Group Review: BioShock
By Danny Mendez
The big names in game reviews are done with Bioshock, and they seem to love it.
While I haven’t had a chance to play the game yet, I have played the demo, and damn, the demo is really, really, really fun. Anyways, here’s what they had to say.:
“There is art here, despite what many would say isn’t possible with games, from Roger Ebert to game designers like Hideo Kojima. But it’s in BioShock–it’s in the gorgeously realized, watery halls of Rapture… Irrational had a clear vision with this game, something pulled off with remarkable precision in every department. They didn’t just deliver something that’s fun to play, a criterion so often cited as the benchmark of what makes a game worthwhile. BioShock stands as a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay and an irresistibly sinister, engrossing storyline that encompasses a host of multifaceted characters. This is an essential gaming experience.”
“BioShock comes along at a time when big-budget games are becoming an almost disposable form of entertainment. You play them through once and put them back on your shelf to gather dust, forgotten. In the end, most of those games don’t matter. I’m happy to say that BioShock does matter. It leaves its mark on a genre that has its fair share of memorable titles and it does it with style and panache. It is easily one of the best games of the year and it more than ably lives up to the high bar set by its spiritual predecessor, System Shock 2.”
“As much as anything, BioShock is a conversation. The game speaks to you in the usual “go here, shoot this” language, but it also expects you to provide the answers to some relevant and surprisingly personal questions… the enemy voice samples do repeat a bit too frequently. But taken as a whole, as an experience that’s richly and utterly complete, and one that engages the player in a constant dialogue, BioShock is virtually unassailable.”
There it is folks, the final word, and if you want a deal on the game, I suggest going to Circuit City on the 21st. They’re releasing it for $50 (as opposed to $60). Thanks to the CAG forums for that one.
Related:
Stumble It!
Tips N4G
August 19th, 2007
Now let’s see if it can sell enough copies to recoup the 30 million to develop and $10 million to market investment.
Something tells me Mario Party 8 will sell more units than this game. Good reviews or not.