Bioshock thoughts after finishing the game.

[TheVrolok]

Not really what I expected. I expected a horror/survival game (all I heard was that it was a similar formula to SS2 over and over again). As far as horror goes, there were some parts that were creepy but I just didn't think it was nearly as scary or tense as some other games (RE series/Silent Hill series/SS2/D3/Stalker/etc.). Most, if not all, of the monsters let you know they were coming miles away simply by shouting. It just really wasn't that scary.

As far as survival, wow, I played it on hard because I had heard it was easy, but come on.. I can't even imagine how this game would be on easy (would you even need to have cheats). I never went more than 30 mins or so without have 9 FA kits/9 eve hypos and full health. I think I can recall getting low on ammo maybe once or twice but at points where plasmids did just as well. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at video gaming in general, but I'm not this good. This game was just cake from start to finish. Oh yeah, vita-chambers, I played with these turned off because I heard the game was easy. Didn't even matter. Why do you guys think the game was so easy? I'm sure they play tested it at least a bit?

Speaking of the finish.. what an AWFUL end battle. This fight took maybe 45 seconds when you take out the time it took to run up and stab him. I didn't even fire a single weapon. The only plasmid I used was telekinesis and all I did was throw a few of the excessive amounts of explosive barrels/gas cylinders at him. Cake. I completely ignored the monsters that were summoned to assist him. I didn't even use 1 eve hypo and went through MAYBE 2 FA kits? So much for a boss fight. The Big Daddy's were 10x harder to kill than Fontaine was (at least the first few were). Oh, and the ending videos - a bit weak.

Now you'd think I really hated the game, but I didn't at all. I found myself enjoying it quite a bit more than I normally enjoy games. I think the atmosphere was fantastic (just not as scary as I had anticipated). The voice acting was pretty decent and that art was fantastic. I think the overall direction (art/style/motifs/acting) was great.

Definitely loved the game, just a bit different than I expected and it had some definite flaws (but what game doesn't).

Oh, and no achievements on the PC (Steam) version?

Yours thoughts, opinions?

 

[Fox5]

Agreed. Game was super easy, only had a problem right at the very start before you have any weapons and get jumped by a few enemies, plus the first big daddy.
Plasmids don't really beat enemies though, no plasmid, from what I can recall, directly kills an enemy, they're all situational. Still, by the end of the game I had so many ways to kill any enemy easily, including big daddys, that it didn't even matter.
Boss fight was lame, kind of fun using the security plasmid to turn the bots against fontaine though.

Story/atmosphere were amazing, even though both are DIRECTLY lifted from System Shock 2, including the major plot twist.

 

[Mem]

Bioshock was the sort of game you either loved or very disappointed with,my disappointment of 2007, as to being scarey well I found installing Starforce drivers on my Vista x64 more scarey .

Each to their own however,side note I hope the presequal they are making lives up to my expectations.

 

[apoppin]

i gave it ~ 7/10 ... BS was OK ... but nothing special and certainly NOT the "spiritual successor" to SS2
-and absolutely UNworthy of the ridiculous hype surrounding it

 

[Piuc2020]

I wouldn't say Bioshock is a love or hate game, some people love it, some people think it's just ok but very few people (with more than a single digit IQ) hate the game for legitimate reasons, I'm just going to assume you are one of the few people who hate it for legitimate reasons that do NOT include technical issues.

I liked the game but I thought the hype and scores were pretty overblown, the game suffers from a very serious case of console-itis, that is why it is so easy and holds your hand throughout the whole game. The creative part of the game is pretty well done and probably no one can make solid criticisms on it, the gameplay has potential but it's never taken advantage of and the technical aspect of the game is a shame really.

It is not similar to the System Shock games, the story is nothing special and also fails in several levels (including the main character, which is alienated more and more from the player as the game progresses).

In the end, I would give Bioshock an 8.5, it was a blast playing through it, the weapons and plasmids were always fun to use and the atmosphere and art was always impressive, I would definitely recommend it but I wouldn't give any awards to it that didn't concern sound or art.

