Different strokes for different blokes I guess. I enjoyed the story and atmosphere but not the gamplay, maybe another person who likes the game enjoys the gameplay but not the story, you're not going to get any straight answere here.
Why does everyone love Bioshock?
- Thread starter Justice4L
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I only finished playing Bioshock about two weeks, but I did enjoy it a great deal. I hadn't played many horror games before and I'm only okay at FPSs, so it may have helped that it was more of a new experience. However, most of the appeal was in exploring and learning about the strange, undersea city of Rapture for the first time, so I'm not sure it has much replay value. I'm okay with that, though, as the one play-through was satisfying enough.
A few of the reasons I loved the game:
The background music. Or more appropriately, the lack of background music throughout most of the game. I think there may have been a few ominous chords here and there, but I liked that you could hear the ambient sounds of Rapture. It helped being able to hear the clanks and clatters and splicers talking to themselves. The latter worked wonders for my shotgun-ninja approach to the game. However, the odd noises toward the end of the Neptune's Bounty did make me paranoid before concluding they were whale songs.
The Big Daddies with the rivet guns. After defeating the first one and discovering that it was named Rosie, I had to pause for a few moments. I wouldn't be able to run into another Rosie without thinking, "We can do it!"
The fact that you mostly never got to see another living, sane human being face to face. Most discourse with other denizens of Rapture was handled by radio or across a glass partition, and most of the splicers had twisted or monstrous forms. It added a certain sense of isolation. Unfortunately, this made me feel kind of "meh" about the final boss. Sure the guy was big, but he didn't really inspire terror when he was standing right there in a spacious well-lit open room (the lack of terror could have also been due to the fact that, by that point, I was a pulsating lightning god wielding my mighty shotgun Mjolnir).
The security robots. As improbable as it is to imagine flying robots fashioned from apple crates, the fact that they sounded like giant bumble bees made them forever endearing. Even when they were shooting me to ribbons, I couldn't stay mad at those loveable buzzing buggers.
I did find myself falling back on the same style of gamplay, but that's only because I became rather adept with the shotgun. Toward the middle of the game, though, it did leave me worried when I was running low on shotgun shells (and the cash with which to buy more). I felt a bit naked without the boomstick.
I don't think I have any great urge to go back and beat the game again. It doesn't have the same new playthrough smell once the story twists are revealed and you know what's lurking around which corner, but I may give it another run-through eventually.
Overall it was pretty atmospheric and I enjoyed the art style and how the story was revealed. Also, the song Beyond the Sea is still stuck in my head.
A few of the reasons I loved the game:
The background music. Or more appropriately, the lack of background music throughout most of the game. I think there may have been a few ominous chords here and there, but I liked that you could hear the ambient sounds of Rapture. It helped being able to hear the clanks and clatters and splicers talking to themselves. The latter worked wonders for my shotgun-ninja approach to the game. However, the odd noises toward the end of the Neptune's Bounty did make me paranoid before concluding they were whale songs.
The Big Daddies with the rivet guns. After defeating the first one and discovering that it was named Rosie, I had to pause for a few moments. I wouldn't be able to run into another Rosie without thinking, "We can do it!"
The fact that you mostly never got to see another living, sane human being face to face. Most discourse with other denizens of Rapture was handled by radio or across a glass partition, and most of the splicers had twisted or monstrous forms. It added a certain sense of isolation. Unfortunately, this made me feel kind of "meh" about the final boss. Sure the guy was big, but he didn't really inspire terror when he was standing right there in a spacious well-lit open room (the lack of terror could have also been due to the fact that, by that point, I was a pulsating lightning god wielding my mighty shotgun Mjolnir).
The security robots. As improbable as it is to imagine flying robots fashioned from apple crates, the fact that they sounded like giant bumble bees made them forever endearing. Even when they were shooting me to ribbons, I couldn't stay mad at those loveable buzzing buggers.
I did find myself falling back on the same style of gamplay, but that's only because I became rather adept with the shotgun. Toward the middle of the game, though, it did leave me worried when I was running low on shotgun shells (and the cash with which to buy more). I felt a bit naked without the boomstick.
I don't think I have any great urge to go back and beat the game again. It doesn't have the same new playthrough smell once the story twists are revealed and you know what's lurking around which corner, but I may give it another run-through eventually.
Overall it was pretty atmospheric and I enjoyed the art style and how the story was revealed. Also, the song Beyond the Sea is still stuck in my head.
I never found the gameplay reptitive. If we're talking reptitive, then I'd say Uncharted Drake's Fortune.
God... you kill 20 guys, walk for a minute and have to fight 20 more guys, rinse and repeat, then throw in some platforming.
