Bioshock 2 out today - Anyone playing yet?

[Rakewell]

Thoughts? Impressions? I'm at work all day while my PC dl's via STEAM. Grrr......

 

[Zenoth]

Metacritic has 91 / 100 on it, but there's no consumer reviews posted yet, only a compilation of "professional" reviews so far, so that score isn't surprising when you keep that in mind, I've played a good number of high-scored games that ended up being boring, but as long as Bioshock 2 is concerned it might well be quite good, I liked the first one, but it wasn't anything mind-blowing, but it certainly wasn't poor, not at all. I for one won't buy Bioshock 2 right now, maybe much later, in a few months.

 

[ayabe]

I made the mistake of reading the Eurogamer(I think) review and it dampened my spirits a bit. According to them the story has taken a backseat to gameplay, and the plot isn't anything mindblowing.

This is a downer for me, the story is the star of this franchise not the gameplay. Having both would be grand, but this is not trending in the right direction.

 

[Regs]

I didn't think the story in BioShock 1 was that well developed or explicit. It was mostly about setting atmosphere and mood. I'm not entirely sure if BioShock was meant as a RPG or a FPS.

 

[Rakewell]

This is all swell,

but anyone playing it yet?

 

[Rakewell]

I made the mistake of reading the Eurogamer(I think) review and it dampened my spirits a bit. According to them the story has taken a backseat to gameplay, and the plot isn't anything mindblowing.

This is a downer for me, the story is the star of this franchise not the gameplay. Having both would be grand, but this is not trending in the right direction.

Actually, the article says quite the contrary:

"As you prowl through the streets of the excellent Siren Alley, or pore over the storied halls of Fontaine Futuristics, you also realise that what's happening to you and to Rapture is more than a footnote to these subtle but measured improvements in combat and exploration. On the contrary, your violent encounters and treasure-hunting are the foundations into which an excellent story is being laid: Lamb's altruism may be an obvious counterpoint to Ryan's rational self-determination, but as one character points out in dialogue, Lamb's vision for the city is more startling and abhorrent. It takes you to far darker places."

 

[ayabe]

Wrong mag:

"If 2K had managed to tell a story that equalled or bettered that found in the original, we'd have been left with an unquestionably better experience, rather than just a more exciting, smarter shooter."

http://www.videogamer.com/pc/bioshock_2/review-2.html

PC gamer:

"Similar and slightly improved mechanics make this a worthy sequel, despite a sadly less-memorable story."

So anyways.

 

[Rakewell]

Wrong mag:

"If 2K had managed to tell a story that equalled or bettered that found in the original, we'd have been left with an unquestionably better experience, rather than just a more exciting, smarter shooter."

http://www.videogamer.com/pc/bioshock_2/review-2.html

PC gamer:

"Similar and slightly improved mechanics make this a worthy sequel, despite a sadly less-memorable story."

So anyways.

Understood. Everyone has their opinions; but to be honest, it's hard to best the original.

IGN had this to say:

"It's going to be a familiar experience for anyone that played the original, but BioShock 2's improvements to gameplay and its more focused storyline make for a game that's more playable and easier to digest."

I certainly think the game is worth playing, even if it isn't the original.

 

[Painman]

GFWL is pretty minor. Make an offline profile, and you're done. Saves will be in your Docs folder. You don't even have to enter any codes unless you wish to take the game online.

Feels very scripted, but I only made a suicide run through the 1st section and perhaps 2/3 of the second.

There's no walk/run.

Widescreen, which was supposed to be fixed at 75º Vert, is borked.

Headshots are groovy.

 

[TheJTrain]

No, but I'm #5 on the list @ Goozex (patience paid off last night, their servers were borked for almost an hour). Gotta finish DA:O and ME2 first, so I don't mind waiting a bit.

 

[CrystalBay]

Pass, waiting for bargain bin...

 

[coloumb]

I'm about 30 minutes into the game [I'm taking my time look at everything - seeing what can be destroyed, picked up, etc] - it's Bioshock inside a big daddy. Big sister is a nasty beyotch and apparently doesn't like you anywhere near the little sisters. I'd say the first area is all about "teaching" you the basics - how to walk, fire plasmids, use your main weapon [right hand], etc.

The intro movie is pretty cool - but there seems to be a disconnect in how the movie ends and the game begins - it just doesn't make sense unless you're a different big daddy.

