Bioshock: Afterthoughts.

[ShibbieZ]

I'm gonna make this brief because I really just want to see what you all have to say about the game.

I found this game to be amazingly insightful, well thought out, and just an all-around masterpiece. Here is the real kicker though, from a game play stand point, its really just sort've ho-hum. Y'know? The story is what makes it so amazing.

The controls are very well done, and I feel as if its borrowed from many other games,(first and foremost being Doom 3) and I feel as if it goes out of its way to be very different, but doesn't really change the games formula. Anyway, the game is a masterpiece, its terrifying and the game's story is told brilliantly.

9.5/10.

Discuss!

[KilroyPerrywinkle]

While I agree the game play, story arc, and concept are all awesomely well thought out. Also a game hasn't come along where you've thought "I'd love to live in a world where THIS is possible..." in a long while.

That being said....

The ending sucks.

It becomes a third person version of mega-man.

Ice Man is defeated by Fire, Fire Man is defeated by Ice.

Repeat.

Boring.


6/10

[ShibbieZ]

Aha. Nice way to think about it bro. I did beat the end a tad easily now that you mention it. But i did enjoy the good ending.

[satori]

a couple of things that they've given you to turn off if you really want a game that challenges you more than the default.

1. turn off the directional arrow and then try and find you objectives. There was a decision made to make the game less about constant run and gun and make it about finishing the story. If they wanted they could of turned off the arrow on default and made it insanely long. Or worse yet, simply not given you the option to use it in the first place.

2. Turn off the shiny inventory items, now try and find some loose change.

[burgerboy06]

This is the type of game that is really fun on Hard. Medium and Easy are for toddlers. One must play on hard to get the full experience of the ammo system, health system, and such.

I say 9/10, not a 10 just for the ending, which i killed all the girls.

[kwok_talk]

Definitely a great game where the whole is better than the sum of its parts. I went through saving all the girls, but do want to sometime try it again not saving them and playing more with the different plasmids. By the end, though I was getting REALLY sick of the hacking game.

[cab00se]

I'll echo the sentiment of just about everyone that its a great game, its not without its faults though.

The photography is annoying, having to get the camera out all the time. Also got really bored of the hacking very quickly.

Still Im gonna be playing through it again soon and saving the little sisters.

[markr7]

As said by the last two posters, the hacking game grew tiresome extremely quickly!

Also beats me why they would make some impossible to hack (which might just be a bug - or design feature. But I found the broken/alarmed pipes were just silly, on the rare occasion i had backed myself into a corner, I would put in a completely wrong piece so as though not to connect up an alarm etc..)

I wasnt sure on the save/harvest the little girls either, i saved a few and harvested a few (got some rewards from the 'mother') - So im not particularly sure what ending i will get! :p


I'm actually finding it hard to get the motivation to pickup the game again, I think the game is great and all, but for some reason there's just something there which isnt drawing me back.. It could be the endless hacking, but it could also be the fact that regardless of what happens - I always start just meters from anywhere I die, with no real penalty (if i have nothing but lousy ammo and want to take on one of the 'daddies' or whatever, I can and will just respawn a couple of times.. I try not to - but theres no real punishment for doing so.)

[Ryan79]

I agree that the gameplay really didn't bring anything new to the table. However, the atmosphere of the game more than made up for that. Little touches like hearing Bobby Darin on the jukebox made the game a joy to play.

I made the mistake of playing the game on medium and it was ridiculously easy.

[DarthEnder]

Let me start out by saying that, because I hate scary games and I knew this game was scary, I went out of my way to take precautions against the scaryness.

I played on easy. I looked up non-spoiler faqs about the upgrades so I wasn't wasting my resources on ineffective powers. I used saving anywhere like I had OCD. And I got all my camera research done as soon as possible.

So my experience:


SPOILERS ALERT:
It's a great game. There's no doubt about that. The fear factor wasn't too bad. It was pretty bad in the first level, the medical pavilion just because you're so weak, and also crazy doctors and nurses are pretty ****ing scary. After that it wasn't too bad till Fort Frolic which is just unnerving with the statues.

The Big Daddies were, if anything, comforting to have around. It always made you feel like badguys wouldn't want to start **** with him around, and he never attacks you unless you **** with him.

