The BioShock demo just came out for XBox 360 and is coming out for PC. Anybody play it?
I downloaded the demo after a fortnight to my XBox and it was freaking awesome! If you've never heard of BS (under-rock living is quite the way to live, or so I've heard), basically you get into this nasty plane crash into the ocean and are the only survivor. You find this huge, monolithic tower that takes you down about 18 fathoms (i think it's a bit deeper than that - that was just the last measurement shown) to a huge underwater city and you basically proceed to beat and zap the shit out of everything. It's pretty damn amazing in my opinion - you even get to beat a woman with a baby who is a revolver with a pipe wrench! Finally, a wonderous, highly-detailed game that teaches children how to survive if ever they should be lost in a gigantic underwater city! CRAAAAZY-GOOOD!!!
No 360, so no demo yet (tomorrow), but I've been waiting for the game since the first announcement (back when it was set in an underground Nazi bunker), and for once it seems to be a game that lives up to its hype. The Eurogamer review (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=81479) is particularly glowing (and Eurogamer, unlike many gaming sites, is not afraid to deliver 1/10s, 2/10s, etc., so its reviews are actually somewhat useful.)
I downloaded and played the Demo on my 360 the other day. I really can't put into words what I thought about BioShock because i was in complete amazement. I have to say it is one of the best demos i have ever played. Everything from the music to the graphics to the sound effects and overall atmosphere of the game really rocked my world.
The only bad part, was when the demo was over. Luckily i have the game pre-ordered and hopefully will be playing it next tuesday.
Would write more, but i'm at work.
My 360 is actually kind of broken and freezes up a lot, so I haven't played all the way through the demo. I got to the part where you first get the revolver and then it froze up a little beyond that. I'm definately going to send it in for repairs, b/c it shouldn't be freezing up at all.
The game starts out a lil' slow but picks up and gets really, really awesome, really really fast. I can't wait for the full version (on my PC of course)!!! I checked out the EG article too, sounds like my opinions are proven for more than just myself now!
I really want to try the demo for this, but I don't have an Xbox 360. Any word when/if a PC demo is coming out?
I'm sitting it out for the PC version, and, as a great fan of former games by the team (namely the System Shock games) I have great, great confidence that Bioshock will redefine some standards. I can wait for quality. This is no dis against consoles, it's just that for the life of it I can't comfortably play first-person-games with a joystick. I need a mouse and my trusty keyboard.
I saw their site. I saw some screenshots. I tapped some channels of information, surfed the net. I return in the happy hope that this thing will be all the things Doom3 wanted to be, plus a dozen things more.
Also, I can't resist to link this little thing... (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/08/14)
Edit: JBurger, rumor has it a demo will be released first half of September. This is stated by a german pc magazine. Wouldn't bet a vital limb on it, though, for said mag isn't exactly known for precise information.
QuoteI really want to try the demo for this, but I don't have an Xbox 360. Any word when/if a PC demo is coming out?
Friday aka tomorrow. :)
Originally I was just excited for a spiritual sequel to SS, but lots of articles from well-respected people who have played it suggest that it's a hell of a lot more than that. I'm kind of giddy for it at this point.
Quote from: Ghost on Thu 16/08/2007 22:08:01
I'm sitting it out for the PC version, and, as a great fan of former games by the team (namely the System Shock games) I have great, great confidence that Bioshock will redefine some standards. I can wait for quality. This is no dis against consoles, it's just that for the life of it I can't comfortably play first-person-games with a joystick. I need a mouse and my trusty keyboard.
I saw their site. I saw some screenshots. I tapped some channels of information, surfed the net. I return in the happy hope that this thing will be all the things Doom3 wanted to be, plus a dozen things more.
Also, I can't resist to link this little thing... (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/08/14)
Edit: JBurger, rumor has it a demo will be released first half of September. This is stated by a german pc magazine. Wouldn't bet a vital limb on it, though, for said mag isn't exactly known for precise information.
lol. those freakin' wasps... "And other shit that be freaky." The PC version is going to be $10 bucks less, and Irrational is used to making games for PC b/c of SS and SS2, so BioShock will probably be best on PC. That's my opinion though, some others might like analog control better, I'm fine with either, but I'll probably get it for my laptop, as my XBox is kind of going wacko on me and the XBox version will be more expensive.
BioShock is definately going to be better than Doom 3 - that's a fact!
Quote from: Ghost on Thu 16/08/2007 22:08:01Edit: JBurger, rumor has it a demo will be released first half of September. This is stated by a german pc magazine. Wouldn't bet a vital limb on it, though, for said mag isn't exactly known for precise information.
Actually, the demo was slated for tomorrow/today (Friday), but they pulled the announcement just hours ago. Anyhow, they've said that it will be released in a couple of days.
http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?story=48490 (http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?story=48490)
You really shouldn't trust magazines for dates in this fast-pace tech world we now live in :D.
Also, a number of X360 and PC versions of the game have been sold by mistake, by mainly Toys R Us. X360 has also already enjoyed a scene release. People who have bought the PC version commiserate over the fact that you literally can't play the game until the 21st of August, since it does require Internet access to unlock it. Running it on PC right now just prompts a screen that says you have to wait until that date.
The game looks awesome. I think the multiplayer plans are stupid though. I think if a game has such in awesome and interesting story, why drown it out with multiplayer? Halo did that, and no one appreciates the story. That's kind of a bad example, as the Halo 2 story wasn't any good.
I mean, if you can get immersed in the multiplayer experience, then thats good, but developers can't make multiplayer the focus of every game. I mean, could anyone see Silent Hill online? Even if it were great, do you think anyone would still pay attention to the story? (the series is known for it's awesome plots, and disturbing imagery)
Also ildu, can't you just set your computer clock to August 21 and play?
Quote from: nick.keane on Thu 16/08/2007 21:51:20
My 360 is actually kind of broken and freezes up a lot, so I haven't played all the way through the demo. I got to the part where you first get the revolver and then it froze up a little beyond that. I'm definately going to send it in for repairs, b/c it shouldn't be freezing up at all.
