Redryhno said:
I dunno, even Ryan sorta lacks existence outside of what are essentially just cutscenes. I like that you get to sorta semi-explore what is basically a broken pile of dreams, but I feel you get more connected to the audio logs than you do any living character in the game.
I guess, but the nice thing about the audio logs is that they tend to be focused around a set group of characters (Ryan, McDonnagh, Suchong, Tennenbaum, etc.). Most of these characters you get to either meet or at least find the bodies of. Finding McDonnagh's final recording on his corpse? Sobering. Finding Suchong's body and listening to his final moments? Sattisfing. Meeting Ryan after listening to him throughout the game, both in audio logs and his direct addressments to Jack, listening to how he becomes more desparate (e.g. declaring Rapture will rise again)? Very good.
Most of the characterization comes from the audio logs, but I don't think that's an inherently bad thing.
Redryhno said:
And the gameplay as you get further into is just sorta gets boring. Even on the higher difficulty, it's freeze/flame, shoot till the effect wears off, repeat. There's not a huge amount of depth, and I don't think it's aged well because I remember having difficulty differentiating enemies from background at some points(And not the Spiders, that's sorta supposed to be a part of their schtick).
Maybe...I think there's a bit more depth than you give it credit for, since the plasmids have different effects, and you have to adjust your tactics accordingly. Freezing enemies is effective, but killing them will rob you of loot. Setting them on fire does long-term damage, but has little stopping power. The shock has stopping power, but does reduced damage. You can use more powerful plasmids, but this will cost you more EVE. And so on. You can also focus on weapons or plasmids based on how you spend your cash. I don't consider BioShock an RPG, in that there's no real levelling system, but I think there's a lot of flexibility in how you approach your foes.
At the very least, for me, the game starts tough and remains tough. Though I will say that Big Daddies become one of the easiest foes in the game once you get the crossbow and its electric bolts, while it's the splicers that become the true fuckers. And Fontaine is an incredibly easy boss fight as well, so, boo.
Xsjadoblayde said:
Dark Souls is my favourite spiritual successor to Zelda.
Wait, what?
Okay, maybe the very first Legend of Zelda, but that's about it. Granted, never played Dark Souls, but the differences between the franchises far outweigh the similarities in my eyes.
Johnny Novgorod said:
Jesus, and those plaster statues scuttling about as soon as you turn around?
Well, thanks for dredging up that particular piece of nightmare fuel.
Should have got used to it after how the first Saturine splicer confronts you in the garden, but yep, those statues got me offugard the first time, and got me good.
B-Cell said:
Bioshock is mediocre shooter and already dated after 10 years.
I played BioShock for the first time this year. Didn't feel dated to me.
trunkage said:
That's what I was alluding to. The "big ending reveal" of the lovers storyline is terrible. Dead Space aped it somewhat and it was terrible there too.
But I thought it was good...
Specifically, it wasn't so much the lovers themselves, more that Mercer was the one doing it. I already disliked the bastard prior to that point, but his killing them is just another reason to hate him.