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BioShock 2 |OT| of Big Sisters, Delta Daddies, and Creepy Uncles

D

DancingJesus

Banned
Game Informer 8.3

If your interest lies solely with the single-player experience - and let's be frank, this is why we counted down the days until BioShock 2's release - I walked away from it pleased, but also unfulfilled. BioShock 2 eventually becomes the sequel I hoped for, but spends too much time getting there. [Issue#203, p.82]

:/
 
Anarchistry

Anarchistry

Member
DancingJesus said:
Game Informer 8.3

If your interest lies solely with the single-player experience - and let's be frank, this is why we counted down the days until BioShock 2's release - I walked away from it pleased, but also unfulfilled. BioShock 2 eventually becomes the sequel I hoped for, but spends too much time getting there. [Issue#203, p.82]

:/
Click to expand...
:(
 
J

JB1981

Member
edgefusion said:
I'll try my best to be as spoiler-free as possible (PS3 version).

Intro - Pretty gripping, they've certainly improved facial animation and overall people look significantly better than in Bioshock 1. The atmosphere is sufficiently chilling and intriguing, it almost immediately raises a whole bunch of questions.

You can see the Big Daddy's helmet in the corners of the screen which is a little irritating, hopefully I'll get used to it. Fake edit: there's an option to turn the helmet off in the options. Phew!

It seems to control very similarly to the original Bioshock which makes it easy to slip into. The drill has a fuel gauge which seems to go down quite quickly (but I've not had any problem finding fuel laying about). Combat is also pretty much the same, except you have a drill instead of a wrench which elicits mass gore when you poke someone with it. The first plasmid you get is
Electro Bolt, just like in the first game
.

Resolution could be better, text is blurry (and/or jaggy) and there's a vaguely vaseline-like quality to the environment because of it. So far this is my main gripe really, it'd be much nicer looking if it were just crisper.

There's an option to unlock the framerate (like in Bioshock 1), it seems to make the game much smoother although I'll have to see how it goes. I'm inclined to say it's better with it unlocked, especially if you're the kind of person who is sensitive to framerate. I can't see myself locking it again anyway unless it really causes some performance issues.

Audio logs are back and just as interesting as ever.

Overall my first impressions are good, it seems like more of the same (great) stuff but I'm only a short way into it so who knows how it could get changed up. There are lots of similarities to the first game which makes it really feel like you're returning to Rapture and.... well that's pretty great! It feels like a continuation rather than a revamp. If you didn't enjoy the first Bioshock though then I'd be inclined to give this a miss as it doesn't seem like you'll find anything significantly different. I'll post again later with some updated impressions if I have anything new to say and I'll leave multiplayer impressions to someone else as I'm not really a multiplayer kind of guy.
Click to expand...

sounds like a repeat of the first game on ps3. 360 version if get
 
L

luka

Loves Robotech S1
DancingJesus said:
Game Informer 8.3

If your interest lies solely with the single-player experience - and let's be frank, this is why we counted down the days until BioShock 2's release - I walked away from it pleased, but also unfulfilled. BioShock 2 eventually becomes the sequel I hoped for, but spends too much time getting there. [Issue#203, p.82]

:/
Click to expand...

Game Informer is at it again.
 
edgefusion

edgefusion

Member
JB1981 said:
sounds like a repeat of the first game on ps3. 360 version if get
Click to expand...

Yeah it is, except the menus are a little worse than they were in Bioshock 1.

I've been playing now for 5+ hours and my original impressions haven't changed all that much. It's more Bioshock and that's it really, if you liked Bioshock then you're going to love this. The story is a little disappointing, it doesn't really reveal a whole lot to you as you're playing and it just feels lacklustre in comparison to
would you kindly
and Andrew Ryan. I guess they were pretty big things to live up to though. I find the way the levels are set out to be quite uninspired too, basically
you're on a train that stops at every single station because of something happening/going wrong
. I'm hoping for some twist or revelation in the plot in order to save it, at this point it needs one.

Actually, it feels quite a lot like a series of DLC strung together.
 
A

Ashhong

Member
DancingJesus said:
At it again? Like they had some hidden agenda against Bioshock? They gave the first game GOTY honors and a 9.75...
Click to expand...

