Bioshock 2

Star Bingo

just over a week away.. first half-decent game of the year. though to those who'd play just about anything, it represents the first great game. of the year.

obviously the whole steampunk facade is most alluring, but i was not a big fan of the control physics in the first. or lack of - and the aiming. anyhow roll on tuesday 9th feb.. gets the ball rolling for a number of respectable releases over the next few weeks. most condensed period of such suchness in quite a while - the recession is about to end folks.. no more make-do with typically overrated tripe

jmx009

Star Bingo wrote: »

. gets the ball rolling for a number of respectable releases over the next few weeks. most condensed period of such suchness in quite a while - the recession is about to end folks.. no more make-do with typically overrated tripe

Amen to that !!!

Star Bingo

IGN review's up

http://ie.ps3.ign.com/articles/106/1066917p1.html

Zero-Cool

As good as the first game was, I just don't feel the need to play this one. Really don't like the sound of the defense sequences. I'm pretty sure it will actually be a class game for anyone who does play through it but it just hasn't grabbed me.....yet

NotorietyH

Star Bingo wrote: »

just over a week away.. first half-decent game of the year.

Darksiders, MAG, Bayonetta (though not my thing) and my probable GOTY Mass Effect 2 say hi.

WolfForager

Dunno how it managed it, but the gametrailer's review has blunted my awesome enthusiam for this game. Bastids :P

Burning Eclipse

Star Bingo wrote: »

just over a week away.. first half-decent game of the year. though to those who'd play just about anything, it represents the first great game. of the year.

obviously the whole steampunk facade is most alluring

I think it's more Art Deco than steampunk.

Also, this year already has a strong game of the year contender in Mass Effect 2. See NotorietyH's post for more details.

I've this ordered, hopefully it'll arrive today or tomorrow.

Grumpypants

Stupid Zavvi late with their delivery yet again, hope it doesnt take the 2 1/2 months it took for fallout to arrive !!

Vic Vinegar

I have this for the 360. I have to say it seems a lot shorter than the first one. Being a big daddy is pretty cool, there are some new gameplay mechanics as a result of this (you have to protect little sisters while they harvest Adam) but overall it's nothing too new really. Still very enjoyably though for me. The multiplayer is surprisingly good too (from the short time i played it last night) the pace of the character movement is a little slow though.

faceman

I only ever played the demo for the original much to my shame. Should I play through the first game before moving onto this?

tman

faceman wrote: »

I only ever played the demo for the original much to my shame. Should I play through the first game before moving onto this?

*Waits for painfully obvious response to that...

Yep, the original is a fantastic game that really shouldn't have been missed. There really is no excuse not to play it at the current prices!

Star Bingo

Burning Eclipse wrote: »

I think it's more Art Deco than steampunk.

Also, this year already has a strong game of the year contender in Mass Effect 2. See NotorietyH's post for more details.

I've this ordered, hopefully it'll arrive today or tomorrow.

the surroundings are art deco / the equipment's steampunk inspired

i'll grab a copy of it later

WolfForager

Have to save up for a college trip to Prague and a new passport in march, so looks like i won't be getting it for a good while Was really looking forward to it too.

TheAmateur

Got it today, single player kicks ass (of course). Tried multiplayer for a bit and was kinda disappointed though. Pretty bad lag (though my connection hasn't been great today anyway) and the host left twice during the game (meaning you're sent back to the lobby screen for about a minute and a half). I couldn't see a way to check your connection against your opponents during the game (anyone know if there's a way to do this?) but it seemed like the host had a substantial advantage in a gunfight. Getting the Big Daddy suit is class though, and I like that team deathmatch will go on for 15mins. Also you can customize your controls (why couldn't they have put that in single player too...) and there seem to be a good few ranks/unlocks.
Anyone else played it yet (online/offline)? Impressions?

valleyoftheunos

Never played the first one but am very interested in this, I'm really fascinated by the consequences that your decisions about the little sisters may have.

Bonavox

Definitely an exciting release. Might not pick it up on day one but not one to miss anyway.

thorbarry

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

Never played the first one but am very interested in this, I'm really fascinated by the consequences that your decisions about the little sisters may have.

Dude, play the first one. You won't regret it

NotorietyH

I picked it up yesterday. Enjoying it, only a few hours in, but still can't help but feel it's an unneccesary sequel. At least it hasn't ruined the first game by association. It just feels like more of the same and while enjoyable and engaging it's just not that special any more. There's no big advance from Bioshock, and nothing really innovative. Don't get me wrong though, it still plays great, it just plays like a redundant expansion pack to the original.

J-blk

NotorietyH wrote: »

I picked it up yesterday. Enjoying it, only a few hours in, but still can't help but feel it's an unneccesary sequel. At least it hasn't ruined the first game by association. It just feels like more of the same and while enjoyable and engaging it's just not that special any more. There's no big advance from Bioshock, and nothing really innovative. Don't get me wrong though, it still plays great, it just plays like a redundant expansion pack to the original.

