History YMMV / BioShock

** The design for the Splicers in ''[=BioShock=]'' 1 and 2 was based on the real life work of Dr. Harold Gillies, a post UsefulNotes/WW1 surgeon who practiced many surgeries on disfigured veterans. His intentions were to make them feel less ostracized by society, to do so he created a face from the remaining tissue as well as prosthetics. His work was revolutionary for his time, getting him hailed as "the father of plastic surgery." However, his works seem pretty primitive and borderline macabre now. A gallery is available but fair warning; it's fairly Squick-y [[http://gilliesarchives.org.uk/pcofweek.htm]]

* HilariousInHindsight: Ken Levine's promise of ''[=BioShock=]'' on the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita PlayStation Vita]], which not only [[{{Vaporware}} never happened]], but ended up living on through the Trilogy's release on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

* NightmareFuel: Lots. Between claustrophobia, hydrophobia, BodyHorror, {{deadly doctor}}s, {{mad artist}}s, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs deadly doctors who ''think'' they're artists]], fear of surgical implements, [[AfraidOfNeedles fear of needles]], fear of the dark, MindControl, child cruelty, {{creepy child}}ren, SoundtrackDissonance, animal cruelty, [[ShapedLikeItself fear of being hunted through a decaying city by gene-spliced psychopaths]], and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking seafood allergies]], there's something in the series to terrify everybody. [[NightmareFuel/BioShock1 All]] [[NightmareFuel/BioShock2 three]] [[NightmareFuel/BioShockInfinite games]] have their own pages.

* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: Many critics had this reaction to every entry in the franchise, praising their respective stories and settings but criticizing for their relatively simple gameplay, particularly in comparison to their spiritual predecessor ''VideoGame/SystemShock2''.

* ContestedSequel: ''[[VideoGame/BioshockInfinite Infinite]]'' is either the best or the worst game in the series. Although many fans consider ''Infinite'' to be a worthy, if still gameplay-wise inferior, sequel to ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' that is still superior to ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', you can expect opinions to range broadly on this subject.
** Some think ''VideoGame/BioShock2'' [[{{Sequelitis}} is a cash grab that is not as good as the original]], but others argue it's a good game in its own right that had a story that did its own thing.

** ''VideoGame/BioShock2'' is near universally agreed to be [[{{Sequelitis}} a cash grab that is not as good as the original]], but fans can't agree on whether it's a good game in its own right that had a story that did its own thing, or if it's a lazy piece of garbage that had a story that used too many {{retcon}}s and diminished the original's story.

* The ''VideoGame/BioShock'' games are very unsubtle about their Aesop: Utopianism is unrealistic. People will inevitably fail to live up to their own ideals, especially when the reins of power are given to those who would exploit it.
** Also, from the audio diaries from ''[[VideoGame/BioShock2 Minerva's Den]]'':
--->'''Charles Milton Porter''': Sure, you hear it in Rapture. One of the business types asked me, "Why don't you [[WhiteLikeMe splice white]]? Get ahead!" Well, that's some idiocy! I told him, "First of all, I AM ahead. Second, in Rapture, it's your ''work'' that's supposed to matter, not your skin!" Too bad for some folks you can't splice in common sense.
** Another anvil dropped in [[VideoGame/BioShock1 the first game]] is that a society of people completely dedicated to [[ItsAllAboutMe self-interest]] is short-lived. Rapture was filled with brilliant scientists, artists, and businessmen, but very few willing blue-collar workers (as Frank Fontaine said, "Someone has to scrub the toilets"), which resulted in a top-heavy class system that led to Rapture's social, economic, and literal collapse.

* {{Anvilicious}}:
** The series isn't subtle in its imagery, which unfortunately means that the messages that ''are'' subtle are easily overwhelmed. The message of extremism in any human endeavour is bad, represented with all of the major villains and settings. Critics argue that such tendencies to paint in extremes, or see the main focus on extremism itself, ultimately makes [[ConceptsAreCheap the concept cheap]] and not a true exploration of any idea. For instance, if the message of the first game is that UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}} taken to the extreme is bad, does that mean that "moderate" Objectivism is good? Likewise, if Zachary Comstock an extreme of white nationalism and manifest destiny, does that mean moderate versions of that are good or tolerable? As noted by critics and historians the point about these ideas, or any other contentious ideas, is not about the most extreme version, but about the fact that ordinary people can buy into it, nor is it any real critique or exploration of concept (many critics for instance argue that ''any'' Objectivism is bad and academically it is not considered a valid idea at all).
** [[https://kotaku.com/bioshocks-jewish-roots-run-deep-1827482206 Accidentally, the game can serve as a critique of Israel,]] in that wanting to find a safe space free of oppression, the founders then proceed to oppress those they see as beneath them, as represented by the AmbiguouslyJewish founders. Andrew Ryan was a just a boy when his family fled the Russian Empire during the Pogroms and made his fortune in the [=U.S.=], despite hating the fact that his business was subject to government regulation; Tenebaum was an inmate in a concentration camp but was recruited by the Nazis due to her intellect, and wanted to find a place where she could pursue her scientific curiosity unimpeded; and Sander Cohen was an artist who found societal norms too prudish for his artistic style. When Rapture was founded they found relief that they could be free to pursue their passions, however: Ryan, a critic of government censorship, felt threatened whenever anyone who spoke against him or Rapture, and censored them; Tenebaum conducted a number of inhumane medical experiments on numerous subjects; and Cohen praised himself as an artistic genius, and demanded anyone that disagreed to be censored, and his artistic style aside from being bizarre often included the torture or murder of others.

* HilariousInHindsight: Ken Levine's promise of ''[=BioShock=]'' on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita, which not only [[{{Vaporware}} never happened]], but ended up living on through the Trilogy's release on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

* {{Anvilicious}}: The series isn't subtle in its imagery, which unfortunately means that the messages that ''are'' subtle are easily overwhelmed. The message of extremism in any human endeavour is bad, represented with all of the major villains and settings. Critics argue that such tendencies to paint in extremes, or see the main focus on extremism itself, ultimately makes [[ConceptsAreCheap the concept cheap]] and not a true exploration of any idea. For instance, if the message of the first game is that UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}} taken to the extreme is bad, does that mean that "moderate" Objectivism is good? Likewise, if Zachary Comstock an extreme of white nationalism and manifest destiny, does that mean moderate versions of that are good or tolerable? As noted by critics and historians the point about these ideas, or any other contentious ideas, is not about the most extreme version, but about the fact that ordinary people can buy into it, nor is it any real critique or exploration of concept (many critics for instance argue that ''any'' Objectivism is bad and academically it is not considered a valid idea at all).

* AwesomeArt: One of the most praised aspects of the series is its BioPunk visual style, with the first two games going DieselPunk in its Art Deco environments, and the third retroceding a bit to {{Steampunk}}.

* CompleteMonster: [[YMMV/BioShock1 Frank Fontaine, Dr. Yi Suchong, Dr. J. S. Steinman]]; [[YMMV/BioShock2 Stanley Poole, Sofia Lamb]]; [[YMMV/BioShockInfinite Father Zachary Hale Comstock]]; [[YMMV/BioShockRapture Pat Cavendish]]. See those pages for details.