On August 21st, 2007, Irrational Games and 2K Games released a game to the masses. They transported us to an underwater city that was meant to be a utopia for society elites, but instead turned into an underwater early 60s hell. We fought for our lives against iconic enemies such as the big daddy and used our superhuman abilities as well as normal weapons to do so. We have been asked if we are a man, or a slave as for "a man chooses, a slave obeys." We descended the lighthouse after a plane crash, but not all of us came out depending on the choices we made. And today, we celebrate ten years of experiences in the city of Rapture.

It started with a plane crash in the middle of the ocean. Surely it was an accident. Maybe plane turbulence, maybe lightning, who knows? You are the only survivor out in the middle of the ocean, but lucky for you the plane crash right next to a lighthouse. You enter this lighthouse and soon find that it isn't what you think it is. It's not long before you find yourself in a strange submarine going to this strange underwater city. But strange is Rapture's middle name, as for it isn't long before you meet strange demonic-looking little girls and are shooting lightning out of your hands. You fight to survive in this strange place as its crazy inhabitants try to kill you. The few sane people left in this hell try to guide you through Rapture, for better or for worse. But ultimately it is up to you to decide how you deal with the current situation. Or is it?

I didn't get the game the day it came out (I was too young), but I do remember the first time playing years ago. But the years do not deteriorate my memories of the playing the game. I still remember the first time watching the 'Welcome to Rapture' scene as your submarine goes over the rocks into the cities while Andrew Ryan describes the utopia he created and the escalating music that went with the scene. To this day, I still think that scene is one of the best scenes I have ever seen in any video game. I still remember shooting myself up with electro bolt the first time as you fall from the second floor platform to the first. I remember seeing my first big daddy drill up a splicer in a small theatre. I remember meeting Sander Cohen and the piano man forced to play music. I remember so much, and I cherished those memories. For the longest time, I said that this is my favorite game, and even though I decided not to have favorites anymore, I still say it is one of the greats.

Over the years, other Bioshock game have been released. We were re-introduced to the crazy world of Rapture, except through the eyes of a big daddy in Bioshock 2, and we found ourselves up in the clouds in a religious and gas fueled city of Colombia in Bioshock Infinite. I have loved the series for so long, but I have always thought that the first game was the best.

Today, we celebrate a masterpiece turning ten years old, and we celebrate the experiences we had with the game. Not everyone loved the game, but I know I did, and hearing this game turn ten impacted me more than any other game turning a milestone age. You asked if I would kindly, and I did, with fire in one hand, a gun in the other, and a smile on my face. I thank you for the experiences you have given me, and here is to another ten years.

Here is a ten year anniversary trailer made by 2K.

Bioshock may very well be one of the most analyzed games ever, practically starting (or at least popularizing) the genre of video game thinkpieces. As such, it's been quite in fashion these days to "well actually" the game's place in gaming's cannon by nitpicking all the things it doesn't do well. But you know what? After 10 years, the game still holds up. From the lighthouse to the Big Daddies to even the "Would You Kindly" twist, there's nothing else out there quite like Andrew Ryan's objectivist hell hole. Cheers to you Bioshock!

Definitely one of my Top 5 games of all time. An absolute masterpiece that I still enjoy on occasion. Is it perfect, no... but it is still amazing.

It's definitely one of the most special games I've ever played due to its story and setting. I was absorbed into that world. It's one of those rare games that everything around you in the real world just fades away and all you have in your mind is what you see on the screen and can't help but think about that world when you're done setting the controller down, from the sights and sounds of it all. It's one of my favorite games. I actually played it last month for a little while again. I got to Sander Cohen and then quit (though that's one of my favorite parts of the game). Honestly, the only thing I would want in some kind of update is for a control update as I'd rather aim with L2/LT and hold than R3 toggle.

Also, it's not the most well-written novel, but I fully recommend the book if anyone likes Bioshock and hasn't read it. Bioshock Infinite was disappointing to me for the reason above: I wanted to be immersed in that world like I was the first, but I wasn't, and by the end of that game, I felt that that wasn't the point of it anyway. I was also not that into the more combat arena action (as opposed to Bioshock's wandering about denizens), nor did I love the feel of the guns, but it was 'good'. The story and main characters were great though and despite not being absorbed into Columbia, I still thought it was interesting nonetheless and gave me things to think about. Bioshock 2 was great because I love Rapture, but the 'holy crap, this underwater city is awesome' feeling wasn't there as much. It's kind of like going to a favorite vacation spot, you're going to love it, but it's not going to be like discovering it the first time.

Bioshock 2 was great because I love Rapture, but the 'holy crap, this underwater city is awesome' feeling wasn't there as much, though I did love that the city was a bit more dilapidated. It's kind of like going to a favorite vacation spot, you're going to love it, but it's not going to be like discovering it the first time. Also, I am not one to think Minerva's Den is the best thing from Bioshock, but the story is actually quite pivotal, and what the main character achieves, in the end, is what Elizabeth's goal was in Burial At Sea.

I celebrated 10 years of Bioshock by finally playing Bioshock 2 and Minerva's Den. They were good but felt like fan fic so I ended replaying Bioshock again. To no surprise, Bioshock is still great. The thing I forgot about the first game is, there are some creepy ass horror moments. There wasn't as much to the main story as I thought there were but the side characters like J. S. Steinman, the doctor, and especially Sander Cohen, the artist, made up for its short comings and stole the show. Of course, Rapture is the star and she still shines bright. What a fucking place.

I recently tried to make a personal top 100 games list, which I do not recommend anyone even think about doing 'cause it's dumb as fuck but, Bioshock is floating at #33 so pretty high. This was no doubt my 1st holy shit next gen game last gen and easily one of the most memorable in the era.

Infinite is my favorite and the best in my opinion but the first one is just kinda groundbreaking. Stories like that are usually told in riskier indie type games.

2 isn't very riveting or anything but it's damn fun. Great franchise.

I decided to play through the first couple hours earlier today to see how it holds up. The things that I loved about it back in the day still hold up I think. The art and world and atmosphere are as beautiful as they were 10 years ago. I still enjoy listening to audio logs and scrounging for garbage, and honestly the hacking minigame is less annoying than I remember. The controls have really aged horribly. Aim down sights is basically worthless, only having access to a weapon OR a plasmid at any given time is extremely clunky, and the control layout in general is just very awkward. I wasted like 3-4 health kits absentmindedly trying to crouch.

To the best of my memory the series received some major mechanical improvements with 2, so I might give that one another spin as well.

Definitely in my top 10, probably top 5. I slept on it for a couple years before playing it but once I did I was kicking myself for waiting so long. I go back to it every couple of years and while some aspects of the gameplay feel dated the overall package stands the test of time.

Been years since I last played it, but it obviously left a huge impression on me, as you'll notice by the username and avatar I chose when the site went live in 2008 - yes, I've used the same profile pic the whole time. I hate when people change their pic too often, as it makes it harder to become familiar with users.

I cannot describe how mind-blowing BioShock was in 2007, as someone who'd never played System Shock 2 and had only just gotten into then-current-gen gaming. I think it set a new standard for narrative, atmosphere, and world-building at a time when story-based games were falling out of favour in mainstream games, and the fact that it was a commercial as well as critical success was fantastic for the medium. BioShock 2 was also fun, and Infinite was fantastic but didn't quite reach the levels of greatness that BioShock reached, perhaps because we were all judging it by the incredibly high standard of the original.