Why does everyone love Bioshock?

[cormacd12]

I wasn't a big fan either. Half of the game was backtracking and looting to find 5 or 6 mcguffins. I never had enough health and the stupid vita-chambers didn't help. Every time I finished a level the game would say - oh, there's one or two little sisters you haven't found yet but I could never find them.

The only great things were the plasmids, audiologs (fresh at the time), the twist and atlas's Irish accent. Seriously, I'm Irish and I cringe whenever I hear a leprechaun impression in games like the saboteur.

 

[monkey_man]

Oh heavens. This thread again. There have been "I no likey Bioshock so heres me saiing thad" threads too many already, and you just made another one?
Just because a game is good in one's opinion, or in a large quantity of people's opinion, does not state that everyone will like it. You like it, you play it. You don't, (x2) But PLEASE for the sake of my pants, stop making threads going "I didn't like this game. Deal with it." It's been done before, and it only enrages others like myself, or inspire samefaggotry (might be rude, but 4chan's terms are good terms). Not every game can be a diamond farting miracle. But gold sneezing irregularities work just as good in my opinion.

loads of good points

Even though this guy comes over as being high on mad, he still makes valid points. I agreed with all of them, and BOY do I like those Ideas you gave me to use for my dark mind > I like your style.

because yahtzee brought in atleast 50% of the escapist, and yahtzee likes the game because it's arty [OR ARTSY?]

Bioshock artsy? it was just a good game, played well, a decent story, balanced gameplay. nice difficulty, some colour in it(besides gray, black and red), varied gameplay styles. Man if that's artsy I am so going to play every arty game out there, because apparently they are brilliant! also, it's probably artsy. But I could be wrong.

 

[Kodlak]

I loved it as I was immersed in the story and the player customization through the tonics, plasmids and weapon upgrades. However I replayed it a few months back and to be honest I do agree it does get a bit repetitive, so maybe it is so well loved due to the time it was released and that there weren't many games like it at the time. Although it will always have a place in my shriveled old heart.

Would you kindly...

 

[Dreadman75]

Maybe Bioshock just isn't your type of game. You've said repeatedly that you did not really care for the story and atmosphere and instead focused more on the gameplay. Mabye it just isn't for you.

Personally, I loved the story and the atmosphere. I loved seeing how one man's dream of a free society quickly turned into everyone's nightmare. The concept was, in this console generation, quite original. Add into that the many different ways there are to kill things and that made the entire game just that much more impressive to me.

 

[BleedingPride]

personally (aside from bioshock 2) i like the bioshock series because it has a great atmosphere and sense of originality to it. Bioshock infinite looks really great in my opinion

 

[Alphakirby]

Bioshock is mainly System Shock 2 only simpler and with a different story. So if you don't like System Shock 2,you of course wouldn't like this.

 

[Treblaine]

Also enough of the nonsense that the gameplay is too boring, a game that has more enemy variety and ways of killing them than 95% of the games out there. Most gameplay of other games is "shoot foreign infantryman". I wonder what enemy will be around the next corner? Could it possibly by another guy with an assault rifle occasionally popping out of cover? It is! (rinse repeat for next 4 hours).

Why the fuck cant you accept that some people have different opinions then you? More enemy variety? Bioshock had what three or four different enemies? Having 15 identical versions of the same enemy but with different names doesnt count.

Bioshock was boring, it was boring because it had a crappy story and was rediculously easy. A problem that was made even worse if you bothered to use the camera or vita chambers.

I can deal with boring easy gameplay if the game has a good story but Bioshock didnt. The biggest turn off for me was that up untill the ending you had no clue why your character did anything that he did. He was just acting like a mindless drone doing everything that anybody told him to. The big reveal about that at the end didnt make up for that. Making shitty excuses for massive plot holes at the very end of the game does not make up for the fact that you had massive plot holes throughout the rest of the game.

