Bioshock - Review Roundup

Let's get straight into this bunch of Bioshock reviews, mostly based on the Xbox 360 version.

GameSpy scored Bioshock at 5/5 and here's their intro:

There is a definite reason that BioShock has earned GameSpy's Game of the Show for the last two years at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. While some have called developer Irrational's magnum opus "the spiritual successor to System Shock 2" (the PC title widely hailed as one of, if not the, greatest games ever realized), we are more inclined to label it as the spiritual superior. That's not a statement that we take lightly, mind you, but when confronted by a masterpiece of this magnitude -- a game that is almost more of a quest of self-discovery than a mere plaything -- it's impossible to not recognize the brilliance flooding your senses.

...IGN awarded 9.7/10:

As you continue through Rapture, you'll discover it speaks to the nature of what a single-player game is--why do we choose to play a game that isn't online, where you can't interact with others? Like reading a novel, it's to form your own impressions, to see the same events, hear the same words, and come away with a unique viewpoint. The thematic blending and twining of BioShock's personalities is so powerful, it acts like any good book or movie, assaulting you with its ideas, popping into your thoughts when you least expect it, and broadening your understanding of what a game can achieve. Instead of painting Good and Evil across the foreheads of Rapture's denizens with a neon brush, Irrational gave everyone murky motives, much like the shadowed, soaking environments you're constantly plodding through, or the blurred vision you get after walking under one of Rapture's ubiquitous waterfalls.

1Up says 10/10:

Sure, weapons and magic are nothing new. But it's the combat scenarios that extract the real beauty of this two-pronged approach: the enemies you fight and the environments in which you fight them. The most common foe in BioShock is the "splicer," the street name given to the city's residents who overindulged in genetic self-modification and subsequently lost their minds. They come in several variations, and even the weaker ones pose a considerable threat to the unprepared. Battling splicers, especially when they're in a group, has this air of chaotic unpredictability -- they have no noticeable "routines," actively track you down or run for cover depending on the tide of the fight, and can use the environment as much as you can (set a splicer on fire and he'll run to the nearest pool of water for relief). Factor in a camera/turret security system whose only allegiance is to the one who hacked it last, and you'll absolutely need to either be comfortable with the plasmid/weapon combination you've chosen or be prepared to use everything at your disposal to make it out alive.

So as a first-person shooter, BioShock is mechanically solid. The control over your abilities is complex without being complicated, and the interaction between the player, the environment, and the threats contained within is seamless. You begin to feel powerful.

...and TeamXbox goes for 9.5/10 but let's take a snip of minor criticism:

I can’t stop raving about BioShock, but I will be honest that it’s not the perfect video game either. First off, it’s an extremely linear game that much of the time channels you from spot to spot along the path you need to follow. While there’s immense variety in the gameplay, as described, at some points it seems too well spelled out, which might irritate those who like more sleuthing in their adventure.