:lol its amusing how much people like to hate on random things like GI. if they gave it a 10 some people would have said "lol GI, they just want it to sell". theres no winning with GAF.
 
M

monkspider

Member
Anyone counting down the days should check out Rapture Radio, an excellent radio program being broadcast from the beautiful Kashmir restaurant with many tunes from the two Bioshock games or otherwise inspired by them :D
http://public.wavepanel.net/TQGIRICRKI3341BQ/listen/pls

The official 2k store just updated with some cool new lithographs and a super classy pen.
http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/article/2kstoremerchandise

Also, Gamestops across the country are apparently going to have some fun stuff like trivia contests and prizes for their midnight launch event.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/...d=news_view&newsId=20100204006976&newsLang=en
 
J

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
Volcynika said:
Because they try to stick around no more than two days prior to release for preloading, if available.
Click to expand...

Ah, rightio. :D BioShock 2 is the first game I've pre-loaded and I always assumed the date hit a few days before release.
 
S

Shurs

Member
DancingJesus said:
Game Informer 8.3

If your interest lies solely with the single-player experience - and let's be frank, this is why we counted down the days until BioShock 2's release - I walked away from it pleased, but also unfulfilled. BioShock 2 eventually becomes the sequel I hoped for, but spends too much time getting there. [Issue#203, p.82]

:/
Click to expand...

This is just one big advertisement to sell the game at Gamestop.
 
H

hitoshi

Member
monkspider said:
Most estimates are 12-15 hours.
Click to expand...

It can be done in just under 10 hours if you are not taking care of all big sisters and not really keen on harvesting / saving every little one.
 
H

hamchan

Member
edgefusion said:
Yeah it is, except the menus are a little worse than they were in Bioshock 1.

I've been playing now for 5+ hours and my original impressions haven't changed all that much. It's more Bioshock and that's it really, if you liked Bioshock then you're going to love this. The story is a little disappointing, it doesn't really reveal a whole lot to you as you're playing and it just feels lacklustre in comparison to
would you kindly
and Andrew Ryan. I guess they were pretty big things to live up to though. I find the way the levels are set out to be quite uninspired too, basically
you're on a train that stops at every single station because of something happening/going wrong
. I'm hoping for some twist or revelation in the plot in order to save it, at this point it needs one.

Actually, it feels quite a lot like a series of DLC strung together.
Click to expand...
So you can't revisit completed levels?
 
T

The Librarian

Banned
hamchan said:
So you can't revisit completed levels?
Click to expand...
There's no backtracking.

DancingJesus said:
Game Informer 8.3

If your interest lies solely with the single-player experience - and let's be frank, this is why we counted down the days until BioShock 2's release - I walked away from it pleased, but also unfulfilled. BioShock 2 eventually becomes the sequel I hoped for, but spends too much time getting there. [Issue#203, p.82]

:/
Click to expand...
Eh. Most great games get a couple of 80s and stuff like that. You have reviews like that, then you have reviews like this:

Playstation: The Official Magazine - 100/100

If you're still wondering if BioShock 2 is better than the original as you enter the final level, by the time you beat it, you'll have no doubt. This is one of the best games you'll ever play. [Mar 2010, p.62]
Click to expand...
 
M

monkspider

Member
OPM said:
This is one of the best games you'll ever play
Click to expand...

Holy shit! Now that's what I like to hear in a review!

The Bioshock 2 Launch Party concluded last night, sounds really cool. It integrated the viral ARG storyline from SomethingintheSea.com with one of the main characters appearing dead in a chalk-line silhouette right outside the building, complete with period-dressed police officers. Everyone that went got free splicer masks! :D

Hopefully some quality pics will be here soon. Sadly I didn't get to go, but it sounded like a blast. Last Splicers Unite is in San Francisco this Monday if anyone wants to go.

CozMick said:
Awwwwwwwww I've missed the pre-order bonus skins :(

How many were there? 2?
Click to expand...

Yep, two. Smart money is on these guys eventually appearing as DLC. In fact, there was an article on Kotaku stating as such that was quickly taken down.
 