And they weren't hard to kill. I know I played on easy, but I never had a Big Daddy fight last more than 15 seconds and cost me more than a bar of health. It was just a matter of walking up behind them, shocking them, and unloading with the shotgun.

Basically, all my focus on my powers went into upgrading lightning bolt, any stealth related powers, and any wrench related powers. This took alot of the scary out of the game.

I basically became crazykillgod with the wrench, especially with the research damage upgrades. I could kill everything but big daddies and bosses in one swing. Especially with the shocking-back field. I'd get jumped by a bunch of guys, turn around and swing my mighty wrench and splatter them all over the wall. And if something got behind me they usually just ended up electrocuted for getting to me.

And because I almost never used my guns, the other big worry of survival horror, running out of ammo, was never an issue.

And the last big thing, being ambushed, was essentially negated by the camo skin. Since I knew you almost always get adds spawning behind you whenever you picked up an upgrade or a diary, I'd just hold still before touching it. When I grab it, the ambushers would pop outside all agro, but then they'd come in the room and just not be able to see me. They'd just walk around till one got too close and then splat. Or they'd start walking away and I'd hit one in the back with the crossbow. The camo works on robots too, so if I ever triggered an alarm, or the couple times you automatically trigger one, you just stop moving till the alarm timer goes off. The bots fly around but never see you.

I basically made myself into the kind of scary, unseen, insta-killing predator that the badguys were supposed to be scary for being.

I do love the setting and the themes presented in the game. Its not about "this is what would happen if you tried an Objectivist society". It's "this is what happens if you try and Objectivist society and then decided to abandon those ideals mid-stream".

The story was good. I loved the big twist moment. Although the ending was kinda short and unsatisfying(I cured the little sisters).

But overall, yeah, great game! I hope the next thing they do is just as good and not survival horrorish. Someone needs to make another Deus Ex game.

One thing I think this game really could have benefitted from was a more active stealth system, like that seen in the Thief games. All the elements were present. The whole game was sparsely lit giving you lots of places to hide in the dark. And the game already took things like walking noise into effect. And instead of having the camo being an all or nothing invis they could give it levels and just make you harder to see for each level.

[darknessgp]

...
And they weren't hard to kill. I know I played on easy, but I never had a Big Daddy fight last more than 15 seconds and cost me more than a bar of health. It was just a matter of walking up behind them, shocking them, and unloading with the shotgun.

Definitely because you were on easy. I've had fights with them lasting sometimes 3-4 minutes. With me dieing a few times. Seems to me, that a bouncer running charge hit would not quite kill the player if they hadn't taken a health upgrade, basically knock them to like 1 hp, just enough so they had a chance to heal.

[DarthEnder]

Woof. Sounds brutal.

[taozoo4u]

the problem i have with Bioshock is that i cant seem to bring myself to play it for a second time.

[Xeno]

Bioshock is a great game but it has some problems.

*possible spoilers*


1. The hacking minigame. I played Pipe Dream back when my computer ran Windows 3.1, why was it copied and pasted into this game? The game doesn't even make logical sense from a hacking standpoint, that entire system is a severe drop in quality from the rest of the game.

2. The UI. Not a big deal at all, but the UI seemed to be a bit low in quality. The little box that displays your new objective whenever you receive one has little lights on either side that only have a 5-frame animation, the menu felt "cheap". It's not really an issue, it just struck me as odd considering how amazing the actual game looks.

3. The game wasn't scary. At all. I jumped maybe twice during the entire game and both of those were do to scripted scares. I'm a big fan of System Shock 2 and that game scared the religion out of me. This game? Not so much. I attribute this to a couple things, namely the combat actually being fun (so you seek out combat, instead of dreading it like in other horror games) and the fact that Atlas is constantly in contact with you. That constant link with a sane person in this hellish world kills a good chunk of the possible atmosphere and breaks the tension. And the combat thing? Well, I can't blame them for trying to make the game fun, but that is an unfortunate side effect. RE4 suffered the same thing.

