LTTP: Bioshock

C

crisdecuba

Member
This is motivated by the other thread where you share your favorite first levels that made an impression on you.

So many people are mentioning BioShock, which caused me to wonder if I simply missed something as I started the game.

I realize I'm in the water, and I swim around until I find the lighthouse, and then I descend down into Rapture... What is so mind blowing about this opening sequence?

And for that matter, what is so amazing about this game?

Maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset when I started the game, and didn't pay close enough attention to the details, But while the atmosphere is interesting, it's not anything that has made me say wow, this is something new.

At first, little sister concept was interesting, but then I figured out that the big daddies were in fact beatable, and from there it's been pretty easy-going.

So I guess this thread to ask, what am I missing that maybe affected YOUR experience to see the game in a more positive light?
 
This OP bewilders me. Maybe you had to be there in 2007? Also the opening sequence is bolstered in some ways by events that unfold later.
 
I had never experienced an environment or narrative like that before in any game since my 20 plus years of gaming. The atmosphere, coupled with the art style and sound productions were what really blew me away. Having just started watching LOST at the time as well also had something to do with it, with the plane crash effects and everything. Bought the game on launch day and I remember I couldn't stop playing the demo either up until the games release. Probably one of the best demos ever released in my opinion. BioShock is still my favorite and what I consider the best and most creatively original new IP this gen.
 
BioShock's entire first level was great to me. I was immediately immersed in Rapture and the BioShock world.

Just keep playing, it gets better.
 
I just started this game on PS3 a few days ago after hearing all the praise for it, and I'm not sure if it is just me or not but I find I do absolutely terrible in combat when there are 3 or more enemies on screen attacking me and I'm not even that far into the game, like only 2 hours in.

On another note, the game still looks quite good being released in 2007 and all that.
 
There's little to no direction about reaching the lighthouse and descending to Rapture.

No arrow, no bleeping dot on a map, just you and your decision to go there.

That's what makes it interesting.

Also, it was "new" (to a SS2-less extent) in 2007. Developers since then have taken note and used what made it successful to inform their games.
 
Oh, sorry. I should clarify that I'm in the part of the game right before I return to the guy that wants me to take pictures of the "spider" enemies. So, I don't think I've experienced the "twist" yet.

I do, however, I think that Atlas is laying it on a little bit thick with how much he misses his family. It's not really believable.

In regards to atmosphere, to me it's nice and well done and creepy but it's not anything that feels that groundbreaking. But maybe it's because I'm playing it now instead of 2007
 
Did you miss:

- the intricate details in the environments which convey a sense of place, time and atmosphere?

- the environment-based combat enabled by the different properties of each plasmid?

- the incredible audio production?

- Bioshock?
 
everything is just so spot-on. the music, the overall style, everything creates a great atmosphere. propably also one of the few games that make you feel claustrophobic and that really create a feeling of loneliness. sure you have a seemingly "sane" voice that guides you but the most people you meet are crazy shits, so you're pretty much on your own. all this affected me on a very emotional level and is only comparable to games like sotc where you encounter similar feelings of loneliness, while the game presents a completely different kind of setting of course
 
This game is pure brilliance. Nothing has come close to topping this for me since its release which is saying something since its been 5 years. I love how the enemies would run for a health station to heal....and how you could hack those heal stations prior to the fight...
 
Maybe you have to have some interest in political philosophy. If you don't care whether a man is entitled to a sweat of his brow then the introduction isn't going to matter much.
 
In the OP's defense, I actually remember being underwhelmed with Bioshock until I was passed the first area and had a bunch more plasmids to work with.
 
I doggedly completed this game in 2009 on the 360, despite finding it incredibly dull. It's basically a FPS where you kill everything in sight, with some mildly interesting special abilities. The way the story is tacked on to the gameplay with the radio snippets and so on is, for me, utterly lame - especially given the amount of praise the game was given (EDIT - and compared to Half Life 2 or Portal). I actually found the game depressingly mindless after having high expectations.

So OP, don't be totally surprised if you never reach that wow feeling with Bioshock. I felt the same.
 
Even I played the game later than most people (PS3 owner) and I was blown away by the opening sequence...It was definitely something new to me, and it only gets better. A lot better.
 
For me it peaked too early. Way too early, like in the first 20 minutes. And it never really hits that point again. There is a lot of busy work later in the game, but some nice surprises are dotted around.

But the introduction is one of the best I've played, and along with GTAIV, the first time I remember thinking we were had hit the next generation.
 
It's one of my favorite gaming atmospheres ever. The fiction behind, coupled with the philosophy & twist, made it one of my favorites of this gen.
 
It's easy to take for granted the world building and storytelling techniques used in this day in age. The "find audio logs scattered around the environment" technique has been used to death in recent years. In 2007 it was revolutionary and unlike anything before it.
 