I accept that he has different opinions, I can't accept that he comes on a game Discussion forum yet refuses to actually Discuss his opinions. He doesn't want to explain himself, just wants to spout it and expect us to accept his opinions without challenge.

Bioshock had more than 4 basic enemy types:

(1) Big Daddies: Bouncer and Rosie have such different weapons they really do have to be fought completely differently
(2) Thuggish splicer: melee focused, some are electro-resistant
(3) Leadhead splicers; armed with pistols, subguns or shotguns don't stick in cover, they advance firing with fanatical desire to claim the price on your head.
(4) Nitro splicers; toss grenades and molotov cocktails that can be caught in air to be thrown back for direct-hit kill
(5) Houdini Splicers: turn invisible/teleport and throw fireballs, pretty unique I'd say
(6) Spider Splicers: they can walk up walls and ceilings then throw deadly hooks at you that can be dodged or TK thrown back. Statue variants are completely silent and very stealthy and hunt you down or set ambushes.
(7) Security bot: a flying machine gun platform that can be turned to an ally if you are skilled enough though they come continuously for 60 seconds if security camera spots you. Also the sentry guns of machine gun and flame-thrower variety.
(8) The various bosses and special opponents that have other plasmid powers

All have to be fought in very different ways with hugely different challenge and throughout the game they change significantly in their capability and difficulty. I don't think I have even covered them all here and frankly this isn't even the half of it, even if it was just leadhead splicers it would be more variety and interesting opponents than the other top games.

Compared to most games that has precisely one enemy type: guy with rifle, hiding behind cover. Maybe lucky enough to see the occasional variant like one with a Riot Shield but really 98% of the enemies are exactly the same from start to finish.

Bioshock is way harder than most games out there. I find it so hypocritical people complaining about Bioshock's ease yet dismiss hard games while raving about easy games.

"He was just acting like a mindless drone doing everything that anybody told him to."

What the... THAT IS YOU!! YOU did everything YOU were told to do! Don't give me these bullshit excuses, it's all explained perfectly well, you're just nit-picking, and making up plot holes that don't exists. Give me a real reason why you don't like Bioshock.

Also, is it me, or does the plot only basically develops at the beginning and the end of the game (audio recordings aside)? It felt like if Bioshock was a book, most of the chapters would take place in the later parts of the game.

Wait the plot developed at the beginning?

That is cheap and desperate. Keep on hating, if it makes you feel good.

 

[Richard Mooney]

Am I the only the only person who thought that Bioshock was deeply average?

Sure the story was decent with a few cool plot twists but that didn't make up for the tedious gameplay which became boring and repetitive. People kept on praising the story when games like Fallout and Mass Effect's story is 10x better. They also have better gameplay. I don't hate the game, I'm just pretty underwhelmed.

Does anyone else think it was average or do you think it was great?

It's average and over rated. Nice plot, but nothing that hasn't been done before. Buy Duke Nukem 3D instead. It's FAR more entertaining

 

[Richard Mooney]

Am I the only the only person who thought that Bioshock was deeply average?

Sure the story was decent with a few cool plot twists but that didn't make up for the tedious gameplay which became boring and repetitive. People kept on praising the story when games like Fallout and Mass Effect's story is 10x better. They also have better gameplay. I don't hate the game, I'm just pretty underwhelmed.

Does anyone else think it was average or do you think it was great?

It's average and over rated. Nice plot, but nothing that hasn't been done before. Buy Duke Nukem 3D instead. It's FAR more entertaining

 

[funguy2121]

Am I the only the only person who thought that Bioshock was deeply average?

Sure the story was decent with a few cool plot twists but that didn't make up for the tedious gameplay which became boring and repetitive. People kept on praising the story when games like Fallout and Mass Effect's story is 10x better. They also have better gameplay. I don't hate the game, I'm just pretty underwhelmed.

Does anyone else think it was average or do you think it was great?

