gahh fuckk this review pissed me offf. It was bad. You need to get off system shock 2, and look at Bioshock. Its not in spacw and its underwater and its in the fucking 50'ss. Completely different plot twist. And better voice acitng WHAT THE FUCKKK
I guess reviewer wasn't so harsh with BioShock if he played System Shock 1, because after it System Shock 2 doesn't look so fresh and innovative too. Not to mention that System Shock 2 also has simplistic approach here and there. Anyway, I'm very glad that I like all three games: BS, SS2 and SS1, but System Shock 1 is the most innovative of them all,
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well i have not played system shock 2, and have never had the chance, so yeah, this game was great for me... and i must say, completely new, and innovative (TO ME) and your not really reviewing it to me? it feels like a condensed LP....
im not offended, i can see the similarites, but i love bioshock and can honestly say, none of the things youve stated(however true they are) will deter me from loving this game.... now the sequel on the other hand, is a rehash, of a rehash, of a rehash...
Agree with the simplified gameplay, could be so much more. Disagree with your view on the copying of the story. Not the same as a vampire novel or action flick, BioShock did no disservice to the integrity of the story at all. I dare even say that due to the newer technology and thus the presentation, it came out even better. BioShock is an odd one for me, I hate simplified games, but with BioShock I am able to just slide everything t aside, and just enjoy it's beautiful atmosphere.
@BeingShotAt I played both Halo and Marathon series.
Let's see...
1) Cybornetic super soldier is awakened from cryonsleep to fight against an army of alien invaders while being led through his adventure by an artificial intelligence companion. Both groups of alien invaders are comprised of several different species that were enslaved or enlisted as battle thralls. Both protagonists wear Mjolnir armor, which is based on ancient alien technology and has unique properties.
@BeingShotAt Look, I played both series several times. There are lots of parallels between them both. Hell, a few of my most recent vids are of me playing Durandal on my 360.
@sc0pl355 Okay...let's start off with the two major differences
First off, halo 1,2,3, I don't count Reach cause it's story is fucking stupid, the main premise of 1? Stop halo from firing, the main premise of 2? Stop Halo from firing, the premise for 3? Stop halo from firing.
The main premise of Marathonm? Repel the alien slavers who wish to enslave your kind
Hmmm, interesting, the two are completely different plot wise
@BeingShotAt The goal of the quests are different, that doesn't mean that the plot and plot devices are really different.
For instance, the plot of Halo 1 BECOMES 'stop the Halo from firing' around the last two chapters. You spend most of the game fighting the covenant. The plot of Halo 2 is to stop the covenant that are madly trying to fire Halo because they think it leads to paradise. The plot of Halo 3 is to stop the covenant and then it is to FIRE the halo to stop the flood.
Though Ken Levine's work is far above the abysmal standards of the average game, I have to disagree with your assessment of his writing abilities in general. There are a couple of really facepalm-worthy moments in Bioshock when it departs from SS2's plotting (like the staging of Atlas’s family being killed). And you’ve noted yourself the incoherent mess of themes and ideas; contrast with Chris Avellone’s writing in Planescape: Torment, KotOR 2, Dead Money and Old World Blues.
I played Bioshock a few years ago and thought it was quite good, but recently after watching your review I got and played System Shock 2 and realized how great it was and how much Bioshock rips it off. I think it's sad that they couldn't come up with somthing more unique
I believe the biggest problem with this review, is that it seems you have a vendetta against bioshock. This is the only review i think i had to just turn off simply because it came off to strong as your love for SS2 kept coming out, its understandable But it got in the way of your review
@Jerichoholic20 I would disagree with that interpretation. It's totally legitimate during the story section. No one could disagree with that.
As for the rest, all I ever do at any point is describe the game, describe why I think it's bad, and then suggest how the idea could've been implemented better, citing examples in other games where possible. That's totally standard for any review.
It's not my fault that all the examples happen to be in SS2, it's Irrational's fault for making a bad copy.
@antisocialfatman true i recently began playing SS2 for the first time and i do like the enhanced level of difficulty and ability of a more hands on approach to the game. Btw have you played Bioshock 2
Bioshock isn't system shock 3 it is Bioshock it only takes little piece of gameplay elementes from system shock 2 but it's a complete diferent experience and that's awesome!
