BioShock

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6069 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5,075 out of 6069
  2. Mixed: 678 out of 6069
  3. Negative: 316 out of 6069
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  1. CharlesB
    May 2, 2009
    1
    Game is fantastic if it would work properly. I have never played a game so buggy in my life, yes... this one is worse than Age of Conan at launch for bug issues. I got stuck on the 6th stage of the game because the game would crash when zoning in. This game would have gotten a 9 or a 10 from me if it would have worked correctly.
  2. sammyLOL
    Jun 9, 2009
    6
    This game really is a piece of overblown shit. So glad i bought it for 5 bucks off of steam. There is nothing interesting about this game. The aura it tries to create is completely destroyed by the clunky fighting style and an often frustrating learning curve. I wish the character had an inner ear so running didn't have the feeling of constantly running into shit. The graphics annoy This game really is a piece of overblown shit. So glad i bought it for 5 bucks off of steam. There is nothing interesting about this game. The aura it tries to create is completely destroyed by the clunky fighting style and an often frustrating learning curve. I wish the character had an inner ear so running didn't have the feeling of constantly running into shit. The graphics annoy the hell out of me, the lighting is completely overdone and exaggerated. I also love that the enemies spastically and unrealistically move like they are on crack, making it nearly impossible to headshot a moving target. The game progression and upgrades are also total bullshit, what is with the whole hacking mini-game? I didn't play this game to do something i could find on shitty internet game websites. Only buy this if its, like, way on sale.… Expand
  3. JamesL.
    Nov 17, 2007
    2
    On PC, this game plays like what it is - a bad console port with none of the problems ironed out. Although the graphics are hardly ground breaking (think unreal 2004 with bad textures and fancy water effects), this game is a resource hog, and it still runs like crap on high end systems. The sound likes to glitch at random too, forcing me to restart the game. Although the story is decent, On PC, this game plays like what it is - a bad console port with none of the problems ironed out. Although the graphics are hardly ground breaking (think unreal 2004 with bad textures and fancy water effects), this game is a resource hog, and it still runs like crap on high end systems. The sound likes to glitch at random too, forcing me to restart the game. Although the story is decent, the gameplay is boring, repetitive, and frustrating. Enemies respawn out of nowhere in areas you have already cleared just seconds before. The non-plasmid weaponry is uninspired and ineffective, plus aiming is extremely hard thanks to a poor mouse look implementation. This is one game that is better left on console. I want my money back.… Expand
  4. wadzkup
    Aug 25, 2007
    1
    waste of money, terrible and overhyped. No variety in the enemies (warping or shooting guns isnt variety) and they say you have choices to make, the only choice is to harvest or save girls... the story was so incredibly weak that I reinstalled hl2 to get that bad taste out of my mouth. Valve better make tf2 worth it....
  5. goggruel
    Aug 25, 2007
    4
    VERY poor quality - game is GREAT - but no as complex as system shock - more FPS then anything - story line is ok (the sound quality to hear it is POOR - game crashes and resets all settings every 30 mins or so - DONT BUY FROM STORE - buy it from steam - it gets patches 1st and has a lot less problems
  6. kingj0nking
    Sep 21, 2007
    0
    This game has many bugs. If you don't mind that, the game is very very very very very VERY easy.. The gameplay is very short too. It's not all that great. You can use the wrench the whole way though the game... It's an okay game but not worth a 10 or a 100 like all the other mindless raters... You can kill the big daddys with a wrench, i figured out how to not die to one This game has many bugs. If you don't mind that, the game is very very very very very VERY easy.. The gameplay is very short too. It's not all that great. You can use the wrench the whole way though the game... It's an okay game but not worth a 10 or a 100 like all the other mindless raters... You can kill the big daddys with a wrench, i figured out how to not die to one and kill it on the hardest mode.... You don't get enough bullets if you just want to shoot your way though it. Waste of money IMO.… Expand