My 360 has froze so many times that i lost count. Thankfully i haven't received the 3 rings of death, but i am expecting it soon.
Quote from: R4L on Thu 16/08/2007 23:51:48
Also ildu, can't you just set your computer clock to August 21 and play?
If they went all the way to add in that security-check in the first place, I somehow doubt that works. It probably connects to a company-owned server and checks the date from there.
If you do get 3 rings of death, microsoft increased the warranty to 3 years if your console has that problem. Old news but maybe you didnt know hey!
I played some of the Bioshock demo, looks like I'll buy it, but it just seems like a well polished FPS with cool powers in it to me, nothing revolutionary. :P
QuoteThe game looks awesome. I think the multiplayer plans are stupid though.
First of all, Bioshock doesn't have multiplayer...?
QuoteI think if a game has such in awesome and interesting story, why drown it out with multiplayer? Halo did that, and no one appreciates the story. That's kind of a bad example, as the Halo 2 story wasn't any good.
Arbiter > Master Chief.
QuoteAlso ildu, can't you just set your computer clock to August 21 and play?
Please read his post again... especially the part about unlocking through the Internet.
QuoteI played some of the Bioshock demo, looks like I'll buy it, but it just seems like a well polished FPS with cool powers in it to me, nothing revolutionary. :P
Die.
(Yes, I'm joking...
Maybe.)
Did anyone here play Prey?
I have that game, and 30 minutes of the BioShock demo trumps the whole game of Prey, which is so sleep inducing it's not even funny. I went back to playing Prey over the weekend and was sick and tired of every level looking the same. I believe Prey is using an enhanced Doom 3 engine, and it shows. Both are boring and repetitive. I'm sick of dark levels with no variety.
If you loved Prey, i'm sorry.
If you loved Doom 3, i'm sorry.
The original DOOM is way better than DOOM 3.
That's my 2 cents.
Burning desire for game: Check.
Desire to have Ken Levine's babies: Check.
Spare money to spend on console or better computer and a game: Ummm...
Time to play games: Yeah... no.
Shit.
Quote from: nick.keane on Thu 16/08/2007 21:15:43
you even get to beat a woman with a baby...
Where the hell do you get a baby from to do that???
I'm am super hyped about this game! It looks awesome! Is the demo anything like the style of the demo video where they're killing the big daddy with the drill? The concept is superb, and the only thing I can tell might bug me is the low poly counts I've seen in the screenshots.
Domino, tell me more about the demo. I'd download the PC demo, but I'd rather hear what the 360 demo is like.
I'm actually hoping Irrational (2K Boston, but they'll always be Irrational to me) makes a patch or mod that adds in multiplayer b/c I would seriously love duking it out in those underwater localities with some buddies. I'm sure that at the very least, if people support Bioshock's release, Irrational will add up loads of new content, possibly even new features and multiplayer.
Quote from: Stupot on Fri 17/08/2007 03:54:09
Where the hell do you get a baby from to do that???
The baby actually turned out to be a revolver (simple mistake ;)) - you think it's a baby at first b/c it's in a crib and a crazy, demented soccer mom is talking to it.
Quote from: Evil on Fri 17/08/2007 07:50:15
I'm am super hyped about this game! It looks awesome! Is the demo anything like the style of the demo video where they're killing the big daddy with the drill? The concept is superb, and the only thing I can tell might bug me is the low poly counts I've seen in the screenshots.
You mean like in the X06 trailer? Well, in one section of the demo, a splicer pisses off a little sister and a big daddy jumps down, throws a chair, punches the f**ker in the face, drills through his chest, and then bashes him into/through the glass window you're standing behind. In other words, hella-f**kin-tight! There's also an entire room where you have to fight a giant mass of splicers - I would recommend hacking a turret you find, seriously. Combat in BioShock is very, very hard.
As for the lo-res screenshots, they're bull. BioShock doesn't look quite like the X06 trailer (seeing as that's a prerendered cinematic), but it's really, really close. Also, game demos usually have a tendency to be more "alpha"-versions of the finalize product - in other words, I doubt Irrational decided to make the demo on august 8th and release it on August 13th, so they probably made the demo out of a build they made, say, in February or March, which means that the final product will more-than-likely look better/different. But then again, I can't really say for sure. Looks fine to me in 32-inch HD!
Also, the game is fought underwater, so I really can't say that there is anything game-wise that I can compare bioshock's graphics to in terms of design. It's like something no-one has done yet...
...
Strangely, I'm getting the feeling that Call of Duty 5 is going to be fought underwater... hmm... :P
Quote from: Evil on Fri 17/08/2007 07:50:15
Domino, tell me more about the demo. I'd download the PC demo, but I'd rather hear what the 360 demo is like.
In simple terms, gorgeous and awesome, but it starts out fairly slow at the beginning. Not that it doesn't get faster, but you would think walking into a sheet of flaming debris would kill you outright. Basically, you crash near a huge tower, go down to the city of Rapture, be ambushed by a crazy hook person, get a wrench, beat people with said wrench, get electrical powers, navigate through a glass hallway into which part of the plane smashes into, fight, fight, fight, get a revolver, burn things, fight a load of splicers, and finish the demo! There's more, but I don't want to describe any further than that.
Quote from: nick.keane on Fri 17/08/2007 09:15:58
Also, game demos usually have a tendency to be more "alpha"-versions of the finalize product - in other words, I doubt Irrational decided to make the demo on august 8th and release it on August 13th, so they probably made the demo out of a build they made, say, in February or March, which means that the final product will more-than-likely look better/different.
I would strongly disagree with pretty much that whole paragraph.
The demo is almost certainly created from a near final build of the game by removing all the art/sound/code assets not needed by the demo. It's a chunk of the whole, not an early version of the whole. A developer would never release a demo of their soon-to-be-released blockbuster that lacked all the bug squashing, graphical improvements, and general polish that they had done in the past seven months. The final version that you'll buy in the store will likely be identical to this in every way except for the few ways that they changed it specifically for the demo.