God... you kill 20 guys, walk for a minute and have to fight 20 more guys, rinse and repeat, then throw in some platforming.
Dunno, HBO series always seem woefully low-budget to me, especially when they have action scenes. I'd prefer a glorious, 2-hour window into Rapture than a drawn-out, less impressive series.Irreducible Sohn said:
Then again, HBO is pretty consistent quality-wise, while even the best directors can be hit-or-miss in their films.
Alright here is why I did not think the story was amazing:
a) The plot twist in the middle. I didn't care about the character so why should I care about what happened. The game showed the character without giving me reasons to trust said character, so when I lost the trust, I couldn't have cared less.
b) Ending. Apart from the appalling boss battle I am given three (really two) different endings that did not conclude or satisfy the story. Why would Jack do these things? Doesn't really fit his character.
c) Audio logs. I thought audio logs were clever and fresh, but I can't concentrate on listening to backstory when I have to defend myself from a Big Daddy. Maybe something like diary entries would have been better, as I could stop and enjoy the story without 1000 bullets being shot at me.
And gameplay wise:
a) Backtracking. Many of the quests rely on you going to do fetch quests in areas you have already explored. What is the fun in that.
b) Variety. There were melee Big Daddys and shooting Big Daddys. If they had given me more, I would not have minded killing them over and over again.
c) The beginning of Bioshock was truly excellent. Probably one of the best ways to start a game. But then it goes downhill and forgets to keep you immersed. It remembers, but only when I have about 2 hours left of the game to play!
d) Morality. What is the point of having a morality system if it just changes whether you get ADAM short term or long term? They could have changed the plasmids or who you sided with depending on if you were good or bad, but they didn't.
a) The plot twist in the middle. I didn't care about the character so why should I care about what happened. The game showed the character without giving me reasons to trust said character, so when I lost the trust, I couldn't have cared less.
b) Ending. Apart from the appalling boss battle I am given three (really two) different endings that did not conclude or satisfy the story. Why would Jack do these things? Doesn't really fit his character.
c) Audio logs. I thought audio logs were clever and fresh, but I can't concentrate on listening to backstory when I have to defend myself from a Big Daddy. Maybe something like diary entries would have been better, as I could stop and enjoy the story without 1000 bullets being shot at me.
And gameplay wise:
a) Backtracking. Many of the quests rely on you going to do fetch quests in areas you have already explored. What is the fun in that.
b) Variety. There were melee Big Daddys and shooting Big Daddys. If they had given me more, I would not have minded killing them over and over again.
c) The beginning of Bioshock was truly excellent. Probably one of the best ways to start a game. But then it goes downhill and forgets to keep you immersed. It remembers, but only when I have about 2 hours left of the game to play!
d) Morality. What is the point of having a morality system if it just changes whether you get ADAM short term or long term? They could have changed the plasmids or who you sided with depending on if you were good or bad, but they didn't.
Wow, I'm amazed lol. The average of 3 numbers is different to an average game lol. I'm not saying the average SCORE of the game, you may have misunderstood me. I'm saying I believe it is an average game hence I give it around the 5/10 mark (more of a 6). Before you start going on about "schoolboy errors" please listen to what I'm saying. I'm not saying the average score because if I did that it would take me years to gather every tiny little review ever made on the game. I'm saying it is an average game. Oh and I did not say those words so no quotation marks as it is not my quote. Your last paragraph is just you telling me why it is a good game and why I'm wrong. Don't do that. It's not what the thread is about.Treblaine said:
Oh my god, your arrogance is astounding.Justice4L said:
So this thread somehow cannot be about how you are wrong, or how the game is good? You think because you made this thread that it only has to be about how you are right and no mention on how Bioshock is good?
PS: 6/10 score for a game IS WAY below average and YOU KNOW IT! Everyone knows it, that is why you say it. Also nonsense like "deeply average" just shows you are using the term average pejoratively to back handedly say that you hate it. Don't think you can pull the wool over our eyes.
All the god damn time.Justice4L said:
Also, you can stop giving nonsense excuses for why you don't like the game:
(a) Have you no idea what is going on? Is it just beyond your comprehension why you obeyed Atlas:Justice4L said:
You were brainwashed with plasmids! You had no choice but to obey Atlas when he said "would you kindly" and this is exploited and his plan worked perfectly had you not been so hard to kill.
(b) It was a damn good boss battle, especially considering most games don't even have a real big-bad for the final showdown except some scripted showdown that is over in 10 seconds.
