Welcome to Rapture

[Mord]

9.7 at IGN Xbox360 :F:F:F:F:F:F:F:F:F:F:F:F::F:F

But to call this game simply a first-person shooter, a game that successfully fuses gameplay and narrative, is really doing it a disservice. This game is a beacon. It's one of those monumental experiences you'll never forget, and the benchmark against which games for years to come will, and indeed must, be measured. This isn't merely an evolution of System Shock 2, but a wake-up call to the industry at large. Play this, and you'll see why you should demand something more from publishers and developers, more than all those derivative sequels forced down our throats year after year with only minor tweaks in their formulas. It's a shining example of how it's possible to bring together all elements of game design and succeed to the wildest degree.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/813/813214p1.html

[Burt]

We already know it's uber. stfu.

[Grand Fromage]

omigod it got a shitty review, only a 94% :(

[NickD]

http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Revie ... .13551.htm 10/10

Everything about this game screams perfection, but there’s one element that might not sit well with you. Rather than dying in battle, players simply respawn at a vita-chamber. The damage dealt to an adversary remains even though the player didn’t succeed. You simply have to go back and clean up your mess to continue on. As intense as the gameplay is, knowing you really can’t fail takes some of the bite out of it. Yes, this system will allow gamers of all skill levels to complete the game – which is a developer’s dream – but it may alienate gamers who only turn to games for a challenge.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?ar ... 479&page=1 10/10 as well

Promise is possibly the most powerful weapon in videogames. The promise and possibilities that a title like BioShock dangles tantalisingly in front of us keeps us all hanging on in there, keeps us believing, keeps us pre-ordering. Even when the shelves are awash with me-too pap, cheap knock-off licensed fodder and hyped sequels, a title like this stands out like a beacon of hope amid a sea of mediocrity. No pressure.

But we all know from long experience that promise can be a bitter curse - one destined to magnify any minor disappointments when we finally get the game out of the cellophane and fire it up. A game is never as good as its hype, or so history seems to rub in our face over and over again. Some of us even try our best to avoid getting caught up in the hype bubble, so that, for once, we can actually be pleasantly surprised about how good something is without having it rammed down our throats by hysterical marketing and frothing commentators. Believe me, even as a reviewer - especially as a reviewer - you're always on your guard when it comes to the Next Big Thing. Disappointment comes practically gift wrapped for your displeasure.

So to have any shred of doubt surrounding BioShock comprehensively swept away within the first ten minutes, well, you feel like dancing. You want to tell people about this game who you know won't even care, just because it makes you so giddy inside. Before we get into the nitty gritty, here's the deal: Bioshock doesn't just meet your expectations, but completely redefines them forever in ways you never even expected - in ways that games used to in the past, routinely. The hours spent playing this masterpiece were the perfect encapsulation of why videogaming is such a favourite waste of time for so many of us. Thrilling, terrifying, moving, confusing, amusing, compelling, and very very dark. BioShock isn't simply the sign of gaming realising its true cinematic potential, but one where a game straddles so many entertainment art forms so expertly that it's the best demonstration yet how flexible this medium can be. It's no longer just another shooter wrapped up in a pretty game engine, but a story that exists and unfolds inside the most convincing and elaborate and artistic game world ever conceived. It just so happens to require you to move the narrative along with your own carefully and personally defined actions. Active entertainment versus passive: I know which I prefer.

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That said, one of the most appreciated design decisions is how BioShock handles death. If you lose your health, there's never any need to restart from a checkpoint - essentially what happens is you get regenerated in a nearby pod, and carry on the fight from where you left off. Not only does this reduce frustration immensely, it means there's a kind of meaningful continuity about proceedings - the kind that has never existed in any shooter. Although this might sound like an awful cop-out in theory, in practice, it's a master-stroke, and one that'll help people carry on when otherwise they might well have given up.

[Grand Fromage]

Neither of them played SS2 evidently, since it's the exact same system.

[Veilan]

The only thing hindering you to play it without respawning like that would be a lack of self-control .

[Grand Fromage]

The only thing hindering you to play it without respawning like that would be a lack of self-control .

Yea, that too. I always reloaded rather than doing the quantum reconstruction deal in SS2. Or you could just never activate the chamber. :F

I hear the game is quite difficult, which is a good thing. I was afraid they might tone it down. It's not going to be as hard as SS2, which Ken Levine has characterized as "You want to play our game? Well fuck you" level, but that's okay. As long as I never have enough ammo and always feel outmatched I'm happy.

[Nekulor]

I get my copy Tuesday. I preordered it ages ago and paid for it in full. Just have to pick it up.

[Mulu]

Best Blondie song ever.

[NickD]

So... some of you Yanks must have it by now. How is it? My copy arrives tomorrow, but I still downloaded the demo.

My impressions from the demo is that while it's certainly a good game, all the hype did make the actual game a bit of a let down. Why did the I inject myself with plasmids with zero prompting? Why do I keep finding first aid kits in the rubbish bin? What's with the Pipes mini game?

I dunno... while the execution is excellent, and I can see why it would be considered the best game of the year for many people, it just doesn't really seem to be all that innovative really... Certainly not the whole "Bioshock doesn't just meet your expectations, but completely redefines them forever in ways you never even expected" thing.

[Grand Fromage]

It is fucking awesome. The demo isn't really representative of the game honestly. That's all the fairly linear introductory section, IMO the game doesn't actually begin until after that's over.

If you played System Shock 2 you'll be right at home, Bioshock doesn't stray too far from the basics, it just (mostly) improves them.

[fluffmonster]

pure unadulterated 24k awesome

[paazin]

[Mord]

goddamn european release date >:|

[Grand Fromage]

The game so far in emoticons.