Recent reviews by Zender

Played it once or twice, some guy in a mask kept chasing me. I don’t get it.

For democracy!

Excellent successor to DD1! Visually impressive with a banging soundtrack they've done so much with this game already and it's only it's 1.0 release at the time of writing.

The affinity system is a great new mechanic and even driving the stagecoach around is an immersive meta. Your decisions matter and just like DD1 this game will have you crying for joy at times and laughing in dismay as your party is obliterated.

A few classes need balanced (occultist) but it should be great to see what expansions come out for the game in time. Where are you Reynauld?

Rip and tear until it is done.

Overall Score: 88/100

Overall score modifiers
Replay Value: Maybe twice to see both endings, +0 or -2 if you want a game with a lot of this
Game length: 10 hours at a medium pace, +0 or -1 if you expect more value for your money
Pricing: free to those with BioShock +3, +0 if on sale, -1 if you paid full price
Fun Factor: it is a fun game +3 but if you experienced crashes -5

2K has tried to resolve some game crash issues which for some is frequently every couple of minutes to others who seem to only crash occasionally or when saving or loading a new area. This does cause frustration and contempt as you often have to go back and redo portions of the game. For us this only occurred twice yet the specter of a crash loomed over our gameplay and resulted in a lower overall score. If you receive BioShock Remastered for free, then it is worth giving it a shot.

Gameplay 83/100

• Controls: 82/100
  
• Graphics Quality: 82/100
  
• Difficulty: 84/100

The controls are responsive and easy to figure out. Some will find only being able to use a plasmid or weapon at one time annoying as you have to switch between the two. Being able to freeze the game to select your weapon is a nice perk but also destroys some of the immersion. The graphics themselves even remastered seem a bit dated and there are occasional texture and graphic glitches. The game offers four difficulty levels but with the ability to save anywhere this is made to be a bit of a joke. The AI itself becomes predictable and each type of splicer is dealt with in the same way.

Immersion 94/100

• Pace of Game: 90/100
  
• Voice Acting Quality: 97/100
  
• Sound/Music Soundtrack: 94/100

The pace of the game is great, only a few times did I feel I needed to backtrack or look around pointlessly for the collectibles the game was asking for. The voice acting is one of the strongest of any game to date. The characters are alive and draw you into the world. The ambiance is also spectacular with the old 1930’s music only adding to the creepy feel of Rapture.

Story 88/100

• Depth (Worth Building): 94/100
  
• Character Development: 87/100
  
• Ending: 84/100

BioShock excels at building the world of Rapture. From the start, you feel like you are inside of an actual city built under the sea. The crumbling dystopia feel is only enhanced by the gradual unfolding of the plot as you discover what happened to Rapture and why you are there. The final fight is straightforward and relatively easy to be honest. The game offers two different endings depending on if you saved or harvested the little sisters. We felt the ending was satisfying as almost all loose ends are tied up.