"Irrational had a clear vision with this game, something pulled off with remarkable precision in every department. They didn't just deliver something that's fun to play, a criterion so often cited as the benchmark of what makes a game worthwhile. BioShock stands as a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay and an irresistibly sinister, engrossing storyline that encompasses a host of multifaceted characters. This is an essential gaming experience."
10 Presentation
An intriguing, well-written story delivered with at a precise sense of pace. It doesn't get any better than this.
9.5 Graphics
It may not be as technically impressive as Gears of War, but the art style, animations, and special effects create an unparalleled sense of mood and believability.
10 Sound
Top-notch voice acting, spectacular ambient effects, and overall some of the best sound design ever built into a game.
9.5 Gameplay
Superb control, intelligent enemies, and a wildly entertaining mix of weapons and plasmids.
9.0 Lasting Appeal
A lengthy adventure, 20 hours or so if you don't rush it, yet there's enough variation in the gameplay to bring you back for another round.
9.7 Incredible OVERALL
We don't provide the 'easy to program for' console that they [developers] want, because 'easy to program for' means that anybody will be able to take advantage of pretty much what the hardware can do, so the question is what do you do for the rest of the nine and half years? It's a learning process. - SCEI president Kaz Hirai
It's a virus where you buy it and you play it with your friends and they're like, "Oh my God that's so cool, I'm gonna go buy it." So you stop playing it after two months, but they buy it and they stop playing it after two months but they've showed it to someone else who then go out and buy it and so on. Everyone I know bought one and nobody turns it on. - Epic Games president Mike Capps
We have a real culture of thrift. The goal that I had in bringing a lot of the packaged goods folks into Activision about 10 years ago was to take all the fun out of making video games. - Activision CEO Bobby Kotick