  7. TerryS.
    Sep 25, 2007
    0
    Support sucks, inability to play on active video cards
  8. DavidP.
    Nov 24, 2008
    4
    It was fairly boring. You are kept busy in bioshock, but the things you do are repetitive and not actually fun, hack this, hack that, choose what upgrade goes in what slot. select a plasmid shoot ememy, select wrench hit enemy, repeat. Graphics are very pretty but i don't care about that very much, i care about gameplay/ game pacing/ highs and lows/ moments that get your heart racing It was fairly boring. You are kept busy in bioshock, but the things you do are repetitive and not actually fun, hack this, hack that, choose what upgrade goes in what slot. select a plasmid shoot ememy, select wrench hit enemy, repeat. Graphics are very pretty but i don't care about that very much, i care about gameplay/ game pacing/ highs and lows/ moments that get your heart racing or make you panic or decide to tease an npc before killing him because he annoyed you by jumping out from a corner. There are not enough different enemy types in bioshock. I liked HL and HL2 because there was variety, open skies fast moving in a boat to claustrophobic tunnels etc etc, sometimes a crab was hidden and got a bite out of you so you get a fright but you're not going to die = game variety. Bioshock is repetitive indoor boringness. Story was interesting-ish but gameplay is more important and bioshock doesnt have it. Games i have an opinion on: Doom, Duke Nukem, Quake, HL1, HL2 and the episodes - great but some are old. FEAR Perseus great, scary. moh series, good. cod 1->3 good but old, cod4 AWSOME. Prey, avg. Stalker, annoying as hell uninstalled after 3 hrs. Timeshift, cool concept but pacing is not there because of time controll, therefore fairly boring. Oblivion TES, 3rd person doesnt interest me, looks boring. Crysis, good. Team fortress 2, awsome. Portal, very cool.… Expand
  9. Jake
    Jan 26, 2008
    3
    I give this a low score to balance the undeserved praise lavished on this mediocre title by "the critics." Bought the game based on that hype and wondered whether the reviewers had been bought off or just plain desperate. Yes a few pretty graphics, but no totally killer world design, the animation and gameplay was subpar and pretty childish/arcade-like, the story not that thrilling or I give this a low score to balance the undeserved praise lavished on this mediocre title by "the critics." Bought the game based on that hype and wondered whether the reviewers had been bought off or just plain desperate. Yes a few pretty graphics, but no totally killer world design, the animation and gameplay was subpar and pretty childish/arcade-like, the story not that thrilling or unique. I'll never play it again after the first run-thru. Save yer $$ til the price drops if you have to have it, otherwise look to other titles.… Expand
  10. anonymous
    Oct 25, 2009
    4
    very boring game, was expecting something brilliant and in return got a dud. most boring story in a video game yet. very redundant game play. the 4 points come from the outstanding artwork but in a video game it doesn't make up for the poor mechanics and the lack of hook-factor.
  11. Bozik
    Mar 27, 2009
    3
    I'm not sure why these critics loved this game so much. for me, i just couldn't get into it. the weapons were, so-so, nothing overly special, or maybe they were so unique they were just stupid. storyline was nothing special, kind of random actually. but the biggest pain in the ass for me with this game, is the shocking shortage of ammo and money to buy ammo or heals. personally I'm not sure why these critics loved this game so much. for me, i just couldn't get into it. the weapons were, so-so, nothing overly special, or maybe they were so unique they were just stupid. storyline was nothing special, kind of random actually. but the biggest pain in the ass for me with this game, is the shocking shortage of ammo and money to buy ammo or heals. personally i am a very ammo conserving guy, in almost all games i have no problem with money, ammo, heals, etc. but they simply werent made available which made progression slow and boring. I HAD high hopes for this game, it was a terrible let down.… Expand
  12. AlexHemling
    May 14, 2009
    10
    This is the best single player game i have ever played I don't care what anyone says. All of you all ways say "Ooh this game sucks because i doesn't have online"...before online we only played offline.So who cares that's what I think makes this game good a some parts.
  13. JoeK.
    May 19, 2009
    9
    GREAT GAME!
