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BioShock releases on iOS

2K Games' critically acclaimed 2007 first-person shooter has launched for iPhone and iPad.

Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
Michelle Starr
2 min read

bioshock.jpg
2K Games

Old fans of 2K Games' BioShock series and newcomers alike have a new way to play the "biopunk" first-person shooter today, with the game officially launching on iOS -- a move that further blurs the lines between mobile gaming and console/PC gaming.

The game, originally released for Windows PC, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in 2007, was announced as a mobile port earlier this month. It has been modified with slightly scaled-back graphics so it can run on mobile hardware, as well as touch controls -- although it is also compatible with third-party mobile-compatible controllers.

"Bringing a true AAA gaming experience to the mobile platform, BioShock sends players on an adventure to explore the submerged Art Deco city of Rapture to fight deranged survivors of a failed objectivist utopia, and genetically modify their own DNA to gain superhuman powers," 2K wrote in a press release.

"The game also features a new leaderboard system, an in-app digital artbook (based on the original Special Edition), and a new player profile function that allows players to see how they stack up against their friends with a number of personal in-game stats that track how many weapons and plasmids are used, the number of enemies killed, and more."

As promised, it is priced on the "premium" level -- $14.99, AU$18.99, and £10.49 -- and is only compatible with new iDevice models: iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, iPad 4, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5. It won't run on older devices, the developer warns, and you may find yourself needing to clear some space on your device: Unsurprisingly, it comes in at a whopping 1.65GB.

You can grab it now from the iTunes app store, and stay tuned for our full review.