I like this review. Although i think you showed a bit of bias in terms of the differences between System Shock 2 and this game. Even though this is a remake of system shock in the basic story line, i think saying this shouldn't be commended as a awesome achievement is alittle too far. I played this game before i had even heard of System Shock 2, and i thought it was the best 50 bucks i had ever spent in my entire life. Although i understand that if you played SS2 that this would be a downer.
@RoCkR109 Well, of course I'm biased. You can't judge anything without your biases and prejudices coming into play. All opinions are biased, and all (good) reviews are opinions.
I don't think the existence of SS2 has much impact on the quality of BioShock, though, besides the story. I dislike the mechanics and execution of BioShock, and SS2 not existing wouldn't have changed that.
@antisocialfatman Some of the mechanics could have been done better, like when weapons feel from dead bodies they ended up lagging across the floor. But i think the cut scenes were terrific and that the gameplay itself was pretty good. And the twist in the middle where Atlas betrays you is unexpected and awesome because of the cut scene before hand. I think this game shows the brutality of what power can do to someone, and how actions can change the future (kinda sad they didnt expand on it).
@RoCkR109 I imagine it goes without saying that I disagree. I don't see a point in raising specific points here, since my 45 minute long review says everything I have to say.
@MisterAAnderson System Shock 2 is obviously similar to System Shock 1, but System Shock 1 isn't really as playable as it was 17 years ago. Now the resolution looks blurry on modern screens, it has no mouse look, the enemies are all 2d sprites, and overall the interface can be confusing. I'd go with System Shock 2 over 1 any day.
@MisterAAnderson It might be difficult to run on today's hardware (it came out in 1994, after all). But yeah, you should definetly play it if you can.
@DemonPazuzu666 Nah, it always crashes with some note like adding salt or something. I don't know if that's a joke or something so I just droped that version. From my experience it's terrible.
If you wanted a anonolgy for Bioshock and System Shock think of it like this. The "Shock" family has two children. An older brother who went to college, got a masters in psychology, and has now retired in a middle class neighborhood with the house paid off and a lovely wife. BioShock is the younger sister who was Incredibly attractive but was dumb as a doornob and had to copy off her brother to get by, but married a elderly man who died and now his money has fallen into her lap.
I am starting to wathc your rewiews, like them very much, at this moment im starting to watch this one, and can only say Bioshock is one of the greatest surprises of mainstream gaming, just the fact that the game is based around a single player is enough, ps cant wait for the Fallout rewiew :)
@jake546213 I'm pretty fucking sick of people saying that. Taste is subjective. Everyone should know that. And in knowing that, it's a given that any time I - or anyone else - makes a comment about their taste, it's a statement of opinion.
It's redundant. There's no need for me to state that it's an opinion, because it clearly is.
@jake546213 I'm not, but imagine if you had to explain the same thing over and over, and it was something that shouldn't need explaining in the first place.
You are by far the worst video game reviewer i've ever seen. all you do is compare it to "System Shock". dude idgaf about how similar they are, talk about BIOSHOCK. not system shock, just cause u got a cool accent doesnt make you smart. u suck bro
@sheridanproductions The two stories are practically identical, and the story is a big part of each game. That makes comparison extremely relevant. You'd understand if you'd played Shock 2.
@picklenote22 No it doesn't. It really, really doesn't. Watch my review if you want to know my opinion. I imagine you turned it off after 3-4 minutes.
@antisocialfatman fuck no i loved it . man i dont wanna start a fight so just go with it. alot of games take things that have been in others games and it does. your one of the few that doesnt
all through your review you blast bioshock for being a total rip off of system shock 2 which it may be and say how criminal it was that ss2 was overlooked at the time despite having an amazing story line do you really blame irrantional games for getting there story out there among gamers that were ready for it??
Why do you have to compare the game to System Shock? Can't the game simply be good in its own merits? So, it's not like System Shock, so what? It does not try to be System Shock, it's still a fantastic game.
@neverhoodyn If examples of similar, superior gameplay are so readily apparent, the critic is remiss to ignore them.
I judge BioShock on its own merits, and illustrate clearly the problems with the game by offering up improvements. It's not my fault they're all in Shock 2.
you feel you've done this before. Yes, different world, different characters, different "powers", but still feels very similar. Even the twists in the story were in some ways similar to System shock 2 (SHODAN).
This doesn't mean that BS 1 isn't a must play game. It is. It just borrows a lot from System Shock 2. Which isn't a bad thing at all.
But I think they should change the formula a bit for their next project.
