Bioshock

[Digital-Nitrate]

From everything I've read and seen of Bioshock this game looks like it's going to be amazing, and certainly a big improvement over your typical adrenaline-filled non-stop killing FPS game.

The only thing that would keep me from giving it a perfect score is that it's missing any kind of online game mode. Not that it necessarily needs one, only that had it had one, it would deserve a higher rating... so you have to leave room for improvement. Other than that, I can understand why reviewers are raving over this game. 👍

 

[Jedi2016]

The online (or rather, the lack thereof) is a sticking point for some people, but after playing the demo, I think I agree that the game is really meant to be single-player, and that's it. It's not about the action, it's about the immersion, and online multiplayer just doesn't have that. If the game had been more of a typical run-and-gun type of shooter, I'd certainly agree that online multiplayer is a must. But it's not a typical run-and-gun shooter.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

The online (or rather, the lack thereof) is a sticking point for some people, but after playing the demo, I think I agree that the game is really meant to be single-player, and that's it. It's not about the action, it's about the immersion, and online multiplayer just doesn't have that. If the game had been more of a typical run-and-gun type of shooter, I'd certainly agree that online multiplayer is a must. But it's not a typical run-and-gun shooter.

I guess I feel that a game doesn’t have to be a typical run-and-gun type of shooter to have immersive multi-player online gameplay.

I'm fine with the fact that Bioshock doesn't have it, but I can also see how it could have added another level of entertainment and additional challenges. For instance, an online game mode could require players to cooperate with each other in order to get through more complex problem solving scenarios, where one person on there own would not be able to succeed, similar to games like Little Big Planet. It's nice to see game developer's thinking outside the box. 👍

 

[Zrow]

I did both. Would you think I would be stupid enough not too?

Reading the definitions of a "10 out of 10" rating from these reviewers are laughable. I guess a "perfect" game is 11 out of 10? These reviewers have advertisement concerns, not credibility. 👎

More of the same, another first person shooter.

More the same what?

Also, in regards to the ratings topic: there's never gonna be a game that is virtually flawless. The 10 says that the overall experience of playing the game was outstanding one of the best. If a game is 99% fantastic, that 1% of something isn't going to keep it from getting the top score.

Unless you're the kind of person that plays games with a checklist to see what they did wrong, I guess. But then, why play games in the first place?

 

[G.T]

More the same what?

Agreed.

Of course, it does have the typical guns, but there is no FPS I've played that's come even close to the atmosphere it creates or has such a way of using Plasmids on enemies like that, let alone combining their effectiveness to make your "typical" weapons (which are upgradable with parts you find around rapture) inflict more damage. And in the full game, you can apparently free-roam the whole of rapture, which gets rid of the linear gameplay nearly all FPSs have.

Also, in regards to the ratings topic: there's never gonna be a game that is virtually flawless. The 10 says that the overall experience of playing the game was outstanding one of the best. If a game is 99% fantastic, that 1% of something isn't going to keep it from getting the top score.

👍 Exactly the point I was trying to explain.

 

[Solid Fro]

Bioshock is a FPS. No matter what gimmick they throw in, it's still more of the same. It is a good game, not a perfect game. These reviews are indeed bull****.

A review is a checklist. Graphics, sound, gameplay, replay value, etc. I guess reviews are just a rating of how you feel at that moment of time. I wonder how these idiots will rate upcoming FPS games this year? Haze, COD4, UT3, and of course Halo 3.

Halo 3: 27 out of 10. Best game evah.

 

[Dead_Poetic]

A review is a checklist. Graphics, sound, gameplay, replay value.

Bioshock:

• 
  Graphics: Absolutely gorgeous.

• Sound: Very atmospheric and strong.

• Gameplay: Very fun, with an insane amount of possibilities to kill your enemies

• Replay Value: Very high, as through the first time you may miss several of the different plasmids, or weapon upgrades, which can add a whole other element to the game.

Checklist? Check.

 

[Earth]

If you don't feel like reading a long rant simply skip to the very bottom of this post and read the last sentence highlighted in blue.

After hearing all the fuss about this game I had to check out. After watching several youtube videos,

I agree with Solid Fro

My first impressions of this game's gameplay etc was overshadowed by the amount of gore this game had. In most of the videos I watched it had this little girl stabbing dead boddies with a sharp instrument only to drink whatever she drained out of them. Then I saw somebody use a pipe wrench to kill a man. There was bloody bodies everywhere. You can even kill that little child. Some of the sickest stuff I've seen in a while. On par with some of the worst horror films.

