BioShock
Common Sense says
Parents say
Kids say
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Get it now on
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Did this review miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive, diverse representations in books, TV shows, and movies. Want to help us help them? Suggest a diversity update
Suggest an update BioShock
A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this game contains graphic violence and gore, and the controversial option to harvest "Little Sisters," mutated 10-year-old girls who extract a coveted fluid called "Adam" from dead people. The game presents you with a moral dilemma: Kill a girl for the most "Adam," or save her life for less. Choosing the latter yields payoffs including bonus items and support from other characters. This game is adult in nature across the board with some sexual overtones, foul language, and references to alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.
Stay up to date on new reviews.
User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
No educational value?
An exceptional FPS
amazing game with layer upon layer of meaning.
Unbelievable Game, but read this just to understand the ESRB rating better.
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
- Price: $59.99
- Available online? Not available online
- Developer: 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: August 25, 2016
Our editors recommend
Top advice and articles
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.