Well, I just finished BS 1. I think that the game experience should be divided for two cases - if you played Ken Levine's masterpiece System Shock 2 prior to BS 1 or not.
If you didn't, BS 1 is just an amazing game, great graphics, unbelievable atmosphere, great story (although the twists in the plot were... well, predictable), great game play mechanics, In short, another masterpiece.
But if you played System Shock 2 before BS 1, the experience changes. It is still all the above, but...
I never played System Shock (because im 15 so i wasn't into games until SS was really old and I don't know where to find it), so i liked Bioshock a lot. Honestly, I'm looking forward to Bioshock Infinite, which will hopefully be a different story.
@antisocialfatman I do agree with the story. It's pretty interesting. The game just starts out to slow. But the game design is horrible. It's so repetitive and boring and the controls for using your telekinesis are terrible. Graphics are good except for the monster designs and the core shooting just isn't that great cuz the guns just don't feel right. I played mass effect 2 and said this is what dead space shouldve been like
@antisocialfatman efbb? Idk what that is. Ok so u font like this game. That's understandable. Entitled to opinion. But now I want to move to a different game. Why the fuck does everyone like dead space? I had HUGE expectations for that game and it sucked. So u hate this game but like dead space. Why
@Gowatch3kb Well, do you think of it as a survival horror game? If you think of it as a survival horror game, then yeah, it sucks. Not scary, and too easy. But if you think of it as an action horror, then it's a totally different experience. It has really pretty great gunplay - taking what RE4 established and improving on it. It also has a good horror atmosphere, though not great.
Plus, the story is great. If you just look at the barebones 'plot, it's meh, but take all the logs and...
@antisocialfatman ...translate the alien language and check out the prequel animations and everything else. There is a quite elaborate story beginning on Earth of all places. It's quite complex and very cool.
Also it has some decent satire of Scientology and Christianity.
But most of all, I just think it's a damn good TPS, and one that doesn't use a shitty cover mechanic, for once.
@antisocialfatman also there ain't no god mode. If you defeat some enimies and then die you respawn in a vita chamber. When you go back to the sane area all the enemies are back. So you can die. But there just isn't an annoying loading screen telling you mission failed. You just respawn and have to figur it out
@Gowatch3kb No, that's wrong. Enemies don't respawn, and existing enemies' health doesn't regenerate. You can kill anything by spawning and dying over and over.
But even if you couldn't, it's still god mod, because you can't die.
And I agree with the absence of loading screens being good, but in SS2 the vita chambers cost resources to use. So you skip the loading screen, but you're still punished for dying.
Watch my review man. Listen to my arguments. It's all in there.
@jase276 That's almost as bad, though, as you have to sit through loading screens and stuff which harm the immersive quality of the game. They should have kept the vita chambers and just associated a cost with it.
@antisocialfatman Nah,a cost would be stupid.Vita-chambers on is bad,w/o it is still bad,man Bioshock just can't win can it.What did System Shock do when you die?
@antisocialfatman Mmm idk,it kind of defeats the purpose and it wouldn't really make sense.It was set to Ryan's genetic code so why should he have to pay if it was just for him.
@jase276 That makes no sense whatsoever. I say "gameplay comes first", not, "no story at all". It's a game, gameplay always has to come first. Stories are important, but stories should always defer to the gameplay. Why? Because it's a game.
Besides, BioShock's story is 95% copied from SS2 so BS is hardly a shining example of a story-driven game. It's a fraud.
@antisocialfatman there you go. Bioshock ain't no rpg. It's just got some powerups. And popularity does determine quality of a game. People play it and tell other people how good or bad it is and this game sold millions. They even ported it to ps3 it's so good. And I want u to tell me a cooler video game world than rapture. Just one. You sound like an idiot cuz everyone loves this game
@Gowatch3kb I didn't call BS an RPG. You are ignoring my argument-winning points and focusing on nonsense.
If something you hate is extremely popular, does that mean you're wrong and it's actually good? Something you really can't stand. But you dislike it... you're wrong, and it's good? Right?
A cooler world - EfBB's prison. And if you think everyone loves it, you're wilfully ignorant.
@antisocialfatman here's what it comes down to plain and simply. What game is more poplular for there generation. Hmm bioshock. I have not met one person who doesn't have this game. Not one. Yea vita chambers open up but all enemies respawn idiot. It's a good way to get rid of loading screens. The game is scary as hell and being in rapture is epic. Ss2 makes no sense with it's game and art design. It was a doom wannabe. So just shut up
@Gowatch3kb First off, popularity does not determine quality. That;s a ridiculous and idiotic statement. Secondly, what does respawning enemies have to do with anything? God mode = simple game. Thirdly, how can it possibly be scary WHEN YOU CANNOT DIE.