 

[frythecpuofbender]

The "abandoned underwater city full of biomutated zombies and creepy creatures"-setting sure suggested way more creepiness.
For me it was mostly the ridiculous dialogue of the rapture peeps running around and the whole "everything looks like a 50s plastic doll"-approach to art that prevented it from ever getting scary.
But it was pretty good as a game. I just didn't like the level design too much... it seemed way too mazelike and not really grounded on "reality". This together combined with some of the automatons and the crazy folks running around sometimes made it too obvious I was playing a game. The city didn't feel "lived in" or "alive" (or therefore "abandoned") at all.

Most scary video game moment ever for me still is the mansion level in Vampire: Bloodlines

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: Piuc2020
I wouldn't say Bioshock is a love or hate game, some people love it, some people think it's just ok but very few people (with more than a single digit IQ) hate the game for legitimate reasons, I'm just going to assume you are one of the few people who hate it for legitimate reasons that do NOT include technical issues.

I liked the game but I thought the hype and scores were pretty overblown, the game suffers from a very serious case of console-itis, that is why it is so easy and holds your hand throughout the whole game. The creative part of the game is pretty well done and probably no one can make solid criticisms on it, the gameplay has potential but it's never taken advantage of and the technical aspect of the game is a shame really.

It is not similar to the System Shock games, the story is nothing special and also fails in several levels (including the main character, which is alienated more and more from the player as the game progresses).

In the end, I would give Bioshock an 8.5, it was a blast playing through it, the weapons and plasmids were always fun to use and the atmosphere and art was always impressive, I would definitely recommend it but I wouldn't give any awards to it that didn't concern sound or art.

I really meant love or very disappointed with as in my case,I don't hate the game infact very few games I can think of that I hate,however it did not live up to my expectations and I won't play it again,also reviewers really overated the game,I corrected my previous post too.

some people think it's just ok but very few people (with more than a single digit IQ) hate the game for legitimate reasons

IQ has nothing to do with what you think of a game(we all have our own opinions on a game) unless you want to start a personal attack on somebody and as you know that's not allowed in AT forums.

 

[pontifex]

loved BioShock. Thought the story was great, kept me wanting to play. The atmosphere was great too. I'll agree with others that gameplay wasn't anything all that special though, the story made up for it though. It was one the few games that I didn't want to put down in a long time.

 

[CP5670]

I definitely liked this game overall, although the 10/10s everywhere were ridiculous as it did have substantial flaws. I would say 8/10 is more appropriate. I liked the funky art style and the levels had exceptional detail in them despite being quite linear. As the OP mentioned, the game is very easy even without the respawning, which made the stats/upgrades, already dumbed down a lot from SS2, rather pointless. They might have wanted to make it easier than SS2, which was quite a hard game, but they obviously went way too far with it. The basic combat was still fun though and the weapons and plasmids generally made cool effects, although I rarely found myself using the latter except for just a change of pace.

The story starts off quite interesting but becomes rather boring and predictable later on. The "moral choice" thing that they hyped so much before the game's release was a joke; by the time you first encountered a sister, you had already concluded that this was a world populated by lunatics, but at the same time the upgrades you could get were rarely useful due to the easy difficulty, so you didn't give much of a crap either way. I didn't find anything "scary" here, but I don't find games scary in general. The only thing scary about it was the DRM, which a crack handled easily.

The graphics were highly inconsistent and veered between spectacular and atrocious, often in the same room, but it didn't detract much from the game for me. There were some technical issues with occasional random crashes though.

 

[Dacalo]

It's easy to be disappointed if you were expecting SS2 successor in BS. BS is a great game in it's own right, but it can't be compared to SS2 as far as difficulty and the horror/suvivor genre. Ammos and offensive plasmids are plenty, so it is much easier to dispose enemies in BS. Respawning with no penalty killed it too.

 

[CP5670]

Yeah, I thought it was similar to Deus Ex: Invisible War in that respect. It's dumbed down and consolized, and generally incomparable to its predecessor, but is still quite a good game.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: Dacalo
It's easy to be disappointed if you were expecting SS2 successor in BS. BS is a great game in it's own right, but it can't be compared to SS2 as far as difficulty and the horror/suvivor genre. Ammos and offensive plasmids are plenty, so it is much easier to dispose enemies in BS. Respawning with no penalty killed it too.