  14. StevenH
    Aug 29, 2009
    3
    Baby's first System Shock. Crude, Tim Burtonesque art style that belies the supposed "scary" atmosphere. Generic and pointless upgrades. Lack of challenge. Extremely repetitive gameplay. Endless running. Cliche storyline. At one point in the game you disguise yourself as a "Big Daddy", a genetically altered sentinel that dons an armored diving suit and wields a rivet gun or drill Baby's first System Shock. Crude, Tim Burtonesque art style that belies the supposed "scary" atmosphere. Generic and pointless upgrades. Lack of challenge. Extremely repetitive gameplay. Endless running. Cliche storyline. At one point in the game you disguise yourself as a "Big Daddy", a genetically altered sentinel that dons an armored diving suit and wields a rivet gun or drill (pictured on the cover). As far as the game is concerned this equates to putting a camera filter on which represents the tunnel vision of the helmet. Despite the fact that your character is the same sweater-wearing beatnik that he always was, and looks like it, everyone treats you like you are wearing the suit. Whenever you die, you are respawned about 100 feet away. You actually have to "delete" some plasmids to make room for new ones - something that doesn't make sense in the context of genetic modification (not to mention the unbelievable powers that are granted thanks to it, unlike System Shock 2's cyborg explanation). This is because the game is just System Shock 2 but dumbed down for consoles with an even less coherent storyline, which is more or less on par with Quake or the first Half-Life, and yet people laud this game for its story. About 10 hours of gameplay and no multiplayer. Very overrated. Worth about $5-$10, perhaps.… Expand
  15. ShellsOTF
    Nov 3, 2010
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bioshock first struck me as yet another Half-Life 2 imitator. Iâ… Expand
  16. ChrisOzzie
    Jan 25, 2014
    9
    Bioshock is a phenomenal and groundbreaking video game with one of the most imaginative gameworlds ever. The underwater utopia of Rapture is an artistic and fun city to explore. Bioshock’s innovative narration tells the story of Rapture’s high-class citizens through the accessible audio logs scattered throughout the city. The voice acting is brilliant and following the tales of theseBioshock is a phenomenal and groundbreaking video game with one of the most imaginative gameworlds ever. The underwater utopia of Rapture is an artistic and fun city to explore. Bioshock’s innovative narration tells the story of Rapture’s high-class citizens through the accessible audio logs scattered throughout the city. The voice acting is brilliant and following the tales of these secondary characters spruces up Bioshock’s overall story. This method of narration is very effective, because it doesn’t interrupt the main focus of Bioshock: the gameplay. Simply referring to this game as just a first person shooter is doing Bioshock a disservice. It features revolutionary RPG mechanics and unrivaled level design. Scrounging around an area for unique ammunition, Eve hypos, and invaluable weapon upgrade stations are rewarding experiences. Most importantly, participating in Bioshock’s clever level design will prepare you for the chaotic skirmishes with Big Daddies, which are menacing guardians that protect the little Adam factories with their massive drills, rivet guns, and rocket launchers. There are two forms of currency in Rapture: dollars and Adam. Dollars are acquired through conventional means, such as searching crates or cracking safes. However, Adam can only be gathered by the orphaned girls venturing through Rapture in search of “angels”. Unfortunately, Bioshock is no masterpiece, especially the PC port. You cannot rebind plasmids or weapons to a particular hotkey, and hacking machines are time consuming and temporarily bring Bioshock’s exciting gameplay to halt. In addition, the game is also plagued with some mouse sensitivity and audio problems. However, the sound and mouse issues are fixable. Bioshock’s unrivaled story and groundbreaking gameplay mechanics deliver a nearly perfect gaming experience.… Expand
  17. TheDemonFrog666
    Oct 19, 2011
    10
