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[bodyofanamerican]

Monday 5PM GMT (12pm ET)

It is possible that one major website posts an exclusive review today.

**cough cough** ign**cough cough**
:lol

 

[Datwheezy]

Anyone know if/when a demo is being released?

 

[black_vegeta]

Anyone know if/when a demo is being released?

No demo

 

[V_Ben]

ign review:

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

Spoiler

9.1

 

[The Librarian]

**cough cough** ign**cough cough**
:lol

Heh.

IGN's review is up. They gave it a 9.1/10. Though, I think what's said about it is far more important than the numerical score.

It's going to be a familiar experience for anyone that played the original, but BioShock 2's improvements to gameplay and its more focused storyline make for a game that's more playable and easier to digest. Some of the sense of awe and mystery is lost in transition, but the strength of the setting and more interesting implementation of moral choice make for an experience that's more consistent and rewarding. Anyone looking for a first-person shooter that offers more than flat, stereotypical characters and copy-and-paste supersoldier plots, one that attempts to establish a sense of right and wrong and loops you into the decision making process, and one that's set in one of the most vividly realized settings around should pick up BioShock 2. It's a game in which story, setting, and gameplay are expertly blended to create an experience that's as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

If it's as if he describes, I'll be completely satisfied.

 

[DancingJesus]

http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/14240341/bioshock-2/videos/bioshock2_vdr_020410.html

Video Review up.

Warning for minor spoilers...

Good score though, I am a little worried about what the IGN UK review said though about

the story and voice acting.

 

[Corky]

Ok I dont get this, just watched the video review and the only negative thing he had to say was that " its familiar "

Before I say this let me say I own/owned all of the games I'm about to name and enjoyed ALL of them, that said

COD sequels
Halo sequels
assasins creed 2
uncharted 2
forza series
and so and and so forth
( I'm actually staring at my gameshelf so I might miss many obvious examples )

all of the sequels to the games above are extreeeemly familiar I didnt see that stopping game"journalists" from enjoying them and NOT bring up said familiarity as a huge negative during reviews....


ugh, then again why do I even bother ? The people who truly enjoyed bioshock 1 will most definitely love the second one.




edit : mental-memo, gameconcept ; bioshock 5 - the moon

 

[StrikerObi]

I ordered the Special Edition (mostly for the soundtrack on 180g vinyl) on Amazon back when it was announced, and completely forgot this was coming out next week until like two days ago. Woo! I have avoided (on accident really, just been too busy) pretty much everything about this game. It will be quite a thrill to go in knowing so little, as I went into the first knowing as much as possible.

 

[black_vegeta]

Nice!

*reading review*

 

[DeadGzuz]

Ok I dont get this, just watched the video review and the only negative thing he had to say was that " its familiar "

Most of what made Bioshock special was that is was so different, or unfamiliar. That's not true for a typical shooter. Running around in the same underwater world with very similar bad guys, well "the thrill is gone".

 

[DancingJesus]

What I don't understand is how the graphics could have gotten worse in a sequel. Both reviews note that the game isn't as visually awe-inspiring as the first. :/

 

[The Librarian]

http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/14240341/bioshock-2/videos/bioshock2_vdr_020410.html

Video Review up.

Warning for minor spoilers...

Good score though, I am a little worried about what the IGN UK review said though about

the story and voice acting.

What did they say about the voice acting? If you need something that'll quell your worries about the voice acting, take a listen to this. Minor spoilers, though.

 

[StrikerObi]

What I don't understand is how the graphics could have gotten worse in a sequel. Both reviews note that the game isn't as visually awe-inspiring as the first. :/

Others have said it looks better graphically. Perhaps the environment isn't as "awe-inspiring" this time because we've already seen Rapture before. It's not really new this time around.

 

[MNC]

I've hit up the 4pack thread but also want to try here since this is more crowded: Anybody that can lead me and my buddy (plus someone else to fill the 4pack) for a 4pack?

 

[Corky]

Most of what made Bioshock special was that is was so different, or unfamiliar. That's not true for a typical shooter. Running around in the same underwater world with very similar bad guys, well "the thrill is gone".

ofc that I realize but that would be saying that bioshock was only atmosphere and nothing else, I for one really enjoyed the plasmid / rpg / shooting - mechanics

 

[DancingJesus]

What did they say about the voice acting? If you need something that'll quell your worries about the voice acting, take a listen to this. Minor spoilers, though.

Here's what they said:

Sound

Excellent music, inevitably, but the voice-acting can be a little too B-movie, while some of the narration becomes grating.

Lasting Appeal

The story and characterisation feels a little too flat to warrant a second playthrough in search of alternate endings, but replays do mean you'll try out new toys.

Others have said it looks better graphically. Perhaps the environment isn't as "awe-inspiring" this time because we've already seen Rapture before. It's not really new this time around.

I hope so.. it's really hard to tell based on the video review since it's so incredibly compressed.

