Is anyone else have rapture withdrawals? I got all the achievements, played through it twice...got the full experience. Now, all other games are dull by comparison. Bioshock is by far the most immersive, cinematic, complex, technically astounding gaming experience in my long gaming life.
Anyone have any game suggestions that come close to the experience of rapture?
Lol, when I read this title, I thought for sure you were trying to start a flame-war.
Anyway, BioShock is incredible. However, it won't be the best for long. Other games are going to be coming out and some are sure to be better than BioShock. Some people would say there are many games better than BioShock so far, but it won't be the best forever regardless.
lol at first i thought you were gunna hate it
haha yeah, I feel you. I can't stop myself from compulsively playing and thinking about this game, even almost a year after its release. Bioshock to me is more than a game, it's an experience. I really couldn't recommend any games similar, because nothing I have ever played compares to it. In any case, as far as other 360 games go I have found myself playing a lot of GTAIV and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, lately. (And sitting waiting till we hear more about Bioshock 2.)
If you want a good Bioshock-esque experience maybe you could read "Atlas Shrugged" hehe
I agree too...I was saw this thread topic and was like "Oh gosh, here we go..."
I agree, it is my best game of all time and will remain so for probably a long time. It is almost in a different league for me, i know its the best but i dont compare other games to it or enjoy other games any less than i would otherwise. Bioshock will always be at the top for me and seems almost seperate. I wouldnt say it ruined others at all for me, i still enjoy those the same just nothing else stands out as much as Bioshock does
I don't know, it's hard for me to say. BioShock does a lot of good things but I'd hardly say it "ruins" other games for me, especially because there aren't any games that really do quite the same thing with presentation.
Most immersive? Hm... maybe for the first few hours, it is, but I feel it drops off significantly afterwards. Oblivion also does a pretty awesome job with immersion, albeit not with NPCs present (their animation is horribly stiff) and mods installed. Parts of Half-Life 2, like Nova Prospekt, are just as good if not better than BioShock when it comes to atmosphere. Mass Effect has an incredibly extensive and detailed universe behind it for a video game these days, far more than BioShock, but its immersion comes more out of character interaction and whatnot. Even games like Diablo 2 and Deus Ex still envelop me, not for their pure technical prowess or detailed graphics, but with how vividly realised there worlds are for me. That's what really matters, in the end.
That kind of nails it for me. Other games, I fire them up because I want to accomplish a goal or finish a level or scenario. BioShock....I like to just walk around. Doesn't matter what level or even whether I've completed that section or not.Originally Posted by Atlas the Fisherman
Unfortunately, I can't think of another game that's similar.
I completely agree, no other game can even come close to bioshock. Out of my entire game collection, theres only one game I treasure more than bioshock. I tried playing Halo 3, COD4, GRAW, mass effect, but they all get so boring now that i can't play more than an hour. Im looking foward to Bioshock-PS3 and Bioshock 2
You're buying it again on the PlayStation 3? Just for that forgettable exclusive content that doesn't even really fit in with the game to begin with? And you realise that these days there's rarely such a thing as a full exclusive anymore, and that it'll probably make its way to other platforms eventually, right?I completely agree, no other game can even come close to bioshock. Out of my entire game collection, theres only one game I treasure more than bioshock. I tried playing Halo 3, COD4, GRAW, mass effect, but they all get so boring now that i can't play more than an hour. Im looking foward to Bioshock-PS3 and Bioshock 2
Well, if that's worth $70 to you, then that's your prerogative. But I can tell you that the Xbox 360 is not the place to find really immersive games. BioShock is almost a fluke that way. :P
I will be buying it again on PS3. Can't miss the extras!
But I agree with the OP's original post.
As many of you have said, this is not so much a game as an experience. It is for this reason that it is hard for me to look at other games the same way. They are simply that, games. Bioshock has really changed my perspective on what a game can be (I can cite a few other as well, MGS, Twilight Princess...) that have taken video games to a new level, but Bioshock just nailed it.
