Editing BioShock (section)

===Critical response===
{{Video game reviews
| MC = PC: 96/100<ref name="MCPC">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/bioshock/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=PC Critic Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|date=n.d.|accessdate=April 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416053016/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/bioshock|archive-date=April 16, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><br />PS3: 94/100<ref name="MCPS3">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/bioshock/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3|title=PlayStation 3 Critic Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|date=n.d.|access-date=April 9, 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419111729/http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/bioshock|archivedate=April 19, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><br />X360: 96/100<ref name="MCX360">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/bioshock/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360|title=Xbox 360 Critic Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|date=n.d.|accessdate=April 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419090908/http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/bioshock|archivedate=April 19, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><br />iOS: 68/100<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/bioshock/critic-reviews/?platform=ios-iphoneipad|title=iOS (iPhone/iPad) Critic Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|date=n.d.|accessdate=August 17, 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710133540/http://www.metacritic.com/game/ios/bioshock|archivedate=July 10, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 1UP = A+<ref name="1UP.com Review">{{cite web|last=Pfister|first=Andrew|url=http://www.1up.com/reviews/bioshock_3|title=Bioshock Review|website=[[1UP.com]]|date=August 16, 2007|accessdate=August 16, 2007|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20121210050948/http://www.1up.com/reviews/bioshock_3|archivedate=December 10, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| Destruct = 10/10<ref name="Destructoid Review">{{cite web|last=Linde|first=Aaron|url=https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/destructoid-review-bioshock/|title=Destructoid review: Bioshock|website=[[Destructoid]]|date=August 17, 2007|accessdate=November 24, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125180108/https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/destructoid-review-bioshock/|archivedate=November 25, 2021|url-status=live }}</ref>
| Edge = 8/10<ref name="Edge Magazine Review">{{cite web|author=Anon.|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/reviews/bioshock-review|title=Bioshock Review|website=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|date=October 15, 2007|accessdate=October 15, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604061754/http://www.next-gen.biz/reviews/bioshock-review |archivedate=June 4, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| EuroG = 10/10<ref name="Eurogamer Review">{{cite web|last=Reed|first=Kristan|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/r-bioshock-pc360|title=Bioshock review|website=[[Eurogamer]]|pages=1–3|date=August 16, 2007|accessdate=August 16, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240622025907/https://www.eurogamer.net/r-bioshock-pc360|archivedate=June 22, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
| GI = 10/10<ref name="Game Informer Review">{{cite web|last=Reiner|first=Andrew|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/41497688-5BCB-4C0A-B952-A1B1440E2139.htm|title=Bioshock Review|website=[[Game Informer]]|date=n.d.|accessdate=August 16, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822013757/http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/41497688-5BCB-4C0A-B952-A1B1440E2139.htm|archivedate=August 22, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| GSpot = 9/10<ref name="GameSpot Review">{{cite web|last=Gerstmann|first=Jeff|authorlink=Jeff Gerstmann|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/bioshock-review/1900-6176947/|title=Bioshock Review|website=[[Gamespot]]|date=August 20, 2007|access-date=August 20, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916025642/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/bioshock-review/1900-6176947/|archivedate=September 16, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
| GSpy = 5/5<ref name="GameSpy Review">{{cite web|last=Graziani|first=Gabe|url=http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/bioshock/813243p1.html|title=Bioshock Review|website=[[GameSpy]]|pages=1–3|date=August 16, 2007|accessdate=November 25, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250210161036/http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/bioshock/813243p1.html|archivedate=February 10, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
| IGN = 9.7/10<ref name="IGN_2007-08-16"/>
| OXMUK = 10/10<ref name="OXMUK Review">{{cite web|last=Griliopoulos|first=Dan|url=http://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=1182|title=Bioshock Review|website=[[Official Xbox Magazine]]|date=August 24, 2007|accessdate=May 26, 2025|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007024828/http://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=1182|archivedate=October 7, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| PCGUK = 9.5/10<ref name="PC Gamer Review">{{cite web|last=Francis|first=Tom|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=169983|title=Bioshock Review|website=[[PC Gamer]]|date=August 16, 2007|accessdate=August 1, 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910141247/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=169983|archivedate=September 10, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| PCZone = 9.6/10<ref name="PC Zone Review">{{cite web|last=Hogarty|first=Steve|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=169992|title=Bioshock Review|website=[[PC Zone]]|date=August 16, 2007|accessdate=November 4, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315114115/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=169992|archivedate=March 15, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| TA = 4/5<ref name="TouchArcade Review">{{cite web|last=Ford|first=Eric|url=https://toucharcade.com/2014/09/03/bioshock-review/|title='Bioshock' Review – Is An iOS Gamer Not Entitled To A Mobile Rapture?|date=September 3, 2014|website=[[TouchArcade]]|accessdate=August 17, 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818052259/https://toucharcade.com/2014/09/03/bioshock-review/|archive-date=August 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