4. The atmosphere wasn't used to its full potential. Imagine if you arrived at Rapture and Atlas never contacted you, if you just descended into this dark, strange place with no guidance, no handy explanations, no link to sanity. Being lost in that city and having no idea what the hell was actually going on would have made for a great, cerebral game and I'm kinda bummed I didn't get that. Now obviously they would have had to throw out their narrative to accomplish that, but I wasn't overly impressed with the story anyway (anyone who played SS2 knew all of the major beats, and the metaphors for single player game conventions were nice, but not all that necessary). Also in doing that they would have alienated the mainstream audience and hamstringed themselves from the wide success they've received. I understand their motivations for why they did it and I can respect that, I'm just sort of bummed by it in a very selfish way.

5. The gameplay. The gunplay is solid but it really doesn't hold up to extended play. it's nowhere near the level of, say, Half-Life 2 and ultimately ends up being merely "passable". Still, your first time through will be fairly entertaining.

6. The end. The entire last level is rather disappointing (another fetch quest? An escort quest too!?) and while I love the idea of turning into a big daddy, there is zero benefit to it other than progressing the game. And what's up the final boss? He didn't fit into the universe of the game at all, he was like something out of a bad comic book. And the actual ending itself (I got the bad ending) was extremely disappointing. It was way too brief, garbled, and didn't seem to resolve anything.

[ShibbieZ]

...and while I love the idea of turning into a big daddy, there is zero benefit to it other than progressing the game....


Actually, there was a BIG benefit from being a Big Daddy. If you still had to collect diaries, or work on photo research, it was great to have, because all of the security cameras/bots/turrets don't go off on you. Also, if you wanna fight other Big Daddies its great because you take very little damage. Plus. the only splicer that will attack you without provoking it is the Houdini Splicer.

[DarthEnder]

Yeah, I found it interesting that none of the splicers attack you anymore once your a big daddy. And least, none of the respawning ones do.

I found my way into a couple rooms I hadn't been in before and found that scripted ambush splicers still attack you.

So, yeah, not being attack is a pretty big benefit. At first I thought it sucked because the helmet is annoying. But that whole, not getting attacked thing. Wow.


I didn't think the last boss was out of place at all. I mean, he's got all the ADAM. What did you expect him to be like?

[hoaznod]

I thought the game was pretty brutal. I was never a console fps player, so when I started up the game on hard it was pretty damn hard for me. I'm also kind of a quick save/load person and I decided never to use the Vita Chambers.

But all in all, I think it was a great game. But it wasn't this groundbreaking super epic game that most people think. I think the environment and creativity involved with creating the back story is just beyond anything I've ever seen. I really enjoy that. But the actual game play wasn't all that special to me. I mean you look for stuff, hack stuff, shoot stuff, and repeat. The tactics of the plasmids usually only involved finding one way you like of doing things and just repeating (at least it was that way for me). As far as fps game play goes, I rather play a game like Gears of War.

I would definitely recommend everyone to play this game though. At least try it out.

[ShibbieZ]

...like Gears of War...



Hah, Gears isn't an FPS, but thats a common error. =]

Lol I'm such a perfectionist.

[gglynn00]

the problem i have with Bioshock is that i cant seem to bring myself to play it for a second time.

I agree that I don't think I'll play it again...I saw the "bad" ending on youtube so I don't see a point in harvesting little sisters to see it...(I'm a nice guy and saved them all)

My afterthoughts are this: I enjoyed the game, it was just enough freaky mixed with a dash of scary and crazy to keep me interested...I am not a FPS fan and I am pretty sure that this is the very first FPS that I have played all the way through...seriously...I didn't have an Xbox so I've never played the Halo games(I am getting Halo 3). The game was good enough to keep me interested and the way the story unfolds through the audio diaries kept me searching through every room. This in turn made the usually menial and mundane searching and made it fun, kinda...Even the escort mission wasn't as frustrating as in other games...So, I liked it, but I think I'm going to take it back for a trade credit.

[hbd]

I've played through it twice on Easy - the first time completely solo, the second with some help for achievements - and started my third run through on Hard for the last achievement, and I'm killing all the Little Sisters this time to see the "bad" ending.

I didn't mind the hacking game. After a while, the only thing I would hack was safes - cameras I would just destroy, and turrets were insta-hacked with the full research bonus.

