BioShock

[Gwynster]

So I've been playing Bioshock over the last 2 days. Once again it suffers from the old 'pistol is best' syndrome that FPS games have had since headshots were invented. You have a gun which is perfectly accurate at all distances, enemies with heads, and (in my case) about 6 years of Counterstrike experience. All the physics, plasmids, security bots and tripmines in the world aren't going to stop me from just capping people in the head reflexively whenever the chance presents itself. That's why games like Deus Ex don't let you do this - you're forced to choose from all the other ways.

What this amounts to is that the game itself is basically Quake 4 post-stroggification with tons better art design but much worse boss fights. The storyline has me though, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna stop playing any time soon.

[Shindig]

Good job I'm shit with pistols, then. I just can't say no to a shotgun, though.

[Steven]

Played this quite a bit last night - enjoying it now the plasmids have come into play more. Gunplay is still wooly and some of the 'horror' is a bit forced (has me thinking of when we'll get something that is 'mature' instead of "Ooh, I'm a wibbly-wobbly voiced madman/actor who's done something very baaaad"), while some of it is pretty good - couple of genuine jumps (due to respawing, which keeps it fresh rather than annoying).

Really enjoying it now - can't wait to get a bit more powerful so I can give a Big Daddy a better display than GO AWAAAAY!, while flailing round like a little sister

[stan]

I've been playing since yesterday and would agree with Edge's 8.

It's the combat that knocks off a couple of points for me.

[polygon_monkey]

Later on in the game do

do the big daddies become aggro for no particular reason? It's now been three times I've been bum raped by a Big Daddy that's come out of no where. I'm doing the stuff to get into Ryan's office at the moment.

[Janski]

Apols if this has been mentioned but I don't wanna look through this thred due to any spoilers -

question about Arcadia

When you first come out into the Tea Garden there is a little room on the map, near the small structure with the crushed door - can you get into it?

question about Fort Frolic

In the Possidden(sp?) area the map indicates there is a 'basement, but it is covered by grating - can you get in or have I missed a switch

Cheers

[robdood]

I have a question, too, actually.. Can't believe I'm going to ask this but; I'm at Fort Frolic - have I managed to miss collecting the

Crossbow-thing?

I'm finding more and more ammo for it, but I don't have one!

[Chooch]

Ah, the first moment the respawning splicers look ever so slightly gamey.

Raiding beehives for enzymes

Died there. Probably because quick-switching weapons resulted in me point-blanking a splicer with a grenade.

That bit was total shit and very frustrating.

Die, walk back,

find a few more enzymes

, die, walk back

[Bojangle]

Completed it last night. I loved every minute of it, and I thought the end scene was rather touching.

I assume it was the 'good' ending. I rescued all the Little Sisters.

Now to go through it again and get everything.

[DarhkFox]

i completed a level, but it said there were still little sisters i should get. So i went back, spent 5-10 minutes killing one of those big daddys. Anyway couldnt find the girl anywhere, and low and behold another big daddy came out and draged her out a pipe in the wall. Is there any easier way to kill the big daddys cos i have next to no ammo and keep dying all the time whilst fighting them.

I do like the game, the combat is a bit dodgy for my liking though and the voices sound like a cheesy horror film.

[Massive Invisible Dog]

The pipe thing is absolutely infuriating, the respawn chambers ruin the big daddy fights, the combat feels intrusive and the voice acting is woeful. The rest is pretty good.

7/10

[RubberJohnny]

I have a question, too, actually.. Can't believe I'm going to ask this but; I'm at Fort Frolic - have I managed to miss collecting the Crossbow-thing? I'm finding more and more ammo for it, but I don't have one

There should be sticking out of the ice where you fought the first guy to photograph, there are others dotted around, in bars and such.

[Straps]

Question about Fort Frolic...

I've killed all the guys that mentalist asked me to, and he opened the case to reveal one of the tonics, but not the other one with a lock around. He's currently walking away, and I know there are a few bits I haven't been to. Do I kill him? Do I come back later?

[HGFB]

That bit was total shit and very frustrating.

Die, walk back,

find a few more enzymes

, die, walk back

Weren't you using the smoke controls?