And finally, Doom is an intense ball's to the wall action game. SS2 is a complex and intelligent FPSRPG. How could SS2 possibly be a Doom wannabe?
Also, BioShock is a copy of SS2 in every way. BS is a SS2 wannabe.
@antisocialfatman yea you probly played it on easy. Of course the games simple vlbut if you put some pants and lose the vagina and play on hard you gotta know how to play this game properly. This game is a masterpiece. And what I don't get is why u hate it so much if it's so much like system shock2. It sounds like you like that game.
@Gowatch3kb Riiight. I played on hard, man. But as you may be aware, through the ridiculous vita chambers, god mode is active. How can a game be hard when you can't ever actually die?
BioShock is System Shock 2, except dumbed down for console retards. SS2 is much harder and cooler and more complex.
I eagerly anticipate your insightful reply. Wait, no. Not insightful. What's that other word... oh yeah!
This game is way better than system shock. Showdown is lame. And this game is all about environment and using different plasmids tactically. The story isn't all that original but presented in such an interesting way thats makes it so good
@Gowatch3kb Except that there's no need to use plasmids tactically, as the game is stupidly simple. Also you might want to learn how to spell her name - and actually play SS2 (which clearly you haven't) - before denouncing it.
I would encourage you to watch the rest of this review. I explain BioShock's problems pretty thoroughly. I'm sure you won't agree with them, but you may find the perspective interesting.
i really really wanted this so i asked my dad to get but they had sold, not just on amazon but on game, gamestop everywhere so i had no other choice than...................bioshock ........2. i think bioshock 2 is good but it's no bioshock 1
@raket94 It will work on vista, it worked for me. You just won't be able to watch the cutscenes but there is only 3 in it and they can be watched on you tube.
Yeah, I played System Shock 2 after I played bioshock and despite finding bioshock to be brilliant when I first played it, when I later played System Shock 2 it made me realize how much bioshock stole from it as well as dumbing down the gameplay. Even if it was the same team that made both games there is no excuse from just carrying over all the stuff that made their original game so great and hardly adding anything new. The setting is really the only proper difference at all
Yeah, in a nutshell, this game is basically an auto-plagiarism of System shock 2. It is the worse thing they could do in my opinion, Bioshock would be better off with a generic and mediocre original story, than a stolen one.
You know when I saw the trailer I actually wanted to play this game because I couldn't play SS2. After playing it was VERY disappointed (this was before playing SS2). Then I finally got SS2 working and played it. It is now on my list of "Best horror games I have ever played". Bioshock is a kick in the balls for more than just fans of SS. It's an insult to LGS.
Hey ASFM, I have to agree with your review. The art direction and graphics were beautiful. Many of the characters were intriguing and the atmosphere was eerie, but the entire game was ruined for all the reasons you talked about. Kudos to you for writing a good critical piece even though you knew you would get skewered over it. People need to fucking wake and see how infantile the gaming industry has become.
Bioshock shouldn't be considered stupid because it uses the same story as System Shock 2. It's still a brilliant story in both games, just told in a different setting. Plus, for people who haven't played SS2 (a.k.a. alot of people) they can still enjoy the story in some format. I understand where you're going with the remade movie analogy, but that only counts if the remade story turns out to be told in a stupid way. That is not the case in Bioshock.
fans of system shock 2 'claim' not to like this because of its mainstream success.
Get over it. Late nineties PC gaming provided some great games, but the mechanics and 'intelligence' (as you put it) of these games just isn't commercially viable anymore. Bioshock is fantastic, the system shock series is fantastic.
Dude, what the hell, lowest common denominator? You are a pompous a hole for calling this game stupid, it is a great game and should not be considered any less than said game, system shock 2. It is based around and is a critique to Ayn Rand's great novel Atlas Shrugged. It is a spiritual successor to ss2 gameplay wise and is its own game otherwise. You, good sir, are stupid and ignorant, and should do some research into what it is about before you record 5 ten minute long reviews.