I think that's a lot of it... as I never played SS2 and really enjoyed BS. Not 10/10 but it had the best single player of any game I got this x-mas as far as fun goes. Certain parts were pretty creepy, but I think I was more scared in Ravenholm =P.

I didn't like how linear it was despite being a city... one way in/out on each side is pretty stupid.

 

[DangerAardvark]

I played it on Hard with Vita-Chambers off first time through also. It was pretty easy. The only tricky part was when Fontaine lowers your max health, simply because the Rosies tend to one or two-shot you.

But the main problem was that they give you an arsenal the size of Texas. I couldn't have run out of ammo if I tried. That also killed the replay value for me. You can hack everything, use every weapon, use every ammo and every plasmid on your first playthrough. This is RPG Design 101 for christ's sake. What's the point of giving everyone all these "options" if they can just do them all, all the time?

And the ending is absurd as is the final boss battle. I've seen Contra games with more complex boss battles.

Oh, and can we stop with having shotguns be completely useless outside of a 3 ft range? You have to practically use it like a melee weapon in this game.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: DangerAardvark
I played it on Hard with Vita-Chambers off first time through also. It was pretty easy. The only tricky part was when Fontaine lowers your max health, simply because the Rosies tend to one or two-shot you.

But the main problem was that they give you an arsenal the size of Texas. I couldn't have run out of ammo if I tried. That also killed the replay value for me. You can hack everything, use every weapon, use every ammo and every plasmid on your first playthrough. This is RPG Design 101 for christ's sake. What's the point of giving everyone all these "options" if they can just do them all, all the time?

And the ending is absurd as is the final boss battle. I've seen Contra games with more complex boss battles.

Oh, and can we stop with having shotguns be completely useless outside of a 3 ft range? You have to practically use it like a melee weapon in this game.

Well then it's a good thing this is a FPS then huh :roll:

 

[Piuc2020]

Originally posted by: Mem

IQ has nothing to do with what you think of a game(we all have our own opinions on a game) unless you want to start a personal attack on somebody and as you know that's not allowed in AT forums.

I understand everyone has different opinions (and preferences) but only stupid and ignorant people are blind enough not to appreciate and value things accordingly, if someone wants to think Bioshock is a crappy game then he/she better have a good reason and a good argument for it and not just "bioshock is the suxorz".

That's what I meant to say, anyone is in their full right not to like a game but credit where credit is due.

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: Fox5
Story/atmosphere were amazing, even though both are DIRECTLY lifted from System Shock 2, including the major plot twist.

Care to explain that one?

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: Piuc2020

Originally posted by: Mem

IQ has nothing to do with what you think of a game(we all have our own opinions on a game) unless you want to start a personal attack on somebody and as you know that's not allowed in AT forums.

I understand everyone has different opinions (and preferences) but only stupid and ignorant people are blind enough not to appreciate and value things accordingly, if someone wants to think Bioshock is a crappy game then he/she better have a good reason and a good argument for it and not just "bioshock is the suxorz".

That's what I meant to say, anyone is in their full right not to like a game but credit where credit is due.

Only stupid,ignorant people?......Ok I let that go since that looks like a flame bait or a rude comment ,reasons why I did not think its great,boring gameplay very linear,not scarey for me,story I did not find exciting or anything special,game was well overhyped maybe I expected too much,I could go on but don't see the point.
I have already posted my reasons in the other Bioshock threads so no need to keep repeating myself,some people can get really touchy when somebody else makes a remark about a game,in the end its only a game not your girlfriend.

Btw he or she does not need a good reason,regardless of if they like or don' t like the game,you should just respect their opinion regardless.

FYI I did play System Shock2 when it first came out and thought that was great and better then Bioshock.

Games I consider great story(Bioshock does even come close to these) are games like Planescape Torment and KOTOR to name a few.