    This is one of the best games I have ever played, hands down. 2K never fails to please. Firstly, the plot is AMAZING. The voice acting is extremely well done, better than most games these days. The gameplay is really cool and new, with the plasmids and everything. The graphics are good to look at, despite some texture errors as the level loads (but that's expected). The music and generalThis is one of the best games I have ever played, hands down. 2K never fails to please. Firstly, the plot is AMAZING. The voice acting is extremely well done, better than most games these days. The gameplay is really cool and new, with the plasmids and everything. The graphics are good to look at, despite some texture errors as the level loads (but that's expected). The music and general ambiance is really cool, making it one of the most immersive games I've ever played. If you're into good story, and a generally good experience rather than just looking for explosions (*Cough Call of Duty Cough*) then this is DEFINITELY the game for you. As a side note, I have to say I am sick to death of people on metacritic **** about either the game crashing or about the "huge score that the game doesn't deserve". If you think the game deserves a 7, give it a damn 7 and not a 0 just to bring the average score down...an average is the COLLECTIVE opinion of everyone. Those people giving it a **** score to change the big score need to think more about everyone else...your opinion isn't the one that should be shown.… Expand
  18. TheMitherer
    Oct 21, 2011
    8
    A very sound game with some unique features but too short for my liking and the ending is poor. On the other hand, the setting is visually stunning, the story is well told and thoughtful (especially the tapes) and the plasmid idea is interesting. One gets the impression that mixing philosophical and moral issues with liberal amounts of violence tends to confuse people. This kind of thingA very sound game with some unique features but too short for my liking and the ending is poor. On the other hand, the setting is visually stunning, the story is well told and thoughtful (especially the tapes) and the plasmid idea is interesting. One gets the impression that mixing philosophical and moral issues with liberal amounts of violence tends to confuse people. This kind of thing only works once and even then not for everyone. A shooter is a shooter no matter how you dress it up, but Bioshock dresses it up extremely well and is definitely a game that is worth playing and that will be remembered. I didn't find that much replayability myself, but when I did play I was thoroughly entertained, except perhaps for the ending. An FPS devotee should not miss it.… Expand
  19. le_one
    Jun 8, 2013
    10
    This is an epic beginning to an epic franchise. It's got story. It's got action. It's got puzzles. It's got everything! It just doesn't have its story told through videos. Even better: The story and interactions happen while you're playing. You save the game whenever you want. The graphics are excellent and the controls too. A diverse range of weapons and equipments. Splendid!
  20. kaj510superdude
    Nov 14, 2011
    10
    Certainly one of the greats when it comes to video games. It is filled with fun mysterys and great action i love it certainly give it a 10/10 at some parts it may make you say creeeeeeeeeeeepy but its not really a scary game. you have to try it.
  21. OliverGrau
    Mar 4, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For its' time Bioshock must have been the best thing ever since sliced bread, however in a perspective of today, which was when I finished the game, the game feels as if the developers were too lazy to do some minor changes for the better. Ragdolls are not falling realisticly it's like watching a movie with 10 FPS, slowmotion and laggish like. But that isn't anything compared to the crashes that occur once in a while. Whenever the game crashes, then all the settings you changed will be reset to default, which I was very frustrated about. The gameplay was not the best, but that wasn't the meaning of the game, so that didn't bother me that much, it was okay and there are a lot of oppurtunities to deal with enemies. The graphics isn't something I will critize too much, it was decent nothing more than I was expecting. However the story was the bright point of the game, it was exciting and I really fell in love with it. Though I was so dissapointed in the ending, the game simply ends bad, if you just harvest 1 little sister. Through the whole game I made a mistake and harvested one of those girls and rest of them I rescued. How can I bring brutality when I saved all of them? The ending of the game simply can't make me give this game an earned 8, but a 5. I hope next game in the franchise will bring some more joy to me.… Expand
  22. Kirase
    Jan 1, 2012
    9
    Can just appreciate the unique design and gaming experience this game delivered. Very well made and enjoyable to play. Just missing some features increasing replay value, thats all. Also a big thank you to 2k for not ruining the game by trying to press a mediocre coop mode into it. This current game generation a lot of potentially good singleplayer games got ruined this way.