| award1 = [[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction|Art Direction]], [[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition|Original Music Composition]], [[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design|Sound Design]], [[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Story|Story Development]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shacknews.com/article/51219/aias-honors-call-of-duty |title=AIAS Honors Call of Duty 4, BioShock, The Orange Box in GOTY Awards |first=Chris |last=Faylor |date=February 8, 2008 |access-date=September 24, 2016 |work=[[Shacknews]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927161717/http://www.shacknews.com/article/51219/aias-honors-call-of-duty |archive-date=September 27, 2016 }}</ref>
| award1Pub = [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences|AIAS]]
| award2 = (2007) Best Game
| award2Pub = [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]]
| award3 = (2007) Game of the Year
| award3Pub = ''[[Game Informer]]''
| award4 = (2007) PC Game of the Year
| award4Pub = [[IGN]]
| award5 = (2007) Best Game
| award5Pub = [[Spike TV]]
| award6 = (2007) Game of the Year
| award6Pub = ''[[X-Play]]''
}}

''BioShock'' has received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator [[Metacritic]], with the game receiving an average review score of 96/100 for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows, and 94/100 for PlayStation 3.<ref name="MCX360" /><ref name="MCPC" /><ref name="MCPS3" /> Mainstream press reviews have praised the immersive qualities of the game and its political dimension. ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' described it as "a beautiful, brutal, and disquieting computer game&nbsp;... one of the best in years",<ref name="bostonglobereview">{{cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/ae/games/articles/2007/08/27/bioshock_lets_users_take_on_fanaticism_through_fantasy/ |title=''BioShock'' lets users take on fanaticism through fantasy |work=The Boston Globe |date=August 27, 2007 |first=Hiawatha |last=Bray |access-date=November 9, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014004508/http://www.boston.com/ae/games/articles/2007/08/27/bioshock_lets_users_take_on_fanaticism_through_fantasy/ |archive-date=October 14, 2007 }}</ref> and compared the game to [[Whittaker Chambers]]' 1957 riposte to ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]'', "Big Sister Is Watching You". ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' also mentioned the Ayn Rand connection (a partial anagram of Andrew Ryan) in a report on the game which featured a brief interview with Levine.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/magazine/15-09/pl_games |title=''BioShock'' owes more to Ayn Rand than Doom |first=Kieron |last=Gillen |date=August 21, 2007 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=November 4, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709002750/http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/magazine/15-09/pl_games |archive-date=July 9, 2008 }}</ref> The ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' review said "I never once thought anyone would be able to create an engaging and entertaining video game around the fiction and philosophy of Ayn Rand, but that is essentially what 2K Games has done&nbsp;... the rare, mature video game that succeeds in making you think while you play".<ref>{{cite news | title = BioShock |first = Misha | last = Davenport | date = August 24, 2007 | work = [[The Chicago Sun-Times]]}}</ref>

The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' review concluded: "Sure, it's fun to play, looks spectacular and is easy to control. But it also does something no other game has done to date: It really makes you feel."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.game.co.uk/News/?lid=8845&ad=12_03_2008 |title=Los Angeles Times review |access-date=June 10, 2008 |publisher=Game.co.uk |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213022541/http://www.game.co.uk/News/?lid=8845&ad=12_03_2008 |archive-date=February 13, 2009 }}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' reviewer described it as: "intelligent, gorgeous, occasionally frightening" and added: "Anchored by its provocative, morality-based story line, sumptuous art direction and superb voice acting, ''BioShock'' can also hold its head high among the best games ever made."<ref name="nytimesreport">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/arts/television/08shoc.html?ex=1346904000&en=f4891059b252959b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink |title=Genetics gone haywire and predatory children in an undersea metropolis |first=Seth |last=Schiesel |work=The New York Times|date=September 8, 2007 |access-date=September 27, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113181138/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/arts/television/08shoc.html?ex=1346904000&en=f4891059b252959b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink |archive-date=November 13, 2007 }}</ref>

[[GameSpy]] praised ''BioShock''{{'s}} "inescapable atmosphere",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/bioshock/813243p1.html |title=''BioShock'' (X360) |publisher=Gamespy |date=August 16, 2007 |first=Gabe |last=Granziani |access-date=August 17, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820072325/http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/bioshock/813243p1.html |archive-date=August 20, 2007 }}</ref> and ''[[Official Xbox Magazine]]'' lauded its "inconceivably great plot" and "stunning soundtrack and audio effects".<ref name="OXMUK Review"/> The gameplay and combat system have been praised for being smooth and open-ended,<ref name="IGN_2007-08-16"/><ref name="Game Informer Review"/> and elements of the graphics, such as the water, were commended for their quality.<ref name="IGN water">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.ign.com/Irrational_Games/2007/05/23/55572/ |title=IGN first look at the Little Sisters |work=IGN |date=May 23, 2007 |access-date=November 4, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103135013/http://blogs.ign.com/Irrational_Games/2007/05/23/55572/ |archive-date=November 3, 2007 }}</ref> It has been noted that the combination of the game's elements "straddles so many entertainment art forms so expertly that it's the best demonstration yet how flexible this medium can be. It's no longer just another shooter wrapped up in a pretty game engine, but a story that exists and unfolds inside the most convincing and elaborate and artistic game world ever conceived."<ref name="Eurogamer Review"/>