Outside of that the gameplay didn't look like anything special. They've decreased the linearity that most FPS games suffer from but other than that...it's your standard FPS which probably means 10-15 hours to play through the first time max with the only thing breaking the repetitive killing of enemies being the different ways available to kill them... And no online play? How can a FPS get scores that high this day and age with no online play? What makes this game so great outside of graphics? I haven't seen it. Don't think I'm hating on it because it's a 360 game, because it's also available for the PC as well and I have a fine PC that can make it look very good + the use of a keyboard and mouse.

First Preson Shooters are the videogame equivelant to Fantasy and Sci-Fi movies in Hollywood.

Science fiction and fantasy movies never win the oscar for best picture and for good reason.

The video game industry is different, though. It hasn't matured to the point of where Hollywood is at now.

As long as games like Gears of War and Halo continue to win game of the year awards video games will never get to that next plateau.

What is that next plateau? Games with hollywood quality storylines, not just great graphics. Not your overused gow/halo3 blow away the aliens who invaded earth storyline. I'm talking about storylines in games like Mass Effect (which I believe is held back by being a FPS/3rdPerson shooter RPG), Uncharted: Drake"s Fortune etc. In Hollywood action movies, does the main character spend 99% of the movie holding a gun and shooting people? No there is times where the movie has peaceful parts that involve dialogue that helps advance the story and build characters. That's where games like Mass Effect and Metal Gear Solid got it right. There is alot of shooting but there is also alot of Hollywood style scenes where the character doesnt have a gun in his hands and the only thing happening is talking and the advancing of storyline and characters.

Gears of War winning Game of the Year is like some cheap low budget sci-fi channel movie or 28 weeks later winning the OSCAR for best picture. Something that only happens in the videogame world.

If another FPS wins Game of the year for 2 years straight that says something about the video game industry and how it is NOT producing true next gen games.

If the video game industry wants to get a larger audience they're going to have to move toward RPGs and action/adventure games. All my non gaming family members don't give a flying flip about first person shooters but when they see Hollywood style games like Final Fantasy 12 with 5-15 minutes of talking and story line not running around randomly shooting crap that gets their heads turned to the point where they will actually watch me play for a while...no if I was playing a cheap sci-fi game where I was running around with somebody who looked like they were on steroids sawing down things coming out of the ground would they care? No

This is exact part of FF7 that made my sister, who had hated games, play her first game. We couldn't get out into the parade correctly and she tried and did what we couldnt and was hooked ever since. There's not a FPS in the world that can come close to that game.

Can anybody really tell the difference between FPS games other than different weapons/abilities and enemies?

As for Halo 3, I think everyone should recognize Microsoft with it's $ hypes this game beyond belief just to sell consoles. I was in the store the other day to see this 20 foot tall pile of boxes of mountain dew cans with the Halo 3 logo crafted in the side. There's no way any game, let alone a FPS, can live up to the hype it's getting.

First person shooters are, in my opinion, the lowest form of video games. Just like cheap sci-fi movies they can be enjoyable at times but in the end they can never hold their ground vs other forms of games.

 

[YSSMAN]

While I'd say that many of your criticisms of FPS titles are completely fair and valid, I think your shorting Bioshock quite a bit here. What makes the game stand out in a world of FPS titles (technically I want to say they call Bioshock a First Person Adventure title...) is the incredibly complex story and the emphasis on decisions that effect the game. You don't have to kill the "Little Sisters," as that depends on which path you want to take in the game. Yes, you do have to hit some of the baddies over the head with a lead pipe or a monkey wrench, but thats the nature of the game... You have to survive.

Granted, if you haven't played the game, I think its really hard to criticize it with any amount of certainty, but thats just my opinion. The guys at 2K wanted to make this game the best mix of an FPS and a RPG as possible... Much like Oblivion, which they have done quite well. I usually tend not to like games that have such a "massive" (read, looks like it never ends...) overall feel to them, and while the beginnings do feel quite linear, I was dying to get into the "open" part of the game just to tinker around.

===

On the whole subject in general, I can understand if you don't like FPS titles, but I think you're forgetting that this is THE genre these days in the industry. There isn't any reason why Gears of War or Halo 3 shouldn't be allowed to win Game of the Year awards, particularly when they are excellent games to begin with. As long as they push gameplay elements forward, not to mention graphics, story, etc, then whats the problem? Can games that people actually enjoy not win the title?