If it were up to me, Bioshock wouldn't be considered a game, it would be part of a new category of entertainment experience. Everything else I put in my xbox is just a game.
I have played plenty of oblivion, halo 3, COD4. I would say perhaps oblivion comes close...I don't know though...bring on Bioshock 2!
Anyone ever play the system shocks?
I think Bioshock is different every time you play it. Different approaches have different outcomes. No matter how many times you play it, something new always appears. It's one of the most thought provoking games I've played to. We all know that a city will be built underwater. We all know it wil be only for the elite. But Bioshock takes the what if factor from that. And that's why its a good game.
How are you so sure that it isn't worth the extra money? Neither you nor I know the full extent of the new content and how much it's worth. And as far as I've heard the content's exclusive to the PS3, it's not coming to the PC/360. Thanks for the concern but if I could only buy 1 game this whole year it would be bioshock+. Until I find out what the content is, the $70 may or may not be worth it.
Why do you care? Stop acting like mommy, and daddy saying what's best or not best for us, he'll spend HIS money which ever way he wants to (I know you didn't say "DONT BE THIS GAME OR YOU'LL DIE IN 7 DAYS, but it kinda sounded like that don't you think?)...also 2K said offically that the extra content will be EXCLUSIVE TO THE PLAYSTATION 3 CONSOLE, do I see jealousey in the air?You're buying it again on the PlayStation 3? Just for that forgettable exclusive content that doesn't even really fit in with the game to begin with? And you realise that these days there's rarely such a thing as a full exclusive anymore, and that it'll probably make its way to other platforms eventually, right?
Well, if that's worth $70 to you, then that's your prerogative. But I can tell you that the Xbox 360 is not the place to find really immersive games. BioShock is almost a fluke that way. :P
Anywho to answer the OP question....yes. Every single game seems very medicore to Bioshock.
Gears- Shot-em up graphic ☺☺☺☺☺. Story sucks and enviorment is like every war ridden planet you've ever seen
Halo-The most over rated game in history. I seriously don't understand the obbsession with this game? Take away the multiplay and just leave the campaign and truly the game sucks, plus really who plays it for the story anyways?
I mean with Bioshock I have fun just roaming the plains of Arcaidia, or Fort Frolic. I love just replaying the game over, and over because it's 1st 30 minutes does what some movies can never dream to achieve. I'm just tired of all the regular shoot em ups and graphic ☺☺☺☺☺ games. I want story! I want a cinematic experience! I want the whole package! I'm tired of games taking place in either some war ridden planet or in a WW2 setting. I mean Ken Levine did what Game Devolpers are afraid to do, which is add the whole experience.
To sum it up I doubt I'll EVER have the experience Bioshock left with me because I know for a fact instead of game devolpers taking a note from Kens success they'll still go on with there medicore shooting titles. ~Sigh~...I gues that's why I play Bioshock so many times............I feel your pain............//
I had to read that twice. What sort of string of adjectives is "Shot-em up graphic ☺☺☺☺☺"? Gears Of War was the first truly next-gen title out there, and although the story was short, it was tremedously FUN and visceral. It was an perfect introduction to the characters and to Sera for the rest of the series and it was oh-so-sweet. The sound design is awesome, the graphics blew everyone away at the time. The "environment" is one of the finest you´ll ever see - "Look at all that juice!"
What the heck was that about Halo? "Take away the multiplayer and the campaign sucks". Halo is, and always was a multiplayer game, and that is where it´s legs are, where they have been for the past year and where they will be for at least another 2 years. You hideously contradicted yourself there as well. You slated the campaign, then you went on to say "really who plays it for the story anyways?". The campaign is pretty damn fine sci-fi fare compared to it´s counterpart on the PS3... Er... Resistance?