 

[Corky]

What I don't understand is how the graphics could have gotten worse in a sequel. Both reviews note that the game isn't as visually awe-inspiring as the first. :/

I'm pretty sure that they mean that bioshock 2 2010 isnt as good looking as bioshock 1 2007 was


at least thats how I interpreted it

 

[black_vegeta]

Here's what they said:
I hope so.. it's really hard to tell based on the video review since it's so incredibly compressed.

Well, we will find out in 4 days!!!!!

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Huh. I was convinced I'd probably skip this but now I definitely feel like I'll be picking it up.

 

[The Librarian]

Lasting Appeal

The story and characterisation feels a little too flat to warrant a second playthrough in search of alternate endings, but replays do mean you'll try out new toys.

The same guy who wrote BioShock 2's review was the same guy who wrote BioShock's. Under the Lasting Appeal for BioShock:

A lengthy adventure, 20 hours or so if you don't rush it, yet there's enough variation in the gameplay to bring you back for another round.

He doesn't even mention deciding whether or not to harvest/save a little sister to see the one different ending. Both times he mentions the gameplay as a reason to go back.

Edit -

You speak as if the 9.1 numerical score isn't good. I like how we've come to only consider a perfect 10 as a non shit score these days

No, I just don't care about it.

 

[robotzombie]

Heh.

IGN's review is up. They gave it a 9.1/10. Though, I think what's said about it is far more important than the numerical score.



If it's as if he describes, I'll be completely satisfied.

You speak as if the 9.1 numerical score isn't good. I like how we've come to only consider a perfect 10 as a non shit score these days

 

[DancingJesus]

You speak as if the 9.1 numerical score isn't good. I like how we've come to only consider a perfect 10 as a non shit score these days

I don't think it's that, he's just comparing it to what the first achieved. Both are wonderful scores.

 

[clav]

I wonder if the story twist is the same since the review does mention the only negative in the game is it's all too familiar...

 

[Solo]

Looks like those 3 Gaffers and their "sources" were full of hot air

 

[Solo]

Similar to my response to him, but please tell me, or explain to me, the reasoning in posting in a thread dedicated to a game that you aren't going to play. Especially if those posts show that you don't like the game (i.e., trolling).

Are you dumb, ignorant or just forgetful? I already told you I have the game preordered. I dont know about you, but I tend to play the games I buy.

 

[The Librarian]

Are you dumb, ignorant or just forgetful? I already told you I have the game preordered. I dont know about you, but I tend to play the games I buy.

I was talking about him, not you. And do you have some sort of problem with apostrophes?

 

[speculawyer]

Damn . . . it is not released yet but I've already decided to double dip. I've ordered it on Steam but it is apparently not going to support the 360 controller and I want to play on the big HDTV. And I don't have a PC rig that will do it justice.

I guess I should have just bought the 360 special edition since I'm already going to be paying around the same price. (Actually, it will still be a little less sine the PC version was only $33.75 with the Steam 4-pack deal.)

I'm really looking forward to this game because I loved Bioshock 1.

 

[Solo]

I was talking about him, not you. And do you have some sort of problem with apostrophes?

Yes, I do.

 

[Chrysalis]

I'm looking forward to playing this, but also very disgruntled that the vita chambers have returned. They unbalance the game by providing respawns in a non-competitive setting. Sure, you can turn them off, but the temptation to turn them on often becomes too great. At a minimum, I wish the decision to use them was permanently made at the beginning of the game.

 

[The Librarian]

I'm looking forward to playing this, but also very disgruntled that the vita chambers have returned. They unbalance the game by providing respawns in a non-competitive setting. Sure, you can turn them off, but the temptation to turn them on often becomes too great. At a minimum, I wish the decision to use them was permanently made at the beginning of the game.

There were some additional changes made to the vita-chamber system so they can't be abused. Jordan Thomas mentioned one of these changes in a somewhat recent interview with Kotaku.

You can turn them off if you wish, making the game much more traditional." Thomas said. "Within that, you can adjust your difficulty to make it more or less of a challenge to get through an encounter. [For example,] you could turn off the vita-chambers and still play it on easy.... But the main criticism that we derived from the first game was the Vita-thrashing exploit, which was — because there were ammo-less weapons in the game and because there were consensual boss fights in the game — the idea of just using an ammo-less weapon and playing Lemmings over and over again until the cliff just disappears. [It was] degenerate in many many ways... It was fun for no one. So now the Little Sisters will heal the Big Daddys a percentage of their health if you don't take them out. So you do have to invest in their demise.

 

[theBishop]

ign review:

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

Spoiler

9.1

I'm a devout lover of Bioshock, but that review text sounded awful. Maybe the game is more classy than the summary, but it sounds like this game is going to piss on everything I liked about the first. Yes, Andrew Ryan was about individualism, but only through the vehicle of a market economy. The art design of Rapture is highly influenced by this. If the new philosophy is "Compassion" (what a wonderfully post-modern, non-ideology uke: ), the review didn't mention anything about the art following this to some conclusion.