The environment is more interactive and destructible
The engine seems to be a lot better optimized
They changed how you hack into devices - my guess it was done for the console gamers [it's more about being able to hit the right spot than moving tubes around a grid].
So far - no running - just a fast walk
Different options for your right arm - ranged weapon, the notorious gut ripper, etc
Plasmids of course
Character [recordings] from BioShock 1 [as well as new character recordings].

 

[VashHT]

I started dling it this morning on steam, plan on playing through a good chunk of it tonight.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

91/100, adjusted for the Bioshock Overhype Inflation Factor (BOIF) means then game is probably worth around 70-75%, just slightly less than the original.

 

[VashHT]

91/100, adjusted for the Bioshock Overhype Inflation Factor (BOIF) means then game is probably worth around 70-75%, just slightly less than the original.

Yeah just because you didn't like it means it's over-hyped, give me a break.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Yeah just because you didn't like it means it's over-hyped, give me a break.

Bioshock simply was not worth the 96% it received on Metacritic. That's a bullshit score for that game. This is not a matter of opinion, this is a fact. Everyone knows this. It cannot be denied.

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

Bioshock simply was not worth the 96% it received on Metacritic. That's a bullshit score for that game. This is not a matter of opinion, this is a fact. Everyone knows this. It cannot be denied.

Gotta agree with GA here. BioShock was hyped to the moon. It was pretty good the first time through, but it had literally no replay value, and it really jumped the shark

Spoiler

after you killed Andrew Ryan with the golf club.

From then on out, the game was on cruise control to just get to the end.

Oh, and I killed the last boss with the wrench. Wrench Monkey, FTW. In fact, I used the wrench 95% of the time, only switching to guns when fighting Big Daddies.

It was okay, maybe a 6 or 7, but not even close to "nearly perfect".

As for BioShock 2, pass. Maybe if I can find a GotY edition in the bargain bin for $20 sometime down the road.

 

[Rakewell]

Bioshock simply was not worth the 96% it received on Metacritic. That's a bullshit score for that game. This is not a matter of opinion, this is a fact. Everyone knows this. It cannot be denied.

How is your opinion, that it is a "bullshit score", a matter of fact?

Playing a game is like drinking a very fine bottle of wine.

I don't want the wine to dazzle me in ways that a wine never has dazzled. I want the wine to be complex, and the very best that it can be in its medium.

The game was a work of art, which dealt with morality. I am so F***ing sick of people throwing away good games because they don't break the mold.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Playing a game is like drinking a very fine bottle of wine.

No it's not. And Bioshock was average, maybe slightly above average.

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

The game was a work of art, which dealt with morality.

Blatant and generic fanboisms aside, how was BioShock a "work of art"? The premise was interesting, sure, but the story fell apart about half way through, and the gameplay was merely average, if that.

"Dealt with morality?" How?

Spoiler

Because there was a different 30-second cutscene at the end depending on whether you freed or harvested Little Sisters?

Give me a break. If that is "dealing with morality", plenty of games have done so before BioShock, and in better, more profound ways, too.

 

[Rakewell]

No it's not. And Bioshock was average, maybe slightly above average.

Not contextually, but the analogy works.

A medium has its own boundaries. I believe that Bioshock, while it didn't create new ones, was an excellent game in it's own right.

We all have our own opinions, mate.

 

[Rakewell]

Blatant and generic fanboisms aside, how was BioShock a "work of art"? The premise was interesting, sure, but the story fell apart about half way through, and the gameplay was merely average, if that.

"Dealt with morality?" How?

Spoiler

Because there was a different 30-second cutscene at the end depending on whether you freed or harvested Little Sisters?

Give me a break. If that is "dealing with morality", plenty of games have done so before BioShock, and in better, more profound ways, too.

Mkay. I'm really not interested in hijacking my own thread.

Anyone out there, who is actually playing "Bioshock 2", have any thoughts or impressions?

 

[SpatiallyAware]

AT sucks for letting people have their opinions.

The dude thought it was a good game, thus to his perception in reality it is a good game.


Personally, I REALLY wanted to like Bioshock and have played about 50% of the way through 2-3 times but can't seem to stick around enough to finish it.

 

[KeithTalent]

I loved Bioshock, I would give it a 92.

I can't bring myself to spend $50 for a new game though, when I have so many awesome cheap games I just bought, so I won't be picking this up for a while. Maybe once I can find it for $30 or lower.

KT

 

[Raduque]

I've played the original 4 or 5 times already, but they shit GfWL all over the sequel so I'm gonna have to pass on it for a while. I know they won't patch it out, but I refuse to pay full price for something so crippled.