The PS3 has nothing on that scale. Does it even have any console-exclusive online communities? Does it even have any console-exclusive triple-A titles, beside MGS4, now that FFXIII has gone?
2K ALSO said that Bioshock would never come to the PS3. Who´s to say they wont backtrack and release the content on the 360? As I´ve said before, it´s all about money.
I won´t even bother commenting on the rest of your rant about how you are "tired of all the regular shoot em ups and graphic ☺☺☺☺☺ games" and how you "want the whole package". Why would you think Bioshock has the whole package? It´s a great, great game, but I moved on from it easily.
Um, what? All I'm saying is that I don't see the point in spending a whole lot of money to buy a game you've already bought for what will likely amount to an extra hour or two of gameplay that isn't even incorporated into the main storyline. Of course it's his money and he can choose to spend it as he likes (I never said otherwise), but I have to wonder how much free cash you have on you if you're able to go and re-buy games you already have.
For the record, Gears of War was an "exclusive", as was Halo 2, as was Final Fantasy 13, as was Mass Effect. Yeah, we're done here.
I am planning on buying a PS3 soon, but Blu-Ray is my main reason. I always thought it kinda sucked from the quality games standpoint. Most of the multiplatform titles have their biggest problems on the PS3 versions. And as you said about Resistance, PS3's supposed Halo-killer, surely didn't make me super jealous and want a PS3. Sony has a small amount of eye-catching exclusives, but Microsoft has managed a nice amount more. I would be uber jealous if I couldn't play Mass Effect, Halo 3, Gears of War 1 & 2, Fable 2, or the exclusive Fallout 3 DLC. I am not freaking out over not playing Heavenly Sword, Lair, Resistance, or Haze.
Anyways. BioShock rocks.
It has great audio, has an awsome story, has a great enviorment, has memorible characters, levels may be linear at times but for the most part the levels are preatty diverse, gameplay is medicore but the plasmids do help. The voice acting in the audio diaries is second to none, the graphics are preatty solid (granted there no Gears). That's what I call the complete package......IMO of course....//Why would you think Bioshock has the whole package?
Because appearntly Sony paid TONS of cash for the Exclusive.......2K ALSO said that Bioshock would never come to the PS3. Who´s to say they wont backtrack and release the content on the 360? As I´ve said before, it´s all about money.
Now hold up a second here. Ok. We all have different tastes.
Gears of War is a fantastic game. Sure, the story is cliche but it has a huge emphasis on cover. That cover system raised the bar for any game containing a system of cover. The system worked fluidly. The gameplay is fun, frantic and violent. The multiplayer is ok but everyone just shotguns each other, so maybe we have to wait for Gears 2 for that.
Halo. Ok let me say the story to the game sucks. Badly. But the multiplayer is good and all the Halo fanboys love it to death. Endless map variants and gametypes can be made using Forge and playing with your friends is a real blast. Halo is a hell lot more fun if you play with your friends.
If you want a game with a good story, cinematic experience and the "whole package", go buy the Orange Box or get Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode 1 and Half Life 2: Episode 2 seperately for the PC. It's not quite a BioShock, but it's incredibly good.
Escaping the Combine on foot and then on a Airboat through the canals while being shot at by choppers, tanks and soldiers is a very cinematic experience. Then having to flee to a town known as Ravenholm which is very Rapture-eque (Bodies dead, blood everywhere, town in ruins) and having a sense of Paranoia is very like BioShock. Add to that you have a Gravity Gun in which you can pick up objects and launch them at enemies (e.g a Saw Blade that cuts them in half). Remember this came out before BioShock and it has the feeling of BioShock.
Not only that but it isn't always "shoot, shoot, shoot". It often requires you to think and solve different mini puzzles.
Well maybe because I am only up to Ravenholm thus far (I got it on Saturday) but this is one game I enjoy, a lot. I probably wouldn't enjoyed it as much unless I bought BioShock.. Or do the first level in the Original Half Life.
hey guys,
i'm really glad people love BioShock, but please stop the fights going on in this thread and stay on topic, or we'll have to shut this one down.
