Which Game / Which System?

[Fringe]

I'm posting this here since I'm a big fan of 2K and have a lot of respect for what they continually accomplish year in and year out. Having said that, if anyone wishes to point me in the direction of a really well established general gaming forum that would be more appropriate for such questions I'd be happy to take the discussion there instead.

At any rate, I'm torn between which of these two games to get first and for which system: BioShock or Mass Effect / 360 or PC?

I'll end up getting both eventually but I was curious as to what others here might have to say regarding the positives and negatives as well as the subtle differences between the two games. I have a limited budget at the moment and was looking for something new to sink my teeth into for the next several weeks or so, if not even longer as the case may be. Other than that, it's probably safe to assume that I would enjoy both games overall so I won't bother listing my gaming preferences (unless asked to do so) but just in case it matters, here are my system specs:

Abit IS7 Intel 865PE Chipset for P4 Socket 478 ATX MotherBoard
Intel 2.6c Pentium 4 CPU
Antec TruePower 430-Watt PSU
nVidia GeForce 7600 GT 256MB AGP 8x Graphics Card
2GB Kingston HyperX PC3200 Memory
Western Digital SE 80gb Ultra ATA/100 Internal Hard Drive
Memorex 16x DVD Drive
Realtek AC’97 Audio (Built-in)Acer AL1916W LCD Monitor
Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2
DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

Any insight would be highly appreciated. Thank you kindly.

[no0dle]

Bioshocks really easy will be fast to finish, mass effect i dont know how easy it is

[Ric]

Neither of those games will last you more than a week. If your looking for something with mileage then I would recommend an RPG like Never Winter Nights 2 or The Witcher. Or an RTS like Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar or World in Conflict. FPSs are not renowned for their lengthy campaigns.

[no0dle]

get world of warcraft if you dare......

[yogibbear]

don't get world of warcraft......

fixed. 10 char.

[Fringe]

Thank you for the responses. I originally didn't realize that both games were more along the lines of a FPS than an RPG (such as Oblivion). Not a big deal though since I really enjoy FPSs as well but I am familiar with how they tend to be shorter than actual RPGs.

I've watched several videos and have perused the screenshots of both games and I must say that they both look incredible. Not only visually but they both look like they will end up being a lot of fun to play.

I would however still like to hear what others think about which system, given my current specs, I should be looking at playing both on. My 360 tends to gather a lot of dust these days so it would be nice to get back into that but I've always enjoyed the precision that the mouse brings for shooters as well as the availability of mods/addons. This decision always tears me apart. I really enjoyed Oblivion on the 360 but something inside of me always thought that I might have been better off getting it for the PC instead.

One additional question that came to mind: is BioShock along the lines of a thriller or horror type game in the sense that it has potential to freak me out at times. I love nothing more than to turn all the lights out and play such games late at night and well into the early morning. I just got the sense from several screenshots that it could possibly create a creepy atmosphere so any insight into that would be welcomed.

At any rate, I hope no one hates me for this but for the time being I've decided to wait on both games until after xmas as I'll have money for both and I can get a good fix in during my time off. In the mean time I just picked up Rise of Nation Gold and have just finished installing it so that should hold me over for a week or so. I played the demo of RoN: Rise of Legends and really liked what I saw. I understand that ones more "realistic" and the other's more fantasy but I like to start at the beginning with a new series. Plus they didn't have RoN: RoL so the choice between the two was easy.

Sorry for rambling but you all probably know how it is

[Fringe]

Ok, I just realized that there's no PC version of Mass Effect but the question still remains for Bioshock. Although, with this realization I'll probably end up getting BioShock for the PC unless someone has good reason otherwise.

[BioShockWins]

Ok, I just realized that there's no PC version of Mass Effect but the question still remains for Bioshock. Although, with this realization I'll probably end up getting BioShock for the PC unless someone has good reason otherwise.

I'd go for PC. With the 360 version you can't have all the fun of complaining on these forums!

[Subtle_Demise]

Yeah, because no one complaining has any real problems.

[Demitasse]

Wait a couple of years until BioShock finally comes to the Sony Playstation Three. If you can't stand console controllers, I read in a magazine that there is a controller/mouse hybrid that you can buy so you can compensate for your headshot ratio. Problem solved.

[Ninjit_Turak]

Wait a couple of years until BioShock finally comes to the Sony Playstation Three. If you can't stand console controllers, I read in a magazine that there is a controller/mouse hybrid that you can buy so you can compensate for your headshot ratio. Problem solved.

If you're talking about the FragFX, it's a piece of crap.
also, bioshock isn't coming to the ps3, sadly

I had to buy a 360 just to play it.

Don't get the PC version for god's sake it's an abortion of gaming.

[japester]

I don't have a 360, so I can't comment on Mass Effect.

Yes, Bioshock is creepy and very immersive. If you are the type of gamer that cares about speedruns and doesn't have the imagination to let a game scare you, then you might consider Bioshock lame. Me, I'm a casual gamer, so got scared plenty of times and really took my time looking at everything. The environments are fantastic.

As for which system to play it on, your graphics card is find (I'm running a PCI-e 7600GT), but I think your processor is going to hurt you. You are a hair above the absolute minimum. I'm running a Core 2 Duo e6300, and I get good performance at 1024x768 with all the goodies turned on, but I get the occasional slowdown. If you want the smoothest gameplay, and don't plan on upgrading anytime soon, get it for 360. If not for your hardware, I'd say go for the PC simply because I think the mouse is far superior for FPS games.