The general public will almost never see a game in it's alpha stage. Especially since one of the definitions of an alpha release is that it's for
internal testing.
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Fri 17/08/2007 11:11:41
Quote from: nick.keane on Fri 17/08/2007 09:15:58
Also, game demos usually have a tendency to be more "alpha"-versions of the finalize product - in other words, I doubt Irrational decided to make the demo on august 8th and release it on August 13th, so they probably made the demo out of a build they made, say, in February or March, which means that the final product will more-than-likely look better/different.
I would strongly disagree with pretty much that whole paragraph.
The demo is almost certainly created from a near final build of the game by removing all the art/sound/code assets not needed by the demo. It's a chunk of the whole, not an early version of the whole. A developer would never release a demo of their soon-to-be-released blockbuster that lacked all the bug squashing, graphical improvements, and general polish that they had done in the past seven months. The final version that you'll buy in the store will likely be identical to this in every way except for the few ways that they changed it specifically for the demo.
The general public will almost never see a game in it's alpha stage. Especially since one of the definitions of an alpha release is that it's for internal testing.
The devs said in an interview just 3-4 weeks ago that they didn't know if they were going to make a demo. So basically yes, it has been created after the game's been complete. Also, the demo isn't exclusive of the game. The demo is how the game starts. Apparently, everything is the same, except you get the guns earlier than you would in the full game, and the enemy placement and number is different. Also, you might wager that the beginning cinematic has been cut a bit for the demo, since it is very short.
As far as I know, most demos these days arrive after the release date, and they're usually just cropped elements of the full game.
QuoteFirst of all, Bioshock doesn't have multiplayer...?
I said it HAS plans for multiplayer.
QuoteArbiter > Master Chief.
Tell that to all the Halo 2 fans...
QuotePlease read his post again... especially the part about unlocking through the Internet.
Already read it. I thought of that after I posted my reply.
I'll probably buy it.
Quote from: R4L on Fri 17/08/2007 16:13:35
QuoteFirst of all, Bioshock doesn't have multiplayer...?
I said it HAS plans for multiplayer.
Quote from: Irrational Games spokesman back in JanuaryThere will be no multiplayer (hold on before you complain!!!!) but for a very specific reason. BioShock features a compelling storyline that revolves around the experiences of one man as he enters the decaying world of Rapture. Having a multiplayer component would have compromised the story we were trying to tell so we made the decision to keep this game as a single player experience. There will be an online component, however, where new content can be downloaded.
link= http://kotaku.com/gaming/bioshock/bioshock-community-site-opens-230306.php
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Fri 17/08/2007 11:11:41
Quote from: nick.keane on Fri 17/08/2007 09:15:58
Also, game demos usually have a tendency to be more "alpha"-versions of the finalize product - in other words, I doubt Irrational decided to make the demo on august 8th and release it on August 13th, so they probably made the demo out of a build they made, say, in February or March, which means that the final product will more-than-likely look better/different.
I would strongly disagree with pretty much that whole paragraph.
The demo is almost certainly created from a near final build of the game by removing all the art/sound/code assets not needed by the demo. It's a chunk of the whole, not an early version of the whole. A developer would never release a demo of their soon-to-be-released blockbuster that lacked all the bug squashing, graphical improvements, and general polish that they had done in the past seven months. The final version that you'll buy in the store will likely be identical to this in every way except for the few ways that they changed it specifically for the demo.
The general public will almost never see a game in it's alpha stage. Especially since one of the definitions of an alpha release is that it's for internal testing.
You're asuming I'm stating anything in that paragraph as fact. I didn't say that the game was in an alpha stage - I said it it could be towards a more alpha build, wherein alpha can be defined as any prerelease build between design and the product 'going gold', so if the word more prerelease let's you sleep at night, replace alpha with that.
ildu said it himself - the build is recent (although I ran into a few graphical glitches that hopefully will be fixed in the final build). End of story on that, but it still doesn't mean that there
never has been a demo released based off a "more pre-release" version of a game.
In any case, I finally got my crappy, crappy XBox to get all the way through the demo yesterday, and the lobby scene right before the end was freaking awesome!
Quote from: nick.keane on Sat 18/08/2007 04:49:14ildu said it himself - the build is recent (although I ran into a few graphical glitches that hopefully will be fixed in the final build).
I highly doubt that since the game was already shipped before the development of the demo was completed.
There is a difference, nick.keane. Traditionally prerelease is at the very least divided between alpha and beta, with occasionally further iterations as well. (Though I think Halo 3 went a little far with an epsilon stage...)
I know that, I'm just saying that many games release demos that are produced prior to the completion of the game itself, or are older builds of a portion of said game.
EDIT:
And the whole talk the particular builds of demos is getting off-topic, in any case - I want to hear about your experiences with BioShock, the demo! Are you hyped? Gasping in anticipation?! Think it's going to flop n' drop?! Give us your thoughts.
I think it's going to sell quite well, and upon hearing there is a limited edition tin case edition I want to get my hands on that! (And running a videogame shop increases those odds)
Yeah true the style is really cool, and the graphics are good, but I guess I like more than just shooting things all the time in games. (Hello Halo!) I hope it has a proper storyline in there where you discover more secrets and the truth etc.
Now then, Stranglehold demo. Max Payne did it better. :P
QuoteI like more than just shooting things all the time in games. (Hello Halo!) I hope it has a proper storyline in there where you discover more secrets and the truth etc.
Do you know anything about this game
at all? :'(
Apparently not.
What, the powers like freezing and electricity?
The hacking of robots?
The advanced AI?
The water effects?
What?!!
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Sat 18/08/2007 00:27:43
Quote from: R4L on Fri 17/08/2007 16:13:35
QuoteFirst of all, Bioshock doesn't have multiplayer...?
I said it HAS plans for multiplayer.