(c) Why the hell are you fighting big daddies while listening to audio logs? You are supposed to spend this time exploring with caution not getting into fights. Anyway, you can enter the map menu at any time where the log keeps playing but the game is frozen. Stop whining.
gameplay:
(a) Hypocrite! First you say Bioshcok is too linear, NOW you say the game is ruined because of backtracking, when it is ideal for you to explore and experience Rapture to the full. Enough with your mealy mouthed insults. The backtracking is NOT A PROBLEM! Only a petty excuse for haters to hate. Go hate on something else.
(b) Only two varieties, with elite variants of each, in different environments. You are given WAY more than the best yet you demand more and say it is below average, there are no two fights that are the same in Bioshock.
(c) It NEVER fails in immersion. You certainly haven't even hinted how it possibly did. Are you so arrogant to think we will accept your ridiculous claim without example? I wonder what other cheap nonsense you will resort to?
(d) You utter sociopath, you think morality is about petty materialism?!?!? Morality is about important things like murdering girls for short terms gains, or saving them monstrous for delayed and lesser gains. Only an anti-intellectual jerk thinks a morality system is worthless without massive material punishments or rewards.
It's not a case of "good path = suffer terribly"
You seem to complain "aaaww, why can't they hide half on the content from us by choosing a particular path?"
Again, the average game has NO MORALITY SYSTEM at all! Yet you say Bioshock is "deeply average".
hmmm you have eight weapons to choose from. You carry them at all times. Then you can get another 6 super powers to use sideby side with those weapons. With each playthough you can drastically change ur playstyle to something more fun. Try beating the whole damn game with only a wrench. yep just the wrench. The possiblites are quite nomerous.
Well by weapons I meant firearms AND plasmids, I thought I made the distinction clear (firearms being distinct category of weapons). My bad.Phoenixmgs said:
Anyway, even if you know what the shotgun would do, it is still REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REEEEEAALLY Dumb to not use those weapons and yet knock the game for being repetitive. You are still spamming the same ineffective attack over and over again, you cannot artificially constrain yourself to repeating the same bone-head simple tactic and then complain that the game is "repetitive".
You only have yourself to blame.
But even then that is more interesting than 90% of the games out there where literally it is nothing but point and shoot, point-and-shoot, point-shoot, Pointshoot, pointshootpointshootpointshoot FOR HOURS! Literally, that is all COD is. No combos to make kills, no need to lead the target nor aim at their feet nor run to a very close range nor aim for a particular body part (like head or amputate limbs) for a sure kill.
PS: "looting" is about more than resource management, there mere act of finding loot is enjoyable, but if you don't enjoy that, or for idealistic reasons deny yourself that... well that's your problem.
OP doesn't like something deemed great by his peers (in this case, other gamers).
Opinions. Look it up.
Personally, I love the game. Great story. Great atmosphere, also, bees and the firing of them out of hands.
Just a slight comment about the ending. I originally found it a little "meh," but after playing the game multiple times and thinking about the symbolism, I realized that they're actually pretty awesome. One of he major themes of the game is the idea of family. Big daddies, little sisters, the two father figures of Ryan and Fontaine, embodying different bad father-son relationships. If you think about it from this perspective the endings make a lot of sense. In the good ending Jack's payoff is getting a true, loving family. In the bad ending, it's a twisted family of splicers running rampant upon the earth.
I may have played this game about half a dozen times...
I may have played this game about half a dozen times...
Opinions opinions, you say ME and Fallout were 10x better and I can't help but disagree from my view point, ME and Fallout have a more grand story but the philosophy, atmosphere and attention to details is what grabbed me in Bioshock, those things can however easily go unseen.
But hey that's why it's nice to have such a wide variety of choice in games, we all get something we like.
But hey that's why it's nice to have such a wide variety of choice in games, we all get something we like.
No faceplam is big enough -.-Treblaine said:
Clap, clap, once again you ignore what I say completely to strengthen your argument, heck, why is their an argument? I just thought the game was average as I have said. You obviously like the game, yet you fail to give your own clear argument. Instead, you undermine my opinion and think that is good enough. FYI, it's not. Pro tip, 1/2 = 5/10, learnt that in what Year 2? All your posts seem to be aggressive jabs at people who don't seem to love the game as much as you do. Now I could do that to every person who said the game was good, but I have no interest in doing that as I respect their opinion. I expect you to do the same, without calling people sociopaths -.- Sociopaths really? Weren't we talking about a game or was I mistaken?
story:
a) Wrong plot twist as the one you have stated happened later on. I mean the betrayal.
b) The boss battle did last 10 seconds. Perhaps you were playing a different game?
c) A game where I should pause the whole game to fully enjoy it. Yeah... right.
gameplay:
a) Stated earlier that it was a corridor that you had to repeatedly backtrack, making it repetitive.
b) So you are saying if you eat an apple during the day it tastes different than if you eat it at night? Makes sense. 6/10 = ok, not below average
c) Wow just abusing people now are we? It loses tension when it turns into a fetch quest game. Simple.
d) For you to twist my words that way says something about you. You clearly do not understand me. The only outcome of saving LS is getting ADAM down the road, while the other gets it sooner. I actually didn't like how it showed the girls as materials, without any moral outcomes, so read before you rage.