@quote55 yeah, this guy is such a prick, and everyone else is dumb for calling it not scary enough, even though it is not meant to be a scary game, just atmospheric
What I liked about BS story is the fact that your character is under mind control, because in a way, it breaks the fourth wall. in video games when a someone tells you to do something you never question who they are, or wheather you should trust them, or any of the consequences of your actions, you just do it because otherwise the game wont progress. and BS uses its story to explain the pyschological behavior of gamers.
Bioshock was a real let down it was more of a FPS than a survial horror it had no tension what so ever as for the monsters in Bioshock they were just dull I mean insane humans oooh scary not. Systems shocks 2 monsters were alot more creepy who remembers the midwifes they where scary.
It's not supposed to be a survival horror game,if you want a survival horror play dead space this game is an FPS,if you look at this game with an open mind you will enjoy it more
I got Bioshock at some point in mid-2008 and completed it in a couple of weeks, and, as much of a sin as this may be, I had never before heard of the System Shock series (mainly due to my general ignorance of PC gaming). I was stunned by the game, and I still think it is a fantastic game, having played through it again in anticipation of Bioshock 2, and then when visiting my parents I downloaded SS2 and played that through.
I think it is a "better" game (ie. it did what Bioshock did and more 8 years earlier) and certainly is more of a slow burner compared to the more bombastic nature of Bioshock. I still think both are magnificent games, and I would not have known of SS2 without it. I know this can be frustrating for people who have known about the game for a long time previously but... sorry, I just hadn't heard of it. I appreciate many of the flaws you highlight in Bioshock, but I can't help but love it still.
This review sums up how I feel about the game pretty well. I didn't have much fun playing it, the combat was a chore and the aesthetics are weird, greasy looking.
I played SS2 in 2006 or something and it still scared the crap out of me (couldn't finish it) and BioShock had none of that.
For a lot of people though BioShock did exactly what SS2 did for the reviewer. It just comes down to taste
i'm in the middle ground here. i enjoyed it more than the reviewer did but i don't think its the 10/10 revolutionary masterpiece that the critics said it was. it was fun but that was all
When I beat this game and didn't like it as much as I thought I would I was wondering why. Everything you said in this review was reason why I didn't like this game, I just didn't see it at the time. No inventory management is probably the biggest sign that this game is made for a much less mature, far more twitchy gaming audience. Also I recently got System Shock 2. I found the (good) Bioshock ending to be really unsatisfying. Will I like the ending for System Shock 2 more?
@bbisnothotkratos That really depends on how much you like SHODAN. I really enjoy the ending, but it's not spectacular. I don't think the ending is all that important, though. There's so much to the story and it's so dense, and I don't think the final few minutes are disproportionaly more important in any way.
@antisocialfatman the end quote in SS2 sucked, shodan asks your character for mercy and begs you to be a better being and you reply with the word "....nah.."and kill her
@griffin09 That's in my opinion the best quote from a videogame character ever. It was just so unexpected especially considering he was mute for the entirety of the game. In contrast the only time Jack speaks in bioshock is at the very start of the game where he utters a longer sentence that wasn't nearly as memorable.
@slamt08 Firstly, all reviews are opinions. The two concepts are inseparable.
Secondly, I don't compare it to anything else. If you watch the review, I clearly judge every aspect on its own merits. I only mention other games to illustrate how the idea has been better used in the past, which is something all reviewers do from time to time.
And thirdly, why are you insulting me simply because we have different opinions? Do you go around harassing people who don't share your taste in food?
nope i just dont like fanboys who shit on games because they prefur something that is similar
like BFBC2 players that shit on mw2 just because its similar to it
which is what you did
and i dissagree
a review is talking about what makes it fun to you , what isnt fun to you ect
not what has been done better and what you prefured in other games because not everyone has played the game you have refering to so your just rendering your example useless
@slamt08 You didn't pay attention to the review and you didn't pay attention to my comment.
I judged BioShock's elements on their own merits. Other games had nothing to do with it. Only after judging an element on its own merits did I then go on to mention where the idea had been used better in the past.
And I did talk about what makes it fun to me and not fun to me. Did you not actually watch the review?
yes you did judge it on its own merits but your judgment is bull when your allready biased because of your opinion
you allready think SS2 has a better plot /gamplay and whatever so allready bioshock is guna get a bad review because its not as good a game as what you have previously played
@slamt08 And that's what all reviewers do. If an idea has been used before, and better, reviewers will point to that game to help clearly illustrate how the idea could be better implemented.