[Demitasse]

If you're talking about the FragFX, it's a piece of crap.
also, bioshock isn't coming to the ps3, sadly

I had to buy a 360 just to play it.

Don't get the PC version for god's sake it's an abortion of gaming.

They always get ported one way or another. It always happens, it's just going to take some time. And yes I was talking about the FragFX.

[Fringe]

Thanks for all the responses.

I don't have a 360, so I can't comment on Mass Effect.

Yes, Bioshock is creepy and very immersive. If you are the type of gamer that cares about speedruns and doesn't have the imagination to let a game scare you, then you might consider Bioshock lame. Me, I'm a casual gamer, so got scared plenty of times and really took my time looking at everything. The environments are fantastic.

As for which system to play it on, your graphics card is find (I'm running a PCI-e 7600GT), but I think your processor is going to hurt you. You are a hair above the absolute minimum. I'm running a Core 2 Duo e6300, and I get good performance at 1024x768 with all the goodies turned on, but I get the occasional slowdown. If you want the smoothest gameplay, and don't plan on upgrading anytime soon, get it for 360. If not for your hardware, I'd say go for the PC simply because I think the mouse is far superior for FPS games.

I'm a very casualy player that loves taking my time when the situation dictates. For example, I love the fast pace of Doom 3 but I also loved the super slow pace of Condemned. So for me it's all about atmosphere. BioShock sounds right up my alley and I'll end up getting it for the 360 since I love relaxing on the sofa with the headphones on for creepy slower paced games.

Thanks again to everyone for all of the insights. It's much appreciated.

[FUCHI PATAS]

I'd go for PC. With the 360 version you can't have all the fun of complaining on these forums!

Ha! That is for sure. I'm glad I have a 360!
I've never seen/read so much *****ing!

[froggy1]

Exclusive games always get ported?!?! Yeah thats why Gran Turismo's on the 360 and Halo is on the PS3...oh wait they're not. There is a whole list of games for both systems that never got ported either way and this will continue. Bioshock on the PS3? Sadly, Never.

[Foniks Munky]

If you like creepy,unsettling games Bioshock is the one.It's not so much that things jump out at you and freak you out,although they do,it's more of a sense of unease bordering on paranoia the whole time you're playing.The game is tenser when there isn't any combat,so you're actually kind of relieved when something finally does pop out at you.The only other game that gave me this kind of feeling was System Shock 2.If you played that and liked it,you'd denifitely enjoy this.Not that Mass Effect is a bad game, but one's mostly horror and the other's mostly science fiction.

[Fringe]

Love creepy. Love unsettling. Loved System Shock 2.

I just picked this up for the 360 this afternoon as an early xmas present to myself. I haven't had much free time during the days lately so I decided to go with something that I would naturally prefer to play at night.

Needless to say, I just put it in with all the lights out and the headset turned up high and I'm already loving it to death. Excellent atmosphere and it walks you right through everything out of the gate so that you can get used to the controls real easily.

I think that I'm really going to enjoy this one.

Thanks again for all the feedback. Now I'm off to sink my teeth in until the sun comes up

[King48 NZ]

Bioshock for 360 simple....
if you set Bioshock to hard it will last longer
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/arti...-Mass-Effect:D

[PimpDaddy]

Your'e gambiling with your money if you choose the PC version.
This game was designed specifically for the XBOX360 console.
If you look in Tech support you'll find it riddled with people having issues with the game, although a portion of them will be to do with not reading the system requirments on the box there are still highend machines out there which have issues.

[Anthropoid]

I'd like to note for the sake of anyone with fairly high-end PCs reading this that I prefer the PC version. I've read that it has better graphics. Specifically, I've read that the 360 version runs at a resolution lower than 1024x768 (it's 720P, though I don't know how that translates into pixel by pixel resolution values, and apparently it can be upscaled to 1080P). I'm not sure what other graphical differences there are, but my PC (Athlon 64 X2 6000+, Geforce 8800GT, 4 gigs of RAM, Vista for DX10 mode) runs the game consistently smoothly at 1440x900 resolution with all the effects turned on. But for the original thread poster I would recommend 360. Not that I've ever played the 360 version. But the 360 version has achievements.

[Fringe]

Well, I started over after posting last night so I ended up playing from 2am til 5am and made it through the Medical Pavilion. Although, I wasn't quite happy with how I did things, since it was getting late and I was still learning many things, so I'll probably start back over tonight from the beginning of the MP just for prosperities sake.

I'm really enjoying it so far and can see myself digging in each night once I'm alone and can focus on getting freaked out. The atmosphere couldn't be any better and the art department needs to pat themselves on the back a couple more times. Another thing that I found pleasantly surprising is that I didn't turn the music off in the beginning, as I usually tend to do with most games. I didn't even turn it down so that's saying something for the production value as far as I'm concerned.

Regarding graphics. I have a 40" widescreen HD TV and generally play 360 games in 1080p but there are a few that tend to get a bit cut off on the sides. This ended up being one of those games but not all that bad. Just to experiment I re-set to 480p and it worked itself out but I could tell that the graphics weren't as sharp (obviously). However, after playing around with the Brightness controls I was able to get it to look almost as good as it did under 1080p. It looked a bit grainier but to tell the truth that almost added a bit more to the overall atmosphere.

At any rate, I'm really happy that I picked this up first as this is absolutely worth it. Now I just can't wait to show it off to my friends once they all get back from their vacations. I have a feeling that I'll be playing through the entire game a couple of times, which is something that I usually don't end up doing all that often.

Thanks again for all the insight. Take care and have a happy holiday.