I didn't enjoy the first Bioshock, here is why and is there any chance I'll like Infinite?

[synobal]

Ya so with Bioshock Infinite being so awesome according to the internet I've decided to go back and give Bioshock a try and ya I'm still just not feeling it. The narrative just doesn't feel that great to me, and that on top of the poor shooter mechanics I just can't find any enjoyment in the game.

I really wanted to like Bioshock and I was hopeful that coming back to it fresh now would help but it doesn't. The thing I like most about Bioshock is Rapture really. It's an interesting setting and city. I dig the architecture and I want to know more of how it works and was built but that is never really brought up (at least as much as I've played). The narrative focuses mostly on the people of rapture and how it went from being an Ayn Randian libertarian paradise to this hell hole.

I think the reason I can't engage with the narrative is because I actually read Atlas Shrugged and the rest of Ayn Rand's works in high school. Atlas Shrugged was for an essay but The Fountainhead I legitimately enjoyed. Given that I've read her work I know just how flawed and simplistic and unrealistic the Randian philosophy is. So how and why rapture became a hellhole just doesn't draw me in. Plus a silent protagonist doesn't actually help the game. It's really just one less character that I could possibly care about or draw me into the story.

So any chance of me enjoying Bioshock Infinite, given what I disliked about the original Bioshock or should I just save my money and maybe pick it up when it's on a steam sale for five bucks?

 

[MHR]

Well you could substitute the Randian philosophy with good 'ol religion/cult fanatacism of Columbia. Maybe it's more quaint and interesting to you if the city is built and falls apart because everyone is crazy religious and really really racist. Booker is also not silent.

It also somewhat explains how and why columbia is built/works.

You didn't mention it a lot so I'm assuming the actual gunplay is secondary to you. If that's the case, then I'm pretty sure infinite is for you. The combat is somewhat secondary to the story, and it's more generic and simplistic. If all those weapons, ammo types, and security alert/hack mechanics bothered you, there's none of that.

You'd probably like infinite. It's more mainstream.

I have one small tip when deciding to wait or directly purchase any game on steam. If you don't consider a certain game to be a "BUY ON RELEASE" super title for yourself, consider waiting for a sale if you already have 100 other games that you want to play but just never have enough time for.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Well the shooter mechanics are improved in Infinite, so you'll probably like them more.

As far as how the story is told, it's still centered around the people of Columbia rather than it is on the history and architecture of the actual city and how it works. The game doesn't have anything to do with Atlus Shrugged or Ayn Rand though, it's all about racism and class warfare, so that might draw you in a little more I guess, especially if you have any interest in post American Civil War history.

The protagonist also isn't silent in this one, and is actually a somewhat interesting character.

 

[skywolfblue]

Ya so with Bioshock Infinite being so awesome according to the internet I've decided to go back and give Bioshock a try and ya I'm still just not feeling it. The narrative just doesn't feel that great to me, and that on top of the poor shooter mechanics I just can't find any enjoyment in the game.

The narrative bears a lot of similarity. It's told better, the sidekick (Elizabeth) has great AI and an interesting story, Booker talks (unlike Jack), it's American Exceptionalism instead of Libritarianism, and a City in the Sky instead of under water. Other then that the framework of the story has some noticeable similarities. (can't list them for spoilery reasons)

The shooting mechanics are improved, but they're still a little bit boring in Infinite.

I'd say that if you didn't like the first, you should probably wait till Infinite is on sale. That way you pay less, and don't have as many regrets if it turns out you didn't enjoy it.

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

I really wanted to like Bioshock and I was hopeful that coming back to it fresh now would help but it doesn't. The thing I like most about Bioshock is Rapture really. It's an interesting setting and city. I dig the architecture and I want to know more of how it works and was built but that is never really brought up (at least as much as I've played). The narrative focuses mostly on the people of rapture and how it went from being an Ayn Randian libertarian paradise to this hell hole.

