GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Outstanding
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 10/28/2008
- Released on: 10/21/2008
- Originally published on GameSpot: BioShock (PlayStation 3) Review
When BioShock was released for the Xbox 360 and PC last year, it redefined what people could expect from a console first-person shooter. The intricately designed Rapture--a utopian city that had fallen on hard times--was the star of the show. This startlingly real metropolis located far below the ocean's surface was a planned community for people desperate to escape the imminent war on land, though a much worse fate caught up with those who made the move. One year later, PlayStation 3 owners finally get a chance to lay waste to the genetic freaks populating this dilapidated world. If you've already played through the original release, this version is nearly identical; the inclusion of a harder difficulty mode is not enough to lure BioShock veterans back to Rapture. However, if you missed BioShock the first time, you won't want to pass up this undersea adventure again.
The deadly inhabitants of Rapture can be brought down with a good gun.
The impressive graphics and gorgeous water effects make the transition to the PlayStation 3 intact. Rapture feels alive even in its decaying state. There are a number of unique environments located in this underwater city. The medical bay has pools of blood still drying on the floor and posters along the walls depicting surgical procedures; the clubs and bars have ads for various beers and places for people meeting for a drink to sit and relax; there are even forests in Rapture, with trees to provide the necessary oxygen for underwater living. The frame rate stays high no matter how many enemies and explosions are onscreen at one time. After a brief install when you first start the game, load times are kept to a minimum. The only loading screens you'll encounter are when you travel from one section to another using a bathysphere, but this is rare enough that it never breaks up the pace of the action.
As technically sound and artistically impressive as BioShock is, the reason to play the game is to experience the dark story of Rapture's downfall. The story is primarily told through audio recorders you'll find throughout the environment. These snippets document the growing madness taking place. When you come to the medical bay, you'll be introduced to a plastic surgeon who was obsessed with beauty. The recordings--both from him and those who observed him--tell of his haunting practices, how the freedom to run his facility without moral responsibility allowed him to create the human masterpieces he always envisioned. The people you'll come across are clearly mad with power, as you quickly discover, because nearly all of them have tampered with genetic modifications to their own bodies. Yet their motivations feel terrifyingly real.
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Where to buy
BioShock (PlayStation 3):
$18.25 - $18.99
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$18.25 | Yes |
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$18.99 | No |
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