Reviewers did highlight a few negative issues in ''BioShock'', however. The recovery system involving "Vita-Chambers", which revive a defeated player at half-health, but do not alter the enemies' health, makes it possible to wear down enemies through sheer perseverance, and was criticized as one of the most significant flaws in the gameplay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=170293 |title=''BioShock'' Review |work=Computer And Video Games |agency=[[Xbox World|Xbox World 360]] |access-date=July 24, 2007 |date=August 16, 2007 |first=Alex |last=Dale |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315114522/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=170293 |archive-date=March 15, 2009 }}</ref> IGN noted that both the controls and graphics of the Xbox 360 version are inferior to those of the PC version, in that switching between weapons or plasmids is easier using the PC's mouse than the 360's radial menu, as well as the graphics being slightly better with higher resolutions.<ref name="IGN_2007-08-16"/> The game has been touted as a hybrid [[first-person shooter]], but two reviewers found advances from comparable games lacking, both in the protagonist and in the challenges he faces.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/21212 | title = ''Bioshock'' review | publisher = Yale Daily News | access-date = November 4, 2007 | date = September 7, 2007 | author = S.T. Hedgehog| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071211035626/http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/21212| archive-date = December 11, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/1394-Zero-Punctuation-BioShock |title=''BioShock'' review |work=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |first=Ben |last=Croshaw |date=September 5, 2007 |access-date=November 4, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102132608/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/1394-Zero-Punctuation-BioShock |archive-date=November 2, 2007 }}</ref> Some reviewers also found the combat behavior of the splicers lacking in diversity (and their A.I. behavior not very well done),<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.mygamer.com/index.php?page=gameportal&mode=reviews&id=552512
 |title=BioShock
 |publisher=mygamer.com
 |date=August 21, 2007
 |quote="Unfortunately, once the splicers become aware of the player, they almost invariably rush forward, heedless of their own mortality, right into the path of the player's plasmid powers and guns"
 |access-date=December 6, 2008
 |url-status=live
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208185137/http://www.mygamer.com/index.php?page=gameportal&mode=reviews&id=552512
 |archive-date=December 8, 2008
}}</ref> and the moral choice too much "black and white" to be interesting.<ref>{{cite web
 |author=Moke Dootitle
 |url=http://www.gamecritics.com/bioshock-review
 |title=BioShock&nbsp;– Review
 |publisher=gamecritics.com
 |date=July 12, 2007
 |quote="Sure, there are splicers that run around maniacally, crawl on the ceiling or teleport, but there is little to differentiate them aside from their theatrics(...)The game also presents a "moral" choice that feels promising early in the game, but ultimately falls into the cliché traps of black and white extremes"
 |access-date=December 6, 2008
 |url-status=live
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124223718/http://gamecritics.com/bioshock-review
 |archive-date=January 24, 2009
}}</ref> Some reviewers and essayists such as [[Jonathan Blow]] also opined that the "moral choice" the game offered to the player (saving or harvesting the little sisters) was flawed because, to them, it had no real impact on the game, which ultimately led them to think that the sisters were just mechanics of no real importance.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16392
 |title=MIGS 2007: Jonathan Blow On The 'WoW Drug', Meaningful Games
 |publisher=gamasutra.com
 |date=November 28, 2007
 |quote=Blow turned to ''BioShock'' as his example of flawed architecture (...) "The very idea of this save or kill dilemma is an architected idea imposed from the top", he explained (...) "The game rules determine the actual meaning of life in the game, and it says whatever you do to the Little Sisters doesn't matter, no matter how much the game tries to convince you that it does". The "Meta-message", according to Blow, is that "the designers of this game are trying to manipulate your emotions in a clumsy way".
 |access-date=December 21, 2008
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221122915/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16392
 |archive-date=December 21, 2008
}}</ref> Daniel Friedman for ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' concurred with Blow, noting that the player only loses 10% of the possible ADAM rewards for saving the Little Sisters rather than killing them, and felt that this would have been better instituted as part of the game difficulty mechanic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2016/9/19/12972940/bioshock-little-sisters-adam |title=BioShock bungled its best chance to make play meaningful |first=Daniel |last=Friedman |date=September 19, 2016 |access-date=September 21, 2016 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921023843/http://www.polygon.com/2016/9/19/12972940/bioshock-little-sisters-adam |archive-date=September 21, 2016 }}</ref> Former [[LucasArts]] developer [[Clint Hocking]] wrote a noted essay that claimed that ''BioShock'' exhibited "[[Ludonarrative#ludonarrative dissonance|ludonarrative dissonance]]" between its story and mechanics, as while he saw the story as advocating selflessness in helping others, its gameplay encourages what he views as selfishness by preying on Little Sisters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/ludonarrative-dissonance-the-roadblock-to-realism-235197.phtml |title=Ludonarrative dissonance: The roadblock to realism |first=Brett |last=Makedonski |date=September 26, 2012 |access-date=September 21, 2016 |work=[[Destructoid]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923014932/https://www.destructoid.com/ludonarrative-dissonance-the-roadblock-to-realism-235197.phtml |archive-date=September 23, 2016 }}</ref>