Let me preface this by saying that if you want to know more about Rapture conception and construction, read Bioshock: Rapture. I don't know if you'd like it considering that if you didn't like the game I don't think you'd find a book very entertaining, but it's all in there if you want it.
Anyway.
I'm not going to tell you if you're going to like the game or not, that's pretty much up to you. But I can tell you about this bit, the city itself: Columbia.
You may know this already but unlike Rapture, Columbia is still very much alive when you get there. As the game progresses, you're going to be in it's downward spiral as opposed to getting there after it's all over.
And regarding the city itself, you do get some history on it's construction, even some specific areas. Of the top of my head, and without spoiling anything, the beach and Elizabeth's tower come to mind when it comes to building history.
But besides that, the city is just so gorgeous. I've seen some beautiful vistas in games before: Skyrim, Bulletstorm, Army Of Two: The 40th Day (those last two had gorgeous backdrops) but no other game has made me simply want to walk and soak it all it. Skyrim made me stop at a mountaintop or two, but this game constantly dealt out moments where you just need to slow down and look. Especially when the buildings are bobbing around, it's just so beautiful.
But enough of me gushing, try the game out when the price goes down, just to be safe. But I think you'll enjoy it.

 

[Scrustle]

Colombia is certainly an interesting city. It's great simply to just look at, and has a lot of atmosphere. Maybe slightly less atmosphere than Rapture, but maybe that's just because the atmosphere in Rapture was quite oppressive. It's not something you could just forget about. In Colombia it's much lighter and open. So whether you enjoy it more or less than Rapture is probably down to personal preference, but it's definitely a great setting either way.

Although Booker isn't a silent protagonist, he's not really that interesting. His personality is kind of blank for the most part. All he says is pretty much just to give Elizabeth someone to talk and respond to. She's the real star of the show. Although right at the end of the game, Booker becomes quite a bit more interesting because they reveal a lot about who he is. But that doesn't really make him any more of an interesting person to listen to throughout the game.

Gameplay in Infinite is worse than the originals though. The gun selection is reduced (despite almost every gun having two versions), and what those guns are aren't that interesting. Vigors are okay, but a lot of them share the same role, and they're not particularly interesting in what they do. They're not completely boring, but a lot of what they do is kind of obvious. Not as varied as in older games where you could get Plasmids to get the NPCs of the games to fight each other and what not. The gunplay is still pretty sloppy to, but the real kicker is that they've severely homogenised it. You can only hold two guns at a time, and your run speed is painfully slow unless you're sprinting, but while doing that you can't shoot. There's also a much bigger emphasis on using iron sights, even though it doesn't actually do much to make you more accurate, it just slows you down even more. It turns the fights in to boring shooting galleries, instead of the dynamic and mobile encounters of the older games. It can really drag things down sometimes.

The plot of the game is good though. It's very much different to the previous games. It's mostly focused around the idea of multiple universes, and you do a lot of hopping between them. It's also the story of Elizabeth, and her growth as a character. Working out who she is and what she can do. The racism and revolution stuff is basically just a backdrop to all of this, but I think it makes some good points. It doesn't just say "racism is bad, mkay", it's more about how idealism isn't really possible, and sometimes you are forced to do horrible things which you don't agree with. I'm not really sure it stands up compared to the original. I really loved that at the time, but I think a bit part of that was just because I'd never seen anything like it before in a game. I guess whether you enjoy Infinite's story or not is just down to what you find compelling, but it's certainly a great story.

 

[FavouriteDream]

Ya

What?

I think the reason I can't engage with the narrative is because I actually read Atlas Shrugged and the rest of Ayn Rand's works in high school. Atlas Shrugged was for an essay but The Fountainhead I legitimately enjoyed. Given that I've read her work I know just how flawed and simplistic and unrealistic the Randian philosophy is. So how and why rapture became a hellhole just doesn't draw me in. Plus a silent protagonist doesn't actually help the game. It's really just one less character that I could possibly care about or draw me into the story.

Bioshock Infinite doesn't use Objectivism. There isn't any of that rhetoric in it.

So any chance of me enjoying Bioshock Infinite, given what I disliked about the original Bioshock or should I just save my money and maybe pick it up when it's on a steam sale for five bucks?

Yes, there is a huge chance you'll like Infinite - considering the reasons you mentioned as to why you didn't like Bioshock aren't relevant to Infinite.

 

[Jimmy T. Malice]

If you weren't interested in how and why Rapture became a hellhole, then Infinite will probably draw you in more. Instead of being late for the party, you're the one responsible for the collapse of the city.

 

[hawkinsssable]

I thought Bioshock was... passable. Barely. I loved the setting, and even quite liked the world-building (dystopias are fun, and a free market one for once made for a nice change.) The combat, on the other hand, fell completely flat for me; the physics all felt uncannily off; the dialogue felt weird and the story pacing was awful; hacking stuff ruined the flow of combat; I hated the game's weird insistence that you never ever EVER get to be in the same room anybody who isn't trying to kill you (even though you frequently talk to them through doors or see them die behind glass) got irritating really quickly.