 

[Piuc2020]

Originally posted by: Mem

Originally posted by: Piuc2020

Originally posted by: Mem

IQ has nothing to do with what you think of a game(we all have our own opinions on a game) unless you want to start a personal attack on somebody and as you know that's not allowed in AT forums.

I understand everyone has different opinions (and preferences) but only stupid and ignorant people are blind enough not to appreciate and value things accordingly, if someone wants to think Bioshock is a crappy game then he/she better have a good reason and a good argument for it and not just "bioshock is the suxorz".

That's what I meant to say, anyone is in their full right not to like a game but credit where credit is due.

Only stupid,ignorant people?......Ok I let that go since that looks like a flame bait or a rude comment ,reasons why I did not think its great,boring gameplay very linear,not scarey for me,story I did not find exciting or anything special,game was well overhyped maybe I expected too much,I could go on but don't see the point.
I have already posted my reasons in the other Bioshock threads so no need to keep repeating myself,some people can get really touchy when somebody else makes a remark about a game,in the end its only a game not your girlfriend.

Btw he or she does not need a good reason,regardless of if they like or don' t like the game,you should just respect their opinion regardless.

FYI I did play System Shock2 when it first came out and thought that was great and better then Bioshock.

Whoa whoa... I wasn't talking about you buddy , sorry if I delivered the wrong message, I was just talking about people in general, I understand your reasons in being disappointed (and in fact I share them) with Bioshock and I would respect them even if I didn't share them.

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: Piuc2020

Originally posted by: Mem

Originally posted by: Piuc2020

Originally posted by: Mem

IQ has nothing to do with what you think of a game(we all have our own opinions on a game) unless you want to start a personal attack on somebody and as you know that's not allowed in AT forums.

I understand everyone has different opinions (and preferences) but only stupid and ignorant people are blind enough not to appreciate and value things accordingly, if someone wants to think Bioshock is a crappy game then he/she better have a good reason and a good argument for it and not just "bioshock is the suxorz".

That's what I meant to say, anyone is in their full right not to like a game but credit where credit is due.

Only stupid,ignorant people?......Ok I let that go since that looks like a flame bait or a rude comment ,reasons why I did not think its great,boring gameplay very linear,not scarey for me,story I did not find exciting or anything special,game was well overhyped maybe I expected too much,I could go on but don't see the point.
I have already posted my reasons in the other Bioshock threads so no need to keep repeating myself,some people can get really touchy when somebody else makes a remark about a game,in the end its only a game not your girlfriend.

Btw he or she does not need a good reason,regardless of if they like or don' t like the game,you should just respect their opinion regardless.

FYI I did play System Shock2 when it first came out and thought that was great and better then Bioshock.

Whoa whoa... I wasn't talking about you buddy , sorry if I delivered the wrong message, I was just talking about people in general, I understand your reasons in being disappointed (and in fact I share them) with Bioshock and I would respect them even if I didn't share them.

Fair enough looks like I got the wrong end of the stick as they say,I just wish we saw more games like classics of Planescape Torment etc..those were the days,a lot of games nowadays are rushed out half fixed or incomplete/shorten ending(ie KOTOR2 ).

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: Raduque

Originally posted by: Fox5
Story/atmosphere were amazing, even though both are DIRECTLY lifted from System Shock 2, including the major plot twist.

Care to explain that one?

Spooky abandoned spaceship.
Spooky abandoned biodome.
Malfunctioning machinery, including turrets and robots.
Malfunctioning steam driven machinery, including turrets and cyborgs.
Mysterious benefactor guides you through the game, only to reveal itself as the villain just as you meet the person you've been looking for all game.
Plus the fact that you're really under the control of the evil villain the whole time, but overcome it somehow to save the day.
The ghosts.
The creepy logs left all over the place detailing the experiments and final moments of insanity.
Renegade band of humans forming an alternative hierarchy and fighting against any sane humans, even the evil sane ones.

 

[dwell]

Finished Bioshock. I never want to play it again. The world was pretty nice, but I never want to go there again. Zero replay.

 

[skyofavalon]

I had to force myself to finish it. 6/10.Not a horrible game just,extremely mediocre.Not a timeless classic as most of the reviews made it out to be.