Bioshock

by 2K Games

• Biologically mod your body with plasmids - genetic augmentations that empower you with dozens of fantastic abilities
• Take control of your world by hacking devices and systems
• Upgrade your weapons at Fire-For-Effect stations located through Rapture
• Pick up materials in the city to modify them at U-Invent kiosks
• Explore an incredible and unique art deco world hidden deep under the ocean, vividly illustrated with realistic water effects

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000MKA60W
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.8 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: August 21, 2007
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (519 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #887 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #86 in Video Games > Xbox 360 > Games > Action

Product Description

Platform: Xbox 360

BioShock lets you do the impossible as you explore a mysterious underwater city. When your plane crashes, you discover Rapture - an underwater Utopia torn apart by civil war. Caught between powerful forces and hunted down by genetically modified "splicers" and deadly security systems, you have to come to grips with a deadly, mysterious world filled with powerful technology and fascinating characters. As little girls loot the dead, and biologically mutated citizens ambush you at every turn. Now you're trapped, caught in the middle of a genetic war that will challenge both your capacity to survive and your moral allegiance to your own humanity. Make meaningful and mature decisions that culminate in the grand question - do you exploit the innocent survivors of Rapture to save yourself - or risk all to become their savior?

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

311 of 323 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow August 23, 2007

By pattic

Platform for Display:Xbox 360

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I have been an avid PC and console gamer for...well, as long as there have been PC and console games, and have probably played hundreds of the darn things over the last two decades, and I can comfortably say, that Bioshock, is one of the top two or three games I have ever played, and absolutely the best console game.

It's one of those rare games, that has all of what you love about a great game, with none of what annoys you. I realized, after about 10 hours of play, that absolutley nothing was ticking me off. If there was ever a game that got everything right, it's Bioshock.

Normally, you hear much about a shooter having an "absorbing story", and you're just like: "yeah, yeah, just shut up and let me shoot you". But Bioshock, actually does. The bleak, dystopian world scenario is hardly new in gaming, but Bioshock puts a great twist on things; and the art-deco 1940's sci-fi world is very refreshing and incredibly rendered. If you are as sick as I am of endless hallways filled with crates, you are in for a helluva treat. Not only does this game look amazing, but the design is so good, and so original, that it really does "absorb" you.

The biggest suprise to me, was level of literacy, and period detail. This game wasn't really designed for modern kids, and certainly wasn't designed by one. The villian, an obvious nod to conceptual novelist Ayn Rand, ends up being more complex than the average "evil rich corporate Republican" guy we're all so sick of by now, and not only is the voice acting a-list quality, but they even speak pretty authentic 1940's dialogue, with accurate period inflection. If you watch an old movie from the 40's you'll notice that not only was the slang and colloquial language different, but so was the actual style of speech.... The characters in Bioshock don't sound like modern mallrats in seersucker suits, they sound like people from the 40's. The sense of period is very accurate, moreso than most Hollywood films (although a "German" lady character has a very obiously Russian accent lol).

Even the shooting, was fabulously fun. When I first started playing, I thought "oh no..shooting old revolvers isn't fun." But don't forget, even though Bioshock takes place in the 40's, it's still a sci-fi what-if adventure, and the assortment of weapons are a gas to use. And "adventure" is really accurate. Even though it's an FPS with a fair amount of bloody shooting, it really feels and plays more like an old Sierra adventure game than a Quake-style shooter. The plot matters in this game, unlike many others, and you spend more time exploring the amazing world and solving puzzles than actually shooting, so consider that a mild warning if you are a shooting "rivethead".

Bioshock is a very long game, but it was so addicting, that I played it almost non-stop for 4 days and finished it. I actually just rented it, because normally games that are centered on plot don't have a lot of replay value for me, but this one I can imagine playing over and over, so the lack of multi-player doesnt really matter to me here. I'll be buying this sucker as soon as payday hits.

In short, the hype around Bioshock is no hype. This game even killed Half-life and Halo for me, and that's saying a lot. Halo3 is going to have a helluva climb to even get near Bioshock, and i never thought I'd say that.

To wrap-up, even though much of Bioshock's conceptual nods and references will probably sail over the heads of most modern teen gamers, it won't matter a darn. They'll be to busy being knocked out by the best visual world and gameplay mechanics I've ever seen. Read more ›

72 of 84 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you buy one game this year, make it this one. August 21, 2007

By Robert VINE™ VOICE

Platform for Display:Xbox 360

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I thought Gears of War was a good game, but I believe Bioshock outdoes Gears of War on multiple levels. First, the storyline is solid, I feel like I am participating in a self-directed movie, opposed to the typical experience of a weak storyline combining together sequences of violence. Second, Bioshock is not about who has the biggest gun, there is an element of strategy not found in previous FPS games with the exception maybe of Gears of War. Finally, the game is intuitive, easy to pickup. I am not a big fan of FPS games, typically enjoying games like Civilization IV, however, this game is one big exception.