Quote from: Irrational Games spokesman back in JanuaryThere will be no multiplayer (hold on before you complain!!!!) but for a very specific reason. BioShock features a compelling storyline that revolves around the experiences of one man as he enters the decaying world of Rapture. Having a multiplayer component would have compromised the story we were trying to tell so we made the decision to keep this game as a single player experience. There will be an online component, however, where new content can be downloaded.
link= http://kotaku.com/gaming/bioshock/bioshock-community-site-opens-230306.php
Seems my info is a bit old... thanks for the update! :)
Played the demo for the second time today. I enjoyed it more this time around than i did the first. I can't help just looking around and enjoying the scenery. There were areas where water was pouring onto the floor and i just looked in amazement at how real it looked.
I wish i didn't have to work Tuesday, so i could play it all day long.
I'm gonna try to grab it as soon as it comes out, but of course most of the retailers probably aren't going to have it in stock or unpackage their shipments until the afternoon.
Argh, did I pick the wrong week to go on a vacation...
I'll probably pick it up when I come back next weekend, when my new laptop should have arrived aswell, so I can enjoy it in all it's glory. Can't wait!
I'd buy it, but my laptop doesn't run anything that released after '05 properly, so I'll probably just have to replay System Shock 2.
Or get someone crazy to make a mod for Bioshock that removes all DirectX 9/10 effects, makes it possible to be run at 640x480 and and and. :P
(As they did with Oblivion (http://www.oldblivion.com/))
PC demo set to be released tomorrow:
http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/home.html (http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/home.html)
Already have the collectors edition purchased. Lumping this game up with Halo is quite a disservice to both games. Not to say either game is more awesome, but they are completely different styles of shooters.
Quote from: Akatosh on Sun 19/08/2007 13:32:16
I'd buy it, but my laptop doesn't run anything that released after '05 properly, so I'll probably just have to replay System Shock 2.
I just hope the whole Microsoft "Games for Windows" program doesn't restrict BioShock to run on only Vista like they did with Halo 2. Not much of a problem for me, seeing as I have Home Premium, but last time I checked around a little over 80% of people running windows-based platforms use XP.
And if anyone has never, ever played system shock or system shock 2, go to www.the-underdogs.info, do a search for em, and download them. Suffice to say, both games were pretty far ahead of their time, which is unfortunate because they became cult classics rather than the massive blockbusters they should've been :-\. Hopefully, BioShock will aim to break this cycle on Tuesday!
Quote from: nick.keane on Sun 19/08/2007 23:26:01I just hope the whole Microsoft "Games for Windows" program doesn't restrict BioShock to run on only Vista like they did with Halo 2. Not much of a problem for me, seeing as I have Home Premium, but last time I checked around a little over 80% of people running windows-based platforms use XP.
As far as I know, Vista is only required if you want to play with dx10 settings. And since the vast majority will play with dx9 at this point in time, it's not an issue.
Quote from: ildu on Mon 20/08/2007 00:26:00
Quote from: nick.keane on Sun 19/08/2007 23:26:01I just hope the whole Microsoft "Games for Windows" program doesn't restrict BioShock to run on only Vista like they did with Halo 2. Not much of a problem for me, seeing as I have Home Premium, but last time I checked around a little over 80% of people running windows-based platforms use XP.
As far as I know, Vista is only required if you want to play with dx10 settings. And since the vast majority will play with dx9 at this point in time, it's not an issue.
I wonder just how much of a difference there is between dx9 and dx10. I'll google it.
The PC demo for Bioshock is out, I'm downloading it through Steam now!
The demo was pretty cool, though I had seen all of it from videos already. It looked awesome, and it played perfectly for me at 1280x1024 with everything maxed.
The one issue that I have with the PC version is the lack of AA with dx9. Apparently, AA (anti-aliasing), which is a pretty basic and old thing in games, is completely missing if you aren't using a dx10 card. In fact, I've now been told that the unreal 3 engine isn't even geared to use AA with dx9, which seems very weird, since it's been a standard since 2000. We'll have to see if they release some patch or something to remedy this, or if it's possible to successfully force anti-aliasing. I'm not a graphics snob, but it does kinda take away from the immersion when you're seeing pixels around edges.
Do you seriously need AA when running on 1280x1024?
Ah, I knew there was something off about the demo graphics, couldn't quite put my finger on it as it were but I think ildu hit it.
You don't need AA ever, but it helps make things look purdy.
True, I played through the demo. It's awesome. Had a number of bugs though, when I exited the sphere and looked back at it, for a short second I saw the splicer still on the batisphere and then it dissapeared. Just a still frame. And I got a case of a ragdoll-stuck-in-wall once. But other than that, goooood stuff.
Redwall, it's not just the demo. There is no AA in the full game either!
And I do kinda want/need AA. The point of playing something on high-res is to avoid seeing pixels, so it's not very nice when you see pixels with every single slanted wall, object, etc. For example, I was really looking forward to the opening cinematic where you go through the city in the Bathisphere, but I was really thrown off when all the walkways between the buildings and the buildings themselves had pixelly edges. I thought I was back in the yonderyears :D.
Ok, I may be exaggurating a bit, but this is an odd thing. No AA? I can't recall one medium to high profile game having come out during the last few years that didn't support AA. It's pretty much the equivalent of not using anti-aliasing with painted characters and objects in AGS, and ending up with jagged outlines.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/skeith2572/bioshock.jpg
Played for a couple of hours today.......Simply Amazing.
My 360 had no problems at all playing this game. No freezes. Well, that is a first.
edit: Those disks underneath my controller are not my game disks, those are blank CD's. I always take care of my games and keep them in their cases. Just wanted to let you know.
also, ManicMatt, that is the regular DVD case. But it has an outer cardboard case around it, which is kind of glossy.
Lucky you, I have to wait till friday for my PC version. And then I hope they have it on stock, I still preordered it but if every single person preordered in that shop...
Okie
I downloaded the PC demo, but AVG mentiones that the setup.exe file has a trojan horse, and "heals" it by deleting it.
