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Bioshock Overrated?
JamesKeenan
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I want to preface this by saying I played the game in one approximately 12-hour sitting, and from what I had heard, I was expecting another Half-Life 2. As far as single player goes, Half-Life 2 is unmatched in the field of first-person shooters. Narrative, plot, pacing, action, art direction, graphics quality. Top quality in just about ever respect.
And that's what I was expecting from Bioshock. Now, the moral themes, story, graphics/art were all great. The diaries were usually quite a treat. Granted, the "twist" seemed a bit campy, but I'm willing to bend on that issue, and it *was* a surprise. Plus,
The problem is frankly the gameplay. There were only three, arguably four (spider splicers) enemies, but that could slide. It's only an underwater city, not a Tolkien novel. However, the small variety of baddies to kill only contributed to the already existing sense of repetitiveness. (I definitely don't count the little sisters as bad guys, and I'm purposefully lumping the 4 machines into one group, because it was all the same thing. Zap, hack. I might have been more forgiving if it ever played different with them.)
Now, I consider myself a real gamer. I can't afford to buy a whole lot of games, but through the internet, friends and Blockbuster/Gamefly, I'm able to play most games despite not being able to own them. So I'm confident that it wasn't unintelligence or lack of experience at fault when I often became completely distraught with trying to figure out what to do next. There was the arrow at the top of the screen, which was helpful when it was there, but my largest complaint is of the times it wasn't.
Frankly, the game played like a series of easter egg hunts. Concoct this potion, finish this masterpiece, build this suit. I must have spent a cumulative hour or two just back tracking, retracing my steps and trying to blindly explore to find a missed component, or find the one Big Daddy I missed. I remember one instance I was in a room with a cased component, and for the life of me couldn't find a way to open the case. I was hoping it'd be a wa that required a skill or weapon of mine, so I tried blasting it, ripping the door off via telekinesis. Nothing.
I checked the hints, and right there. "Check the desk for a button." And the realistion slammed me hard that they'd had to have put that there because either they were concerned that people/idiots would miss it, like me, or that during testing people DID miss it. If it was an issue, why not put the button next to the case? Did it have to be on the desk? Is it too unrealistic to have a button right next to the case, but an underwater city inhabited by pyrokinetic mutants is all right? Why not rework it totally, make it more obvious, or less confusing. Maybe require the user to break the case open, that would have been far cooler than frustratingly searching for a button on the side of a desk that seemed by the designers to be arbitrarily put there.
My point in all that isn't to emphasis and highlight one issue. The entire game can be analyzed likewise by asking different but similarly themed questions. Why on earth was that necessary? At times I was reminded of Perfect Dark: Zero's campaign mode. I was either left to myself the entire time to find inexplicably well-hidden items, or led around as if on a leash by the arrow, in which case I don't even know why I'd need to be in control of those parts of the game, other than to lead me through more of the three enemies, for gameplay's sake.
I never would buy Bioshock despite how good it turned out to be. I only ever intended to rent it, beat it, return it. As much as I love Half-Life 2, I never replayed it, and never would have fully purchased it either, but I wanted to be able to play all the mods. However, before actually playing Bioshock, the game was sort of a "MUST HAVE 10/10 RENTAL!!!" and afterward, arguably unrealistic expectations dashed, it seems more like a 7.5/10 definitely recommended rental. It's worth playing, but not quite game of the year material. I was expecting Half-Life 2, and got something a little better than "The Darkness," also a worthwhile rental with graphics, art, ideas and a good story. Granted, "The Darkness" is more like a 5 or 6/10...
For the purpose of perspective, if I had to nominate an already released game for game of the year, Command and Conquer 3, or God of War 2. I'm eagerly awaiting Mass Effect, Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed, however.
And that's what I was expecting from Bioshock. Now, the moral themes, story, graphics/art were all great. The diaries were usually quite a treat. Granted, the "twist" seemed a bit campy, but I'm willing to bend on that issue, and it *was* a surprise. Plus,
the idea of the character being forced to do all these things plays well on the fact that the player is likewise forced to complete these tasks without much questioning. I liked that bit.
Besides, the story's iffy twist is not why I think the game is getting better reviews than it probably deserves.The problem is frankly the gameplay. There were only three, arguably four (spider splicers) enemies, but that could slide. It's only an underwater city, not a Tolkien novel. However, the small variety of baddies to kill only contributed to the already existing sense of repetitiveness. (I definitely don't count the little sisters as bad guys, and I'm purposefully lumping the 4 machines into one group, because it was all the same thing. Zap, hack. I might have been more forgiving if it ever played different with them.)