On the issue of playing a big daddy, I think this is terrible. The daddies are supposed to be a Golem. I guess they're technically real people, which was another one of the horrors of Ryan's free-market ideology. But still, I don't want to empathize with them, or play a whole game through their eyes. Just think about how morally obscene it is to "protect them". You're the line manager enforcing their grotesque exploitation!

 

[speculawyer]

I'm looking forward to playing this, but also very disgruntled that the vita chambers have returned. They unbalance the game by providing respawns in a non-competitive setting. Sure, you can turn them off, but the temptation to turn them on often becomes too great. At a minimum, I wish the decision to use them was permanently made at the beginning of the game.

So basically you are whining about your own lack of will power. Got it.

 

[theBishop]

it is apparently not going to support the 360 controller

WHAT!?! Do you have a source for this? PC+360 controller was easily the best way to play the first.

I guess it's PS3 for me.

 

[bodyofanamerican]

Speaking of Kotaku, dammit I want to buy this:
http://kotaku.com/5464784/bioshock-2-gets-cuddlysort-of

 

[speculawyer]

What I don't understand is how the graphics could have gotten worse in a sequel. Both reviews note that the game isn't as visually awe-inspiring as the first. :/

They could have made trade-offs to improve the AI, the number enemies that can be active, the frame-rate, etc.

 

[speculawyer]

WHAT!?! Do you have a source for this? PC+360 controller was easily the best way to play the first.

I guess it's PS3 for me.

It is not completely clear that they did so but it does seem that they dropped 360 support out. Go back earlier in this tread. I believe the discussion starts on the 2nd page.

 

[DancingJesus]

They could have made trade-offs to improve the AI, the number enemies that can be active, the frame-rate, etc.

No excuse really, plenty of games do all of the above plus improve the graphics.

 

[robotzombie]

So basically you are whining about your own lack of will power. Got it.

I never understand that complaint. People don't like something that is completely optional in a game, yet can't choose the option of not having it. It's like when people complain about a gamebreaking DLC weapon being available when a game comes out.

Spoiler

Just don't use it

 

[Solo]

What I don't understand is how the graphics could have gotten worse in a sequel. Both reviews note that the game isn't as visually awe-inspiring as the first. :/

Probably means the art design and level design arent as inspired as the first. ie. maybe theres nothing like a Fort Frolic here.

 

[theBishop]

Probably means the art design and level design arent as inspired as the first. ie. maybe theres nothing like a Fort Frolic here.

Curious, considering the director on this was the creative lead behind Fort Frolic.

I think you guys are reading too much into the graphics comments. To me it just sounded like Bioshock's Unreal2.5+ engine (super impressive in 2007) hasn't been significantly improved and doesn't astound compared to the prettiest games of today.

 

[Solo]

Curious, considering the director on this was the creative lead behind Fort Frolic.

I'm aware. But being project lead means hes no longer designing levels. Anyways, it was just a guess.

 

[Zophar]

Lots of tearing in the video review. I hope that they're playing with the framerate unlocked.

 

[AgentOtaku]

Lots of tearing in the video review. I hope that they're playing with the framerate unlocked.

Yeah was wondering that myself.

 

[badcrumble]

Curious, considering the director on this was the creative lead behind Fort Frolic.

I think you guys are reading too much into the graphics comments. To me it just sounded like Bioshock's Unreal2.5+ engine (super impressive in 2007) hasn't been significantly improved and doesn't astound compared to the prettiest games of today.

Seriously. If the graphics were worse than in the first game, you'd ABSOLUTELY hear about it in the text of the review.

 

[epmode]

WHAT!?! Do you have a source for this? PC+360 controller was easily the best way to play the first.

The only reason pad input might have been preferable in the first was because of the mouse acceleration bug which apparently doesn't exist in the sequel.

Even so, I'd rather be tortured for three hundred years than play Bioshock with a pad.

 

[theBishop]

The only reason pad input might have been preferable in the first was because of the mouse acceleration bug which apparently doesn't exist in the sequel.

Even so, I'd rather be slowly tortured for three hundred years than play Bioshock with a pad.

I don't want to get into a KBM pissing match. My gaming-equipped PC is connected to my HDTV and home theater. For games that fully support the 360 pad, this is nothing short of a super-charged Xbox360. Bioshock1 is glorious on this setup, and I own the game on all 3 platforms.

 

[ArjanN]

No excuse really, plenty of games do all of the above plus improve the graphics.

I thought it was fairly obvious he meant Bioshock 2 doesn't look as good as Bioshock 1 did for it's time. Not compared directly to each other.

 

[CozMick]

"Modern Warfare 2 progression system"

That's all I needed to know.

 

[RedStep]

I thought it was fairly obvious he meant Bioshock 2 doesn't look as good as Bioshock 1 did for it's time. Not compared directly to each other.

I took it to mean that it is similar - our first introduction to Rapture was truly awe-inspiring (speaking of the sub ride here). Obviously, coming back to this location does not induce the same sense of wonder. I don't think it's a judgment of graphical fidelity.

 

[Dyno]

Are they still using their custom Unreal 2.5 or did they make the upgrade to 3?