Okay, internet, it's time to establish some guidelines.

"I liked it" is not a good description of why a game is compelling. Concurrently, "I thought it sucked/was mediocre/wasn't as good as my favorite game to wank all over the internet too" isn't a good reason why someone shouldn't check it out. You said "deeply average," which makes no sense but I think I understand what you were trying to say nonetheless. And yet you offered nothing empirical, and you didn't compare it to anything for a frame of reference, except to say that "A sucks" and "B rocks." October is right around the corner, so I can get plenty of that from the return of Beavis and Butthead.

I want your thoughts. You created this thread, while speaking ill of a revered work of art. You owe it to yourself to back it up with coherent thought so people can't come in here and call you a troll.

I haven't played Bioshock, but I'm aware of all the Ayn Rand references (even if only like 30% of Bioshock players are). I am currently playing through ME2 and the story is pretty badass, if a bit too episodic.

So, how was the gameplay repetitive/boring? You didn't care for the story - what specifically is the reason for this?

 

[DeathChairOfHell]

When I decide to play Bioshock, it's not because of the gameplay. It's because of the extraordinary aura of the 1950's that has been corrupted by Rapture. The music, the writings and all the pictures all give me such a nice feeling.

 

[Mosesj]

Am I the only the only person who thought that Bioshock was deeply average?

Sure the story was decent with a few cool plot twists but that didn't make up for the tedious gameplay which became boring and repetitive. People kept on praising the story when games like Fallout and Mass Effect's story is 10x better. They also have better gameplay. I don't hate the game, I'm just pretty underwhelmed.

Does anyone else think it was average or do you think it was great?

I remembered how much I loved the game on the first run through, but for some reason, thought the game and it's sequel were very boring. I don't know why it didn't draw me in again, most games have the ability to do that

 

[zehydra]

Is there a point to a "i like ketchup, i hate mayo... Why does everybody like mayo so much.. it makes no sense!"

Seriously... Personal taste is personal taste. If alot of people enjoy it....it becomes a large title.

But do they like it for reasons related to video games? (I'm playing devil's advocate here)

Take for instance the music industry. What happens quite often, is that particular artists have massive followings, not because they're introducing revolutionary music, or are particularly talented, but rather, because they are attractive and singing/performing.

 

[Quellist]

I think anyone who has ever played System Shock II will find Bioshock severely lacking. While it may have smoother graphics and nicely balanced gameplay the complexity was ratcheted down way too much.

 

[jthm]

Am I the only the only person who thought that Bioshock was deeply average?

Sure the story was decent with a few cool plot twists but that didn't make up for the tedious gameplay which became boring and repetitive. People kept on praising the story when games like Fallout and Mass Effect's story is 10x better. They also have better gameplay. I don't hate the game, I'm just pretty underwhelmed.

Does anyone else think it was average or do you think it was great?

The music and thematic lighting/sounds was dead on. The graphics for the time were jaw dropping, the gun mechanics were functional, nothing special but done well. The plasmids on the other hand were done excellently when used in tandem with the environment. I hate to say it, but if you found the gameplay tedious, you weren't using your imagination with the possibilities of character build and plasmid/ammo/environment interaction.

I'm going to have to argue the fallout, mass effect comparisons on the stories too. Fallout had a good story, but the first mass effect was H.P. Lovecraft in Space. I'm not sure how that's better or worse than Ayn Rand underwater.

Game was a classic, goes up there on my top shelf with the copies of FFVI, Chrono Trigger, Deus Ex and Doom.

 

[Treblaine]

The gameplay was really great for the first few hours but it did get a bit repetitive during the middle sections. I basically did the freeze/shoot combo for most of the game. I wish the game would've had situations that forced you into changing up your tactics. Later in the game, I choose to start using the wrench and with all the right tonics stacked, the wrench was so overpowered.

This is what I am talking about, gamers over dependence on "hand-holding".

