Finally Played Through This

[MJ12]

I finally played through Bioshock, it took me a little less than a week. Before the release of the game I was ecstatic about it, then after watching a friend play it I was greatly dissapointed.

Anyways, I did end up buying it, and I gotta say I really ended up enjoying it. The atmosphere and setting, 1940's-esque deco was quite enveloping. The game is full of witty, dark, and sometimes subtle humor, such as the psychopathic splicers, and 1940-50's type advertisements over the P.A. and posters. The story of course was excellent.
I found myself laughing quite a few times, probably more than I did while playing Portal. "I'M NOT A BAD PERSONNNN", "I hate the Babies the most, they always come out covered in DEATH"
The final boss was also a fun and well balanced challenge.
And one more thing, the music was great, both the ambient instrumental and the famous songs from that era, Beyond The Sea, Danny Boy, etc, I found myself singing to many of them as they were used in the game.

However the game has many flaws, that if were fixed would make it one of the best games in our history.
For one, the diversity of enemies, it's something I got used to fast, but they still could have been more diverse.
Also, the game was very linear, I remember it being told before release that the game would be very free-roaming. I however got used to this as well, I'm fairly used to linear games, being a HL fan, but a free-roaming environment would have been more interesting.
They could also have worked on audio-sequences/diaries being more secluded from sounds, because I could not often hear over Splicers and vending machines, the worst was when

Spoiler

You could not hear what Atlas was saying after he revealed he was Frank Fontaine after overriding Rapture's meltdown

Also, the game has little replay value. But none the less, I'll love to play this game again 3-5 years from now, I'd say it's probably my next favorite game after all the Valve titles ahead of it.

 

[Gunner]

Yeah it's a great game but it does feel lacking in certain areas which you mentioned, it's a shame they didn't go all the way with the RPG aspects.

 

[Blackthorn]

You can also download a BioShock soundtrack and art book. The soundtrack doesn't contain any of the 1950s songs used in the game, instead it's the score itself. It's a fantastic listen, Welcome to Rapture, The Docks, Cohen's Masterpiece and Empty Houses are my personal favourites, the last is very emotional. The art book gives a great insight into the development of the game, and how much it evolved from the original concept.

It is a shame about it's lack of replay value, I tried once and didn't get too far. But first time through it was more emotionally involving than any game I've played before or since. I do plan to pick up the PS3 release though since it'll probably have been long enough by then to appreciate the game again.

 

[MJ12]

Cohen was obviously my favorite, and I liked how they made him look like a spliced up version of Salvador Dali. I let him live, I hear if you let him live you can find him again in The Town towards the end of the game. Admittedly I shot through that level because of how difficult it was for me.

I'm curious to try to use the cyclone against Fontaine, simply because it's such an unconventional plasmid to use against him.

The big daddy part was very cute and heart warming, but like many others, I wished that you had the big daddy's brute strength and Rivet Gun. I am curious, if you choose to be evil and harvest all the sisters, does that sequence where you land in the orphanage happen where all the sisters are being kind to you? And the dialogue must be slightly different as well, because Fontaine constantly tells you the girls are not worth saving.

 

[ríomhaire]

How the hell could you like the last boss? Not only was he just terrible from a story and style point of view, but he was piss easy. The only thing that could have been worse would be a Andriod Ryan boss-fight.

 

[MJ12]

Well he was a little easy, but I still thought he was cool, they (intentionally) made him look like Atlas the god, plus he had all those plasmids but insanely charged.

What about his story didn't you like?

 

[ríomhaire]

Well, after the brilliant Ryan's office scene Fontaine becoming a big generic boss was just so ****ing cheap.

 

[Cormeh]

I've got to be honest, after recently playing through it again, Steinman is my absolute favourite character in this game.

He's so maniacally..... evil. Corrupted.

"THIS ONE! TOO TALL!"

 

[MJ12]

He's my second favorite, Cohen appeals to me slightly more because he's an insane artist. I just loved that part at the end when he gets pissed and sends all the splicers out while playing some classical piece (I forget which), I remember just upgrading my fire plasmid, and lighting those screaming psychopaths up while that music was playing, brilliant.

 

[Blackthorn]

Cohen's by far my favourite too, Fort Frolic was the highlight of the game for me.

"My muse is a fickle bitch, with a very short attention span!"

You do meet him in a house later on, then I killed him and played around with his corpse. I felt empty after that.