N

Neiteio

Member
Can someone who has the game share impressions of the
Ryan's Amusements
level seen in previews? I don't know at what point you visit it, but from what I've seen, that's the area I'm looking forward to most.
How many animatronic scenes are there? And do we hear a lot from Andrew Ryan, there and in general?
 
Alec

Alec

Member
Neiteio said:
Can someone who has the game share impressions of the
Ryan's Amusements
level seen in previews? I don't know at what point you visit it, but from what I've seen, that's the area I'm looking forward to most.
How many animatronic scenes are there? And do we hear a lot from Andrew Ryan, there and in general?
Click to expand...

I won't be revealing any real spoilers, but I'm spoiler tagging anyway.

There is a guided tour narrated by Andrew Ryan.
It's...okay, I guess. I wasn't particularly impressed.

For that matter, I wasn't particularly impressed by anything. I beat it last night (12 hours, got EVERYTHING) with the good ending. From what I understand, the "Good\Bad" choices you make throughout the game COMPLETELY change the ending scenario (not just a 30 second cutscene like in the first game), so I'm going to blaze through and make all the bad decisions tonight.

About 9 or 10 hours in, you're wondering "...Okay, where's the twist?"...but it never comes. It does pick up greatly in the "cool" factor though, and it maintains it for the last hour or two of the game. The ending scenario is definitely the best part of the game, with the ending itself (the good one, anyway) being a little bizarre but not something I'm terribly upset over.

Final impressions...Game Informer is spot on. It takes too long getting good. Overall, it hovers around a 7.5 or 8.
 
Joei

Joei

Member
Alec said:
I won't be revealing any real spoilers, but I'm spoiler tagging anyway.

There is a guided tour narrated by Andrew Ryan.
It's...okay, I guess. I wasn't particularly impressed.

For that matter, I wasn't particularly impressed by anything. I beat it last night (12 hours, got EVERYTHING) with the good ending. From what I understand, the "Good\Bad" choices you make throughout the game COMPLETELY change the ending scenario (not just a 30 second cutscene like in the first game), so I'm going to blaze through and make all the bad decisions tonight.

About 9 or 10 hours in, you're wondering "...Okay, where's the twist?"...but it never comes. It does pick up greatly in the "cool" factor though, and it maintains it for the last hour or two of the game. The ending scenario is definitely the best part of the game, with the ending itself (the good one, anyway) being a little bizarre but not something I'm terribly upset over.

Final impressions...Game Informer is spot on. It takes too long getting good. Overall, it hovers around a 7.5 or 8.
Click to expand...


Quick edit cause you tagged that wrong the first time
 
N

Neiteio

Member
Alec said:
I won't be revealing any real spoilers, but I'm spoiler tagging anyway.

There is a guided tour narrated by Andrew Ryan.
It's...okay, I guess. I wasn't particularly impressed.

For that matter, I wasn't particularly impressed by anything. I beat it last night (12 hours, got EVERYTHING) with the good ending. From what I understand, the "Good\Bad" choices you make throughout the game COMPLETELY change the ending scenario (not just a 30 second cutscene like in the first game), so I'm going to blaze through and make all the bad decisions tonight.

About 9 or 10 hours in, you're wondering "...Okay, where's the twist?"...but it never comes. It does pick up greatly in the "cool" factor though, and it maintains it for the last hour or two of the game. The ending scenario is definitely the best part of the game, with the ending itself (the good one, anyway) being a little bizarre but not something I'm terribly upset over.

Final impressions...Game Informer is spot on. It takes too long getting good. Overall, it hovers around a 7.5 or 8.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's about what I'm expecting based on what I've seen. A polished game, but nothing inspired enough to throw us for a loop a second time around.

Are there a decent amount of audio logs by Andrew Ryan? I disagree with the man's worldview but I could listen to him talk for hours on end.

Same voice actor, I take it?
 
G

goMaki

Member
monkspider said:
The Bioshock 2 Launch Party concluded last night, sounds really cool. It integrated the viral ARG storyline from SomethingintheSea.com with one of the main characters appearing dead in a chalk-line silhouette right outside the building, complete with period-dressed police officers. Everyone that went got free splicer masks! :D

Hopefully some quality pics will be here soon. Sadly I didn't get to go, but it sounded like a blast. Last Splicers Unite is in San Francisco this Monday if anyone wants to go.
Click to expand...