[Duckula]

Hah! I just discovered the 'unlock framerate' option in the options menu, I had no idea there was one.

[Straps]

That makes it worse on my 720p/component. Jaggied to fuck. Locked it back straight away.

[FozZ]

i completed a level, but it said there were still little sisters i should get. So i went back, spent 5-10 minutes killing one of those big daddys. Anyway couldnt find the girl anywhere, and low and behold another big daddy came out and draged her out a pipe in the wall. Is there any easier way to kill the big daddys cos i have next to no ammo and keep dying all the time whilst fighting them.

I do like the game, the combat is a bit dodgy for my liking though and the voices sound like a cheesy horror film.

No tips for killing them, other than just be better but remember, if you see a Big Daddy, they won't attack you unless you attack them (or if you approach a Little Sister and don't back off). If you pause the game, you can see how many Little Sisters are left in the level (icon is a LS with a Big Daddy, if you've already saved em then it's just a LS). So, if you see a Big Daddy and they aren't with a Little Sister, but there are some left in the level, then just follow him until he approaches a wall hole, bangs on it and then helps her down.

[Duckula]

The pipe thing is absolutely infuriating

I quite like the wee hacking puzzles, the game doesn't force you to do them though so I don't really view it is as a complaint.

[Massive Invisible Dog]

I quite like the wee hacking puzzles, the game doesn't force you to do them though so I don't really view it is as a complaint.

No, I mean the little sisters going into the pipe things. That's a good one though, I forgot about those.

6/10

[Janski]

Question about Fort Frolic...

I've killed all the guys that mentalist asked me to, and he opened the case to reveal one of the tonics, but not the other one with a lock around. He's currently walking away, and I know there are a few bits I haven't been to. Do I kill him? Do I come back later?

I killed him then and there and got access to the 2nd container. Dunno if this has repercussions for later though soz

If you do fight him be careful, he can be a bit tricky

[Duckula]

Are there any penalties at all for regenerating? I've been playing it safe and haven't died yet.

[The-G]

Are there any penalties at all for regenerating? I've been playing it safe and haven't died yet.

None. So you could technically kill any big daddy no matter how shite you are.

[Stroker Ace]

Has anybody managed to enter

Sander Cohen's personal quarters?

Not the

room above the theatre

, but the locked door you encounter in his home later on. Apparently, you have to

not kill him

when you meet him.

It's an Achievement, and it's the one area of the game I haven't explored, suggesting that'll be where I find the last of the recordings, too.

That's my next job.

[Shindig]

I'm respawning like hell now at the Farmers Market. Wild Goose chase for the last beaker of something or other. I keep picking up distilled water but that's only because items also respawn. Got to find a splicer hideout for the last of them.

[Mogget]

So far I'm not seeing what makes BioShock such an outstandingly magnificent piece of gaming history. I really enjoy looking at the detailed environments and architecture (and listening to the audio recordings), but the combat is bog standard, simplistic FPS gameplay with somewhat unique weapons. Everything else about the game is very similar to most FPS games that have come before it (linear, arcadey, and predictable). If anyone expects to be able to use stealth, you can forget it. It's virtually impossible to get past enemies without being seen, and combat is basically handled by the "double punch" method. Every single time.

Having said that, I keep getting the urge to play the game on a regular basis. It's just that this is more a case of "I wonder how lovely the next area will look", rather than "I can't wait to fight some more splicers".

I get the feeling that the Edge 8 is rather closer to the mark than many people really want to believe......

[Chooch]

Weren't you using the smoke controls?

Yeah, it wasnt the bee's but the respawning splicers that was giving me the problem.

[Shindig]

That part wasn't too bad for me. Got something like 4 of the enzymes and then backtracked to find 3 med kits. Then kicked on with the rest. Made easier with the enrage plasmid. Does enrage work on security bots?

[KieronGillen]

the voice acting is woeful.

For the record, name a game with good voice-acting.

KG

[Timmo]

++THREAD SIDETRACKING IMMINENT++

[Shindig]

For the record, what the fuck, Dog? Voice acting's pretty sound. Just the splicers mince it. But they would, because they're mental.

Definite 8/10, yes. It's flawed, but bloody good. Like Killer7 but without the boost of being against the grain.