Mass Effect or Bioshock?

[TheYellowCellPhone]

I've played only Mass Effect 1 and Bioshock 1. I thought Bioshock had better gameplay, but it started to drag on, and the hacking is an absolute *****. Mass Effect probably lasts longer, but I generally wasn't a fan of the gameplay and the story felt... I dunno... eh. I just started a mission toward the end and just stopped entirely. Haven't played it since.

I beat Bioshock within two days of owning, I've owned Mass Effect 1 & 2 and still haven't beated Mass Effect 1 or even installed Mass Effect 2. Take that as you will.

 

[Bvenged]

I never played Bioshock 2, but Bioshock 1 was absolutely epic. I mean, best storyline FPS I have ever played as far as I'm aware. Bioshock Infinity looks absolutely stunning, might I add - can't wait.

Mass Effect 1 and 2 are absolutely epic. I mean, best storyline RPG I have ever played as far as I'm aware. Mass Effect 3 looks absolutely stunning, might I add - can't wait.

*Looks at thread title again*
Mass Effect... Bioshock... masss..bi.. ugggh ngghh NHUURRR GHRRRRRN...
*Mindmelt*

 

[Gitty101]

BioShock is an immense game, but not that re-playable. Once you know the plot twist, there's no real motivation for re-playability. Mass Effect on the other hand encourages multiple playthroughs, plus the sequel is great and the third is incoming...

I'd say get Mass Effect but don't rule out BioShock entirely. Definitely get that later.

 

[skywolfblue]

I would say skip the "1"s and go for the "2"s of both series.

Mass Effect 1 and Bioshock 1 may have solid stories, but as far as gameplay and combat goes they're both downright awful. Mass Effect 2 and Bioshock 2 on the other hand are loads of fun, their gameplay is leaps and bounds better then their predecessors.

 

[OManoghue]

I personally liked BioShock more than the first two Mass Effects, while they do kick ass. BioShock is a stand alone game with a totally non essential sequel. Mass Effect is a commitment to one huge game in three parts.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

What series should I get into? Buy the first and second Mass Effect games and wait for the 3rd. Or buy Bioshock 1 and 2 and wait for the third installment? Help Escapists!

Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3 (released on the 6th of March).

One of the best game series I have ever played.

Bioshock 1 was pretty good, and if you get the chance it certainly isn't a bad purchase, but (unless you really, really love survival horrorish shooters) it isn't as good as Mass Effect.

And Bioshock 2 isn't worth getting.

Bioshock Infinite looks kinda cool, though. Like Bioshock, I might pick it up when it hits the $20 mark or so.

On the other hand, I've preordered ME3. So yeah - get Mass Effect.

 

[Ninjafire72]

Definitely bioshock, I'm a sucker for the deco art... Overall the atmosphere and story is much better than Mass Effect could ever achieve, regardless of the flaws (god-damned hacking!!!) it may have had.

Bioshock 2 isn't that bad as people suggest, it just has the same problem all sequels have that it has to be compared to the original. And when the original happens to be so successful, well it's only natural that the sequel is lackluster in comparison. If you go in to Bio-2 without the expectations it's actually not that bad, and I for one even love the multiplayer it has (assuming I can find a match).

 

[Gorilla Gunk]

Well you can probably pick up both Bioshock games for $20-30 online if you shop around.

And don't listen to all the people saying Bioshock 2 isn't worth playing because it most certainly is. The story may not be as good as the first games but it brought a lot of positive improvements to the series. Plus the multiplayer isn't half bad and a nice addition and from what I've heard the Minerva's Den DLC is on of the better expansions packs out there.

 

[Thyunda]

BioShock 2 wasn't...awful, per se. It was a competent shooter - but you were a Big Daddy. Now this would be a good thing..except it wasn't. Because by BioShock 2, the Splicers were now adept Big Daddy-hunters. So it was basically BioShock all over again, and being a lumbering killing machine was completely irrelevant.