And finally, yes, it is an average game IMO.
I don't have to undermine your opinion, it was already an unsubstantiated and irrelevant by yourself. I'm merely commenting on it.Justice4L said:
You have't got anything to say, it's clear you are a waste of time, giving nothing but meaningless conjecture and arbitrary contrarianism without even an attempt at a coherent argument.
Hell, you accuse me of putting words in your mouth then confirm my assessment of you:
"I actually didn't like how it showed the girls as materials"
It did NOT show them as materials, if you did see them as nothing but that and you murdered them then you EARNED the bad ending where you essentially start a nuclear war. You play a child murderer, who murders children for quick gains. That makes you an evil bastard.
Double-talk is your only tool, but I can see right through it. I see how you flip flop CONSTANTLY on every point. As soon as I prove the game is not one thing you then say it is the other extreme, that is pure madness. From too Linear to too much backtracking.
Your word is WORTHLESS!
"It loses tension when it turns into a fetch quest game. Simple."
No. That is nonsense. It may make sense in your head but it does not make sense outside your mind in the real world where things like logic and reason matter.
If you don't like the game because it just doesn't suit your personal tastes, but admit that it is a good game: fine. But your problem is you seem to think your personal taste should somehow automatically make the game crap.
I don't like sports games, I hate them and would rather dig a ditch than have to play Madden 2012. But I am not such a jerk as to say madden is "deeply average" or a 6/10 game just because it does not fit my tastes. Quantified scores have to be objective, that is the whole point of scoring.
I was quite let down by the game. Not because it was a bad game, but because all the preview videos hyped it up to be something it wasn't. They made the game look like Rapture was a completely open world that you had to travel through to complete missions, and stuff like the little sisters/big daddies etc. was all randomly generated and dynamic in the environment. It was also touted as an RPG. Instead, the game was basically a set-piece oriented corridor shooter.Justice4L said:
The plasmids I thought could've been better. I did toy around with enrage and the big daddy control one early on, several of them just seemed very situation or just not very useful. You are normally taking out one splicer at a time, so enrage isn't that useful. Some of the plasmids you know sucked just from the description, why would I shoot bees at enemies when I can set them on fire or freeze them? And, it seemed the game purposefully made most plasmids useless against the bid daddies because early on I tried lots of different strategies and the best strategy is just shooting them with a shotgun or RPG.Treblaine said:
I'm not the only one that has complained the game gets repetitive in the middle before the Sandra Cohen stuff. How is freezing enemies boneheaded or ineffective? And, it took too damn long to complete enemy research so I was freezing enemies for quite some time just due to completing enemy research. Research still takes too long when you are stacking the Photographer Eye tonics as well. At first, I really liked the research mechanic but it just became tedious.
What's the point of getting loot when I have everything and cannot carry anything more? Also, Jack could carry like 8 different guns but couldn't carry more than $500. There was no reason to loot if you have everything. I was mainly exploring most of the latter half of the game to find audio diaries because I had everything else. I think I had great resource management if I literally had everything I could have. I'm having a great time looting in Deus Ex Human Revolution right now because I don't have everything I want and there is no money limit.
Bioshock does lose it focus after a few hours as Bioshock is part horror game at the start. You have the ghosts and you have that one scene in the morgue (that's about a foot deep in water) where IIRC you hear a splicer, walk in and there's nothing there, and then he pops out after you think you're safe. And that one scene where the lights go out, and you get attack by a bunch of splicers. The game shows you all it's enemy types too early as well. Those kind of situations almost completely disappear after a few hours. And, it's not until the Sandra Cohen section with the statues that the game tries to scare you again.
And, you failed to even attempt to defend Bioshock's bad plot. It has some interesting and great ideas but it failed to deliver a quality narrative. Bioshock's twist was great but when you start asking questions, it all falls apart. COD4's narrative was actually better.
I'm not a fan of games like COD, I played COD4 and it was a fun experience but there was nothing there that I really wanted to get back to so I never played any other COD game. COD4 is the first and last COD game I've played. And, I loathe COD's multiplayer, it's not deep at all and it's rather featureless (COD doesn't even have clan support).