Both events last night were a complete BLAST! I felt so privileged to be invited to the Launch Party! You can read up on what happened and a bunch of the pics over at the 2k forums thread. I'll post my Splicer Mask pics later in the Feb. pick-up thread.
 
N

Neiteio

Member
So Alec, reflecting back on the game, are there any sights you'd say are as memorable and iconic as, say, the first game's lighthouse/Andrew Ryan statue, the Kashmir Restaurant statue of Atlus holding the world aloft, the giant bunny mask in Fort Frolic, etc, etc?
 
T

The Librarian

Banned
Alec said:
About 9 or 10 hours in, you're wondering "...Okay, where's the twist?"...but it never comes. It does pick up greatly in the "cool" factor though, and it maintains it for the last hour or two of the game.
Click to expand...
Huh. From what I've read in some reviews and what I've heard from Tenritsu that there is a twist.
 
N

Neiteio

Member
Dax01 said:
Huh. From what I've read in some reviews and what I've heard from Tenritsu that there is a twist.
Click to expand...
I hope there's a twist too. Maybe different people have different definitions of what constitutes one.

Personally, I doubt anything can top the one in Silent Hill Shattered Memories. That blew BioShock 1's twist out of the water (no pun intended).
 
Alec

Alec

Member
Neiteio said:
Yeah, that's about what I'm expecting based on what I've seen. A polished game, but nothing inspired enough to throw us for a loop a second time around.

Are there a decent amount of audio logs by Andrew Ryan? I disagree with the man's worldview but I could listen to him talk for hours on end.

Same voice actor, I take it?
Click to expand...
Yeah, a fair amount of audio logs. Sounds like the same actor.

Neiteio said:
So Alec, reflecting back on the game, are there any sights you'd say are as memorable and iconic as, say, the first game's lighthouse/Andrew Ryan statue, the Kashmir Restaurant statue of Atlus holding the world aloft, the giant bunny mask in Fort Frolic, etc, etc?
Click to expand...
Honestly, no.

Dax01 said:
Huh. From what I've read in some reviews and what I've heard from Tenritsu that there is a twist.
Click to expand...
I think when other people say twist, it's that "cool" factor I was talking about. Did you consider becoming a Big Daddy in the first game a "twist?" I didn't. When I think "twist," I think of "Oh yeah, you've been controlled with a keyphrase your entire life." from the first game. There's nothing like that in BioShock 2.
 
C

Circle Jerk

Member
Alec said:
I think when other people say twist, it's that "cool" factor I was talking about. Did you consider becoming a Big Daddy in the first game a "twist?" I didn't. When I think "twist," I think of "Oh yeah, you've been controlled with a keyphrase your entire life." from the first game. There's nothing like that in BioShock 2.
Click to expand...
But why is that a bad thing? Just because the first game had a twist doesn't mean the second should. If anything, that would make it the derivative game everyone is claiming it to be.
 
S

supermackem

Banned
edgefusion said:
Yeah it is, except the menus are a little worse than they were in Bioshock 1.

I've been playing now for 5+ hours and my original impressions haven't changed all that much. It's more Bioshock and that's it really, if you liked Bioshock then you're going to love this. The story is a little disappointing, it doesn't really reveal a whole lot to you as you're playing and it just feels lacklustre in comparison to
would you kindly
and Andrew Ryan. I guess they were pretty big things to live up to though. I find the way the levels are set out to be quite uninspired too, basically
you're on a train that stops at every single station because of something happening/going wrong
. I'm hoping for some twist or revelation in the plot in order to save it, at this point it needs one.

Actually, it feels quite a lot like a series of DLC strung together.
Click to expand...

It run in 1080p on ps3.
 
T

The Librarian

Banned
Bpatrol said:
But why is that a bad thing? Just because the first game had a twist doesn't mean the second should. If anything, that would make it the derivative game everyone is claiming it to be.
Click to expand...
The way I see it, there are going to be people who complain about it either way. If there's no twist, there will be people who claim that the story isn't as good as a result. If there is a twist, there will be people who say that it's another thing that makes the game seem like a "checklist" of the first BioShock.
 