As for the relevance of my examples, they exist, regardless of whether or not people have played it, making them relevant. But regardless, I judged the elements on their own merits. I could have just been plucking those ideas out of the air to show how they could be better implemented.
@slamt08 You clearly weren't paying attention to the review, then. Piece of shit? I made it clear that I don't think it's a bad game. I made that abundantly clear. It's not a bad game. It's okay.
See what you don't under stand is that the majority of players haven't played System Shock 2! If this is the spiritual successor to "System" they have done a great job.
As someone who hasn't played System Shock 2 and probably never will due to technology changes from then, I do wish you would've dumbed down the comparison between this and System Shock 2. While you did make good comparisons that don't seem far reaching, this is probably the closest to ever playing System Shock 2 in this gaming age.
I do find it interesting you thought the moral issues were badly implemented when they were based on the concepts from Atlas Shrugged
And LOL @ Streets of Rage. I simply think GoW's combat is overly simplistic and dumbed down compared to something like Ninja Gaiden. This wouldn't matter if it had great adventure and platforming elements, but its a bit too linear and the only time the platforming is challenging is when the camera is being a bitch. Kind of a shame that the first two games are hailed as the PS2's swan songs when brilliant late-generation stuff like Okami and Shadow of the Colossus get overlooked.
@antisocialfatman Well to be fair most people have been trained since childhood by school to associate 70s with mediocrity, 60s with barely passing and anything below that with utter crap. Of course the 1 to 5 scale completely sidesteps that problem.
I completely agree with everything you say in these videos, but strangely, I still like this game a lot. I can't even explain why, other than to say that it's fun.
For anyone that doesn't want to watch the entire 45min of this, the "tl;dr" version is: "I have such a hard on for for SS2, that I can't objectively review any game remotely close, particularly one that I wanted soo bad to be SS3, and will instead list the reasons Bioshock is/isn't SS3."
A few minor points (vita chambers, hack pausing) are certainly valid, but overall Bioshock is much more deserving of a excellent than the truly mediocre-at-absolute-best Torchlight.
I see the faults of bioshock even though i am a fan both 'shock series'. compared to system, bio is dumbed down in gameplay, but i feel there is more immersion and creative game play, offering creativity in lue of calculation. this, to me, along with the little sister choices, plays off the overarching concept making the twist to go from the plot point that it was in system, to a real life commentary on gaming as a whole... even though it gets completely contradicted in the end.. its true flaw
I haven't watched all of the parts yet (though I will), but I must say, this makes me angry. I guess I'm a fanboy, then? I should warn you that I'm a member of the generation of gamers that didn't play System Shock.
Still, you miss the point: compare this to games of today, not yesterday. Not ten years ago. You'd be hard pressed to find a game that manages this level of storytelling, while at the same time, stays fun to play throughout.
There is no world in which Bioshock is just 'okay'.
Straight up: having not played System Shock, all of your criticism had little to nothing to do with my play through. Theres no more eloquent way to say it. Im not trying to single you out I love your reviews, and the criticism you have for BS is not unique. Still, I disagree immensely. Its hard to argue about why your opinion is wrong because, well, yeah. It just doesnt make any sense to me.
@utubegod35 Well, the thing is, while I mention SS2 a lot as an example of how to do things right, I am judging BioShock on its own merits.
I don't think the pseudo-RPG middleground stuff in BS is any good at all. Even if I had never played SS2, I'm sure I would look at the RPG mechanics and see that they undermine themselves.
This review might not be relevant for you, but that's fine. I think a lot of my opinions are pretty unpopular.
50 minutes of review? Holy s**t! I'm gonna need some snacks. Also, good review, but (not comparing you to Yahtzee) the review needs to be more of review, not just a comparison.
@EBHughsThe1st Only the story section is a comparison - because they have the same story, and I wanted to illustrate just how identical they are, for people who consider BioShock's story original.
In the other sections, I judge BioShock's elements on their own merits, only bringing up SS2 to illustrate how the ideas have been better implemented in the past.
woah, woah, a 50 minute review? what do you think this is - a movie?? i stopped listening after "i can't imagine", cuz that's all i needed to hear: you have no imagination! let me tell you what a review should be: it should be spontaneous, simple, and no more than 2 minutes long!
my part 1 review: "bioshock is so fucking awesome. why? well, first, the story's going to blow your fucking mind! it's just so original. and, like, really complex. it's going to suck you in; i guarantee it!"
