bioshock what a game part 2

[you2]

I wrote this answer but then discovered the other thread locked. Since (I think) this answer is constructive i'd like to go ahead and post it:
--
Originally posted by: pontifex
Originally posted by: you2
Originally posted by: Regs
Some one here also likes STALKER more than Bioshock but I won't name him.



As a game I thought stalker was a better concept than Bioshock. My two biggest complaint with bioshock are the way it handles death and the lack of consequence when choices are made (since in the end you end up with all abilities anyways). Both of these are 'dumb down' mechanics which have become more common (esp as console game sage have gone up).

The actual production and implementation were better in Bioshock but these are mechanical aspects of the game. As to the story - well stalker lost a bit in the translation so I'm not sure if the comparison would be fair. The presentation was much better in bioshock. Just a pitty they had to dumb the game down to such an extreme.

-- by Regs
can you explain this lack of consequence? i keep seeing people talk about this in various games. what exactly do you want to happen? do you want it to force you to start the game over from the beginning, as the exact same person you were before? maybe just the level?

----by you2
(someone removed the quote button)

Actually, I was not talking about the LS in this specific case (though that is another topic but one that is much more open to debate). I'm talking about the upgrades. It doesn't matter which upgrades you purchase or pick because in the end you more or less end up with them all. In a game (such as deus X or system shock ii) there are different ways to play the game and you have to pick a way since there is no clear 'best' combination of upgrades AND there is no hope that you will get most (or all) of them. So you have choices to make in how you are going to play and you 'build' your character in that direction.

In bioshock they had a chance to not only include that aspect of the game (but chose not to) they also had the chance to add another dimension with the LS (but again chose to provide minimal differences in the end in that aspect of the game - as already desribed). In general this is what I mean by the game as 'dumb' down. You can die as much as you want (and even make death an advantage rather than a disadvantage, you can pick any upgrade you want (since you will eventually get them all) and you can do anything you want with the LS and the only real difference is a different narrative at the end.

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[coloumb]

Yeah - the end of bioshock kinda felt rushed.

I played through the first time catering to the little sisters [kept them alive - I just couldn't kill them]. I did get the nifty "big brother is my friend" power up. And an ending of me "saving the world"
2nd time through - the only difference I saw was lack of being able to choose the "big brother is my friend" power up and a slightly different ending [I got bored half way through and just used a video player to watch the movies].

Overall - I enjoyed Bioshock mainly for the atmosphere and story - which a lot of games seem to lack lately.

And..I can't believe the other thread turned into a trashfest...

 

[fjorner]

Bioshock is awesome.

Its one of those games I like to find (like HL2) that my wife doesn't mind sitting and watching me play all the way through. She's a big help spotting things and thinking through strategies, I dare say I wouldn't have nearly as much luck without her. This is probably my single favorite FPS behind only HL2.

Right before the Orange Box was released, I tried to finish up Bioshock because I wanted to play HL2:EP2 badly. But I couldn't rush or speed through Bioshock. The other night I promised I'd try to play Bioshock at high speed and get things done because of the Orange Box's release date today. But I can't. I have to savor it. I can't blitz through a level without exploring every nook and cranny, I just can't do it. I've got a friend who's blown through Bioshock. I'm sure there is so much nuance and story that he's missed. Not I. Can't do it. Leaving any portion of a level unexplored is like leaving a few M&M's in the bag. Can't do it. You guys catch the gravestone of John Maynard Keynes and Adam Smith? some pretty deep intonations and discussion can be drawn from that about those men and their economic policies as it applies to the underwater world gone mad.

sound, including the music, is one of the main reasons the game is so freaking real. You all heard the score on MP3? http://downloads.2kgames.com/b...ock/BioShock_Score.zip Most of it is pretty enjoyable to listen to outside the game.

I thought that the real climax of the game came in the office of Andrew Ryan, and the part afterwards did feel a little lackluster, maybe even rushed. Or I wonder if that was me, playing the game with importance now that the urgency of the main plot is gone?