Comparing it to the Oscars really shows what the problem is with that rating system. Look at the 2006 awards, people were quite upset because so many of the films that were nominated were films that quite a few people didn't see, much less even hear of. It makes people feel disconnected from the awards that should be going to what people view as the best, not a couple of elite reviewers personal opinions. Sure, if they gave all the awards to Spider-Man 3, it would in fact be the end of the world, but I'm not so sure that giving the awards to some random film from Germany is the best route either.

When The Lord of the Rings won best picture back in 2003, that was an achievement for truly popular films getting the recognition they deserve. I see no reason why a game like Bioshock, which will likely receive much the same treatment can't do the same.

 

[Zrow]

Bioshock is a FPS. No matter what gimmick they throw in, it's still more of the same. It is a good game, not a perfect game. These reviews are indeed bull****.

A review is a checklist. Graphics, sound, gameplay, replay value, etc. I guess reviews are just a rating of how you feel at that moment of time. I wonder how these idiots will rate upcoming FPS games this year? Haze, COD4, UT3, and of course Halo 3.

Halo 3: 27 out of 10. Best game evah.

Please. Bioshock has guns, and it has a first-person viewpoint - it's "gimmick" is the entire freaking game beyond those two things, which you so easily ignore.

You're just saying that any game that has guns and is in the first-person point of view is just "the same". The same what, first-person game mechanics? The same what, shooting guns?

Fine, but how about everything else in the game that's not the same? The philosophy behind the story, the underwater city you explore, the ability to create weapons and gain new powers?


And a review should be telling you how good the experience of playing the game is, not just a checklist. That's why games with crappy graphics get good reviews all the time - they're fun.

 

[DuckRacer]

Bioshock is a FPS. No matter what gimmick they throw in, it's still more of the same. It is a good game, not a perfect game. These reviews are indeed bull****.

A review is a checklist. Graphics, sound, gameplay, replay value, etc. I guess reviews are just a rating of how you feel at that moment of time. I wonder how these idiots will rate upcoming FPS games this year? Haze, COD4, UT3, and of course Halo 3.

Halo 3: 27 out of 10. Best game evah.

Everything is more of the same! At the core experience, Halo 3 is just more Halo. PGR4 is just more PGR. R&CF is just more Ratchet. Uncharted doesn't do anything original. Lair is just Rogue Squadron with dragons. Call of Duty 4 is just more Call of Duty. Mercenaries 2 is just more Mercenaries. Stranglehold doesn't do anything stand-out. Those are just examples, I could go on and on.

The thing is, BioShock does a lot more unique, stand-out things compared to the games of its genre than the vast majority of games this year, whether it's presentation or atmosphere or the depth of the game. Does it deserve all the 10/10s and 9.5s? Maybe, maybe not, but all of those people have played the full game, and the overall consensus of people that have played the full game (whether reviewers or the peeps who got the game early), and even the demo, is that this game is spectacular.

After hearing all the fuss about this game I had to check out. After watching several youtube videos,

I agree with Solid Fro

My first impressions of this game's gameplay etc was overshadowed by the amount of gore this game had. In most of the videos I watched it had this little girl stabbing dead boddies with a sharp instrument only to drink whatever she drained out of them. Then I saw somebody use a pipe wrench to kill a man. There was bloody bodies everywhere. You can even kill that little child. Some of the sickest stuff I've seen in a while. On par with some of the worst horror films.

Outside of that the gameplay didn't look like anything special. They've decreased the linearity that most FPS games suffer from but other than that...it's your standard FPS which probably means 10-15 hours to play through the first time max with the only thing breaking the repetitive killing of enemies being the different ways available to kill them... And no online play? How can a FPS get scores that high this day and age with no online play? What makes this game so great outside of graphics? I haven't seen it.

So, you're judging all of this... from some crap, compressed YouTube videos? No demo or high quality videos?

Come on. At the very least play the eventual PC demo without a grudge before judging.

As for the rest of your points, I do agree that there's a pretty large gap between games and movies... but there's also a difference as well. I don't think all games are meant to have Hollywood-like stories. A great story really adds to the game (like with Heavenly Sword and Mass Effect), but GOTY and the like shouldn't be decided on that alone. Gameplay should factor in, graphics should factor in, features should factor in, everything a game is judged on should factor in.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

If you don't feel like reading a long rant simply skip to the very bottom of this post and read the last sentence highlighted in blue.