Any ideas? Could anyone PM me the file or something? Or maybe find a way to actually "cure" the file instead of deleting it?
Funny, AVG must have just started getting that problem, I didn't have any warning when I first installed it, but do now.
http://caverider.com/setup.exe here's the exe. You'll have to turn of AVG resident shield temporarily, unless they fix that false positive.
Got my demo through Steam, no problems there.
Domino, your case looks different somehow.. do Americans have different cases to the green ones here or is that the limited edition tin version? I thought the tin was rounded at the edges, so Im not so sure.
Despite me being harsh and calling it a polished FPS based on a small section of demo playing, I've pulled all the strings to secure a ltd tin edition for myself. No chance on the figurine boxed limited edition, that must be Game exclusive or something. Bastards. The Hinckley branch (Thats a small city in leicestershire, folks) keeps selling their copies and MY shop's copies!!
So I'll get my copy tomorrow from my shop (another branch orders a lot of 360 games, I dont do it, else I'd have a copy today!)
I'm actually getting a bit excited about it now, must be the effort in getting it. I wasn't even going to get it straight away, enough games on my plate. But a LTD EDITION ooh I must own that now! Even if it's just a nice tin.
Meh.... Just.. Meh... :P
Don't see what all the hype is all about. Sure, it looks pretty and the water looks nice but the story and concept doesn't do anything for me. Seems like any other FPS with a new setting and magic.
Am I the only one with this deviant view? ;D
No I am too! But it seems really well put together. Except I like the storyline idea.
Now Fallout 3, that Im trembling with excitement about!
QuoteSeems like any other FPS with a new setting and magic.
Yeah, and then an examination of Objectivism, failed utopias, and the dangers of absolute loyalty to any ideology.
Pretty typical fluff, really.
The enimies seem pretty cool, that's what I'm excited about. And all of the drugs and stuff you can take to get powers, selecting what ones you might need/want, etc.
Quote from: Redwall on Wed 22/08/2007 17:54:25
QuoteSeems like any other FPS with a new setting and magic.
Yeah, and then an examination of Objectivism, failed utopias, and the dangers of absolute loyalty to any ideology.
Pretty typical fluff, really.
Good to hear I'm not alone then.
Ooooooh, sarcasm? I'm afraid don't see the video-gaming revolution in this, sorry. I seems well put together, but it's just every other FPS in a different package.
EDIT: Not meant to offend anyone!
I think the enemies are awesome, and I heard from people who've already played it that Big Daddies are actually HARD to take down.
Yeah, the game isn't really revolutionary, but then I didn't expect it to be. The demo is pretty fun and it runs quite nicely with everything on full for me so I give them credit for taking the time to optimize the game for somewhat lower-end systems. I do find it rather questionable that a guy who wants you to save his family from raving plasmid-lunatics would encourage you to use plasmids...but ok.
Quote from: ProgZmax on Wed 22/08/2007 19:23:55I do find it rather questionable that a guy who wants you to save his family from raving plasmid-lunatics would encourage you to use plasmids...but ok.
True, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the implications of using plasmids will provide a powerful plot device later in the game. In fact, maybe a month ago I heard something that may have spoiled the ending for me. Sounded plausible and dystopic, but let's keep that on the down and low :D.
Could you PM me that rumour so that I can check it against another one I've been told, ildu? I won't be abe to affort the game in the near future anyway, so I might get some backseat thrills at least.
edit: this is funny. my "l" has just jumped out of the keyboard.
Is it addiction? Because I've read a lot of places that addiction to plasmids can happen like the residents of the city. Which may or may not be a major "plot twist" but I can't imagine it would ruin the ending.
Stop!! Anymore plot mentions and I'm not reading this thread anymore! I'd rather find out for myself about every little plot detail, without being influenced by outside information/rumours.
Heck, i could tell you a possible rimour, but I won't! Ha! I wished I hadnt read it in that 360 magazine in the first place... >:(
Sorry. :p
Reguardless it's going to be a sweet game. I could know the whole plot, front to back, back to front, and I would still play it. Like Halo. I could tell you the ending but you'd still love playing it.
Quote from: ProgZmax on Wed 22/08/2007 19:23:55
The demo is pretty fun and it runs quite nicely with everything on full for me so I give them credit for taking the time to optimize the game for somewhat lower-end systems.
I felt encouraged by people saying things like this, so I finally got around to installing Boot Camp and a Windows partition on my Mac Book Pro and downloaded the demo, and I'll be damned if it didn't run smoothly! Awesome! Now just to work out that whole "I have no free time" problem...
Yeah, Gothic 3 was awful for that! Even on the lowest possible settings making it look like a first gen ps2 game, it ran awfully slow on my pc, when Oblivion runs alright on medium settings for me.
I'm getting Biockshock for my 360 anyway.. and I've decided to get Oblivion Game of the year for the 360 instead of playing it on my pc. I just am a console player at heart and like to stick a disc in and play and not have to faff about.
It's a shame Bioshock will be good, if it was bad I could have called it Bileshock! Boom-tish! Thankyou! You've been great!
Lastly and unrelated, why is there a game company calling itself GameCock?!! ;D
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Thu 23/08/2007 07:06:35
Quote from: ProgZmax on Wed 22/08/2007 19:23:55
The demo is pretty fun and it runs quite nicely with everything on full for me so I give them credit for taking the time to optimize the game for somewhat lower-end systems.
I felt encouraged by people saying things like this, so I finally got around to installing Boot Camp and a Windows partition on my Mac Book Pro and downloaded the demo, and I'll be damned if it didn't run smoothly! Awesome! Now just to work out that whole "I have no free time" problem...
MBP eh..? Let's see how this thing runs on my new macbook ;D It'll doubtfully run very well, but it's worth a try. I want to see what the hype is all about anyway. Maybe I'll be amazed! ;)
EDIT: Oooon second thought I might just not, seeing as I have 64 mb vram.. ;D
So I went to town to get it and here it is!