Now, I consider myself a real gamer. I can't afford to buy a whole lot of games, but through the internet, friends and Blockbuster/Gamefly, I'm able to play most games despite not being able to own them. So I'm confident that it wasn't unintelligence or lack of experience at fault when I often became completely distraught with trying to figure out what to do next. There was the arrow at the top of the screen, which was helpful when it was there, but my largest complaint is of the times it wasn't.
Frankly, the game played like a series of easter egg hunts. Concoct this potion, finish this masterpiece, build this suit. I must have spent a cumulative hour or two just back tracking, retracing my steps and trying to blindly explore to find a missed component, or find the one Big Daddy I missed. I remember one instance I was in a room with a cased component, and for the life of me couldn't find a way to open the case. I was hoping it'd be a wa that required a skill or weapon of mine, so I tried blasting it, ripping the door off via telekinesis. Nothing.
I checked the hints, and right there. "Check the desk for a button." And the realistion slammed me hard that they'd had to have put that there because either they were concerned that people/idiots would miss it, like me, or that during testing people DID miss it. If it was an issue, why not put the button next to the case? Did it have to be on the desk? Is it too unrealistic to have a button right next to the case, but an underwater city inhabited by pyrokinetic mutants is all right? Why not rework it totally, make it more obvious, or less confusing. Maybe require the user to break the case open, that would have been far cooler than frustratingly searching for a button on the side of a desk that seemed by the designers to be arbitrarily put there.
My point in all that isn't to emphasis and highlight one issue. The entire game can be analyzed likewise by asking different but similarly themed questions. Why on earth was that necessary? At times I was reminded of Perfect Dark: Zero's campaign mode. I was either left to myself the entire time to find inexplicably well-hidden items, or led around as if on a leash by the arrow, in which case I don't even know why I'd need to be in control of those parts of the game, other than to lead me through more of the three enemies, for gameplay's sake.
I never would buy Bioshock despite how good it turned out to be. I only ever intended to rent it, beat it, return it. As much as I love Half-Life 2, I never replayed it, and never would have fully purchased it either, but I wanted to be able to play all the mods. However, before actually playing Bioshock, the game was sort of a "MUST HAVE 10/10 RENTAL!!!" and afterward, arguably unrealistic expectations dashed, it seems more like a 7.5/10 definitely recommended rental. It's worth playing, but not quite game of the year material. I was expecting Half-Life 2, and got something a little better than "The Darkness," also a worthwhile rental with graphics, art, ideas and a good story. Granted, "The Darkness" is more like a 5 or 6/10...
For the purpose of perspective, if I had to nominate an already released game for game of the year, Command and Conquer 3, or God of War 2. I'm eagerly awaiting Mass Effect, Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed, however.
JamesKeenan on
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This discussion has been closed.
Posts
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=33349
what the hell man
what the hell
yeah nobody cares.
But seriously, lots of people like the game, some people wont, what else can be said?
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=33687
@Bryceforvice on Twitter Facebook
do you play video games?
if yes, you are a gamer
that's all there is to it
it's not some fucking lifestyle
there's no such thing as a "fake" gamer
what if you claim to play games but don't
that is a pretty fake gamer
Touche.
I'm a fake Frenchie.
Constructive.
Yes, I realise there are other Bioshock threads. But I think that every single person so far that has replied has missed the point of my post. This is a discussion thread I assume, and I'd figure the title would give it away.
There are a few Bioshock-related threads on the front page, but I happen to believe something can be a seperate thought or discussion entirely and still be related to Bioshock.
The entire reason for posting this was to *discuss* whether or not anyone else thought the absolutely lavishing, rave reviews the game was getting were earned. Because of the coverage and reviews of the game, I was expecting everything short of the disc giving my sexual favors. I was disappointed by the hype, but that happens. However, it's still been decided by so many people that this is already GotY.
The title was "Bioshock Overrated?" and that was the point of this particular discussion. I didn't feel my thoughts belonged in "Bioshock: Big Daddy goes AWOOOOOOOOOO," or "Steam/Source: BIOSHOCK ON STEAM!" or even "is bioshock this good? I like it..."
But perhaps I shouldn't have thought about the actual point of topics, duscussions, threads and such, and just gone "I have an urgin' to discuss a particular and certain issue about Bioshock, let me find the first thread with Bioshock in the title and post there."
Wouldn't that have been thread hijacking anyhow?
I hate people who run around calling themselves hardcore or "true" videogamers.Annoys me so much.
