BioShock Xbox 360
User Score
8.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1691 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,511 out of 1691
  2. Mixed: 53 out of 1691
  3. Negative: 127 out of 1691

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  1. Bio
    Oct 1, 2007
    10
    Intense, breathtaking, and original. If you don't like this game, take a break and detox from the Halo hype, and try again later. Ahh, isn't that better? I thought so.
  2. JakeV.
    Oct 10, 2007
    9
    As close to perfect as technology allows. Makes Halo III look like Wolfenstein.
  3. Chris
    Oct 8, 2007
    8
    It's a very much simplified, much easier, underwater (watered down?) version of System Shock 2. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's about time SS2 was re-released for gamers to know what a true masterpiece is like.
  4. Brandon
    Aug 21, 2007
    10
    The only way to describe this game is brilliant. Simply brilliant, vibrant world that just goes so smoothly. I absolutely love the Art direction of this game along as the music and theme of this game. Above it all, it's fun to play. It's a nice mix of FPS, and RPG. I really hope people pay attention to all the reviews about this game, because nothing below a 9/10 or 90% just proves how well made and brilliant this peice of art that we call a game is. They just raised the bars for every game.… Expand
  5. BenD.
    Aug 30, 2007
    7
    Superb graphics...and that's it. Shallow repetitive gameplay with too many pointless tasks getting in the way of the overall flow - does anyone really enjoy repeatedly hacking the machines? It's another Doom 3 - dark and dull.
  6. ToddN.
    Sep 1, 2007
    10
    Fantastic game. Great story, great visuals, unique gameplay. Fun and rewarding experience. A masterpiece.
  7. Andyman
    Sep 1, 2007
    10
    Condemned meets Doom, and better than both combined (and I absolutely love those 2 games!). Anyone who rates this game below a 9 needs to play it again on a large HDTV, in the dark, with the volume cranked. Anything less than that does a disservice to this absolutely breathtaking game. BioShock isn't a run-n-gun fragfest (although it has its moments)... if you're playing it like Halo, you're going about it all wrong. This is about taking your time and letting the ruined splendor of Rapture truly sink in. BioShock gets better with every passing minute and I can't wait to play through it at least a couple more times. I can't wait to see the Live Marketplace download add-ons.… Expand
  8. HobagS.
    Sep 3, 2007
    10
    A pure masterpiece, visually stunning in every way, the most interesting game i have ever played
  9. HWNDarkside
    Sep 3, 2007
    10
    I'm sorry but the best story/best graphics in the world do not compensate for another premium not offering user definable/southpaw controllers. I rushed out and bought a copy without thinking and have wasted another £40 on a game I cannot play using a control system I am comfortable with. Shame on you. File alongside Gears Of War and GRAW - and the upcoming Stranglehold.
  10. whizzm
    Nov 3, 2008
    7
    dont see what all the fuss is about. i mean it is a good game, but there is no way it is one of the best games ever. i played it for about a week and got bored of it. i love fps and have been playing them for nearly 20 years and i can safely say there are better ones out there. its a game worth buying but it is very overhyped
  11. AlexanderD.
    Jul 22, 2009
    10
    This game was simply an amazing experience to say the least. Everything about it was unique from the weapon upgrades to the underwater utopia that the game takes place in. You can hack turrets, set traps, or go in head on to fight the Big Daddy in order to collect the ADAM from the Little Sister. Watch out for those Splicers as you make your way through the city or Rapture!
  12. NickM.
    Dec 3, 2007
    10
    This game is a masterpeice. Everything about it is fun. It graphics are amazing, its gameplay, amazing, and its storytelling, double amazing! there are no cutscenes where you cant play. it really marks that this year is the year when sick games are gunna come out. it makes up for that overrated pile of $#@! gears of war.
  13. Kevin
    Aug 15, 2007
    10
    While this review is only on the Xbox Live demo, This game is flawless. The action is intense and it really is a thinking mans FPS. If you think you are Rambo this game will soon prove you wrong. Use your head stay alive and if you don't have this game you are missing out on the greatest game of 2007! Hands down Game of the Year.
  14. KyrpäK.
    Aug 24, 2007
    10
    This is the one of the greatest game of all time. Bioshock deserver full 10 points.
