Bioshock is a true classic, in my opinion. The setting still intrigues me to this day, and I finished the game many years ago. I was very disappointed when the proposed movie did not make it to the big screen.

I played through all 3 games again back-to-back a few years ago (having previously only played when they release), lots of stuff tie them all together, even a 2 part DLC for Infinite…basically looping back to where the first game starts that kinda makes it an Infinite story loop…very well done. Also, there’s a book that prequels the first game- tells the story of Ryan building Rapture and how it all got started. Lots of back-story and lore on quite a few characters…especially “Fontaine” and how he ended up as the fish merchant…

@ludicolo Id recommend playing the second one too! I am playing it now after having finished the first and the gameplay is FAR better in my opinion. Story was probably on par or slightly below the first. The gameplay elevates the whole experience significantly.

You nailed it about the gameplay in your guess. It was very cutting edge when it came out. The animations on the plasmids were especially memorable I recall. It’s interesting to hear that part doesn’t hold up so well.

I’d highly recommend you play 2 as well. It’s quite different but I thought it was the best of the series gameplay-wise.

If you like the setting I would also recommend you go on to play BioShock infinite and specifically the DLC for it. I won’t say why, and I recommend you go through the base game first (very cool in its own right), but the DLC is really going to tickle your fancy I think.

As I recall the powers combined with shooting was really new to the genre, along with the ways you combine them. Lighting enemies on fire who would run to water to put themselves out, then hitting water with electricity to zap a group was creative stuff. The way big daddies acted like a boss fight you could tackle in a bunch of different ways was significant too. The options there and with many other obstacles gave player agency for how to navigate most non-linear levels that was a real rarity. For instance, those turrets - have you shcoked them and hacked them? What about freezing them and hacking them? Or using hypnosis on enemies to make them fight the turret? But hacking all those turrets makes for a great distraction in a big daddy fight. And breaking the turrets gives you more ammo.

At the time most shooter were “go here shoot this, go there shoot that” and hell, thats still really common. This game really shook it up, even if it drew inspiration from thief and system shock, it did a lot to improve and advance them. Combined with the unique environment, smart story line, and interesting characters there’s plenty of reason it sticks in people’s memories as an all time classic.

I played it when it was new and I'm afraid some people just don't get the magic of the gameplay. I'm one of those people. The setting is gorgeous but the action side of things bored me. It felt like homework I had to do before the game would let me see the next bit of the setting.