BioShock™

14 of 15 markets; the rest we haven't asked for this title, not markets where it is unavailable.

14 on sale1 answered “not sold”0 we did not ask

The 1 “not sold” market is read from the Steam price pass of Sep 7: that day the store answered for this game elsewhere and gave no price there. The 14 priced markets are the same rows as the table above — each the latest price we hold, dated here when it is older than that pass. The 0 marked “not asked” were not put to this store at all — either it has no storefront there or we do not collect it yet, and neither is a statement about the game. A refusal is a refusal on one day; a store can list a title again tomorrow.

Hours played at review time, across 965 reviews with recorded playtime.

positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up

After finally sitting down and properly finishing BioShock, I can see why it is so widely regarded as a classic. THE GOOD The gameplay is thoroughly enjoyable, with a great variety of weapons, plasmids and upgrades that give you plenty of freedom in how you approach encounters. The plasmid system in particular is excellent, and choosing which abilities to invest in can make different playthroughs feel quite different. The gunplay can occasionally feel a little clunky, but the variety of tools more than makes up for it. Rapture is also an incredible setting. The art style and atmosphere are fantastic, while the world building does an excellent job of making the city feel like a place that existed before you arrived. I especially liked how much of the narrative is delivered through audio logs, allowing you to piece together the history and downfall of Rapture while exploring it at your own pace. The characters are also exceptionally well written, with figures like Andrew Ryan and Atlas standing out particularly well. The famous twist is exceptionally well executed too. Even knowing what is coming beforehand, the way it is presented and woven into the gameplay still makes it effective. THE BAD There are some technical issues that occasionally took me out of the experience. The mouse controls feel somewhat unbalanced, some sound effects occasionally fail to play correctly, and there are random momentary stutters that I couldn't eliminate despite trying various fixes. I also think the final hour is easily the weakest part of the game. The pace feels rushed, and the final boss is a fairly generic encounter that doesn't live up to the quality of what came before it. Despite these issues, BioShock is an exceptional game. Its atmosphere, world building and flexible gameplay systems make it an experience that has aged remarkably well. 9/10 - A game that is rightly hailed as a classic.