 

[Fr]anc[is]

All of them are good. Even Bioshock 2, which in my opinion has the better story. People always seem to confuse setting and plot in Bioshock 1. The setting of Rapture, which includes all the backstory from the logs, is epic. The actual plot of the game is you wandering around picking your nose for 2/3rds of the game, a pretty cool twist, then a completely retarded boss fight which mysteriously is never mentioned on forums. Bioshock 2 improves the gameplay without messing anything else up in the process, and has an actual plot. As for Mass Effect, it's fucking Mass Effect, go play it now.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

Its not even a debate ME 1-3.

Bioshock is good, but it never was designed to have a sequel. Mass Effect has ALWAYS been made for a trilogy.

 

[The Heik]

What series should I get into? Buy the first and second Mass Effect games and wait for the 3rd. Or buy Bioshock 1 and 2 and wait for the third installment? Help Escapists!

Get the ME series, as you'll get so much more bang for your buck gameplay wise and the story / world are just so big, narratively speaking. That being said though, you'll need to blitz the hell out of the games, as the next installment is coming out in a week. I'd recommend a Red Bull iv drip for that.

 

[JDLY]

I'd definitely go for Mass Effect.

I've sunk more hours into ME2 than any other game (172 hours), simply because I'm a sucker for good stories and it has one of the best.

Bioshock was pretty good, but I never understood they hype. I've actually never finished the game because it eventually bored me. That and my PS3 crashed, destroying my save file, and I never bothered to restart from the beginning.

And before anyone asks; yes, I got to the "big plot twist" in Bioshock. Personally though, I saw it coming all along, so it wasn't a big moment for me. The story was above average but I didn't think it was that great.

 

[Monkeyman O'Brien]

Bioshock.

Bioshock 1 was good, Bio 2 was good, Bio 3 looks pretty fucking sweet.

Mass Effect 1 was amazing, 2 was fucking garbage, just seriously lazy, 3 don't look that amazing.
I am tempted to say that ME1 alone is better than all of Bioshock but you are talking entire series. And yeah, ME2 dropped the ball in a huge way.

 

[MercurySteam]

Its not even a debate ME 1-3.

Bioshock is good, but it never was designed to have a sequel. Mass Effect has ALWAYS been made for a trilogy.

I think both series' are good. After Bioshock 1, Irrational wanted to see what else they could do (Bioshock Infinite) while Take-Two got 2K Marin/2K China and Digital Extremes to see how much more they get get out of Rapture. Personally, I think Bioshock 1 had a better feel to it but Bioshock 2 was still pretty good. However, I can't wait to see what Irrational is going to do with Bioshock: Infinite.

 

[Stukov Wolfwood]

bioshock 1 and 2 are around 20 bucks each on steam right now. but you could wait for a major sale and get them cheaper when publisher catalogs are on discount.

a warning tough. You may get a lot of troubles to get bioshock one to run on some pcs (games for windows live among other things.) but bioshock 1 is really worth the money.

bioshock 2 on the other hand is a little more polish but the story is kinda lame and you get overpower plasmid halfway through even by going the saving the little sisters route.

about masseffect i have no call as i only played the demo for the first one when it was brand new and found it boring, but you may have to buy the 3 games from origin since you won't be able to use your steam save files on the origin version. Thank EA for that.

 

[octafish]

Do you like shooters? Then buy Bioshock 2.
Do you like RPGs? Buy Mass Effect.
Do you like Gears of War with some T&A thrown in? Buy Mass Effect 2.
Do you like disappointment and lackluster gameplay? Buy Bioshock.

I think you got it mixed up bro. Move the "2" from the first sentence to the last. Also add "Great narrative and awesome atmosphere" to the first one.

No. I meant exactly what I said. Bioshock is an appalling shooter with lackluster gameplay and a disappointing story, it is pretty though. As a shooter Bioshock 2 is a much better game to play and is just as pretty as the first one. The story for both games is terribly derivative and predictable though.

snip
about masseffect i have no call as i only played the demo for the first one when it was brand new and found it boring, but you may have to buy the 3 games from origin since you won't be able to use your steam save files on the origin version. Thank EA for that.

