Bioshock - Why Bioshock isn't a 10/10 game

Dhruin · August 29, 2007

Kieron Gillen and Co's nice new PC gaming site Rock, Paper, Shotgun has a piece written by John Walker titled Why Bioshock isn't a 10/10 game. This warning is appropriate before you continue:

So obviously spoilers. All the spoilers ever, completely ruining every aspect of the game. There’s not a sentence of this you should read before finishing what is a very good game. Spoilers. Spoilers. Have I mentioned, stuff here will spoil surprises? And ruin the game.
This isn’t a list of reasons why BioShock is a bad game. It isn’t. It’s an excellent game. This is a list of reasons why I think it doesn’t merit the highest score possible.

Readers should be aware that any discussion of this article will probably involve spoilers, so enter at your own risk!
While we're here, let's throw in some reviews (thanks Blue's):

And some other stuff...

Tweakguides has help improving the performance of Bioshock (thanks Actiontrip)
Bioshock is the #1 selling PC and Xbox360 (and the X360 is the leading game on any format) game according to Next-Gen
GameSpot has an interview with Ken on the post-release highs and lows

More information.

elikal · August 29, 2007

I have only played the demo, but so far it looked awfully linear. I wonder if its that linear in the entire game. One of the things I loved in System Shock was, you opened up more and more and went back and forth, using the entire ship (or station in SS1) in your way. In Bioshock I always felt like being led through one tunnel, and besides shooting there didnt seem to be much to do, nothing that felt like the complexity of System Shock.

txa1265 · August 29, 2007

It is a shooter, and falls into what I would call the 'linear+' category. Sure it is linear, but there are more open areas where you feel like you have the run of a segment of the city to do in any order you want.

aries100 · August 29, 2007

According to Ken Levine, the game requires you to go back to areas you have visited before. Here's the source:

http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=551

As I understand it, this is somewhat of a new? thing in shooters. Most shooters just have you go through a level in the jungle or in the an icy area. Then you get your next mission and won't be coming to earlier visisted areas.

STALKER might be an exception to this, though.

doctor_kaz · August 29, 2007

Bioshock does require some backtracking. Not as much as System Shock 2, but there is some.

Moriendor · August 29, 2007

aries100 said:
According to Ken Levine, the game requires you to go back to areas you have visited before. Here's the source:

http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=551

As I understand it, this is somewhat of a new? thing in shooters.

Not new at all but it's pretty unpopular with players and reviewers alike so you don't see it in too many shooters. Personally I find it a little annoying in Bioshock due to the (extremely predictable) respawns. It gets a little old after a while to fight the same type of enemy for the umpteenth time in the exact same spot.

Bioshock - Why Bioshock isn't a 10/10 game

Dhruin

SasqWatch

elikal

Sentinel

txa1265

SasqWatch

aries100

SasqWatch

doctor_kaz

Keeper of the Watch

Moriendor

Excommunicado