It’s time for another Retro Ad Replay article! This is the series where we head backwards in time to reminisce and celebrate the anniversary of some of the most significant moments in gaming. If you find yourself wanting more content like this, be sure to visit Mandatory.com.
In this August 21 edition of Retro Ad Replay, we’re taking a trip back 13 years to when BioShock first launched on PC and Xbox 360. That’s August 21, 2007. Developed by 2K Boston and 2K Australia, and published by 2K Games, BioShock took players beneath the ocean for a mysterious adventure in the city of Rapture.
The GameRevolution BioShock review awarded the game a perfect score of 5/5, praising the “engrossing plot,” “amazing graphics and style,” “ethical and philosophical choices,” “complex genetic powers,” and “fully realized environment.”
Here’s a snippet from the GR review:
You’ll need all the firepower you can get to take on the Big Daddies, so in addition to your plasmids, you also have an array of weapons to help you in your task and an environment that reacts to what is going on. Success in Bioshock really depends on using both the weapons and plasmids in the right environments. Shocking enemies in water, lighting oil on fire to burn them, or tossing them in the air to see where they land are some of the many ways you must move your way through the game. There are moments that you will want to replay to see what else you could do, so thankfully you can save anywhere and just about any time.
Bioshock is that rare game where the plot, environment, and combat are all steps above the normal video game experience. Games at their very best, like this one, can create amazing alternative worlds for us to inhabit, doing those things we can’t do in real life. This is one product the free market should be very happy to have.
Check out the original BioShock trailer embedded below (reuploaded by Johnny AM):