If the video game industry wants to get a larger audience they're going to have to move toward RPGs and action/adventure games. All my non gaming family members don't give a flying flip about first person shooters but when they see Hollywood style games like Final Fantasy 12 with 5-15 minutes of talking and story line not running around randomly shooting crap that gets their heads turned to the point where they will actually watch me play for a while...no if I was playing a cheap sci-fi game where I was running around with somebody who looked like they were on steroids sawing down things coming out of the ground would they care? No

This is exact part of FF7 that made my sister, who had hated games, play her first game. We couldn't get out into the parade correctly and she tried and did what we couldnt and was hooked ever since. There's not a FPS in the world that can come close to that game.

Can anybody really tell the difference between FPS games other than different weapons/abilities and enemies?

First person shooters are, in my opinion, the lowest form of video games. Just like cheap sci-fi movies they can be enjoyable at times but in the end they can never hold their ground vs other forms of games.

They already got a larger audience through something called the Nintendo Wii.

I think you're trying too hard to generalize the FPS genre. Every genre can be pretty much covered up with a general blanket statement. Somehow, you didn't mention that the Final Fantasy series and most RPGs have the same "save the world" story in every game.

I think games like Bioshock are good for the genre and will push it forward. It's not more of the same. It feels like a true next-gen game with a great atmosphere. IGN actually lists the game under the genre of action RPG.

I think they summarized it pretty well with their closing comments.

There is art here, despite what many would say isn't possible with games, from Roger Ebert to game designers like Hideo Kojima. But it's in BioShock--it's in the gorgeously realized, watery halls of Rapture. It's in a Little Sister's expression of thanks when you choose to save her, or the utter silence if you harvest instead. It's in the way the characters develop, in the testimonials of the recording boxes you pick up along the way. It's in the way the narrative is structured, and the way it blends so seamlessly with the action. Irrational had a clear vision with this game, something pulled off with remarkable precision in every department. They didn't just deliver something that's fun to play, a criterion so often cited as the benchmark of what makes a game worthwhile. BioShock stands as a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay and an irresistibly sinister, engrossing storyline that encompasses a host of multifaceted characters. This is an essential gaming experience.

 

[Solid Fro]

Does it matter if Earth only watched YouTube videos? I actually played the game and watched high resolution videos and I still get chastised for my opinions.

If this wasn't a Bioshock thread, some opinions expressed about atmosphere and storyline being headlines of the game, I would think I was in a The Darkness thread. Using Bioshock Logic, The Darkness should be a 10 out of 10 as well for an engaging storyline, down right creepy atmosphere, and unique gameplay mechanics found in no other game. Why isn't The darkness a "perfect" game?

There may be other reasons why Bioshock is getting "perfect" scores and being defended furiously, but I won't get into that.

I'm done.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Using Bioshock Logic, The Darkness should be a 10 out of 10 as well for an engaging storyline, down right creepy atmosphere, and unique gameplay mechanics found in no other game. Why isn't The darkness a "perfect" game?

If you read the reviews of The Darkness, it would be pretty clear why it didn't get a 10/10.

 

[Zrow]

Relax, nobody's being chastised here. You came and said that Bioshock didn't deserve the reviews it was getting, and we wanted to know why, and how it was "the same" as any other FPS.

The Darkness doesn't have story, atmosphere or features that Bioshock has. The experience just wasn't as engaging as Bioshock is. Just because the two games are similar in that they're creepy first person shooters doesn't mean they deserve the same scores, obviously.


And what other reasons would get Bioshock good reviews if it wasn't a good game?

 

[DuckRacer]

And what other reasons would get Bioshock good reviews if it wasn't a good game?

teh moneyhats!

 

[CDailey]

Sorry for OT, but Duck, your avatar and that smiley make me lmao.

 

[Pebb]

One thing I like about BioShock is a game like this does not come around every day, it is something special. But if someone made a time capsule of all time great games, I reckon BioShock would be in that time capsule.

 

[slackbladder]

I don't think Bioshock would be the same game if it had online play, unless it was co-op (though the story may not work like that). I don't see how the game mechanics would work online. Though I guess it could be done. But I feel it would detract from the core aspect of the game.

I prefer games with a strong single player rather than a strong online. I find online play in FPS games boring as basically you just repeat yourself again and again - different maps and modes maybe, but it's still just running around and shooting people. At least with a strong single player story you're (hopefully) surprised and interested in whats happening and not simply thinking "Gotta' frag 'em all"! This is what I like about Bioshock. And although it may not be a great story but for an FPS it's far, far better than most (probably better than many games).