57 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Game of the year - so far August 21, 2007

By N. Durham HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Platform for Display:Xbox 360

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Having a bit of hype surrounding it before it's release, BioShock does not disappoint one bit. In fact, as far as first person shooters go, games rarely get any better than this. BioShock takes the FPS to new levels thanks to it's brilliantly realized atmosphere and setting, and a story that is so engaging you'll think that you were playing an RPG. Taking place in a secret underwater city called Rapture, you get put right in the middle as things go very, very wrong quite quickly, and it's up to you to save the day using a barrage of traditional weapons, and some newfound abilities as well. What makes BioShock so great besides the atmosphere and storyline are the character customization options which really allow the gamer to get into the game and tinker around to your advantage. The overall presentation, from the sound design to the wonderful voice acting to the grimy atmosphere, make BioShock one of the best games to hit the XBox 360 yet, and definitely one of the best FPS' to come out in quite some time. If there's any downsides to BioShock, it's that the game has a lack of enemy variety and that it is a little too forgiving to the gamer. Despite that though, BioShock is a masterpiece of modern gaming, and any and every 360 owner should consider this an essential pick up.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Gaming Experience in a long time! August 21, 2007

By Juicy Melon

Platform for Display:Xbox 360

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

This is by far the most interesting, fun, adventurous game since last years Zelda for the Wii. There is so much to do in this game, you can hack into safes, invent items, shock someone in the water, use a crowbar to knock someone out, anything you want to do, you can. I didn't hear about this game until last week when Microsoft released a demo of it last week. I played the demo and immediately got hooked. I went out early this morning "21 Aug 07" and purchased this game. I have played it for roughly five hours and it has been so much fun. It's not super confusing and it's like a choose your own adventure game. The classical eery music is an added plus. If you own an XBOX 360 and you are looking for the "Next Big Game", or you just want a Phenomenal gaming experience, purchase this game, I guarantee you will not be disapointed. The only negative for me is that this game really makes other games look really bad. But that's a negative that I will just have to deal with. Now I am going to shut off the laptop and get back to playing.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't get into Bioshock...it gets into YOU August 21, 2007

By H. Crosland

Platform for Display:Xbox 360

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

You don't get into Bioshock....it gets into you.

My very first impression of playing this game was that someone watched enough episodes of Lost and translated it into a very good game.

Elements:

- you are on a trip in a plane presumably to see your parents when the plane crashes in the middle of the Atlantic.....check

- you wind up on a mysterious lighthouse which transports you to a mysterious city.....check

- you communicate with mysterious people who may or may not have ulterior motives.....check

- wierd medical experiments are taking place affecting people of that city.....check

- some of those same people want to kill you.....check

- you must choose whose side you on and how it affects your survival.....check

Good enough?

I am trying ot mkae my review short enough without giving spoilers away or be redundant to the official reviews and long enough to tell you that what you read is true!

Bioshock is definently a step to redefining first person shooter. This is not your balls to the wall shoot em up, but rather a thinking person's game where the point is to interact and enjoy the story, creatively think your way past enemies and make decisions that will affect your game play.

All of you have probably heard about the creative elements of the game play...others who reviewed it have covered it, so I really don't want to get into that...if you have read enough about it I would say you have to see for yourself.

What is more important to me is how much this game creeps up on you and scares you into playing a little bit more. This game IMO revolutionizes the FPS because of the content.... It's pretty much doing things storywise what Resident Evil and Doom has been trying to do for years.

I am recommending that if you play this game, don't do it on anything less than a home theater system.

I am playing this on a 51" HDTV, 7.1 surround sound with the lights on dim and my goodness it is IMMERSIVE. YOU WILL JUMP...you will laugh...you will be scared....the first time I faced off with a big daddy it was to be believed. It crept up behind me...I heard it coming and instead of turning with my joystick I literally truned around and luckily I didn't already aggro it but it was up on me and walked byand my heart was in my throat. There is this one scene early on (and u get to see it in the demo) where you see a sillouette of a lady rambling to a baby in a carriage and it's truly eeirie and there are SO many moments like this throughout the game. You can gather recordings to listen to the insanity that these people were into. And sometimes feel sorry for some of the people that you have to kill.

And yes, there are even more mysteries in this game. again similar to Lost...and this is where I wrap up:

- Is it a coincidence that your plane crashed here?

- What is the story behind the tattoes?

- What went wrong and made these people crazy?

- Who or what are the Little Sisters and why must you choose?

- Why would any seemingly sane person that wound up on this island willingly inject himself with gene altering material to get powers and what effects will they have on your character by the end of the game?

If you are looking for a game that will keep you in the dark while you play it in the dark (best way to play) BUY...THIS...GAME. I have a feeling that this will be the bestseller of the year...Halo my sell the numbers due to the fan base but Bioshock will sell because of the immersive story alone Read more ›