 

[MJ12]

I can't find his appartment in Olympus Heights

 

[Blackthorn]

It's to the right when you get into the area with the elevator in the middle (I think). There are two splicers dancing in there, he tells you not to disturb them. If you wanne see Cohen and his deliciously decadent apartment, disturb' em good.

 

[MJ12]

I can't even get into that door

 

[combineadvisor]

Did you spare Cohen? You usually can walk rifght into his apartment. And if so, did you slaughter his dancers?

 

[Dog--]

The game was good, but it was no SS2.

 

[taviow]

He's my second favorite, Cohen appeals to me slightly more because he's an insane artist. I just loved that part at the end when he gets pissed and sends all the splicers out while playing some classical piece (I forget which), I remember just upgrading my fire plasmid, and lighting those screaming psychopaths up while that music was playing, brilliant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCTH4hSBOQI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOzgVldYvps

 

[Blackthorn]

I can't even get into that door

Ah right, you had to pick up the key which is in the projector room in Fort Frolic first. It's the room that Cohen keeps demanding you don't enter when he's in there. Once you complete the level, you're free to enter and snatch the key to his apartment.

 

[MJ12]

Spoiler

okay, after doing research on the game, I was shocked to find out that you were the son of Ryan and the model, and that you were only 2 years old from growth enhancements. They never really said that in the game from what I recall, though there were subtle suggestions of such things, apparently not enough for me to pick up. But I think him being only 2 is a little silly. 5-10? Okay, but 2 years old?

 

[ríomhaire]

Spoiler

I thought it was pretty obvious from early on that you were the stripper's son (There's a diary stating that only Ryan and his top men, or people related to them are able to use the bathyspheres). How could you not get it with all the diaries about the growth enhancement lying around and I'm pretty sure that Ryan says that you're his son.

 

[MJ12]

Spoiler

Just because there are diaries about growth enhancement, does not mean I automatically assume I am a lab experiment that is actually only two years old.

 

[ríomhaire]

I found it pretty obvious, so everyone else should too

 

[GreatEmperor]

Well, after the brilliant Ryan's office scene Fontaine becoming a big generic boss was just so ****ing cheap.

He wasnt just big super mutant guy, he was clearly a Big Daddy without the armor, that has precedent, i kind of liked fighting that

 

[SpotEnemyBoats]

I find Bioshock incredibly mediocre. All I heard was that this is the best single player game since Half-Life 2, hah. :|

The game is too long as well.

 

[Emporius]

I really enjoyed it. It was simple but fun, with a few complex novelties thrown in to keep things interesting.

 

[nipples]

Anyone notice that great games have crossbows?

 

[Bakurei]

Just finished the game on xbox 360. Got to say I really liked this game. Only thing that bothered me was that the game was so friggin easy, I played the game on the hardest setting. I mean big daddys were easy from the begining. I got more than enough ammo all the time. Well the atmosphere and story make up for this tenfold.

 

[Rico]

He wasnt just big super mutant guy, he was clearly a Big Daddy without the armor, that has precedent, i kind of liked fighting that

That's not true, if I recall correctly they mention that big daddies ARE the armor, essentially. The internal organs are connected to the suit and whatnot, so the suit is part of them.

 

[MJ12]

He wasnt just big super mutant guy, he was clearly a Big Daddy without the armor, that has precedent, i kind of liked fighting that

Lol wat.

That's not true, if I recall correctly they mention that big daddies ARE the armor, essentially. The internal organs are connected to the suit and whatnot, so the suit is part of them.

This most likely, it would be like a crab without it's Exoskeleton.

 

[Rico]

I think the last boss was supposed to be "Atlas" as in mythology. Anyone who has read "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand will recognize him as an almost picture perfect model of the guy in the cover.

Seemed fitting to me, considering the entire game was tongue in-cheek about Libertarianism and how badly it would fail if it were applied in reality (Atlas Shrugged is based on libertarian ideals, for those who may not know)

But still, as far as boss fights, he was lame.

 

[GreatEmperor]

Lol wat.


This most likely, it would be like a crab without it's Exoskeleton.

Never heard of the no exoderm thing but

You have to see that the chair / globe thing was the big daddy creation device. Seeing as how it was at the end of the big daddy/little sister training course and factory for the armor.

You were able to wear the armor just by sliding it on, it didnt need you to be a damn strogg to use it.

 

[JNightshade]

I thought it was stellar. Fontaine was too easy, enemies weren't quite varied enough (especially after reading the art book) and I hate the lack of an inventory, but otherwise I'm still totally blown away by this game.