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Bioshock

MarketTantrik

By MarketTantrik,
in Games

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Tyler Newbie

Tyler

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My BioShock review (no spoilers, so you can read if you still haven't finished the game)

 

I got my copy from the US with a friend returning from the US last month. I just couldn't have waited for it to come out here. Before I start, I have to admit that as far as first person shooters go I still rate the original Half-Life above BioShock.

 

With that said BioShock is easily one of the best (if not the best) FPS ever made. Sure, it has been overhyped and overpraised but even with that, the game delivers. There's something different about this game and you know the moment you step out of the "bathysphere" and into the city of Rapture. It's a different ecosystem with an economy and rules of it's own. There are three main things that made BioShock so special for me.

 

1. The Art of the game

 

Well it's almost like a big budget period movie. The whole Steampunk atmosphere makes it feel retro and advanced at the same time. It's very cool. Any sci-fi fan will feel right at home in this setting. Rapture is just beautiful (well at least when a splicer is not charging at you with a pipe). My favorite location was Arcadia. There was just something about that place which made it beautiful and eerie at the same time. The period music also helps set the right mood. Same goes for the various posters, advertisements that you see everywhere. I'd just walk around looking at the environment to take it all in and I suggest you play the game at a slow pace. Simply advancing to next objective will make you miss a lot of the sights and sounds, not to mention a lot hidden power-ups and items.

 

 

2. Gameplay

 

As far as the "shooting" element goes, BioShock appears to be fairly standard stuff. The guns don't really have any gimmicks (apart from the upgrades) and enemies don't really use a lot of tactics. Most of them simply charge at you or stand still and shoot. Even the Big Daddys are just brutes with no real "skill'. So what makes it special? It's the use of Plasmids as well as the environment which can be used to your advantage. There are quite a few plasmids (both the active and passive types) while allow you to customize yourself as a one man killing machine. The ways you can tackle enemies is almost limitless. So those who would just prefer to straight up shoot enemies or use just a few types of active Plasmids will miss a lot of the fun of the game. The gameplay choices and effective use of plasmids and upgrades really matters when you're playing on the Hard difficulty. Also don't forget to hack pretty much all turrets and security cameras to set up traps and provide additional firepower while you're bringing down that "Elite Bouncer" Big Daddy on Hard difficulty.

 

Everyone pretty much loves to hate the "vita chambers" and the way death is handled in the game. People seem to think that it makes the game too easy. I felt it just makes the game more immersive since you really don't need to save/load too often. I would still recommend saving the game though. There are a couple of game breaking bugs which can force you to reload a save. I came across one such bug where I just couldn't re-play an audio log which contained a very important clue for further progress.

 

 

3. The Story

 

This to me is the very essence of BioShock period. Even if the gameplay and graphics sucked I would still love BioShock if it had the same story. Everyone knows the basic plot but the back story and the reasons why Rapture became what it is when you arrive is just brilliant. Not to mention the huge twist which most of you guys must have heard about. Trust me, DO NOT spoil the game for yourself before you play it! The twist puts an entirely new perspective on your actions and before the final level things actually feel quite ironic (those who have played the game would know which part I'm talking about). Please make sure you listen to all the audio diaries and pay attention to the walls and notes because that is the only way to fully understand the plot while you're playing. There are two different endings depending on whether you choose to Harvest or Rescue the Little Sisters. That's all I will say. Overall the story is something you will rarely find in a video game especially in the "shooter" genre.

 

 

Now thus far I've made it sound like BioShock is pretty much a perfect game. But it's not. Here are a few of the flaws in my opinion...

 

- The graphics are great no doubt but the "cropping" issue on widescreen is kind of annoying. It just doesn't look right on a widescreen display and it is quite apparent that the developers took the "lazy" way out while implementing widescreen support. However once you start getting lost in the game it really does not matter because the game is just so immersive.

 

- There are a few technical issues where the framerate drops when there are a more than a few enemies around and a lot of explosions and stuff happening. There's also an annoying bug where you just automatically unload an entire clip of ammo as soon as you step out of the vita chamber.

 

- The replay value also might be a concern. Of course there's no multiplayer and although the game is awesome the replay value can go down significantly after the third playthrough and after you've seen everything/got all achievements. Still I'd say the game is well worth the money.

 

 

BioShock is a great title all the way through and if you love shooters or games with great involving stories there's no reason why you shouldn't pick it up. It's way ahead of most recent shooters which usually sacrifice a deep single player experience for the sake of the multiplayer component. And unlike most games you will actually be thinking about the story for a long time after you've beaten the game once.

 

:bash:

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Chaztin Newbie

Chaztin

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Care to explain ??

I meant that its crap that they bias game and Gamerscore based on regions and details like colour of blood etc....

 

but that fact was well explained by vinit!

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Pir8 Newbie

Pir8

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Why the hell are you playing the German version? And do you speak german?

 

 

I usually pick up every version of the game

E Arm (Jap/US)

MotoGp 06 (US /FE)

Bioshock (US/German)

Darkness (US/German)

Quake 4 (US/German)

Bulletwitch (US/Jap)

Soon Trusty Bell/Eternal Sonata unless they change that.

 

Its extra 1K in GS but I also like playing the different versions to compare them. I am expecting Stranglehold German shortly as well.

 

The German versions are less violent. With Bioshock there is very little missing except for the blood and gore. There is blood but not as much.

 

And nope I don't speak German but it doesn't stop me :wOOtjumpy:

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Pir8 Newbie

Pir8

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I'm pretty much done with the leader boards. My target was 100K..then 150K...now at 175K and i'm definitely done at 200K.

I recall telling Sam once that I wanted to get in the top 25. Well I got to #3 and made my mark.

 

The GS race will never end..Today 200k..6 months from now 400k. I have already started taking it easy. I will still go for completion as I like completing my games but I don't care about rank much anymore.

 

The guy who first crossed 100K is a good buddy of mine Strip and the different versions of games was discovered way way before he hit 100k. I think Enchanted Arms was the first to have 3 versions except that the HK version was glitched and never unlocked more than 700ish which is why it's not on my tag.

 

For those interested and I get this question a lot my GT is now close to 50 megs and a recovery takes 8-9 hrs. I hate to think what would happen when Gamerscores reach 500K :thumbsup:

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MarketTantrik Newbie

MarketTantrik

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BioShock sets download and sales records, sequels to follow?

 

From Xbox360 Fanboy

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/09/11/bi...uels-to-follow/

___________________________________________________________

 

BioShock has been the hotness ever since it released last month and we're packing the digits and numbers to prove it. During a 2K Games investor call, 2K chairman Strauss Zelnick confirmed that BioShock has already sold 1.5 million copies worldwide, is on track to become one of the best selling games ever and that the XBLM BioShock demo has set new download records for a nine day period. Impressive, no? Zelnick then went on to plant a seed of hope stating that the BioShock franchise might adopt the Grand Theft Auto business model of having a new game release every two years. Yup, it just might be possible that we'll be harvesting (or saving) little sisters every few years for the rest of our lives ... oh joy!

 

It's more than obvious 2K is pleased with what Irrational 2K Boston has done with BioShock and if sequels get churned out every few years we just hope the the quality and the storylines are equally amazing as the original. Congrats 2K Boston!

__________________________________________________________

 

WOW !! Bioshock is really doing well !!

 

Now if only my Collector's Edition would hurry up, I'll be a content being.

 

-- MT

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Tyler Newbie

Tyler

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I still feel that Halo is in a different league compared to BioShock. The only connection being that both are technically first person shooters. Halo 3 wont be remembered/played for it's deep single player campaign but more for online play, unlike BioShock.

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