Rant continued: I suspect that game criticism is far less trustworthy than most people assume it is (when's the last time a hugely hyped game has gotten below 90? I'm looking at you MW2) I'm not alleging that corruption affects every publication out there, but when advertisements for the games your supposed to by reviewing without bias make up the majority of your income your going to be affected in some way. That's why your reviews are so appreciated, even when I disagree with them.
@Kagemusha08 Yeah, and I think another issue is that most gaming publications misuse their scoring system.
Most rate out of 10, or 100, but most don't use their whole scale. They barely even use half. If you look at GameSpot, they effectively only use 5-10, with everything below 5 representing '0'.
That means that games that deserve a 6 get an 8, games that deserve a 7 get a 9, and so on.
There's a weird bias towards high scores in gaming journalism. That's part of why I love /5.
Still, you do a fantastic job at stating your case, even more so than usual. And as someone who's recently gotten a lot of flack for saying the God of War games are a bit overrated I have to commend you for risking the wrath of fanboys and going against a beloved game.
I'll get this out of the way: I respect your opinions tremendously, far more than any "professional" reviewer. But I like most people who probably will comment on this, I think your wrong on this one. I've played and loved System Shock 2. Is Bioshock an inferior game? Absolutely. Is it still a great one? I think so, for different reasons. I love both of them, and while I'd pick SS2 any day I don't regret buying Bioshock for a second.
Bioshock is a master peace! but sadly I can't play this kinds of games... You are a genious, you should get payed for this! 50 minute review is just sick...
Then there's Adam, which just ends up being an excuse for all the gaping plot holes, and the moral choice system is a choice between distinct good and evil, oh dear.
I also feel insulted to end up killing Ryan and the whole morality conveyed by it is, "A man chooses; a slave obeys." It's something everyone knows and is just an excuse to cover up the overwhelming linearity.
I thought you would be more immune to BioSuck's story unlike most other people, but I guess I'm the only one who gets that it's shit. Sure, the characters never appeared in games before, but as for comparing them to the archetypes seen in books and movies, they're just the most charicaturistic things I've seen in years. The transition from Atlas to Fontaine is poorly done; sure it's a twist, but it's one that comes with no fun mystery or foreshadowing.
@leewolfgang I think I've probably trasferred a lot of my reverence of SS2's story onto BS's, since it's basically the same. I take it as a given that it's good.
I didn't really get to experience BS's story properly. I mean, as soon as I stepped out of the bathysphere, I was like... Atlas is the bad guy.
what the story is what, wow this is a grate game yes the second needs work but the first one and the good twist. how can eone not like this game, unless all you do is play mwf2 all day. wow
I spent the whole review talking about how it's a copy of SS2's story (so the twist was predictable), and comparing BioShock's gameplay to SS2's vastly more intellectually rewarding gameplay, so namedropping Call of Duty makes no sense.
I thought Bioshock was worth a play through or two when I bought it for cheap on steam but it is definitely not as great a game as System Shock 2. System Shock 2 had originality. Bioshock 2 on the other hand was just a complete waste of my money.
Wow, didn't expect all of this from your thoughts on the story. I never had the chance to play either system shocks as a kid, but playing Bioshock as what I thought at the time to be a purely original game, I thought it was one of the best stories I've ever played.
Surely Irrational Games wanted to give their shot at re-releasing SS2 without actually re-releasing it. Sort of like a going back in time and do it differently kind of thing. But it worked. Sad that SS2 didn't receive as much praise
Okay I disagree with some of your opinions, the intro to the video made it seem like you hated the game, I think it's one of the best games this generation.
This large review of a very good game is very well done. I like the fact that you don't leave a single stone unturned, and thats what I like about your reviews.
RIP antisocialfatman. One of his best reviews ever - you will be missed.
SuperSmallhorse 6 days ago
Comment removed
SuperSmallhorse 6 days ago
@poopamultimatepoopy Diferent place=different game? Gosh, you poeple are stupid...
poliv67 1 week ago
i know im being a dick but. WHY THE FUCKING SHIT DID YOU BIO SHOCK WAS STUPID
jollyforkplate72 2 weeks ago
I LOVE Bioshock, but this was the best review, if not, one of the best game reviews I have heard.
misterdigi35 3 weeks ago
gahh fuckk this review pissed me offf. It was bad. You need to get off system shock 2, and look at Bioshock. Its not in spacw and its underwater and its in the fucking 50'ss. Completely different plot twist. And better voice acitng WHAT THE FUCKKK
poopamultimatepoopy 4 weeks ago
I guess reviewer wasn't so harsh with BioShock if he played System Shock 1, because after it System Shock 2 doesn't look so fresh and innovative too. Not to mention that System Shock 2 also has simplistic approach here and there. Anyway, I'm very glad that I like all three games: BS, SS2 and SS1, but System Shock 1 is the most innovative of them all,
KenTWOu 4 weeks ago
What you have to say is quite interesting but you need to work on your speaking skills: you keep spitting on the mic and breathing into it.