That is EXACTLY how I feel. I just love looking around, looking at the environment; it's so beautiful. I really DON'T care where I'm at, it's beautiful even after its downfall.
~Mari.
Buy the Orange Box, Half life 2 is my favorite game of all time
honestly I have found no other games like this. I left it at my aunt's and am having withdrawls too. This game is simply astounding. i'm trying to figure out where to find Atlas Shrugged.
P.S. is that you Toasty^or you v
Last edited by LeCount; 07-28-2008 at 10:06 PM.
Hear hear!
For some reason Half-Life 2 didn't stick to me as Bioshock did. Don't get me wrong HL 2 is a great game but for some reason I didn't have the feeling that Bioshock gave .......to me at least..//
Unless you´re expecting a veritable tome, then I would suggest you look elsewhere to sate your RWS (Rapture Withdrawal Symptoms). It´s compelling, for sure, but it is very complex.honestly I have found no other games like this. I left it at my aunt's and am having withdrawls too. This game is simply astounding. i'm trying to figure out where to find Atlas Shrugged.
P.S. is that you Toasty^
Half life does look pretty good. Ive played the demo and it seems promising. Thanks for the suggestion.
F.E.A.R is worth playing.
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus by Fumito Ueda are the only two games that are as unique as Bioshock IMO. They both create an intense level of immersion through minimalism. There's little or no HUD and not much music. The visual style of the games, while completely different from Bioshock, is beautiful and haunting. They're not for everyone though. They're notorious for not being commercially successful but being worshipped by game developers. Just like Bioshock, I can go back to them again and again in awe and admiration.
System shock 2 and you don't even need a good PC.
I can't think of anything else that has the sandbox adventure flavor of BS, Half life 1 is good, so is Clive backers undying but both are pretty straight forward,if you want a deeper RPG experience and almost better level design Dark messhia is not bad but the melle combat might be to slow for some, Arx fatalis is pretty much a richer FPS RPG and made by the same people who did DM.
Cryisis has the sand box but its not that deep, Turok is bearable but lackluster, Jericho is a joke, the only worthwhile games I could really recommend are old and time tested.
Ok, let's have this disscusion. You know what the "elephant in the room" is, the thing that a few posters have mentioned a few posts back. It hasent really been discussed yet on this forum, so I'll bring it up.
For a long time, PC gamers have widley considered Half-Life 2 the greatest game of all time. Now enter BioShock.
The blogs are poping up everywhere, comparing BioShock and Half Life 2 as "greatest". And on YouTube as well. I do not suggest any comparason here (which would cause flaming and be pointless anyway on a BioShock forum), but let me say that fans of BioShock and the team that made it, should be proud that this game has the kind of acclaim to be seriously compared to HL2.
Funny, at the beggining of BioShock, Ken Levine takes a playful swipe at VALVe's Half Life 2, by having Atlas tell you to "find a crowbar or something". lol
Last edited by Blue Lightning; 08-01-2008 at 03:49 PM.
Tee hee. I was so proud of myself for catching that
I'm addicted to both though...
BioShock, from a gameplay perspective, is nowhere near as good as Half-Life 2. In fact, as a recent review I read summed up perfectly, BioShock's gameplay is downright simple and repetitive. In fact, it's incredibly mundane. Half-Life 2 was revolutionary in its use of physics, detailed characters (it came out in 2004, remember, and many games even at that point were pretty poor story-wise), and changing the standard shooter gameplay depending on the situation or the environment (there's a lot of platforming, vehicle-based stuff, puzzle-solving, squad-leading, etc. perfectly integrated into the game). There are still no games I can think of that are truly and consistently as well-designed, as replayable, or even as enjoyable, except for Episode One and Two.