And the game is infinitely more difficult on Hard than on Easy - although the fact you can't truly "die" takes some of the fear out of it. I've found myself taking on Big Daddies with just my wrench and plasmids, because I'm all out of ammo and I have no more money.

And I found the "good" ending fit the game perfectly. The story of BioShock becomes all about these little girls, and what has been done to them and to you. At the end, you give them and yourself hope for a real life.

[kakoritz]

This is the type of game that is really fun on Hard. Medium and Easy are for toddlers. One must play on hard to get the full experience of the ammo system, health system, and such.

i couldnt agree more. i never EVER play a game in pansy mode. i play Hard first time thru and had a fanstasic experience!



the problem i have with Bioshock is that i cant seem to bring myself to play it for a second time.

unfortuntly i feel the same way!! i spent 60 bucks, well spent mind you, on a really great game.. but d@mn it, i just dont have the urge to play it thru again. why is that?? i played Gear of War over and over and over and over and OVER!!! on every difficulty, even all the way thru as DOM and continued each time to have a blast. but this game i just cant force myself to play it again... *sigh*

[magunwarrior]

I haven't really played it a second time, It just doesn't feel the same as the first time through. And that's why it will be changing hands with a gamestop clerk later today.

[kwok_talk]

I just restarted playing this week trying to take my time collecting items and searching areas. One HUGE thing that has really made it even better was turning on the dialog subtitles. I realized how much of the story I missed. I’m also trying to fight smarter and use plasmids more. All in all, still as enjoyable.

[Guagloves]

Finally beat it today. i loved the sense of atmosphere, immersion and the wonderful sound design. I am very anxious to play through this game again.

[imagineer99]

I just picked it up this weekend--

Easily the most atmospherically beautiful game I have ever played. The opening prologue when you first enter Rapture is a work of freakin' art--amazing score, beautiful visuals, incredible detail.

This is one of the first games in a while where I actually CARE about the outcome of the game. I mean, many other games play great, but overall they just get boring. Even Halo's story has never been THAT interesting to me. But here, every environment--every room--feels unique. It's a fully realized world that is so much more interesting than repetitive hallways with random crates. Hearing patchy, static music play as you're exploring a dimly lit corridor is an experience in itself.

I can understand people's frustration with hacking. It does get tiring, although I do appreciate that it actually feels like you're doing something instead of just mashing buttons (kinda like lock picking in splinter cell). And, the game isn't necessarily the best "shooter" in the planet. But, regardless, this is a game that transcends into a level art. It aspires to be more than just a game, and for that reason alone it succeeds.

I haven't been this excited about a game since Deus Ex.

[DarthEnder]

This game actually reminded me ALOT of Thief 2 in terms of gameplay(and it should, same people made the thing).

With the people talking to you over the radio while your trying to run around and hide from shit, reminded me ALOT of Showdown At Soulforge. With Karras contantly ranting over the speaker system while your trying to hide from steam golems.

I think I mentioned it before, but I wish the stealth system in Bioshock was as good as Thief's had been. Its a perfect setup for it.

[crassius]

I agree with most of the comments about the game so far. The great atmosphere and well constructed world is what makes this a great game.

The main reason that I think Bioshock has limited replay value is that if you want to replay again, you have to replay the ENTIRE game again. I think if the game was structured more with missions that you could replay a SINGLE part of the game again, I would be more inclined to pick it up again (I know some people will argue that they have 100 saves, and can replay between saves, but thats not the same). There could be different challenges when replaying a mission already completed, and perhaps a point or rating system? I know that this would diminish some of the choices one makes with Gene Tonics, but I think it would be worthwhile.

[Blooper]

The main reason that I think Bioshock has limited replay value is that if you want to replay again, you have to replay the ENTIRE game again.

Couldn't agree more.

I was on the fence on if I wanted to get to the game or not. Upon watching the review for in on TRS I thought I'd give it a shot.

I don't think I have ever put myself so into a game before prior to this. The world of Rapture is designed so well that I could not help but getting sucked in.

The twist for this game, though I knew there would be one... Blew my mind. You look back at the whole experience up to there, so amazing in my mind. I didn't really get what the "Would you kindly..." written in blood on the wall meant, but when Ryan tells you. Wow. One of my favorite moments in a video game personally.