BioShock
By Marc Saltzman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Superb but gory gameplay in first-person shooter.

A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this game.
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Community Reviews
Based on 50 parent reviews
wow this game is amazing for 07
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Good Game Awesome For Mature Kids
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What’s It About?
2K Games' BIOSHOCK from 2K Games begins with you as a survivor of a plane crash in the North Atlantic. After swimming to shore through flaming debris, you find a lighthouse with an elevator that takes you on a one-way ride down into Rapture, a hidden underwater city that has been torn apart by civil war. Not only must you find a way out alive in this non-linear underwater world dominated by biologically mutated citizens, robotic enforcers, and little girls who steal life-giving fluid from the dead, but you have to solve the mystery of what happened here. You can biologically modify your body to create superhuman weapons, and dozens of unique plasmids and gene tonics (often found in vending machines throughout this world) must be consumed to enhance your abilities.
Is It Any Good?
BioShock is an exhilarating adventure that breaks new ground in interactive storytelling and digital art design. More so than any other game in recent memory, it is dripping with atmosphere and intrigue, and it's one of those rare titles where story, dialogue, and character development are just as important as the action sequences. Xbox 360 players who are 17 or older will not want to miss out on this extraordinary interactive adventure.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the game introduces very mature themes. Could the game makers have delivered the same kind of visceral experience without pushing the mature envelope? And how about the moral decision to kill or save the "Little Sisters"? Do you become heartless when choosing to kill them or is this acceptable within a game setting, especially given its creepy sci-fi context?
Game Details
- Platforms: Xbox 360, Windows
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: 2K Games
- Release date: August 20, 2007
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
- ESRB rating: M for blood and gore, drug reference, intense violence, sexual themes, strong language
- Last updated: November 4, 2015
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