hacking minigame is an obvious jab. It breaks the flow. Yada yada. You get it. The remastered version just replaces BioShock if it came out in 2007 to BioShock if it came out in 2008. It shouldn't be called a remaster. More like a port to PS4 and Xbox One and a rerelease that serves no purpose for PC. I guess it drags on towards the end.

Gameplay in the game may be the weakest part, but you don't play BioShock for the game. You play it for the story, the world building, the atmosphere. These factors stand out to be incredible. Rapture is a hellish nightmare with creepy ass Splicers and fast Big Daddies. It's heavy in it's atmosphere yet I wasn't really all that scared of it. Maybe I'm not affected as much, but I can definitely see it. Ironic though since I'm not really into horror and consider myself as a wuss. BioShock starts with an intriguing sense of mystery right off the bat. Why did you get a gun from your parents? Why does the plane crash? Why does Rapture exist? Who is Andrew Ryan? Who is Atlas? BioShock's intro gives a ton of exposition within a small amount of time. What starts off as a quest to kill Andrew Ryan becomes more intriguing with twist and turns at almost every level with near perfect pacing. I really liked the story behind Adam. It reminded me a lot of Bloodborne with Adam and the Old Blood being heavily abused for power, turning Rapture and Yharnam into hell. Speaking of Rapture, the world is dripping in atmosphere. The audio logs are perfectly acted. They feel like they're from the 60's. And when you play them where it took place makes them even more special. It's intriguing to see how Rapture went downhill with a war with Frank Fontaine and Andrew Ryan. And I have to mention the fucking twist because it is insane. I haven't had my mind blown since Ghost Trick. You have to play it for yourself just for the twist alone. I went from liking BioShock just fine to almost loving BioShock.Fontaine saying "Would you kindly" was something I should've noticed but I didn't up until the twist. "A man chooses. A slave obeys." is one of the best bits of dialogue put in any game ever. Andrew Ryan begs for you, the player, to kill him to make his point about it AND for his last chance of being a man, of having power while also pulling off some of the best voice acting.How the player has no choice is another garnish to this dish. And it also connects to video games in general with how the player is always following objectives. It's just. OH MY GOD! THE TWIST IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME! Better golf club related death than The Last of Us 2 because Bioshock has a lot to say around Andrew Ryan's death.

BioShock is one of those rare titles where it wouldn't work in any other type of media because of it's twist. Don't even watch a playthrough. Would you kindly play the game instead?

FINAL RATING: 8.5/10

I, like a complete imbecile, slept on this game for twelve years. Why, you may ask? Because I am an absolute wimp when it comes to horror games, and the beginning of the game was very dark (especially on my crappy TV at the time) and enemies were constantly jumping out and surprising me. I got to the part where you get the shotgun and all the lights go out and you get swarmed by enemies and noped out forever. My poor heart couldn't take it. It also doesn't help that the entire game is structured around constant acquisition and use of consumable items (first aid kits and eve hypos) and I am a pathological hoarder of consumable items. I just hate having to use them, ever, and the roller coaster of going from full first aid kits to three to full again in the space of fifteen minutes was incredibly stressful for me at the time.

It is only with the support of a friend guiding me through the remastered version that I was finally able to put this under my belt, and I have to say, it's become one of my absolute favorite games of all time. Nothing about it really felt dated, especially with shooters that have health bars and health pickups coming back into vogue (DOOM 2016). Everything about this game blew me away. I can't imagine playing it in 2007.

The graphics held up remarkably well thanks to the astonishingly strong art direction and minor touch ups in the remastered version (seaweed outside, higher polygon rubble, etc.). In fact the art direction may be the strongest part of the game. It's just so absurdly confident in what it wants to be, and pulls it off so well. I just loved looking at it, every goddamn second I was playing it.

The story was fantastic, although I have to wonder how much of the impact was lost on me. Just because I didn't play the game doesn't mean I don't know about it. One can't be a gamer and not absorb through osmosis the basics of this story, the mind control, the would you kindly, etc. It's just too influential to avoid. That said, it was still masterfully done, and knowing the twist ahead of time does nothing to diminish the brilliantly meta game design commentary that was its primary purpose. We need more games that have something to say about video games as a medium, that tell stories that only truly work in a video game.

Beyond that central twist I found all the side characters and audio diaries fascinating and richly entertaining. Sander Cohen is the fucking best and I love him. Rapture itself is a great story, and I appreciate the thought they put into how they would get energy (underwater volcano) and oxygen (tree farm).

The gameplay was also fantastic. It doesn't control like the most polished first person shooter ever made, I'll admit, it's no DOOM or Destiny or what have you, but it feels soooooo much better than I was expecting and because of the kind of game it is you never really feel like you should be able to pull off 360 no-scopes all the time, it's just not that kind of game and isn't asking that level of finesse from you. The guns feel and sound powerful, the sound design across the board is fantastic. The plasmids were fun although I didn't experiment with them all that much to be honest, mostly sticking with electricity, fire, telekinesis, and rage. If I had to pick the weakest part of the game, it's the selection of plasmids available.

One of my favorite things wound up being, ironically, the consumables. Once I was broken out of my bad habits I was able to enjoy the rush of scrounging every container for med kits and hypos and cash and ammo. Never has exploration felt so rewarding in a game for me, because the difficulty is tuned so well (at least on Hard, which is what my friend strongly recommended I play on) you feel like you need whatever you can get and everything you get is something you will use up. There's so many little cubby holes and side rooms and secret rooms, the environment just feels so rich and dense with shit to pick up and see and do and kill.

I even loved the hacking minigame! It's my favorite hacking/lockpicking minigame ever. My friend was begging me to just buyout or destroy cameras and turrets by Arcadia, but to me it was just another excuse to play the best version of pipe dreams.

What else can I say? This game is a bona fide masterpiece. I say that as a newcomer to it in 2019, twelve years after the fact. To say it's stood the test of time is, in my view, a vast understatement. If this came out as a brand new game this year I would easily put it up against Sekiro, Outer Wilds, and Control as the best game of 2019, and I'm not so sure it wouldn't come out on top for me.