  23. togle
    Jan 18, 2012
    10
    Ð
  24. jZero
    Oct 7, 2013
    7
    BioShock does a great job of atmosphere. The environments, music, story and art style combine to create the fantastic underwater city of Rapture. There are some tense moments against some well designed enemies as you progress through this "utopia" as it's falling apart. The mechanics are where the game loses some of its shine. The weapons and plasmids while interesting aren't wellBioShock does a great job of atmosphere. The environments, music, story and art style combine to create the fantastic underwater city of Rapture. There are some tense moments against some well designed enemies as you progress through this "utopia" as it's falling apart. The mechanics are where the game loses some of its shine. The weapons and plasmids while interesting aren't well balanced. It seemed to force playing enemies a certain way. Beating ranged big daddies with certain weapons and plasmids was almost impossible while others almost made it too easy. The customization with buffs and the invention mechanics are deep but don't feel gameplay changing. If you can get used to the mechanics BioShock has a lot to offer.… Expand
  25. Desthro
    Aug 8, 2014
    7
    Bioshock.
    This game was supposed to be the spiritual successor to a very powerful game, System Shock 2. The environment and the story are supposed to be dark and horrifying, with every piece you learn building up to a terrifying and emotional breakdown as the game progresses.
    Does Bioshock deliver? Yes and no. The game is fanciful and beautiful, a graphical piece of art at the time.    Bioshock.
    This game was supposed to be the spiritual successor to a very powerful game, System Shock 2. The environment and the story are supposed to be dark and horrifying, with every piece you learn building up to a terrifying and emotional breakdown as the game progresses.

    Does Bioshock deliver? Yes and no.
    The game is fanciful and beautiful, a graphical piece of art at the time. But if we just wanted to look at pretty things, we wouldn't play games right? And that is where Bioshock's ultimate problem lies, it is a beautiful, polished game on the outside, but on the inside it is affected by a hideous gameplay, and so-so story telling.

    The gameplay is repetitive from within itself, go here, do this, kill the big daddy, get some more juice and pump yourself up. It's boring and unimaginative; it was cool the first, and maybe even second time it happened, but once you realized it for what it was, it quickly became stale. The boss at the end was incredibly contrived, I found him to be an incredibly comical looking, shallow villain. He wasn't scary, or monstrous, but colorful and without real history or depth. The developers tried to sell him off as someone that went mad with his lust for power and evolution, but in the end he was just another NPC to destroy.

    The storytelling was borrowed from System-Shock's progressive method of sharing what happened in audio logs. This is a fantastic way of sharing a story, though the characters that leave the logs need to be believable, true and above all, REAL to us. While the story of how Rapture was conceived, built, rotted from within, and eventually collapsed was intriguing, the delivery was poor, and you couldn't connect as easily with the former inhabitants of Rapture due to the lack of emotional connection with the characters who left the logs behind. In System Shock 2, I was dying to find the next log, the next piece of the puzzle, the next E-mail that might explain what was going on. In Bioshock, I wasn't that excited, and the game's plot was static and predictable.

    Some might argue that comparing it to System Shock isn't fair and that it should be judged on it's own merits. I disagree because this game is riding on the coattails of greatness and promised an experience that would rival its spiritual predecessor. It didn't completely live up to expectations.

    It is, though, at least entertaining, and is worth playing. Do not expect it to be a groundbreaking, game-changing experience however. It is neither of those.    … Expand
  26. toSTONEiGO
    Jul 16, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. oing beyond "run and gun corridors," "monster-closet AIs" and static worlds, BioShock creates a living, unique and unpredictable FPS experience. After your plane crashes into icy uncharted waters, you discover a rusted bathysphere and descend into Rapture, a city hidden beneath the sea. Constructed as an idealistic society for a hand picked group of scientists, artists and industrialists, the idealism is no… Expand
  27. Ntslatko
    May 7, 2012
    5
    If your a fan of shooters you will be a fan of BioShock.
    Unfortunately the marketing and critic reviews led me to believe that this was more than a shooter and nearly a cinematic experience with RPG elements.