  15. JeffR.
    Aug 25, 2007
    8
    The game's good, but I have to say the gameplay isn't really as compelling as we're being led to believe. It's very simple in its combat, It's easier than most FPS games, and it begins to have almost a repetitive feeling, as if you were playing the same level over and over against a different backdrop. Few games have had such well-crafted story elements, but even on that subject it's not the best I've played. If i had the chance to go back and experience Max Payne 2, Half Life 2 or F.E.A.R. again for the first time rather than play bioshock, i would happily do so. That being said, it's a fun game, beautifully art directed and the story elements are solidly constructed.… Expand
  16. DaPimp
    Aug 26, 2007
    9
    One of the best games on 360, but 9.7 is a score too high. I absolutely loved the story and the atmosphere, both were very realistic, creepy and original, but the gameplay wasn't that fantastic. The shooting aspect of the game is fun, but doesn't quite feel like a true FPS. And even though it is true when people say it is supposed to be something more than a shooter, why are you firing your weapon 90% of the time? the plasmid system is cool, but feels limited. the customization is good for a shooter, but compared to other adventure/RPG's I've played, it is s***. honestly, it is just plasmids and tonics. Wow. The graphics were great, especially the water. I just don't see why people think it is so amazing. As a matter of fact, the whole game is amazing, except the most important part of a game, its gameplay. Everyone else like clint or Jeremy S. obviously haven;t played a true adventure or FPS like Half-Life, or Halo, wih good stories and amazing controls. This game is good, but I see no good reason to call it one of the best games ever just because you were amused by the story. yes, its great, but not fantastic. Probably the most overrated game of 2007, which is a shame, since it is quite good.… Expand
  17. ChrisM.
    Aug 27, 2007
    8
    It sure is a beautiful game, no doublt about it. But I do think this game is a bit overrated. I've read every review of this game, and virtually no negative points were mentined. However, I have a few. - Combat is not very well done. Because of the unrealistic way splicers move I'm having too much difficulty hitting them with the (slow moving) plasmids - I've had it with games that keep respawning enemies based on scripted events. Everytime you pick up an important item suddenly an enemy spawns out of nowhere...its like doom3 in that way. - fighting big daddy's isn;t a lot of fun. They are big damage spunges that simply take a lot to bring down - I'm suffering from the freeze bug on my 360 just like the gamespot reviewer. It amost ruins the game for me So well...a pretty cool adventure game with mediocre combat and superior graphics....I'd glady give it a 8.5 or so but that's it.… Expand
  18. spiderpig
    Aug 27, 2007
    6
    good solid fpsactionadventure title not 100100 as many reviewer have given it doesnt bring anything new to the table feels like an updated version of system shock which i much prefer to bioshock graphics an art 1010 gameplay 55 no multiplayer hurts it bigtime in this day an age to not include any multiplayer or co-op is criminal buy on xbox 360 pc avoid at all costs securerom aint getting on my pc ty very much 2K !… Expand
  19. BarryP.
    Aug 30, 2007
    9
    Very good graphically, gameplay is more or less the same as most decent FPS's apart from the AI being extremelly advanced. Overall though, highly overrated, probably as overrated as Gears Of War & Halo series. Graphics - 10 Gameplay - 8 Value - 8 Would have given it an 8.5 but rounded it up to a 9.
  20. HectorH.
    Sep 2, 2007
    9
    The game it self are virtually stunning. The water, the enemie's A.I is fantastic. Those who believe that the gore and the blood were completely unnecessary should have picked a different title because there is a big fat "M" in the cover. The team behind this deserve the fruit it bears.
  21. AndyK.
    Sep 26, 2007
    6
    Great graphics at all, but the enemies look somehow poor,no other enemies except the splicers and the game gets boring after 2 hours gameplay.
  22. TJH
    Sep 27, 2007
    4
    I thought this game was extremely wierd and couldnt get along with it. Although i thought the visuals were very nice indeed the game was just too odd for me.
  23. JamesH.
    Sep 3, 2007
    8
    Bioshock IS well above average in all regards and there will be very few people that wont enjoy playing through this game. However, it is because Bioshock gets everything so 'nearly' perfect that one is left with a small sense of dissapointment after playing. The comparison many have made with the half life 2 experience is valid. Half Life 2 is clear GOTY material, however I9;m not sure that Bioshock deserves this mantle. Bioshock is a highly accomplished jack of all trades... With the exception of the presentation of the narrative, it is master of none... A very solid 8.… Expand
  24. AaronC
    Sep 7, 2007
    8
    I've killed Nefarion, finished all the Zeldas and Metriods, finished Super Mario Bros, completed all the Rainbow Six's on realistic mode, finished countless games over and over again....SO WHY am I dying in this game?! Its completly frustrating to die over and over again, who tuned this game? The only redeeming factor this game has is the polished "next gen WET" look, which I guess after reading so many of the critics reviews is the new paradigm to get a 10....just make it look WET!… Expand