BioShock gets by mostly on atmosphere and story. It's fun to experience Rapture, sure, but are the mechanics really that entertaining? Do you really enjoy hacking turrets and cameras over and over and over and over? Sure, hitting splicers with the wrench is good fun, but even that gets old. In fact, some parts of the game, like the Little Sister escort, those that are more linear than the rest, are far more memorable and enjoyable for me. Without the presentation, BioShock really is nothing. Sadly, in the age of Call of Duty 4, most gamers are far too entranced by pretty pictures and loud noises to take notice of shallow gameplay.
Last edited by searanox; 08-02-2008 at 09:33 AM.
I think Bioshock is a well made,video game masterpeice,just like the rest of you.But I think that some of you are into this game a LITTLE too much.
I dunno I found HL2 much more linaer because of the one way level design, and the ending levels and ending to HL2 sucks the eps make it a more solid title, but HL2 by itself is pretty mediocre.
I also found the weapons to be unbalanced/nerfy it relied way to much on the gimmick gun(gravity gun).
Now BS has relinking hub level design with a slight sandbox setup, it basically pushes it from point to point shooter to adventure FPS, but the weapons are so so the mod system is not very deep, the IRS(or inventory replacement system) is...lacking plasmids are ok but there again its just not so well polished as more normal RPG setup.
But the 4 things that killed me on bioshock was the lack of death penalty, shallow weapon/mod system, Deaf AI, weaker story/pacing than System shock 2.
All in all its a very mainstream konsole friendly adventure FPS, its better than the pathetic standard but still seeping in simplification.
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HL2 has more polish over all with BS only able to out do it in art direction and level design(maybe).
esipode
The only thing thats a masterpiece about this game is art direction the rest of of it is under developed....
Last edited by ZippyDSMlee; 08-02-2008 at 09:56 AM.
I don't know when you first played it, so it probably seems a bit dated these days, but I don't really understand how you could call it mediocre. Yes, it's a linear game, but frankly linearity can be a great strength. They certainly give you lots of freedom within that linear structure, too; it's one of the few linear shooters that really encourages and rewards exploration. I also don't get your complaints about the ending; the City 17 street missions are a little bit long-winded, but the Strider fights and especially the Citadel are some of the best parts of the game for me.
Episode One is a bit of a mixed bag, but I find that both of them, minute-for-minute, are stronger than the original Half-Life 2. Episode Two is one of the few games where I can say I wholly enjoyed every single part of it. There is absolutely nothing in it I try to get through as quickly as possible, skip over, etc. If there is any flaw with it, it's that it's just slightly too fast-paced, without quite enough downtime and breathing room in-between the action.
HL2 no eps is medicore, or I should say the best of mediocre or the best of standard gaming, the only thing it had over HL1 was story and dialog, level design was mostly bland didn't care for the weapons hated the gimmick gun wanted the old lazer back and I played HL2 the year it came out, I have played enough of the eps to know it makes the game more whole but still it feels alil off compared to HL1.
I might over state mediocre (I iz getting oldz) but franky I am used to the 8+ FPSs of 10 years ago not the 8+ FPSs of today where 7 is new the average..... HL2 as it was is about a 7 and thats about where BS falls into when I am not hating on it.
HL2 with eps is about an 8 not perfect but solid enough for even on an old FPSer to see the qaulity in it....
I have yet to see a modern FPS to have the deep level design resemblant of old.
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HL2 and Turok come close, HL2 has more nooks but theres just levels of details missing in modern level design when realism takes president over depth of layout.
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to all:
BTW you want a FPS that ruined gaming try DOOM 3 all graphics(if you can see them) and lil substance...at least the story/dialog was better than the movies.... its sad when DOOM 1-2,Duke and Blood have better level design than most modern FPSs.
Last edited by ZippyDSMlee; 08-02-2008 at 10:35 AM.