    To make it clear: This is nothing like Deus Ex or it's successors or Portal. BioShock is a simple shooter that looks quite good, has good FPS game play, and good audio commentary.    If your a fan of shooters you will be a fan of BioShock.
    Unfortunately the marketing and critic reviews led me to believe that this was more than a shooter and nearly a cinematic experience with RPG elements.

    To make it clear: This is nothing like Deus Ex or it's successors or Portal. BioShock is a simple shooter that looks quite good, has good FPS game play, and good audio commentary.

    I have rated it 5 to demonstrate it is very good at what it does, but only 5 because the marketing was inaccurate at best as the game does not go beyond it's shooter roots.    … Expand
  28. jim109109
    May 30, 2012
    7
    Pros: Great story, relatively fun gameplay. Cons: Extremely easy, linear, simple. The gameplay itself is a linear FPS with few depth, and you get no penalty for dying. Overrated, but the game is still fun.
  29. Sunfire
    Jun 1, 2014
    10
    Great graphics for it's time,fascinating story,and the ending is so touching.
    So violent,yet so deep.
    With all if it's faults(due being the first bioshock game),it is really a "must play"!
  30. stvartak
    Sep 17, 2012
    7
    I recently bought a new computer and decided to go back and play some of my favorite older games with the graphics jacked way up, just to see how much better they look. When I did this with the original Bioshock, it reminded me of a few things, both good and bad, about this game. GOOD: The graphics are stunning, both technically and aesthetically. The art deco design of the underwaterI recently bought a new computer and decided to go back and play some of my favorite older games with the graphics jacked way up, just to see how much better they look. When I did this with the original Bioshock, it reminded me of a few things, both good and bad, about this game. GOOD: The graphics are stunning, both technically and aesthetically. The art deco design of the underwater city of Rapture perfectly captures the look and feel of an era. With settings maxed out, Bioshock looks as good as any game I would hope to see today, five years after its initial release. Also, as a shooter, Bioshock is pretty much unsurpassed. Enemies are quick, smart, and well-armed, and level design provides plenty of cover and obstacles. BAD: Bioshock really is just a shooter. When it was released, there was a lot of attention paid to the "moral choices" involving the Little Sisters, but in the end, the choices you made painstakingly through hours and hours of gameplay culminate in...two irritatingly brief cut-scenes, one if you took the good path, one for the bad. Yawn. And Bioshock's incredible visual style distracts from the fact that it is almost perfectly linear. Thanks to the many bits and pieces of backstory and Ayn Rand philosophy that are gradually uncovered as you progress, the game feels deeper and more nuanced than it really is. SUMMARY: Bioshock is worthwhile no matter what style of action-adventure-RPG you prefer, but I believe it will appeal most to fans of straightforward, Doom-style shooters who just want to get their blast on, albeit in some of the best-designed game environments in recent years.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best PC Game of 2007
3
#3 Most Discussed PC Game of 2007
2
#2 Most Shared PC Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 44
  3. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. PC Gamer UK
    95
    A dark and astonishing masterpiece...I spend my career, and my gaming life, waiting for a moment when a game just astonishes me, when I can't believe what I'm seeing, what I'm doing. BioShock has five. [Sept 2007, p.66]
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  2. Eurogamer
    100
    The hours spent playing this masterpiece were the perfect encapsulation of why videogaming is such a favourite waste of time for so many of us. Thrilling, terrifying, moving, confusing, amusing, compelling, and very very dark. BioShock isn't simply the sign of gaming realising its true cinematic potential, but one where a game straddles so many entertainment art forms so expertly that it's the best demonstration yet how flexible this medium can be. It's no longer just another shooter wrapped up in a pretty game engine, but a story that exists and unfolds inside the most convincing and elaborate and artistic game world ever conceived.
    Read full review
  3. IGN
    97
    There is art here, despite what many would say isn't possible with games, from Roger Ebert to game designers like Hideo Kojima... BioShock stands as a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay and an irresistibly sinister, engrossing storyline that encompasses a host of multifaceted characters. This is an essential gaming experience.
    Read full review
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