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b37/manicmatt/DSC00091.jpg)
Ive been playing it for a few hours now, it's a lot of fun! It's a brilliant FPS, with clever design and lots of detail.
Bought it and played it on Tuesday. Just ran out to Target and they had it, fun so far I got to the Arcadia, but I haven't found enough time to play it any further. Gonna damn well find time though :).
Quote from: ManicMatt on Thu 23/08/2007 17:58:13
So I went to town to get it and here it is!
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b37/manicmatt/DSC00091.jpg)
That 360 box looks so far f**kin cooler than the PC version's case.
Didn't a certain area of Rapture remind anybody of Silent Hill? During this section of the game i was thinking to myself...I hope Silent Hill V looks and plays like this. Haven't played since Tuesday, but i will be playing it more Saturday. IMO 10/10.
Just finished the game myself, easily on par with System Shock 2. The plot has a lot of subtleties too beyond the surface storyline. I don't think I harbour any disappointments, although a couple of bits struck me as odd...
*DON'T READ THESE IF YOU'VE NOT FINISHED THE GAME!*
Spoiler
The bit in Arcadia with the trees for oxygen... perhaps the designers forgot that with all that water around them they wouldn't be running short of H2 or O anytime soon :P Also, the final boss was a bit anti-climatic, but then these things always are.
Spoiler
Otherwise, I did enjoy that you get to romp around as a fake Big Daddy at the end... I went back scavenging some audio diaries that I'd missed which explained a bit more backstory. There are some great moments when things you weren't sure about click in to place... such as the little sister training ground with the drawing of the dead puppy on the wall and the audio diary of Suchong asking a little boy to kindly snap the neck of a dog, the audio diary and ghost of the stripper in Sander Cohen's playground, and the diaries about genetic code lockdowns on the metro system and recovery chambers being tuned to Ryan's genetic code only (and any close relatives). All the plot holes find themselves being filled in if you're attentive enough!
I just got past the twist! It was pretty ingeniously thought out, imo. Wish it had more impact though :-/. Still, a great game this has been so far, hope to finish it over the next couple of days or so before my random plasmid-changes consume me!
Here's a Bioschock tweak guide if anyone's interested:
http://www.tweakguides.com/Bioshock_1.html (http://www.tweakguides.com/Bioshock_1.html)
I think i am getting close to the end of the game, but now my 360 is acting up. Sometimes when i first start a game and then the system freezes and i get a checkerboard screen. I have been reading about this and it means that my 360 is pretty much on life support. I have only had my 360 for little over a year, and now it decides to start f-ing up on me. Hope i can finish this game before i get the dreaded 3 rings of death.
That's pretty crap. I've had my PS2 since launch and have never replaced it, even with heavy use. Same with my Gamecube. Hell, I've still got an NES that I got for Christmas '89 that works with a little blowing. Hopefully Microsoft's replacement procedures aren't too cumbersome or lengthy. It would really suck to be within spitting distance of the end of an exciting game and suddenly have to stop for a month while you wait for the console manufacturer to fix their mistakes.
I broke down and ordered this game (pc version). My will is so weak! Now I'm just waiting for the international delivery.
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Wed 29/08/2007 05:22:19
Hopefully Microsoft's replacement procedures aren't too cumbersome or lengthy. It would really suck to be within spitting distance of the end of an exciting game and suddenly have to stop for a month while you wait for the console manufacturer to fix their mistakes.
Unfortunately, that's what they are. You might get lucky and get it back within two weeks, but they should really get more staff at their repair station. :-\
If anyone else is having hardware issues for the PC version of BioShock, Gamespot has compiled yet another hardware performance guide:
http://www.gamespot.com/features/6177688/index.html
Quote from: vict0r on Wed 29/08/2007 09:49:20
Quote from: Vince Twelve on Wed 29/08/2007 05:22:19
Hopefully Microsoft's replacement procedures aren't too cumbersome or lengthy. It would really suck to be within spitting distance of the end of an exciting game and suddenly have to stop for a month while you wait for the console manufacturer to fix their mistakes.
Unfortunately, that's what they are. You might get lucky and get it back within two weeks, but they should really get more staff at their repair station. :-\
I agree, I sent out my old XBox 360 Pro (got 3 rings) in January and they took forever to send back a 'new' one. However, this new one froze up randomly for no reason, so I had to recently replace it with a 360 Elite when I moved down south to Florida. Stupid technical servicing!!!
You know what...Microsoft can kiss my fat ass!!! I have had it with this piece of shit that i bought. This is what i get tonight after trying to play...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/skeith2572/xbox360-2.jpg)
I hope my 360 dies a rotten death so i never have to see this damn screen again.
Please give me the 3 rings of death so i can send this crap system back. If not, i will take it outside and smash it myself. Never had any console problems like this before.
That screen means that my 360 is heading for the morgue. I am so pissed off.
Can't believe i paid almost 600 dollars on Ebay for this lemon.
Meh, i havn't crashed the AGS party in a while.
I got the game last friday and finished it within 14 hours, it's a very good game but with some fairly simple gameplay flaws, the combat system is a lot nicer than other FPS games out there, i don't see why they didn't throw in a multiplayer mode.
The Good ending explains a fair deal but is far too short.
Domino: You'll probably be able to take it back now, but it'll probably take some time unfortunately... :-\
Worst thing is that they don't even fix it! They'll send you another xbox with the exact same insides and hope for the best. :( If you're lucky you might be able to take it back to the store.
I called Microsoft last night. They will only repair the console if it actually does die. They said they will not repair consoles that freeze or mess up every 2 seconds. That doesn't seem fair. I told the rep that i was just going to take it outside and smash it. I still love my 360, just hate the quality.
Well make it die then. Put it in a cabinet or something with little to none air supply coming in while playing. This will most likely make your machine overheat and you'll get the the ring of death! :)
.
Crap.. I take what I said back. I downloaded the demo on my iMac and it's great! I've only played it for half an hour or something though..