While my view can't be taken too seriously as i've only played certain levels at a friends with little attention paid to story. I don't think its out of the league of other games. Sure it was good, i thought the big daddies were especially cool. But i have to admit i got a little bored and while i appreciate story (i liked the darkness, Half-life etc) it is not the best game ever created just a top notch one.
Half-Life 2's level design is mostly excellent. In some ways, Valve designs their levels for gameplay rather than for realism (many buildings don't really make that much sense from a function perspective, or architecturally), but there's a lot of very subtle things in there, similar to BioShock actually. In Half-Life 2, recurring visual cues are used to show progress through the game world and storyline, including light (the game takes place over three days, more or less, and the sun rises and sets to indicate this; the creepiest and most atmospheric parts of the game take place at night, and it ends at sunset), trains and rail systems (they all lead to Nova Prospekt, the culmination of the second act of the story), and, most importantly, the Citadel, which looms in the distance for most of the game; right from the beginning, it's clear that it's your ultimate goal, and it gets bigger and bigger as you get closer, until you're inside it.
Both games also do some very good things with lighting and colour, especially BioShock; a lot of the ideas were taken from theatre stage direction, and spotlights, coloured lighting, etc. are all used to influence mood, highlight objects and important areas for the player to explore, etc. Just look at Arcadia: it's bright green, brown, purple, earthy and natural at first, but when the place is pumped full of toxic gas, the entire place becomes a disgusting mustard yellow, with only the red glowing fires lit by the Saturnine to contrast. I remember how relieved I felt after I loosed the Lazarus Vector and brought nature back; you can bet that a lot of thought went into creating that emotional attachment to the game environment, placing it under attack, and then restoring the bond.
Of course, those things are all aesthetic. Half-Life 2, despite being quite a linear game, makes your progress through the environment feel natural, with a huge variety in visuals while still remaining consistent and maintaining a sense of progress. You are led down one path, and while there is variation in the form of alternate routes and side-areas to explore (Highway 17 is a great example of this), it's impossible to get lost or find yourself unable to progress.
See, now I'm curious why you claim that the original Doom has such great level design. Frankly, I think that just about every single environment in Doom looks almost exactly the same, the architecture is nonsensical at best (isn't there a pentagram-shaped level? Yeah, awesome design work there), and the gameplay consists of wandering around aimlessly while pressing the use key and shooting the walls every few seconds in hopes of opening a secret (and necessary) door. I mean, if you can provide me with better examples, then by all means give me them, but Doom is dated in more than just its visuals. Although I'm not as familiar with Doom 2 and Blood, I found those games to be equally nonsensical, and most of the time you simply run around with no indication of where to go or what to do (not to mention any motivation for doing it) and hope that you eventually find the end. Duke Nukem does have a trace of narrative holding it together, and at least it puts the player in somewhat realistic environments, but I still can't say that it's excellent.
Last edited by searanox; 08-02-2008 at 10:37 AM.
"Pretty" dose not make up for shallow, never has never will, depth of the layout makes the level design thats why I say doom1 has better level design than most modern FPSs.
Modern level design is very much akin to the corridoor level design used in cash in shooters long ago, mostly one way, small areas, minimalistic nooks and hidden spots all very realistic but throughly boreing.
DOOM,DUKE,BLOOD,QUAKE,HL,Unreal 1 all make up for a lack of "pretty" with deep level design, DOOM3 is the prefect example of why "pretty" fails you have mostly corridorish hallways goign to cramped space to cramped space color and shading aside whats in these spaces well it looks like an office or a storage area it's detailed sure but dose aesthetics(non functional details) make up for layout (functional details)?
Even BS is held back from the aesthetic/realism bent in modern level design.
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2 things I loath beyond hatred in FPSs is invisible walls and not being able to get to a place enimes can(at least in reason BS has a few high spots you cannot get to and that drives me crazy because I want to explore not walk the hallways like the rest of the damned :P).
Last edited by ZippyDSMlee; 08-02-2008 at 10:51 AM.
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