EVEN IF BORED you won't try anything new until it is SO LONG into the game! You say you have to be forced by game design to try something you want to try anyway. How about you actually use the freedom that is given to you than demand that other freedoms are taken away for you to try them.

Why weren't you trying all the weapons at a steadier pace?

I was trying the other plasmids and weapons here and there, you had pretty much a standard arsenal of guns in Bioshock, I know what those guns are capable of. And, most of the plasmids were weren't that effective. A game should make it so that one tactic should not be allowed to be abused. It's like in a hack and slash game where one combo is effective against every enemy, there's no reason to not use the same combo the whole game then. How is it "hand-holding" if a game throws a new situation and/or enemy type at you that forces you to think of a new combat strategy? That's the opposite of hand-holding as it makes the player think of the solution themselves.

Standard arsenal of guns?

Considering the "standard" game today is a two weapon limit where all the guns are near identical full-auto hitscan weapons that are a 2-5 hit kill, Bioshock is VERY non-standard.

Bolt gun with electro-traps, Flame/Freeze/Electro throwing gun, Proxy-grenades, electro-shotgun, freezing-wrench. These are very unique.

What do you want? A gun that shoots bees? Well there's a plasmid for that!

"A game should make it so that one tactic should not be allowed to be abused."

Yeah, Bioshock does that! Later in the game thuggish splicers become generally immune to electro-bolt and in general they become so much tougher (as much as 10x more health) that you cannot rely on the same combos without suffering a lot and having to use vita-chambers all the god damn time.

"there's no reason to not use the same combo the whole game then"

yes there is, there are many reasons not to mindlessly use the same combo:
(1) it is tediously boring in identical repetition
(2) it is not most effective for all enemies so takes longer and more resources
(3) it doesn't evenly use your resources
(4) it arbitrarily denies you to experience other aspects of gameplay.

My mind is boggled by the depressing lack of endeavour demonstrated by a even a few people on these forums.

"How is it 'hand-holding' if a game throws a new situation and/or enemy type at you that forces you to think of a new combat strategy?"

That is NOT what I am talking about. That IS what Bioshock does!

Sure if you are totally hard-headed and don't want to try anything new, you technically could just spam the same combo over, and over, and over again. But that is pretty foolish considering all the enemies and circumstances that encourage you to try different things!

It's just it does not FORCE you! If you LOOOOVE a combo so much you can go through the whole game with it if you are persistent enough. Hand holding would be to take you and give you precisely the only way to beat something.

You seem to be a really odd case where you seem strangely reluctant try try a superior and more fun strategy/ability unless it is the ONLY one that works.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

Am I the only the only person who thought that Bioshock was deeply average?

Nope, but you're wrong anyway. Bioshock had a lot of interesting ideas, that whether you like it or not, make it anything but average.

Sure the story was decent with a few cool plot twists but that didn't make up for the tedious gameplay which became boring and repetitive.

I almost agree. The plot was a lot more than a few plot twists, but the gameplay was definitely weaker than it should have been. It seems to me that Irrational were way to ambitious in that category when they started the project, but due to time and budget constraints, they had to scrap a lot of ideas which would have really helped cut down some of the repetitiveness.

People kept on praising the story when games like Fallout and Mass Effect's story is 10x better.

Well, I'll tell you now, you're completely wrong there. The Fallout series' plots have been decent (2 & 3's were fairly generic, but not bad), while ME's has been just... boring. Not the side-plots, or the characters (they were well written by game standards), but the whole Reaper nonsense. Sorry, but I just find it really uninteresting. There really isn't anything particularly remarkable about it. Comparing them to Bioshock's is extremely unfair though. Bioshock is not only an examination of Objectivism (as is fairly wildly known), but also of modern shooters. The plot twist isn't the important part, it's the moments leading up to the twist, or more accurately your actions. You, the player, travel through this dystopian hellhole following the directions of a voice coming through a phone. Think about that in relation to what you learn further on, then tell me "evil aliens are coming to kill us all, and only you can stop them!" is a better story.

