BioShock™ Remastered

Even in 2020, it's a good game. I played the remastered version and it looks well, runs great at 4K with a medium tier video card. I haven't had a single crash or glitch and was able to enjoy the nice story and gameplay. Worth the full price in my opinion.

I was pretty late to the party, but this Shooter was pretty good. It takes a while to get going, but once you get yourself established, it's fun and enjoyable. Weapons have 3 different types of ammo each, and most are useful. You can also gain magical powers and perks throughout your adventure, and build your own customized loadout. It straddles the line between horror and action well, so it's not just straight twitch, swarms of dudes, bunny hop or die, but you also don't move like all of your limbs are broken. Money and crafting components seem pretty generous, so keeping your ammo stocked up is rarely a problem. There isn't much open exploration, as the game is fairly linear, but the world is visually beautiful and absolutely worth taking in, making what exploration you do have a great pleasure. Then, we get into the writing... Yes, I remember this era of game development, where every game had to have a major plot twist (I saw this one coming about 2 areas in) and a "profound" message for everyone to gush over. The message is made clear from the very beginning, but it's executed as such a ridiculous straw man argument that it sounds like a college freshman's rant paper written right after learning about all of the injustices of the world. It's also a bit funny hearing such a blatant, "BAAAAAH CAPITALISM BAD!" cautionary tale from a publisher like 2K, but that's a bit beside the point. The moral choice system is also completely pointless; there's no reason to take the selfish path. The writing lacks any kind of subtlety, so as a work of art, it falls more than just a bit flat, but as entertainment, it does manage to hit the mark. The tale gets dark and twisted toward the end, and coupled with the half-horror framing of the experience, it all comes together pretty well, even if not as intended. If you want a fun Shooter in a beautiful world with a twisted story, you'll find it here, but don't go in expecting a masterpiece.

I am a huge fan of System Shock 2, after playing Prey I thought that it could be a great idea to give it a chance to Bioshock, that lot's of people have as a great game. Beeing of Ken Levinne's (which worked at System Shock 2) I was a bit hyped, but this game didn't satisfied me at all. The beginning is amazing: Rapture, that city has a greate ambientation, and the splitthers, little sisters, big daddies, everything has a real marked personality and that's something that no one can remove of Bioshock. The gameplay is fine at the beginning, but it started to feel boring: there's where I think that Bioshock is the worst, an amazing city but I can't barely explore it, always the same kind of missions "go there, and do something here", sometimes is a cure for a poison, or kill three splitthers, but it stopped to be funny doing the same thing everytime at the thirt time. The characters are not the best I think, and in general playing it in 2021 leaves a strange taste. If you want to play a classic, with some original stuff, this is your game, but there some better alternatives likes System Shock 2 or Prey.

The game is alright until it starts to crash. I have the remastered version installed on my legion go and it crashes more often than not. Especially when game changing perks can be updated. Prepare to constantly save your game to prevent yourself from starting over and over and over. While this may not be the case for everyone this is what I experienced.

Bioshock may be a game from 2007, but it hasn’t aged in the slightest. Its ambiance and worldbuilding are other-worldly, creating a spooky atmosphere without ever feeling too scary or daunting to traverse. The early-game weapon progression works perfectly as players get used to the game’s combat and physics. The characters are detailed and imperative to the overarching narrative, making Atlas a one-of-a-kind utopia filled with various individuals with their own goals and aspirations. The narrative is incredible and makes the most of its relatively short playtime, revealing Atlas’s true nature and how the main character came across the underwater city. The plot twists are also genuinely enthralling but do play through the game to avoid spoiling those moments to experience its full gravitas. You genuinely don’t get short, sweet, cohesive games like these from AAA developers nowadays, and that should be treasured as everyone traverses the city of Atlas and discovers the minds controlling the dystopian utopia. That said, mileage will vary with the PC port. There is a game-crashing bug whenever you try to open the map while any dialogue or hint messages are present. It is incredibly frustrating whenever it happens, but if you’re smart and save frequently or avoid those instances, the playthrough will be perfectly fine. The difficulty curve also plateaued after 4 or 5 hours, but it allows you to focus more on the game’s narrative as it draws to a close (and gets to its best bits). Regardless of my qualms, you should play Bioshock. It is genuinely one of the best narrative first-person shooters ever made.