Poll: The Obligatory "Which did you like better? Bioshock 1, 2, or Infinite?" Thread

[scorptatious]

Yup, another Bioshock Infinite Thread. And since I don't see any threads on this on the main page, I'd figure I'd make this one.

So, to those who have played through all or at least two of the above, which did you like the best out of all of them and why?

For me, it's most likely Infinite. I'll admit, it's been a while since I've played the first game, so I could be forgetting key aspects of it that made it really good.

However, there are two things I felt Infinite did far better than the first game:

1. The Main Character: The first game's protagonist was a (mostly) silent character who doesn't really have a personality. Same as with the Second game. Infinite actually provides you with Booker Dewitt, a character who comments about his surroundings and interacts with people.

This is of course opinion based, as I'm sure a lot of people would prefer playing as a silent character to project themselves on. Me personally, I like to have my protagonists to have a voice and a well established character arc. While a lot of games don't quite get it right, I feel Infinite nailed Booker Dewitt as a character.

2. The Ending: Say what you want about it, it was definitely larger and much more detailed than the first game's endings. Which each lasted only a minute or less and drop you off to the main menu rather unceremoniously. At the very least, they got their point across I suppose.

And of course there's Elizabeth, who is pretty much the heart of the game.

So, anyway, what do you guys think?

 

[TheSaw]

While I loved all three of them, I'm quite torn between all three.

The first one I felt had a good story, and a good twist. I loved Rapture, more than Columbia (though the rails are fun to use). I like the characters/enemies in Rapture more than most from Columbia, like the Big Daddys (Which I love, they're awesome), and Splicers. It felt more fun killing those than it did just humans. Though the Handymen are pretty awesome.

The second one gave me the control of a Big Daddy, which as mentioned I love, it was just plain awesome playing as one with the drill and helping the little sisters. No matter what people say, I liked the story, and the game as a whole.

With Infinite, I was comparing a lot of things to Rapture, and as I say, I much prefer Rapture over Columbia, and Splicers over just the gunners you meet. I normally hate escorting or having followers in games, but Infinite actually did an awesome job with one, which makes it an instant win in my books. I did love the story and the twist. The characters, like the twins were awesome. Even though it's kinda minor, one thing really really bothered me. They didn't really explain much about Songbird. (I tried to find all the voxophones, and listened to all the ones I did find. I only really find one that explained a tiny bit about it.)

Bioshock 1 and Infinite are kinda tied, with the first one just ahead of it. If they had explained Songbird or went into it's backstory more, and if Elizabeth didn't stand in a doorway that one time, it would have won. So BioShock 1 is my winner.

 

[Andy Shandy]

It's close between the first one and Infinite, but Infinite wins out for me.

There are a few things that put it ahead of the first.

You know that feeling that you got when you first entered Rapture? That is there to the same degree in Columbia, but with the added bonus of it being a bit more colourful. I mean, the darkness of Rapture helped it in Bioshock, but personally I love a bit of colour in my games after so many dark games, and Columbia delivers.

Then there's Elizabeth. To put it simply, she's just a wonderful and easy to love (not in a creepy way) character.

Also the music, my god the music. Not to diminish anything else about the game, but honestly the music is my favourite part.




Just absolutely wonderful.

Things like the story and the gameplay I rank closer together (Infinite's story was slightly better), so I won't talk about them in detail.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

I dunno. I like all of them for different reasons.

Bioshock the first for being a big nostalgia trip of the beginning of Gen 7 and such a pleasure to replay every few months. Some elements like hacking should have been left out, combat is still wonky and a bit hard to understand what is going on, weapons feel like they should pack a punch more than they do, and the vita-chambers pose no challenge but minor annoyance. I beat the game each time with full money, most ammo types unused, weapons like the Chemical Thrower and Grenade Launcher used maybe two times, a surplus of Adam, most of the Little Sisters freed, all upgrades used up, and maxed out on EVE and Health upgrades. So, it's not really that hard anyway.

Bioshock 2 fixed most of Bioshock's wonky combat (well, it fixed the stupid plasmid switching awkwardness), but I missed being Jack. There was nothing quite as hardcore as stabbing yourself with an EVE Hypo midbattle to continue a fight, and it also really diminished the pre-WW1 feel of the weaponry and the environment. The story was still pretty good and I adored helping Eleanor, and some of the weapons still had a good kick to them.

Bioshock Infinite is really good, but it's so completely different from Bioshock 1 & 2 that I can't really call it superior in any sense. I liked the things like making the player an actual character and the skyhooks and the increased focus on plasmid-vigors (having secondary functions like traps and increased damage), but the lack of portable health kits and EVE-salt hypos, and the sheer difference of environments and enemies, and the fact that Bioshock was made using the technology from nearly six years ago compared to Infinite's two year developement...