And after the beginning section, even the setting became less and less interesting. There were long nondescript sections where you could be forgiven for forgetting that you were actually in a city at the bottom of the ocean.

Bioshock infinite, on the other hand, was one of the best games I've played. Period. I rank it right up there with the Half-Life series. The story and plot are more sophisticated, exciting and engaging; the otherworldly vibe never clunks quite as badly as it does in the first bioshock; the combat is better all around - the vigors are all around better than the tonics, and the skylines are a great addition; and not once does the game forget that IT'S SET IN A BEAUTIFUL FLOATING CITY IN THE SKY AND THIS IS ACTUALLY REALLY COOL.

Oh - and you actually get the option of spending some time just kicking it in Columbia, chatting with people, watching small-scale dramas unfold and growing increasingly fond of your companion.

It's an incredible game, and I can't recommend it highly enough.



EDIT: Plus, the protagonist is no longer silent - and this actually works really, really well.

Although it's kinda worth mentioning that the politics / class warfare aspect of Infinite is pretty fucking lazy and groan-worthy. I mean, the idea behind Rapture wasn't particularly original or sophisticated - everybody worth taking seriously knows that Randian libertarianism is pretty damn silly. This Bioshock, though, is worth - it spends a big chunk in the middle drawing a kind of false equivalency between the self-serving rich and the desperate poor. The message essentially boils down to "the tea party are pretty nasty, but the occupy movement are just as bad. Complacency is the only way to go!", which is about as shallow and vapid as political statements get.

There's also a much bigger emphasis on using iron sights, even though it doesn't actually do much to make you more accurate, it just slows you down even more. It turns the fights in to boring shooting galleries, instead of the dynamic and mobile encounters of the older games. It can really drag things down sometimes.

I recommend doing what I did - ignore the fact that iron sights even exist, except when using the sniper rifle. Your accuracy will barely suffer, and you'll have much more fun than otherwise.

Also - never buy ammo. Just discard guns and grab new ones as you run through the game - it keeps things nicely varied in a game where the combat could otherwise get stale.

 

[Yellowfish]

that on top of the poor shooter mechanics I just can't find any enjoyment in the game.

Well, the story this tme around is actually really good, and well-presented too. It all boils down to your understanding of "good shooter mechanics" then. Combat in Infinite is unoriginal. The weapons are your standard FPS set (crappy pistol, powerful pistol, SMG, rifle, sniper rifle), there is a two-weapon limit which on Hard often puts you in nasty situations. The combat overall feels slow, and not in a good way (like, say, in Dark Souls where you have to be careful and plan ahead even in the middle on a fight). No, I'm talking bad kind of slow, like in most modern military shooters. If you like MMS games like Call of Duty, then you'll be alright, because the combat is clearly designed specifically to appeal to you. If you prefer more arcade-y and oldschool (or just simply fast-paced) FPS games, then you'll find it teeth-gnashingly boring and tedious. Some enemies aren't that interesting to fight, like the Siren and the Handymen (which is a shame because they are pretty well-designed), and there is a bossfight that is reused twice after you beat the bloody thing.

 

[Joccaren]

So, let me see if I've got you're problems with Bioshock 1 right:
-Silent Protagonist
-The Randian philosophy didn't really work for you
-The story didn't really interest you [Doesn't sound like you got too far into it, but W/E]
-Shooter mechanics were poor

If that's correct, here's Bioshock Infinite's versions;
-Your protagonist talks. Additionally there is Elizabeth, who after the first bit of the game is almost always with you and will occasionally converse with your character and often interact with the environment in some way.
-No Randian philosophy. Good old American Patriotism from the old days mixed in with racism, religious fanaticism, extremism, and a bunch of other stuff. The reason for the city going to hell makes more sense too, seeing as you didn't like the gang warfare and plasmid overdose thing Bioshock 1 used.
-Can't comment on how the story will interest you. As with Bioshock 1 a lot of the story is told through the audiologs, or Voxophone's in this one, and if you don't listen to them you'll miss out on a lot of information that isn't necessarily key to the story, but makes a lot of it make more sense. Story still focuses on the people, or in this case, one person - Elizabeth - and on the science in the universe, like 1's did, but its less segmented into "This is this guy, this is that guy, this is some other guy" like BS1, and the main goal of the story [Escaping Columbia with Elizabeth] is constantly bought up, as opposed to BS1 where the main goals [Getting to Atlus's family,