+1 - I've completed the single player mode on one ending (it's not that long) and it really feels like Bioshock 1.5 more than anything. Graphics, controls, plasmids, enemies, almost everything is very similar to the first game. Even the story, while engaging, does not carry the same "weight" as the first one did (or twists).

It's still very good and better than an average shooter, but not different enough from the first one to be as significant really...

krudler

ts good, in places very good, but its all very very familiar, tbh it feels more like you're playing an expansion pack than a proper sequel. The sense of wonder and unknown of Rapture is pretty much gone, as you've seen it all before, there was loads of times in the first game where I'd go over to a window and just stare outside for a bit taking in the view, havent done that at all so far in this, although I will admit the first time you see Rapture properly when you walk over a small hill underwater is fantastic, I love the score to this. The graphics are still great, Rapture is leaking a lot more and in a lot worse shape than the last time we were here, nearly every room has fires, leaks, debris all over the place, theres hardly any pristine areas like in the first game. Have just finished the amusement park, I didnt realise it was so linear compared to the first game, no going back and forth via bathysphere to the previous areas like before, but as I'm not a fan of open world fps's then thats fine by me, I prefer a story and path to aimless wandering. The Big Sisters are suitably creepy, the first few times you catch a glimpse of one silhoutted in firelight and then in quick glimpses at the end of the corridors is great, and the first proper fight was quite a challenge, will have to work out a strategy instead of just battering her with fire and pumping the machine gun into her.

One thing that they havent changed, and I really wish they had as it annoyed the ****e out of me in the first game, is that if you're in the middle of reloading or topping up your EVE and take a hit, you have to wait for the whole reload animation to start again and complete before your gun will work, this is a complete nightmare when you're being attacked by multiple splicers and need to leg away just to reload your guns

Overall though, while very similar and not really anything new, it feels great returning to Rapture

WolfForager

Might start the first game again over the weekend.. God i loved that game..

Star Bingo

just picked this up.. god i love this place. theres an option to 'smooth framerate' at the expense of graphics, anyone notice any deterioration?

- thank f- for the opportunity now to change shooting from rear shoulders to front. that put me off the first one to a major extent

Grumpypants

NotorietyH wrote: »

I picked it up yesterday. Enjoying it, only a few hours in, but still can't help but feel it's an unneccesary sequel. At least it hasn't ruined the first game by association. It just feels like more of the same and while enjoyable and engaging it's just not that special any more. There's no big advance from Bioshock, and nothing really innovative. Don't get me wrong though, it still plays great, it just plays like a redundant expansion pack to the original.

Same here i loved the first game but this is missing something. I recently tried to play back through the first one but got a bit bored as i knew what was going on this seems the same.

Played around 2 hours and was able to walk away from it, gone watching a film now, when you consider mass effect had me up untill 3 or 4 am the last 3 nights because i had to see what was coming up. It might pick up but a bit of an anti climax really.

Zero-Cool

Grumpypants wrote: »

Played around 2 hours and was able to walk away from it, gone watching a film now, when you consider mass effect had me up untill 3 or 4 am the last 3 nights because i had to see what was coming up.

I know I will be the same. I heard they try to make up for a lack of the fresh exploration by new action.

Can someone please clear up if Mass Effect 2 is on the PS3??? I heard it would be but no sign!!

NotorietyH

sheehy83 wrote: »

Can someone please clear up if Mass Effect 2 is on the PS3??? I heard it would be but no sign!!

No the Mass Effect franchise is exclusive to Xbox. For the moment anyway, but considering it's a trilogy I can't see it ever coming to PS3.

Captain Chaos

NotorietyH wrote: »

No the Mass Effect franchise is exclusive to Xbox. For the moment anyway, but considering it's a trilogy I can't see it ever coming to PS3.

Not 100% correct. The first was published by Microsoft, stating it would be part of a trilogy and confirmed by Bioware themselves. Now EA are the publishers, Microsoft have nothing to do with the Mass Effect games any more. Bioware have planned on the 3rd and the trilogy seems a 360 exclusive for the time being but there is nothing stopping ME 2 and 3 coming to the PS3. Just that PS3 people would be missing alot of back story of how the stage was set in ME and they would have no character to import, they'ed have to use the Bioware cannon story line.

EA have now said that the Mass Effect brand is now a franchise to them so we could see RTS, FPS or space combat shooter games like Freelancer all based on the Mass Effect Universe all made by different development teams. Bioware may call it a day on ME 3 but Mass Effect will go on now that EA have seen how much money they have hauled in with ME 2 by just by publishing it.