It's a mixed bag. Infinite is a hells a lot of fun but not as close to replayable as Bioshock 1 has been. The general gameplay in Infinite is fun, but it's devoid of that drive of replaying the game and enjoying it once more (I blame the richness of the story turning to the sudden bullshit ending).

 

[5ilver]

Well, Infinite is fresh in everyone's minds and hearts so I imagine it'll win just because of that. I personally liked 1 a bit more.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

I enjoyed Bioshock a lot. The atmosphere was excellent, the design of Rapture was amazing, and the sheer originality of it was enough to make me thoroughly enjoy it.

However, I have to say that I enjoyed Infinite more. I thought the story was much more interesting and presented in a much better way, the characters, Elizabeth and Booker especially, were much more interesting and believable than any of Bioshock's characters, and the game was simply more fun to play. Sure, the atmosphere isn't as good, and there aren't equivalent moments to some of the best parts of Bioshock (such as meeting your first Big Daddy), but I still enjoyed Infinite much more.

The hour or so I played of Bioshock 2 was pretty good. Then I quit the game, and now I can't get the damn thing to launch again. Maybe it sucks, or maybe it's brilliant, I don't know, because I can't get the damn thing to fucking work!

 

[MrHide-Patten]

A part of me enjoyed Bioshock particulaly the characters like Ryan and I understand the science of Biology more than Quantum physics and the plot twists and so forth were easier to understand. But then I really enjoyed Infinites visual style more and Elizabeth and Booker really grow on you and got me more invested with whats happening. Don't even get me started on the Lutece's, they so crazy.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

From that list, I'd say Infinite. That said, the best game to bear the "Shock" moniker is, in my mind at least, System Shock 2. In fact, I'd say my disappointment with Bioshock was the result of assuming it would bear some closer resemblance to System Shock than it did in reality

 

[NightmareExpress]

I'm going to go and say the first.
Rapture is a bloody amazing setting, and the atmosphere is still fantastic. Particularly the beginning and the Medical Bay. Full of grime, a shell of what it was in its prime; it's fun to imagine what the place and its inhabitants were like before Plasmids destroyed their minds and political turmoil left the city in a state of disrepair.

Seeing your weaponry change with each subsequent upgrade was also nice.
You were also able to strategize a bit more thanks to being able to lug every weapon around with you.
The smaller arms and standard ammunition was reserved for splicers and the bigger guns/rounds were reserved for robots and Big Daddies.

The story, the first time at least, was fantastic with the twist and you were able to learn a lot from the environment and collectibles. It was a find blend of being subtle, straightforward and mysterious.

But...fuck the hacking system in that game. It was dreadful, monotonous and you'd do it rather often if you happened to be a completionist.

After completing Infinite on the hardest difficulty, I have to say that I rather enjoyed it bar for a few points that I label as bullshit and some design choices that I find questionable. Rather than saying that it's better or worse, I'll just say that it's different and be done with it. This isn't Bioshock 3, it's Bioshock Infinite and it should really be judged on its own merits.

 

[Kingjackl]

Bioshock Infinite is superior and feels like it had a lot of love put into it.

That said, I reckon Bioshock 1 had better audio-logs. May not sound big, but Bioshock's audio logs made the experience for me and Infinites were fairly plain by comparison. I haven't played Bioshock 2 so i can't comment there, but people tell me I'm not missing much.

 

[Freaky Lou]

Infinite. The first Bioshock is overly derivative of System Shock 2, and the second one is a cash grab. Infinite is original, has improved shooting mechanics, and some good characters. It's the best game in the series.

 

[The_Echo]

I think Infinite was a big step up from BioShock. Between the three, BioShock 2 is my least favorite, only being a lateral movement from its predecessor, and having a fairly played-out story.

But Infinite is leaps and bounds ahead of the first. The environments are so much more interesting and beautiful, the plot is more nuanced and moved at a much better pace, the gameplay changes made combat more exciting and varied, and the small touches and details were just plain awesome. Not to mention Booker is a far better protagonist than Jack, complimented to the nth degree by Elizabeth, who is my current Character of the Year. And Comstock was a much better villain than Ryan.

 

[suitepee7]

preface to my answer, i have yet to complete infinite. from what i hear, i'm around 2/3 of the way through...

anyway, so far, 1. personally the combat i preferred (with exception of the retarded plasmid switching), being able to plan, and set traps around for the big daddies was nice, plus being able to access all weapons was a huge help. second, i found the audio logs more interesting. third, the world of rapture is more interesting to me. columbia is pretty messed up, but still (for the most part) functional. rapture had a distinct horror vibe which i loved, and was a city in complete ruin.

that being said, infinite has better combat system in general (despite me preferring the encounters of the first), and elizabeth and booker are very interesting characters. most importantly though, i want to keep playing it. i want to continue my journey through columbia, and the fact that i'm hooked on it speaks volumes.

i feel sorry for 2 though, always seems like the middle child. is a shame really, because it was a bloody good game too.

