The one star is not for the game itself. It really looks appealing and aestetic from what i've seen...but it's totally unplayable.
Constantly crashes in every possible way, sometimes after start, sometimes after a few minutes, sometimes while saving. I've tried every resolution settings, windows 8 compatibility modes, audio settings, configuration of the .ini and so on.
I ... expected more. Given how much the whole series has been hyped up, I had high hopes for this one. But before even half-way through, it became more of a chore to play through, than an enjoyable experience. Not sure I have enough interest to play the second one, anymore.
I liked the idea of combining guns and magic, but alternating between them somehow didn't sit well. I ended up mostly relying on the guns.
Not sure if intentional, but the vendor jingles were very annoying after a while.
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.