NotorietyH

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Not 100% correct. The first was published by Microsoft, stating it would be part of a trilogy and confirmed by Bioware themselves. Now EA are the publishers, Microsoft have nothing to do with the Mass Effect games any more. Bioware have planned on the 3rd and the trilogy seems a 360 exclusive for the time being but there is nothing stopping ME 2 and 3 coming to the PS3. Just that PS3 people would be missing alot of back story of how the stage was set in ME and they would have no character to import, they'ed have to use the Bioware cannon story line.

Yes that's why I said "For the moment," As recently as last week the head of Bioware has said Mass Effect is exclusive to Xbox. It would be strange for them to only release the third part of a trilogy on the PS3.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/03/bioware-mass-effect-is-for-the-pc-and-xbox-360/

Star Bingo

NotorietyH wrote: »

I picked it up yesterday. Enjoying it, only a few hours in, but still can't help but feel it's an unneccesary sequel. At least it hasn't ruined the first game by association. It just feels like more of the same and while enjoyable and engaging it's just not that special any more. There's no big advance from Bioshock, and nothing really innovative. Don't get me wrong though, it still plays great, it just plays like a redundant expansion pack to the original.

yeah i'd say so. think i'm nearly completed it already

thing is though, i didn't actually play the first game past 1 hour of wtf as the new fangled 'trigger' buttons at the time that they insisted we use were such a turnoff. so with shoot/plasmids assigned to R1/L1.. its all new to me and i'm enjoying it. seems its about to end rather soon however..

feels expansion pack-like alright. i'd probs be livid n feeling shortchanged if i'd actually played through the first

NotorietyH

I finished it there last night and did enjoy it, I was more compelled to finish because I was heading out last night rather than a real compulsion to do so, but the story was fairly interesting and well told in the end. Still unnecessary, but in this day and age of sequels like Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed 2 and Mass Effect 2, a sequel that's pretty much the same as the original with nothing distinct or special about it just doesn't cut it as a great game for me, just a very good, solidly made one. Put it this way, I'll barely remember playing Bioshock 2 a few months from now, whereas I'll remember playing Bioshock 1 for years, maybe even decades.

krudler

What got me about it was there was no atmosphere at the beginning, the first had a phenomenal opening 10 minutes or so, from the crash to the bathsphere ride down to Rapture, to the first splicer encounter, Bioshock 2 basically says "you're back in Rapture, you're now a big daddy, go nuts" There was no sense of wonder, it does pick up brilliantly in the second half though, although I'm sick to the back teeth of games that give you the same old situations for getting power ups, oh look a door is a frozen block of ice, why if there was only some sort of fire power i could get, there is? well what do i have to do to get it?! its the Zelda effect, its pactically the same game with a few different touches

inFamouxee

Never played the 1st one but i would say this game is absolutely fantastic! The atmosphere on this game is effin brilliant. The multiplayer is not that bad at all tbh i find capturing the little sister mode absolutely fun.

WolfForager

inFamouxee wrote: »

Never played the 1st one but i would say this game is absolutely fantastic! The atmosphere on this game is effin brilliant. The multiplayer is not that bad at all tbh i find capturing the little sister mode absolutely fun.

Haven't played the second one yet, but ya really should have played the 1st one first :P

NotorietyH

Yeah I definitely wouldn't recommend playing Bioshock 2 first, as everything that you'll love about Bioshock 2 is done much better in the 1st one, and if you go back and play the firs tone now you won't have the same sense of freshness or surprise.

Star Bingo

finished this last night, i guess i got more that 10hr of campaign out of it and the end was good. the last 1 or 2 stages differed and were drawn out enough to make it feel a little less an expansion pack.. anyone crack the lock into the Administrator Office btw? hard. all them goodies behind the glass eluded me but yeah the style of the series is unparalleled. proper decadent debauched art deco madhouse was Rapture. contrary to some opinions i'll miss the place..

did play a good bit of the 1st, but like i said failed to get to grips w/ the trigger buttons to shoot. if they patched it for the alternate configuration like in this i woulda played it, no doubt. it really was such a turnoff

Grumpypants

Played a bit more i am getting into it i just miss the "wow look at that" i got from the first game. But its a hard one for developers to get right if they change too much people dont like it if they dont change enough people dont like it.

I would just have prefered if the story was linked more to the first game but maybe that is explained as a play through the game.

NotorietyH

I wish they'd have taken a bit more initiative with the sequel. I don't hate the game, but it's just so damn forgettable. Every level looked the same. If they were going to make a sequel I wish they'd have shown a bit more imagination within Rapture. I mean how's the city powered? It would've been interesting if they had a level set in something like Rapure's power station, or at least something different that would've also added to the mythos of the place, added a bit of backstory. There was even a big variety within the levels in Bioshock, but most of 2 feels like it's reusing assets from 1. They could've made the slums really look like slums, made a really interesting landscape. I can barely remember a single detail about any of the areas, which is crazy for such a unique playground as Rapture. An opportunity squandered.