 

[Karoshi]

Bioshock 1, because I love creepy dystopian cities and abandoned places. Bioshock Infinite is a superb game and has its own charm, but it's a lot more action-focused and therefore has a completely different mood. (I do wish it had more creepy parts =( )

 

[Arakasi]

I far prefer the theme of 1 to that of 2 and Infinite. Also 1 is the only one to have a really good atmosphere. 3's wasn't bad, but 1 far surpasses it.

 

[64bitgamer]

But Infinite is leaps and bounds ahead of the first. The environments are so much more interesting and beautiful, the plot is more nuanced and moved at a much better pace, the gameplay changes made combat more exciting and varied, and the small touches and details were just plain awesome. Not to mention Booker is a far better protagonist than Jack, complimented to the nth degree by Elizabeth, who is my current Character of the Year. And Comstock was a much better villain than Ryan.

I can agree with you on many of these points. The environments in Columbia are gorgeous and it has a charm far different than a decaying art deco city. It feels like a pleasant place to be standing in while being shot at, where one of the points of Rapture was that it was supposed to be this unyieldingly oppressive hell. Booker is a better protagonist in that he actually is a character. Jack was never anything other than a player avatar anyway. Elizabeth was an absolute gem. They were games settings and characters that expertly pulled off the style and atmosphere that their games intended to have. I think for the most part their styles and design are so different, but so well executed that which one you think is better will come down to personal taste.

But, and this is where I disagree with you Echo, Comstock is a better villain than Ryan? Really? Ryan was a man sustained by his vision, which circumstance and personal weakness led him to slowly betray over time. Over the course of Bioshock, you get to see him transform from this great libertarian leader, into a psychotic dictator, devoid of any of the ideals that used to define him. From the audio logs you get the sense that Andrew Ryan was a man that a normal human being could admire and follow to the bottom of the ocean, that it was a tragedy he had abandoned his ideals, or that maybe he never had any in the first place, and led his city into such a miserable broken down state. He's constantly watching you, attacking you, telling you what a feeble worm you are as you make headway against him. He's oppressive and feels incredibly powerful, and even in death he almost kills you.

Comstock on the other hand, was a drooling racist and, that was about it for character motivation. He believes he's been charged by God to.... put all the non whites and irishmen in their place? Enforce social darwinism across the land? He's does nothing for pretty much the whole game, and then when you finally kill him... you just smash his head into a fountain. He's not very interesting, or intimidating.

And as a final note, who are these people voting for Bioshock 2? I mean it was a good game, and I think it was $50 well spent when I bought it at launch, but better than Bioshock? Better than infinite? I just need to know what is going through these people's heads.

 

[Zhukov]

Going to have to go with Infinite.

I thought the original was a bit... dry. The story had, for the most part, already happened. You turned up post facto and were left to sift through the remains in order to find out what had happened. Now, I enjoyed that immensely. However, I still prefer they way Infinite has the main events taking place right in front of and around you. Feels more like a journey or adventure and less like a postmortem.

Also, characters. The characters of the original were great in concept, but a bit lacking in execution. For the most part they were just yelling at you over the intercom or leaving their diaries scatted about. Obviously there was a lot of that in Infinite as well, but the latter benefitted from having two engaging characters interacting and developing over the course of the game right in front of you, rather than several years ago on the other side of a microphone.

Oh, and Booker > Jack. Yes, I realise there's a good reason for Jack to be how he is, but after playing so many blank slates, I've found that I prefer to have an actual protagonist instead of an ambulatory camera with a crosshair painted on it.

Lastly, the original suffered from a distinctly lacklustre final chapter and a rushed ending.

Don't get me wrong though, the original Bioshock is still a fantastic game and one of my all-time favourites.

 

[The_Echo]

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Something about Ryan just felt... bad, to me. I didn't really hate Ryan as much as I did Comstock (in fact, given his backstory, you might be inclined to feel bad for him). Playing through the game, it definitely felt like I was just taking him down for the sake of taking him down.

Moreover... what are Ryan and Fontaine still doing in Rapture? Why... it's been years, so I'm sure I forgot, but were either of them actually doing anything other than antagonizing Jack? All the citizens of Rapture were more monster than man. So... I don't get it. Comstock, on the other hand, is clearly having a negative effect on the entirety of Columbia, not just non-whites. We also have a second antagonist in Fitzroy and the Vox. Two sides of the same coin, systematically destroying what was to be a "new Eden."