Fans won't have to look far to see BioShock on many lists of the best games of the 2000s. Originally published by 2K Games in 2007, the title would spawn one of the best-selling franchises of all time with BioShock 2, BioShock: Infinite, and another BioShock currently in development. By taking a closer look at the original, players will see that BioShock isn't like any other shooter out there, especially in playtime.
Set in the fictional underwater city of Rapture, the events of BioShock take place during 1960, as a man named Jack finds his way into Rapture after the airplane he's on crashes into the sea. Controlling Jack, players will progress through the story while wielding a variety of supernatural powers in the form of DNA plasmids. Whether reaching the end credits or going for a one-hundred percent run, the game will provide hours of content to complete.
Main Story Length
BioShock's plot revolves around Rapture's past and how the city went from a utopian vision of paradise to an apocalyptic nightmare with the discovery and overuse of ADAM. While making sure Jack survives, players will engage in gameplay and moral choices that ultimately determine a happy or much darker ending to the story. On average, the campaign will take 12 hours to finish, possibly less if the game is on easy or normal difficulty. If a player decides to rush through the story or play on hard mode instead, they can expect to add or subtract several more hours.
Getting Extras
While exploring Rapture, BioShock players can opt to find or acquire extra upgrades that make life much easier. These upgrades include improving the passive effects of tonics, increasing the number of plasmids that Jack can carry, or upgrading the power of different weapons in-game. To find all twelve upgrade stations and acquire the ADAM necessary to purchase everything else, players should expect to add 3 - 4 more hours, bringing the time spent to 15 or 16 hours in the main story.
Completing Audio Diaries
However, completionists will also need to find every audio diary. Audio diaries are recordings of people that lived in Rapture and provide essential plot or supporting information when picked up. With 122 total diaries scattered throughout the city, most players will need to spend around 5 hours, bringing the total time spent to 21 hours to piece together the convoluted rise and fall of Rapture.
Although BioShock isn't a new game, it is a story that withstood the test of time and manages to entertain players for double-digit hours even today. For fans that have finished Jack's story and entire series, there are many other great survival-horror titles to try while waiting for the inevitable fourth BioShock game.
Bioshock is available on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PS4
Source: HowLongToBeat