No matter how interesting the world of Rapture is, it loses its sheen when it keeps getting recycled. There's already 2 or 3 games this year that I've enjoyed playing more and it's strange because there's nothing they really do wrong with the game.

krudler

More aspects of Rapture would have been a good idea, like the train system, you never got to do anything with it aside from jump into a rail car, it would have been so easy to include a section where you had to repair something like you see the very first Big Daddy in the opening of the original game doing, just even finding a welding torch or something to fix a leak and let you progress, but instead we got a frozen door and a fire plasmid, just like the first game. I did think the section where

you play as a little sister and see why they keep calling people "angels" was great though, especially when it flashes back to reality when you walk past certain people, like the guy in the jail cell trying to grab you

The underwater sections were a massive disappointment too, i was hoping we'd get underwater fights and learning how to adapt to playing in less gravity, but all we got were leisurely strolls outside Rapture where you cant do anything except walk and jump slightly, and they were tiny sections to boot

TelePaul

Got this yesterday and played around with it a little while. I should say that I havn't played the first one but will pick it up ASAP based on what I've read about it here and elsewhere.

Anyways, to Bioshock 2. The first thing that struck me from the word go was that the graphics weren't all I'd hoped for. I'll probably get a lot of flak for this, but I thought the textures on the Drill-Arm were very clunky in the opening few minutes. The lighting and water reflections are, on the other hand, gorgeous...so I'm not fully sure where I stand on this. It's possible that Uncharted 2 has me spoilt when it comes to looks, but the graphics seemed a little underwhelming to me. Reminded me an awful lot of Condemned 2, as it happens.

The other thing I noticed almost immediately

was the similarity to DeadSpace with the use of a rail-car as a plot-device. Again, not something that would put me off the game but it was something I noticed, particularly as, for the first few chapters at least, you spend your time advancing the Atlantic Express through various parts of the city. Also, the music and general post-apocalyptic feel reminded me of Fallout...now obviously, there's nothing wrong with the post-apocalyptic similarity, but i think the '50s music could have been swapped for something else, especially as the setting is 1968...some Yardbirds would've been good

Plot-wise, it seems very ambitious, and I am enjoying it. The pacing is good, as is the mix between combat and atmospheric walk-about.

LuckyFinigan

just finished the game there overall it was very good. not as good as the first tho. one thing i would of liked to see in it would be that ya could of visited some areas from the first game. it would of been cool to see how places like aradia and fort frollic changed over ten years.

NotorietyH

TelePaul wrote: »

The other thing I noticed almost immediately

was the similarity to DeadSpace with the use of a rail-car as a plot-device. Again, not something that would put me off the game but it was something I noticed, particularly as, for the first few chapters at least, you spend your time advancing the Atlantic Express through various parts of the city. Also, the music and general post-apocalyptic feel reminded me of Fallout...now obviously, there's nothing wrong with the post-apocalyptic similarity, but i think the '50s music could have been swapped for something else, especially as the setting is 1968...some Yardbirds would've been good

Well they only problem with that is that the original Bioshock predates Dead Space and Fallout 3 by at least a year and everything you mentioned was pretty much in that too. Also the initial

incident that led to the downfall of Rapture was New Year's Eve 1958, so I doubt getting more update music was in the forefront of the Splicer's minds as the city around them crumbled

You're right though in one sense, in that everything you mentioned was in Bioshock 1 in some form or another, and similar mechanics or aesthetics have appeared in games since, so Bioshock 2 coming along bringing nothing really new to the party doesn't help it.

TelePaul

NotorietyH wrote: »

Well they only problem with that is that the original Bioshock predates Dead Space and Fallout 3 by at least a year and everything you mentioned was pretty much in that too. Also the initial

incident that led to the downfall of Rapture was New Year's Eve 1958, so I doubt getting more update music was in the forefront of the Splicer's minds as the city around them crumbled

You're right though in one sense, in that everything you mentioned was in Bioshock 1 in some form or another, and similar mechanics or aesthetics have appeared in games since, so Bioshock 2 coming along bringing nothing really new to the party doesn't help it.

Ah never even considered the canonical issues. Played it some more, still enjoying it...although I hate being killed by a Big Sister, only to reappear with a tiny portion of health, a sliver of EVE and no ammo, only to be killed again and again until i finally whittle her down with melee attacks.

theUbiq

I've found electroshock 2 and ice drill is an effective combination against a Big Sister.

Rezident

After being disappointed at the start I am now loving this game - the gameplay is even better than that original.

Cyclone Traps (level 2) mixed with Fire or Ice or Bees! It was never going to be as original as the epic first ogame but the gameplay and variations in plasmids and weapons and tonics is amazing. So much fun experimenting.