They also have better gameplay.

Depends on your taste, but I really don't think Fallout does.

 

[Rex Fallout]

Am I the only the only person who thought that Bioshock was deeply average?

Sure the story was decent with a few cool plot twists but that didn't make up for the tedious gameplay which became boring and repetitive. People kept on praising the story when games like Fallout and Mass Effect's story is 10x better. They also have better gameplay. I don't hate the game, I'm just pretty underwhelmed.

Does anyone else think it was average or do you think it was great?

Because it was an amazingly immersive game that made you stop and think about your actions. Or it should have. We run through so many games where the objectives are, "Run over here. Shoot that. No not that, THAT. Yes THAT. Now run over there. Get behind cover. Shoot that guy. Shoot that guy as well. Good Job. Game over." Instead Bioshock made you realize that non of the, what you thought were normal motions, were of YOUR choice. you had no choice. Because you were conditioned to do what he said. Another reason? The best character in the game, Rapture. Rapture is a character unlike any other. A city built at the bottom of the sea, a modern day Atlantis that should have been paradise. Instead it became hell. You are not going through the story of Jack or Delta when you play bioshock, you are going through the story of the city itself.

That is why I love Bioshock.

 

[Treblaine]

Gawd, you are a hypocrite. You are happy to recommend editing code to compensate for dissolving gun bullshit in SS2 yet you won't factor ticking the check box to turn off the compass in Bioshock? The Quest arrow isn't "hand holding" which you seem to totally misunderstand.

There is a difference between subtly pointing out options and being taken against your will (like a parent leading a toddler by the hand) to the choice that you are forced to make.

Bioshock does do this minimally with the least curtailing of freedom, like Fontaine's Fisheries you lose your guns only temporarily. Also later when the plasmids go crazy you have to rely on your weapons more and try new plasmids you may never have considered before.

The arrow doesn't tell you where all the loot is, where all the hidden rooms and alternate pathways are. It's there in case you get completely lost with just a general clue as where is the right way to go to advance to the next stage.

And you admit to spamming the same attack over and over yet complain that it is boring. If it is boring, why do you do that?

You really have it in for Bioshock, in that you dismiss the Fontaine's Fisheries section being only 3 minutes. Not only is that an exaggeration but it is also irrelevant, the point is that it forces you to TRY new plasmids and that is all you need, an introduction. I don't think ANY developer can accommodate for players like you that seems to constantly fall back on spamming over and over again the most simplistic plasmids (sonic boom).

Maybe you would be more suited to a simpler game with less options, like Halo or something. You just like to spam the same thing over and over again, all the depth and variety of bioshock games is wasted on you if you refuse to use it all unless forced to.

Where did I say it was boring?

Don't worry, I'll wait until you find the quote. It may take you a while seeing as I never did.

Ah Jebus, you PM me to "calm down", then you PM me again to say why I am not replying to you?

But I'm still Mad As Hell And Not Going To Take It Any More, so taste some more madness.

Well for one I have ignored your post till now because you aren't really talking about bioshock any more, you are being a semantic jerk about how technically you never used the word actual "boring".

However you did endlessly complain about how you could just spam the same attack over and over again (even though it's obvious this is not the best tactic) and that this is a bad thing. Presumably because it is boring. Sure sound boring, spamming the same attack over and over again, and you complained enough about it in line with the OP who won't shut up about how bring he finds Bioshock.

You also ignore all my other points summarised, yeh:
-hypocrisy on the quest arrow removal
-aspect of subtly in hints
-importance of player freedom
-how your dismissals misses the point, like plasmid-only section doesn't have to be long

Though I would like to retract the Halo comment as your preference seems to be with SS2 and its ridiculously constrained gameplay. I think you have a problem with freedom in games, you can't make choices for yourself on your own volition.