  25. VilleH.
    Sep 9, 2007
    5
    It's an OK shooter. But in the end, the plot is preachy and overwrought with a ridiculous twist false ending, and the game mechanics quickly become stale and dull. Constant 'inventory' juggling is awkward, there are about four types of enemy in total, and unending repetition of a watered-down version of Pipe Dreams (the 'hacking' subgame) drives you up a wall. It's pretty good. But it's not that great.… Expand
  26. RichardW.
    Jan 13, 2008
    0
    It amounts to a technical demo of the U3 engine in essence. In gameplay, it's repetitive and easy. I don't care what anyone says, if you've played shooters before you can play this on the hardest setting with no challenge, and there's nothing unique enough to provide a motivation for moving forward. Really, plasmids are nothing new, we've seen similar things in Jedi Knight II, System Shock,etc. Graphically it's impressive. But what everyone praises it for- storytelling- it seems subpar. Am I the only person who sees the blatant Atlas Shrugged ripoff as a ripoff, not an "influence"? It isn't influenced at all by the philosophy as a few reviewers claimed, no doubt too enthralled by the bandwagon to read the book in question before jumping on it. It seemed like every reviewer had a hardon for the games-as-art idea and wanted to talk about it as much as possible instead of the lackluster gameplay, but fine, where's the meat of the plot? We have this: "Ryan believes in this thing completely, and Fontaine believes in nothing. At the end of the day, they're almost equally dangerous. [Fontaine] is a nihilist, all he cares about is himself. He has something missing in him that makes us human." I missed how this is any more interesting than the time honored concept Nintendo uses of light-world/dark-world.… Expand
  27. Daniel
    Jan 16, 2008
    7
    Satisfying, but not spectacular. I'm not an experienced gamer -- I casually play the games that my brother buys for his XBox if they interest me -- but I was surprised, given the reviews, how little this wowed me. Rapture is visually spectacular, but limited; looking through windows and portholes made me want to explore this underwater world with greater variety than wandering through variations of the same darkened corridors and spooky rooms. The story is impressive, with twists that surprised me and an emotional element that moved me, but the final battle is too simple and the ending felt abrupt. (Maybe there's a better cutscene if I play on a higher difficulty?) It doesn't help that I played this after "Mass Effect"; the depth and replayability of that game put this one to shame.… Expand
  28. ApocalypseB.
    Mar 13, 2008
    4
    How in the world did this game get such great recognition is truly beyond me! I never played System Shock 2, but surely that must of been better than this. Why don't I like it? Because after such a good and intense start, the game grinds to a halt after two hours. The pacing then is slow/dead slow, and that what upset me. The potential for greatness is all there: Plasmids, Big Daddies, Saving or harvesting the little sisters. Yet all of them have no spark to them after you experience them time and time again. The aiming system and weapons are really sub-standard, from being too simplistic as opposed to being over the top. And the damage they cause, even the buck shot, is limited. Finally the constant dark and uninspired scenery with even more uninspired enemies were the last straw. Nowadays I haven't the time to grind through games like this, I want instant pleasure or I'll more on. Not that I am not a hardcore gamer, just that I know what I want, and rapture isn't the place I want to be!… Expand
  29. Feartrain
    Mar 22, 2008
    10
    The most imaginative, dark and twisted piece of fantasy gaming ever! This post-apocalyptic, dystopian, semi-RPG survival-horror shooter, will trap you miles beneath the surface, giving you the sense of hopelessness and the desperation of no escape.
  30. DanielW.
    Jul 10, 2008
    10
    Freakin' awesome game, great story, great game mechanics, there is no equal!!
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
96 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 88 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 88 out of 88
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 88
  3. Negative: 0 out of 88
  1. ActionTrip
    92
    In a nutshell, beyond any shadow of doubt, BioShock is an excellent single-player shooter experience. The undeniable quality of this title and its emphasis on true and not pseudo-mature storytelling and character development make it a must-have for every self-respecting gamer.
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  2. GameSpot
    90
    Its weak link is its unsatisfying no-skill-required combat, which might aim this one just over the head of the average Halo fan. But if you want to get a little fancy, there's a lot of fun to be had with some of the game's more indirect fighting methods. It builds an amazing atmosphere by using terrific graphics and sound to set a creepy mood. But BioShock's real strengths are as a compelling work of interactive fiction, and as a unique ride through a warped world with some great payoff built into its mysterious plot. If that description has you even the least bit interested, you won't be disappointed one bit.
    Read full review
  3. GameDaily
    100
    The first-person shooter's great looking, has an engrossing storyline, a perfect balance of action and exploration and a totally customizable combat system that can be described as nothing less than video game rapture.
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