Amazing: Atmosphere, Story, Weapons and upgrade system, Big Daddies, Rapture

Not so Amazing: Save anywhere system and Vita Chambers
 
I think the OP may have been just expecting too much out of it. The game is great but not a masterpiece. The story is unique for its time and the atmosphere is one of the best this gen. The gameplay is still fun but BioShock 2 improved on it. I can see why someone won't find the game so amazing right now but I found it amazing when it came out (on the PS3.)

Let's see BioShock Infinite can hold up to it or even surpass it.
 
DaBuddaDa said:
It's easy to take for granted the world building and storytelling techniques used in this day in age. The "find audio logs scattered around the environment" technique has been used to death in recent years. In 2007 it was revolutionary and unlike anything before it.
Click to expand...

Seriously? How is it different to the audio logs in System Shock (which it very consciously emulates)?
 
The atmosphe of the game is fantastic. The world building and backstory behind the rise and fall of Rapture is really interesting, too. People are giving the twist more credit than it deserves; everything prior to it is equally as compelling as things that occur later in the game.

Just sounds like its not your cup of tea, OP.
 
Great game, only ruined by the fact that it's way, way, waaaaaaaaay to easy. Even on the hardest possible difficulty this becomes a cakewalk after the first 1-2 hours for people who like to explore the game. That pacing was horrible. It's such a shame. I really hope this is fixed in Infinite.
 
Sargerus said:
possibly the best FPS of this generation
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Yeah I'm inclined to agree with this. Bioshock was just one of those unforgettable gaming experiences for me. Playing it at night with some friends for hours on end really stuck with me. Easily one of my favorite games I played on the 360
 
crisdecuba said:
I realize I'm in the water, and I swim around until I find the lighthouse, and then I descend down into Rapture... What is so mind blowing about this opening sequence?

And for that matter, what is so amazing about this game?

Maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset when I started the game, and didn't pay close enough attention to the details, But while the atmosphere is interesting, it's not anything that has made me say wow, this is something new.
Click to expand...

It's a 5 or 6 year old game. of course it's not going to seem new.

At any rate, if you're not feeling the game's atmosphere at this point, you're never going to.
 
I don't understand who sees this:
BioShock_No_gods_or_kings.jpg

and thinks, "meh." And that intro bathysphere video. So well acted and so cool!

Timeless said:
Maybe you have to have some interest in political philosophy. If you don't care whether a man is entitled to a sweat of his brow then the introduction isn't going to matter much.
Click to expand...

Well that might be the case. BioShock presents a lot of interesting philosophical questions at you and does not really answer them.

Unless the question is "Are ideologues bad?" That one's pretty clearly answered
 
The opening is amazing. My jaw dropped when I went down and Andrew Ryan explained Rapture. Then the splicers arrive. I also like how the Big Daddy is introduced. You see it, and a Little Sister, walking to the left of you. So close yet so far away.
 
kitsuneyo said:
the story is tacked on
Click to expand...

lolwut

Kajiba said:
The atmosphere is what did it for me.
Click to expand...

bob page said:
It's one of my favorite gaming atmospheres ever.
Click to expand...

AEREC said:
Amazing: Atmosphere, Story, Weapons and upgrade system, Big Daddies, Rapture
Click to expand...

sappyday said:
The story is unique for its time and the atmosphere is one of the best this gen.
Click to expand...

Jack Scofield said:
The atmosphe of the game is fantastic.
Click to expand...

DidntKnowJack said:
At any rate, if you're not feeling the game's atmosphere at this point, you're never going to.
Click to expand...

The appeal of the game is exploring the immersive space and the narrative. If those aspects don't matter to you or don't outweigh the less-than-perfect combat, you're not going to enjoy what the game has to offer.
 
I got it in early 2008 I think, it says only on 360 and PC on it so I must have got it early but didn't finish it until recently.
The only other game I can remember that has an exclusive thing on it is Mass Effect, and it says only on 360.
But anyway, game was good didn't like it as much as everyone else did but it was enjoyable.
 
One of my favorite games of this generation. Wonderful narrative, well designed 'stages' and fun gameplay. Not much else I ask for in a game.
 
I actually just played it for the first time this past week, and was blown away by the atmosphere. I'm not exactly hailing it as the best game of the generation like some do, but that could just be because I'm five years late to the party. I can see what was so revolutionary about it for its time, though. I'm hopefully gonna pick up the sequel before Infinite comes out.
 
Bioshocks a great game, a tad overrated, but you have to remember it came out of nowhere. What we had before it, in terms of shooters, too.

That said, that story is a god damn mess. I'm still annoyed by it, and I beat it years ago. Eveytime someone calls it the 'greatest ever', I want to ask can you explain all the glaring plotholes to me, so I can get on your level?
 
I wonder if i have to mention the word timeframe, maybe not.
The game was great back then imo. Great controls, great gameplay and great atmosphere. Even a good story. And i don't even care for stories.

Maybe you could play games when they are released next time....
 
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