Actually, I don't consider a person to be a "gamer" just because they play games. Someone who only plays Madden or WoW is not really a gamer to me. I'm not an idiot, I get the literal definition of gamer, but this is semantics, and you're splitting hairs just to be an ass. I don't consider someone to be an art collecter for having one painting on their wall. Same rule applies. I game as a hobby, I put a concerted effort into playing new games. Etc. etc. etc. IT's not that they aren't good enough, I was just trying to be specific. I'll try harder next time? This still has nothing to do with the *point* of this thread. Discussing whether, of those who've played it, think the reviews and magazines so quickly prescribing GOTY status are right or not.
I'm not saying I'm so awesome, or hardcore. But blow it out of proportion and assume, well. It's the internet. I suppose I can't blame you for assuming. Assuming the worst is common practice, because the worst is usually what you get.
To the actual point, yes, I feel this game deserves every bit of praise it's getting. Since I've gotten my 360 I've had some fun times, but this is the first (exclusive) game that stayed with me for more than a day, the first game I've been completely encapsulated in this generation. Gamerankings has it listed as the #4 game of all time; I would feel pretty comfortable placing it in my top 5, probably at 2 or 3.
This isn't a constructive thread. I don't need to be constructive in it.
You couldn't find a button on a desk. The developers gave you a hint system for just such an occasion, and you fault them for it. Oh well.
The bottom line.
The very bottom line, sir.
Is that we have a place for Bioshock discussion already and this forum is quite strict about making useless threads.
I just don't see the point of these threads. You don't like it? Okay, that's cool. But why do I need to know? What, exactly, do you want me to say?
He wants you to admit he's right, duh. Don't you know that people who go against the grain, say "fuck the general consensus" or "the man", so to speak, get automatic cool points and several inches added to their Internet penis?
Yeah, I figured, but people are always like "You guys are gushing over X but I just don't get it." Okay, you don't "Get it." Thanks for sharing?
Yeah, because the button thing was totally the only point in his post.
The Steam/Source thread is about Steam and Source, Bioshock isn't discussed in it other than how it relates to Steam. "is bioshock this good" is a bullshit thread. "Bioshock: Big Daddy goes AWOOOOO" is this forum's Bioshock discussion thread, and is where stuff like this thread should go. One thread per topic and one topic per thread is the rule here.
If your username is an obscure Big Lebowski reference, you fucking rule.
stupid kraut
I told that Kraut a fucking thousand times I DON'T ROLL ON SHABBAS!
I'd be worried about hijacking a thread, but I can see its impending doom in the near future.
It's not my responsibility to tackle every sentence he wrote.
I'll do another one, watch me go.
"I think the whole game is an easter egg hunt!"
Yeah okay... most games pretty much are... so what?
(I'm good at this)
I don't think the game is exactly over-rated if you tone down the positive reviews to account for typical hype and release date splurges.
ITT: We learn that the existence of this thread is not needed whatsoever.
I had negative shit to say about skate. Did I make a new thread saying "skate sucks"? No.
In terms of dialogue, delivery, and comic timing, yes. I've laughed more at other movies, but those were different kinds of humor (Superbad, Anchorman, etc.).
All that I wrote wasn't to berate the game arbitrarily, or to just spout of about not "getting it" as far as the game. It is a great game. I just thought I might use this theory of a "discussion thread" to hold some form of a... discussion, and find out what the consensus was about the game. Isn't that was a forum is?
This isn't even a damn criticism of the game. I was only giving the things I liked about the game to make my ideas, and the topic, make sense. IT's getting fantastic reviews, and it's being heralded already as GOTY.
More concisely nowm in college format,
"Do you feel that given these certain criticisms (mine), the game is deserving of the grand positive views it's getting." Of the reviews I've taen the time to read fully through, a couple barely mentioned actual gameplay. They spoke *of* features, but not at all of how they played in game. The reviews read like a manual, with some earned positive discussion about the story and art.
If anything I'm discussing the gaming media more than Bioshock itself.
if i read sci-fi am i a reader? Or do i have to read the complete works of tolstoy in order to be a reader? Am i a casual reader?
what about tv? if i watch law and order am i a watcher?
Oh...excuse me, "*DISCUSSING* your views." You have yet to give us a valid reason to make a new thread when a perfectly good one that envelopes ALL DISCUSSION REGARDING THIS GAME is RIGHT ON THIS PAGE.
Carlos Mencia sucks.
Michael Cera (and everyone else from Arrested Development) has been bestowed with the incredible gift of comedic timing. They should only use this power for good.
I do hope he's happy with all the attention he's getting now.
...Yes.
Agreed. Dave Chapelle as well.