I think it's a good game, just not as good as every gamingsite makes it out to be. I've had multible bugs/annoyances that would most def get me out of the atmosphere. A stupid little thing was when I saw a pack of hoodini splicers, I threw a rage plasmid on one and guess what. Nothing happened, for some reason the game was being a d*ck. So I just granated the hell out of them. Also the big daddy-plasmid doesn't make the Big Daddies do anything until you are beaten to death.
Mozesh, are you playing it on the PC? The PC version, I believe is buggier than the Xbox 360 version. There are minor glitches I have run into, but nothing that was game stopping. (360)
Yes I have the PC version, which by the way has the same awesome box as Matt has.
I've just played the demo, geez that was amazing. I'm going to have to buy it, or get an Xbox. Though, I really don't want Windows anymore...
Maybe they'll port to Mac, like Gears of War is doing.
I finished about halfway of the game and yet haven't seen ANYTHING amazing. Except for bumpmap/HDR shaders that are not adjustable, crash on newer NVidia drivers and lag down to a slideshow at older ones. Even though my system exceeds *recommended* requirements.
Everything in this game has been done better somewhere else, and if it's the horror theme that's so hyped, ech...
I really-really tried to like this game. I did. But...
wrench battles?
Play Condemned: Criminal Origins. In addition to *realistic* battles, it's also *scary*
psychopathic environments and people?
Manhunt
Weird superweapons in fps?
Oblivion? Doom3? Prey? Tommy guns versus biological weapons sounds rather dumb than interesting.
Decent FPS horror? Darkness WITH shivers?
Penumbra: Overture
For me, bioshock simply doesn't cut it. I hate the environments and especially that noir-whatever sick style. It's not scary, it's like a clowns bad dream. And I hate clowns. I think I'll play to the end, but I don't care much about what happens. Also, in PC version, subtitles are buggy and I don't like to listen to those long diaries. Which means I don't get into story, if it's possible at all. Half-Life 2 was "amazing". This is simply another underlit, overrated fps.
It's too bad that you didn't enjoy it. I'm still waiting for my copy to come in the mail and hope that it lives up to my expectations.
I don't think, though, that any of the points you covered are the points that are supposed to make the game great. If you read a review or preview, it's not the horror theme being hyped. Nor is it the crazy people, super weapons, and certainly not the wrench.
I think the two things that have been driving the review scores and hype (or at least have seemed intriguing to me) have been:
-The story. It's too bad you aren't enjoying it. I also found the subtitles to be buggy on the PC version, but it didn't keep me from following and being intrigued by the story in the demo. I even enjoyed the recordings and found that it added depth to the environment and characters. Especially when one of the recordings turned out to be by a person that I had just killed.
and
-The open-ended gameplay. The enemy AI and interesting weapons/plasmids really lends itself to the player experimenting with different ways of play. You probably could just tommy gun your way through the game, and it would then seem like a fairly weak game. But, even just in a short demo, I thought it was pretty ingenious that I could light a guy on fire, then he'd run screaming back to a pool of water and while he was extinguishing himself, I could electrocute the pool and fry the guy for good. I know that's just scratching the surface. But I'm imagining some interesting sandbox type gameplay in finding new ways to take down your enemies.
I'd be interested to hear if you've found anything worth while in regards to this open-ended gameplay. Non-spoilery, of course! I'm also wondering why you bought the game if you hate the environment. That part of the game was widely publicized and also attractive to most gamers.
Bought? This thread is 5 pages full of praise.
And demo promised solid shooter, which - I never said otherwise - Bioshock surely is.
I can't say that I hate the game, it's another fps and everybody loves some shooting now and then.
It's the incredible hype I don't understand. Half-Life 2 got as much and even more hype and stood to prove it.
In every bit of it.
The points I brought out are the things I see on my screen, not reviews.
Loads of dead bodies, neon signs and bloody human models. And endless pointless chatter which IMO tries to be creepy, but ends up being annoying and dumb. An example from really creepy sound? Maybe spiders making crieking sounds a meter away in dark corner in Penumbra: Overture? Now THAT was creepy.
If a game, full of small possessed girls, dark corners, blood-covered enemies, maniac laughter and chatter as ambience and a wrench in hand doesn't try to be a horror game, something's really wrong in this world. And if it fails... well.
But since I'm against heavy majority here, this post is as good as pointless. Maybe I've played too much different games and seen enough not to be bioSHOCKED this time. All I'd say is, F.E.A.R. was way better, HL2 too. Bioshock seems to fall into same pit as Prey for me.
Having not played any FPS at any length since Half Life 1, I can't compare the game to any of those. I wasn't at all trying to suggest that your opinion was wrong and bash you for your blasphemy against Bioshock. I hope you didn't take it that way. I was hoping to hear if you found anything of merit in the open ended gameplay that I described though. I was just trying to make conversation, not poo poo your opinion.
Hah, no offense taken. I'm estonian... like finns, harsh climate keeps our heads cool and temper reserved :D
Anyway, I recommend all these games I named or try at least demos, because they're, well, best similar FPS games out in last 3 or 4 years. Exept for Penumbra, which goes more to a fps/stealth/puzzle/action/adventure genre (impossible to define) and doesn't quite reach the quality of others but is really unique and cool anyway.
I'm playing Half-Life 2 currently over again so it's 2 games on my table and maybe I sense difference too strongly. In HL2, dystopian (sp?) future/alternate reality is also portrayed as main theme, but it really doesn't need darkness, silly solutions and overdone horror. A simple little four-legged creature jumping into your face from corner and poisoning you is scary enough, without (overused) little girl and bloody corpse theme. And it's all in broad daylight (mostly), large, open levels, absolutely playable at lower-end system, fully customizable settings, etc etc. F.E.A.R is another example, though emphasis is more on interesting action and less on horror.