What are you smoking? A big bong of stupid? That is the most ridiculous thing I have read in a long time. All PC Saves are in the same place no matter where you get the games, (My Documents) and there is no way EA is going to stop you using the saves from your old games when that is the selling point of the franchise. Think things through before you post.

EDIT: I should do the same really, that reads a bit harsh in retrospect, sorry.

 

[Goofguy]

Yup, I'm going to have to ride the ME train on this one too. I only played the first Bioshock and while I do recommend it, it didn't have as much replay value to me as the ME series.

 

[Zen Toombs]

What series should I get into? Buy the first and second Mass Effect games and wait for the 3rd. Or buy Bioshock 1 and 2 and wait for the third installment? Help Escapists!

The third installment of Bioshock isn't actually the third installment. It's a completely different series, with similar themes and the same name for "Brand Name Recognition".

As for what you should get into, it depends on what you want.

In terms of game play, do you want a dark first person shooter with mild level-up elements and mild horror elements, or do you want a brighter third person shooter with major level-up elements[footnote]that disappear in the second game and come back in a manageable form in the third[/footnote]?

In terms of story/themes, do you want a ethically dark deconstruction of several prominent political ideas set in the background of a steampunk dystopia where almost everyone has gone insane and wants to kill you? Or do you want a science fiction series that only gets mildly dark, and where you work to... okay, I don't think I'm explaining them well. In short:

They are different games, and if what you have read of both interests you, then get them both. If money / time is an issue, I would recommend reading about both on TVtropes or Wikipedia [links provided below] and choosing the one that you like best, and picking up the second when you can. Both are fantastic.

TVtropes:
Mass Effect [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/MassEffect?from=Main.MassEffect]
Bioshock [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BioShock]

Wikipedia:
Bioshock [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock]
Mass Effect [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Effect]

 

[Smiley Face]

What series should I get into? Buy the first and second Mass Effect games and wait for the 3rd. Or buy Bioshock 1 and 2 and wait for the third installment? Help Escapists!

I say Mass Effect, among other reasons, because of the two it is good as a series. In fact, the level to which the file-transfer from game to sequel affects your gameplay is so well-integrated that it's easy to tell that it's intended to be a series. Also, it has TREMENDOUS replay value, I have replayed each game many times. Bioshock does not, I've played it a few times, but haven't touched it in years. It's really a one-time shot.

On the other hand, Bioshock is NOT a series. Not really. Bioshock 1 wraps itself up in a neat little bow. It should never have had a sequel, I'm pretty sure it was never intended to have a sequel, and as soon as I heard there was one, I thought 'This is a terrible idea'. Not only was it a terrible idea, it was a terrible game in its own right. The upcoming Bioshock Infinite is more of a Franchise continuation than a sequel - it's going to stand alone in a totally different environment, whereas Bioshock 2 was a DIRECT sequel in the same environment, which was a terrible, terrible idea.

So yeah, if you're looking for a series, Mass Effect is definitely what you want. If you want a game, I'd say Mass Effect again because I thin it's awesome, but it and Bioshock both have their merits - Bioshock is an FPS with magic powers slapped on, with a damn good storyline with no interactivity and few characters, and a unique, creepy, and captivating environment. Mass Effect is a Squad TPS with magic powers slapped on, with a pretty good storyline with loads of interactivity and many characters, and a unique, epic, and captivating environment.

I'm very much looking forward to Bioshock Infinite, I'm curious about what they'll do. You can go for Bioshock Infinite to start, it looks like it will stand alone, but if you MUST go for the series, do yourself a favour and SKIP Bioshock 2. You'll see why. But I CANNOT WAIT to play Mass Effect 3, because, beyond the excellence of the games and all they have going for them, I am invested in the series.