Alec

Alec

Member
Bpatrol said:
But why is that a bad thing? Just because the first game had a twist doesn't mean the second should. If anything, that would make it the derivative game everyone is claiming it to be.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying it's a bad thing...I'm just saying I was hoping for something equally mind blowing. There wasn't, which was sort of a let down, but I didn't let that decrease my gaming experience. I want to clarify, I loved this game.

Dax01 said:
The way I see it, there are going to be people who complain about it either way. If there's no twist, there will be people who claim that the story isn't as good as a result. If there is a twist, there will be people who say that it's another thing that makes the game seem like a "checklist" of the first BioShock.
Click to expand...

Even with a twist, the story wouldn't be as good. I said it earlier in the thread and I'll say it again: The story isn't as good as the first one, but it doesn't matter because the game is equally as (if not more) fun.
 
B

bodyofanamerican

Member
Alec said:
I'm not saying it's a bad thing...I'm just saying I was hoping for something equally mind blowing. There wasn't, which was sort of a let down, but I didn't let that decrease my gaming experience.
Click to expand...
Yup, totally get this. I too was hoping they'd take the opportunity to take what we were expecting (WYK) and somehow turn it on it's head. However, if doing that would detract from the overall story they wanted to tell, then I can take it or leave it. I'd hate for so much creative energy to be spent in trying to top WYK while other aspects suffer.
 
T

The Librarian

Banned
Alec said:
Even with a twist, the story wouldn't be as good. I said it earlier in the thread and I'll say it again: The story isn't as good as the first one, but it doesn't matter because the game is equally as (if not more) fun.
Click to expand...
I'm not saying you're wrong or anything because I haven't played the game yet, but I was just saying that there will probably be complaints either way.
 
Alec

Alec

Member
Dax01 said:
I'm not saying you're wrong or anything because I haven't played the game yet, but I was just saying that there will probably be complaints either way.
Click to expand...

Right, I gotCHA.
 
D

Denzar

Member
I ask again, people that have finished it. Worth buying? Is it fun? Is the story compelling enough to keep you going?

What I'm expecting is well, more Bioshock, tweaked, but familiar. Not as impressive or novel as the first but still very classy.

Any news on the PS3 version BTW?
 
Alec

Alec

Member
Deepack said:
I ask again, people that have finished it. Worth buying? Is it fun? Is the story compelling enough to keep you going?

WHat I'm expecting is well, more Bioshock, tweaked, but familiar. Not as impressive or novel as the first but still very classy.

Any news on the PS3 version BTW?
Click to expand...

It's absolutely worth buying. It's just as fun as (if not more than) the first one. I would've have played it through in one sitting if my girlfriend wouldn't've have flipped out about it.

What you're expecting is spot on. No clue on the PS3 version.
 
S

speculawyer

Member
I know it is used for dramatic effect, but I HATE GLOWING EYES & MASKS.

Your eyes are supposed to absorb light, not emit it. If your eyes are glowing then you are blind!

It just irks me. Same is true of the glowing diver masks.
 
T

Truant

Member
speculawyer said:
I know it is used for dramatic effect, but I HATE GLOWING EYES & MASKS.

Your eyes are supposed to absorb light, not emit it. If your eyes are glowing then you are blind!

It just irks me. Same is true of the glowing diver masks.
Click to expand...

Well, people used to believe eyes emitted some sort of signal or radiation to make us able to see. I guess that ways way before the sixties, though :lol
 
T

tenritsu

Banned
Dax01 said:
Huh. From what I've read in some reviews and what I've heard from Tenritsu that there is a twist.
Click to expand...
There are actually NUMEROUS twists. The thing about them is that many of them are semi-expected and are smaller in gravity than "Would You Kindly".
Alec said:
I think when other people say twist, it's that "cool" factor I was talking about. Did you consider becoming a Big Daddy in the first game a "twist?" I didn't. When I think "twist," I think of "Oh yeah, you've been controlled with a keyphrase your entire life." from the first game. There's nothing like that in BioShock 2.
Click to expand...
Yeah, pretty much. Though Alec you should really PM me so we can discuss whether or not you saw "the big twist" of BioShock 2 coming because I didn't :lol
 
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