Spoiler

killing Andrew Ryan, killing Atlus/Frank Fontain

] are often buried beneath the sub goals like finding the Doctor, finding that guy at the fishery and doing stuff for him, doing what Sander Cohen asks you to do - ect.
-The shooter mechanics are arguably improved. There is now a 2 weapon limit, which you may hate or love. I hate it, its annoying, stupid, and makes the game into either guesswork or use-the-same-two-weapons-the-whole-game work [Unless you run out of ammo, which unless you're playing on hard or 1999 and at a particularly hard point you won't], but Vigors are a bit more polished than Plasmids, the enemies are somewhat intelligent and the variety is more fun, plus the guns feel a little better most of the time. Miss the massive bang of the BS2 sawn-off-shotgun, whilst this one's rather quiet IMO, but W/E, they work well enough.

 

[Farrow]

It's hard for me to say that I feel Infinite is a complete different game from Bioshock 1 in my personal opinion. Either way I preferred Infinite over number 1 which is rare nowadays that a successor is better than a predecessor

 

[The White Hunter]

So any chance of me enjoying Bioshock Infinite, given what I disliked about the original Bioshock or should I just save my money and maybe pick it up when it's on a steam sale for five bucks?

You'll probably like infinte more but most of the "why is this cityflying" is answered in audio logs. The story is better, the characters are mostly better apart from the villain, the combat is imrpoved to the point of being actually fun (though on PC make sure that you turn that pesky auto-aim off, it's on by default and sweeps youa good 45 degrees).

You'll probably enjoy it a lot more, as others have said it's less focused on a singular philosophy and more focused on well that would be spoiling.

 

[MHR]

buy it, you'll like it based on what u just wrote

I bought it on release.

Liked it; Liked it less than bioshock 1.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Much more worried about the story aspect? Good, that's a good a thing.

Similar to Bioshock, you never are given insight to how Rapture or Columbia are created. You are given the reason by the megalomaniac leader ("It was impossible to build Rapture anywhere else." "I saw a city, lighter than air!" and Comstock's general "Flee the Sodom below!" propaganda.), but never given the way.

Well, not exactly. Almost as if in a passing, Elizabeth in Infinite mentions "quantum particles" and it kind of gets stupid.

And that really is for two reasons: for one, it's difficult to fit a rather boring story about the building of the cities. There isn't going to be a voxophone series about the architect saying "I dig the symmetry of the Romans, but I was going for a more neo-Classical feel..." And more importantly, the writer's don't want to have to explain it - it's a steampunk or decopunk trope that prefers the insanely beautiful and weird machines to making it have any logic beside "it looks like it would work".

And the trope about the radical change in attitude? It's much better done in Infinite, I think. Bioshock was really gradual to pick up on: The increased pushings of ADAM into the society by Fontaine, and the addictive psychosis of ADAM, caused everyone to go bananas and start to attack people. Rather simple, it works, but it's nothing to write home about. Infinite uses two relatively untouched topics in vidya, racism and herd mentality. The reason that Columbia gets wrecked is because Comstock has everyone believing he is a religious figure and they follow his commands (kill this *****) to a zealous level. Racism is ultimately the bigger of the deciders in the decay of Columbia, when a rebellious faction of oppressed not-whites decide to wage war against Comstock and most of Columbia. The reason is, quite simply, people are racist and it makes people feel not good.

But why did it crash? That's really just a 'bubble that will burst' thing. Bioshock's ADAM was extremely controversial, too powerful, and too easy to obtain for it to stay out of trouble. Infinite was more dystopian, everyone was tuned to Comstock and so racist that you just knew that something was going to happen.

But, then again, you are witnessing Columbia decay, where as in Bioshock you're listening to the remnants. Infinite has a moment in the first half hour where you witness the happy-go-lucky attitude before being crushed; the switch from a joyfully racist bunch of people to everything getting blown up is really abrupt and happens almost offscreen.

 

[LAGG]

Put it on the hardest and play it on stealth. That'll make Bioshock, Bioshock...
Infinite is a lot more a mainstream Power Fantasy, maybe you will like it anyway.