As a matter of fact in some respects I don't think of Bioshock as an FPS game, it's got far more meat to it than that. One thing you can't accuse this game of is being shallow. I wish more games were like it.

Anyway, I may be getting the Special Edition next week. It depends on whether I put any money towards Heavenly Sword or not.

 

[DuckRacer]

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/bioshock/review.html?page=2

BioShock just got Twilight Princess'd

Spoiler

Not that 9.0 is a terrible score or anything

 

[Pebb]

No wonder why it got a 9.0, Jeff reviewed it and as we know by Jeff he also wants multiplayer in a game to give it a better chance of getting a higher score. Anyway my Xbox 360 packed it in yesterday night, so I won't be playing BioShock come Thursday or Friday now.

In other words I will have to wait a couple of weeks.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

No wonder why it got a 9.0, Jeff reviewed it and as we know by Jeff he also wants multiplayer in a game to give it a better chance of getting a higher score. Anyway my Xbox 360 packed it in yesterday night, so I won't be playing BioShock come Thursday or Friday now.

In other words I will have to wait a couple of weeks.

Like I always say......... GO BUY ANOTHER 360! Every store has a 30 day no questions asked return policy. You simply go buy another 360 (while your old one is getting repaired), enjoy your games, then return the new 360 when your repaired 360 arrives. Its that easy. We are sending Heathers in tonight too in the coffin. We will just buy another one while we wait for the other 360 to get repaired.

I cant wait to get Bioshock tonight after work. I have been trying to avoid the Bioshock forums on other sites so I dont see spoilers.

 

[Pebb]

I rather not take the 30 days thing, so if I can't get my Xbox 360 swapped for a new one, I will just wait for BioShock.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I rather not take the 30 days thing, so if I can't get my Xbox 360 swapped for a new one, I will just wait for BioShock.

Why not?? You get 100% of your money back for free. Your basically just renting a 360 for 29 days then getting all of your money back when you return it. And you only need to buy the core since you have to keep your hard drive anyway. The last one I bought I even told them right at the store that I would be returning it within 29 days and they said ok.

 

[slackbladder]

No wonder why it got a 9.0, Jeff reviewed it and as we know by Jeff he also wants multiplayer in a game to give it a better chance of getting a higher score. Anyway my Xbox 360 packed it in yesterday night, so I won't be playing BioShock come Thursday or Friday now.

In other words I will have to wait a couple of weeks.

Oww. That's real bad timing.
Yeah, I'd do what Camaroboy69 has suggested. Hell, if you want get an Elite and sell your old 360 when it gets back from Microsoft. Though I will say reconditioned 360's don't always seem to work perfectly afterwards. Still, if you sell it it's not your problem!

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Oww. That's real bad timing.
Yeah, I'd do what Camaroboy69 has suggested. Hell, if you want get an Elite and sell your old 360 when it gets back from Microsoft. Though I will say reconditioned 360's don't always seem to work perfectly afterwards. Still, if you sell it it's not your problem!

If TVRS 360 died from the 3 red lights then he has a very good chance that Microsoft will send him a brand new 360. Thats what they just did for me. 👍 Funny you mention the Elite. I think now that heathers 360 has died we are going to "rent" the Elite for 29 days and return it. Then I can see if the HDMI looks better than Component.

 

[Pebb]

Why not?? You get 100% of your money back for free. Your basically just renting a 360 for 29 days then getting all of your money back when you return it. And you only need to buy the core since you have to keep your hard drive anyway. The last one I bought I even told them right at the store that I would be returning it within 29 days and they said ok.

I have other stuff to pay for, so I rather not do what you suggested. But at least I will have the BioShock soundtrack to listen to and the making of DVD to watch, while I wait.

However like I pointed out above, I may be able to swap my Xbox 360 around at my local Argos.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

Like I always say......... GO BUY ANOTHER 360! Every store has a 30 day no questions asked return policy. You simply go buy another 360 (while your old one is getting repaired), enjoy your games, then return the new 360 when your repaired 360 arrives.

Makes you wonder how many of the 11.8 million X360's Microsoft says were shipped were returned.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Makes you wonder how many of the 11.8 million X360's Microsoft says were shipped were returned.

Honestly they will probably ALL be returned eventually. Sad to say that but its nothing short of the truth. Worse console ever made but it has some of the best games so we just have to deal with it I guess.

 

[Pebb]

BioShock Collectors Edition was dispatched at 10:30am UK time for me.