Review: Bioshock

Kavak

72%

Like every gamer who enjoys FPS games, I was waiting for Bioshock to see what it was all about. I heard crazy fucking rumors of killing little girls and graphic violence, but if that’s all I needed I’d just watch Hostel. I noticed most reviewers and websites gave Bioshock a very high score. To be honest, if I were to do this review right when Bioshock was released I would have done the same thing. The reason this game received such good reviews is because the first few levels are very fun and engaging, but when you play the game for a while you realize the game has some flaws.
   Ken Levine talked about how this game is open ended – that’s bullshit, the game is very linear and just because you can go into a few rooms and explore them does not make it an open ended game. Unlike the crappy test rig at the office, I have a kick-ass computer and I was able to play Bioshock on the highest graphics settings. Much like Nicky Hilton describing Kevin Connolly’s dick -- I wasn’t impressed. Everything in this game looks identical and there isn’t a great variety of creatures. The special abillites aren’t well-balanced or functional. The only useful ability enables you to freeze your target. The other ones simply aren’t necessary.
   There’s very few times to use the abilities because as soon as one monster sees you they all swarm at the same time. All you can do is shoot at them and if you're going to take time switching between your special abilities you’ll likely die (unless you're playing in noob-mode). Bioshock does have an engaging story, but a nice story doesn't make up for crappy game play.

EuroTrash

94%

Bioshock is a spectacular game both in the technical and the artistic aspects. The storyline is that you crash land in the middle of the ocean and happen upon an entrance to an undersea city called Rapture. You seem to have found an extremely lucky salvation, but it turns out you weren’t so fortunate because the city is full of mutated freaks and is basically a death trap. In order to survive you must collect “adam” which is biological material you use as energy to power your various abilities.
   The way you collect adam is really wicked. You see, adam is held by these small girls who are running around the city and in order to extract the essence you have to decide to kill them! The girls are called “Little Sisters” and are protected by the games trademark “Big Daddies.” The Big Daddies are hulking monstrosities that have diving helmets for heads and massive drills for appendages!
   The graphics are great, but it’s the environments that really make the immersion feel real. The game is actually very scary at times because the atmosphere of the locations is so perfect, the graphics are life like, and the sound is amazing.
   The abilities you get from adam are very powerful and fun to use. Freezing enemies to the ground and then shooting them reminded me of Shadowrun a heck of a lot. I disliked the way you receive information and objectives from a random person over the radio. I found this took a lot of the exploration and puzzle solving out of the game. Overall, Bioshock scores big because of the pure fun and excitement the game delivers.

Tzo

90%

My expectations for Bioshock were fairly high because I had heard a lot of reviews that praised it to no end. After spending several hours with Bioshock I found it enjoyable and well presented. However, I didn’t think Bioshock was revolutionary in any way, which was strange because I had heard it was earth shattering.
   First off, let me say the graphics are well done and create a unique environment. Right after your crash, the water (waves) and fire (wreckage) were some of the best graphics I had ever seen in a game. The problem is, the graphics alone aren’t enough to make a game ground-breaking. Certainly the game is top notch and worth playing, but it’s not Crysis or Halo 3. Future games aren’t going to be based on Bioshock, not because it’s a mediocre game, but because it doesn’t take any chances (not much innovation).
   One major let down in the game was the Big Daddies. The build-up for these creatures was overdone considering how easy they are to kill. A few shotgun blasts dispatches them quickly. I assumed Big Daddies would be more like Pyramid Head from Silent Hill, but in reality they were more like Big Babies.
   There is no pressing need to collect and save adam, because they wanted people to be able to choose their path as good or evil. This means the game is rather easy if you are slightly sadistic. Saving all the girls is also a viable path to take. However, if you harvest adam it’s almost like playing a Jedi Knight instead of running around like Han with a blaster.