I can't say that every single new game should look like those named, it would be boring, but I really don't like the way Bioshock went. Okay, alternate future with 50's tech plus alternate futuristic tech sounds good, but not in horror game context. Atleast, not for me. Undersea city with different technology? I'd LOVE to explore this! But I repeat, *explore* - as it is a cool place - and not totally ransacked and stupid zombies chasing me, with ancient pistol in my hand.
The game takes place in 1960, not an alternative future by the way :)
It's a shame you're skipping all the audio diaries because they add so much to the game and really help make sense of it all - I think you're missing a lot by ignoring them. It's easy to fall into the trap of rampantly defending a game you adore when it's criticised on the internet by someone who you feel perhaps hasn't appreciated it's depth and width, but if you didn't like it then you didn't like it. I got more out of it than I did Half-Life 2, which was enjoyable but perhaps not as cerebral or as memorable as a *Shock game. But hey, different strokes!
I don't think it was intended to be full on horror, just a disturbing atmosphere. Unlike System Shock 2 where I felt mortal danger with every encounter (peering around corners as I went in case something nasty was there), after I took down my first Big Daddy in Bioshock I felt there was nothing that the game could throw at me that I couldn't handle. This is certainly not a bad thing, but it takes away any sense of dread you might have while playing and eliminates the horror aspect for me. It's still a harrowing experience however!
Are you a fan of previous Irrational/Looking Glass games such as System Shock 1/2 and Thief? I think perhaps if you didn't enjoy those then Bioshock will be less to your taste than something with more classically defined gameplay such as Half Life 2.
Quote from: InCreator on Mon 03/09/2007 10:50:17Half-Life 2 got as much and even more hype and stood to prove it.
There was loads of hype around the oh-so-new HL2 AI, which supposedly allowed enemies to react to specific changes in the game world that the player made. One example of this was supposed to be the part where the player blocks the door of a shack, which prompts the enemy to break the window. That sequence was hyped as pure AI and turned out to be fully scripted. This full-on lie was discovered and Valve defended themselves by saying they had to change a lot of things (including AI) due to the infamous leak of the pseudo-beta version of the game, which was most likely and logically a lie as well. There was also a lot of commiseration about the soldiers who fought along-side you in HL2 and how they had bad AI and would funnel into doorways and corridors blocking your way. So in essence, the hype about the AI was never delivered.
So InCreator probably agrees with my initial statement about the game based on the demo I played! A polished FPS!
I've finished it, and I enjoyed it. I want to play it again making different decisions and using different plasmids. It was far too easy to go around freezing everything and smacking them with a wrench thus conserving ammo.
Half Life 2 is great, although I think some of the vehicle sections take the piss in length time. Chucking a saw mill blade thing at a monster guy with the gravity gun rocks.
FEAR, I played the PC demo, then gave it another chance on the 360. I found it pretty bog standard, and for some reason I couldnt get very far, I'd always die. *shrugs*
I finally beat BioShock yesterday on normal mode and got the 'bad' ending - which is the ending I wanted to happen :P! good game. god, I gotta set more time aside for gaming. next step: beat all my xbox 360 games. and go...
I just bought the origenal(used, thrift store find),but for some reason it says not for resale on it it
Sorry that i keep posting in this thread, but i beat the game on easy last week and found it way toooooooooo easy. So i decided to start a new game on medium, and it has been tough as hell. I can only imagine what playing on Hard is like.
I keep having dreams about Rapture. Weird. Several nights in a row.
F.E.A.R is passable.
Prey is passable.
Quake 4 is...passable.
I'm beginning to spot a trend among FPS games.
Condemned was slighty above passable, because elements of it seemed fresh. Even thought the weren't really.
Half-Life 2 wins purely on the strength of "Surface Tension".
I plan on playing BioShock after I get a chance to play the demo and see how well it runs on minimum settings. :-\
QuoteHalf-Life 2 wins purely on the strength of "Surface Tension".
That's Half-Life 1. :P
I can largely agree with InCreator here, though I did like the envirnoments but indeed it didn't deserve the attention and the insane ratings it got. I don't see why there was such a hype. I can simply give my arguments here but everything was said by InCreator, there are a load of games out there of which Bioshock kinda lended elements. The main problem I have with the reviews is that it's supposed to be scary, which (so far) it isn't. Every single 'scary' moment I already predicted, there wasn't a single jump outta your seat moment. Which Condemned certainly had.
Quote from: Redwall on Wed 12/09/2007 16:59:08
QuoteHalf-Life 2 wins purely on the strength of "Surface Tension".
That's Half-Life 1. :P
Indeed. My mistake.
Half-Life 2 wins purely on the strength of "Highway 17".
I don't like scary horror games, or even scary horror films for that matter. So I'm GLAD Bioshock wasnt scary! ;D
(Although I sometimes make allowances for games, like Resident Evil 4, but then that wasnt really scary either so I'm okay with it!)
It was bound to happen sooner or later. :'( :'( :'( :'(
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/skeith2572/dead.jpg)
The coffin is on its way.
edit: After awhile it goes back to green. But better get it fixed while i can.
Quote from: InCreator on Mon 03/09/2007 07:30:39
wrench battles?
Play Condemned: Criminal Origins.
Decent FPS horror? Darkness WITH shivers?
Penumbra: Overture
You hit the splicer on the head there. Two excellent creepy games that really scared the shit out of me. Can't wait for their respective sequels. And even though I agree they're better, I enjoy Bioshock very much.
I haven't finished it yet, and apart from a bit of a crashing tantrum it threw up in the beginning it runs pretty well. I LOVE using the plasmids, particularly and mainly the telekinesis one. I hardly use any other. Chucking dead splicers into living splicers and killing them that way never gets old. Ammo and such is a bit too plentiful, but because I always play these games harvesting all possible resources and conserving them, this actually forces me to take out a weapon more often to free up some space for new bullets that I can gather up and stuff in my virtual pockets.
Overall, I kinda feel like I'm playing Deus Ex: Lovecraft edition. Which for me is not a bad thing. The fact that they even included the infamous Deus Ex security code 0451 = win.