Speak clearer and use the good old Tay Zonday trick or leaning away from the mic to breathe in.
Puzzlenaut 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
A few of us have set up a memorial website, where - in the short term - we are collecting donations in Stephen's name. Please come to fatman's forum (link is on his channel page and below his reviews) and read the announcement for more information. This is our chance to do something positive in Stephen's memory and show his family - and the world - how much he was loved and admired. We hope you'll visit the site and donate if you're able. Thanks.
zot476 3 months ago
well i have not played system shock 2, and have never had the chance, so yeah, this game was great for me... and i must say, completely new, and innovative (TO ME) and your not really reviewing it to me? it feels like a condensed LP....
im not offended, i can see the similarites, but i love bioshock and can honestly say, none of the things youve stated(however true they are) will deter me from loving this game.... now the sequel on the other hand, is a rehash, of a rehash, of a rehash...
bretthicksomega 3 months ago
Agree with the simplified gameplay, could be so much more. Disagree with your view on the copying of the story. Not the same as a vampire novel or action flick, BioShock did no disservice to the integrity of the story at all. I dare even say that due to the newer technology and thus the presentation, it came out even better. BioShock is an odd one for me, I hate simplified games, but with BioShock I am able to just slide everything t aside, and just enjoy it's beautiful atmosphere.
muesk3 3 months ago
Well, it happens. Bungie reused the story from Marathon (in dummed-down form) in the Halo Trilogy...
sc0pl355 5 months ago
@sc0pl355 No they didn't...do you know ANYTHING about the two storylines? They are not anything alike
BeingShotAt 3 months ago
@BeingShotAt I played both Halo and Marathon series.
Let's see...
1) Cybornetic super soldier is awakened from cryonsleep to fight against an army of alien invaders while being led through his adventure by an artificial intelligence companion. Both groups of alien invaders are comprised of several different species that were enslaved or enlisted as battle thralls. Both protagonists wear Mjolnir armor, which is based on ancient alien technology and has unique properties.
sc0pl355 3 months ago
*facepalm* It'd take so long to explain why you're wrong...
BeingShotAt 3 months ago
@BeingShotAt Look, I played both series several times. There are lots of parallels between them both. Hell, a few of my most recent vids are of me playing Durandal on my 360.
sc0pl355 3 months ago
@sc0pl355 Okay...let's start off with the two major differences
First off, halo 1,2,3, I don't count Reach cause it's story is fucking stupid, the main premise of 1? Stop halo from firing, the main premise of 2? Stop Halo from firing, the premise for 3? Stop halo from firing.
The main premise of Marathonm? Repel the alien slavers who wish to enslave your kind
Hmmm, interesting, the two are completely different plot wise
BeingShotAt 3 months ago
@BeingShotAt The goal of the quests are different, that doesn't mean that the plot and plot devices are really different.
For instance, the plot of Halo 1 BECOMES 'stop the Halo from firing' around the last two chapters. You spend most of the game fighting the covenant. The plot of Halo 2 is to stop the covenant that are madly trying to fire Halo because they think it leads to paradise. The plot of Halo 3 is to stop the covenant and then it is to FIRE the halo to stop the flood.
sc0pl355 3 months ago
Though Ken Levine's work is far above the abysmal standards of the average game, I have to disagree with your assessment of his writing abilities in general. There are a couple of really facepalm-worthy moments in Bioshock when it departs from SS2's plotting (like the staging of Atlas’s family being killed). And you’ve noted yourself the incoherent mess of themes and ideas; contrast with Chris Avellone’s writing in Planescape: Torment, KotOR 2, Dead Money and Old World Blues.
KeeperDeven 6 months ago
I played Bioshock a few years ago and thought it was quite good, but recently after watching your review I got and played System Shock 2 and realized how great it was and how much Bioshock rips it off. I think it's sad that they couldn't come up with somthing more unique
jacwgn 6 months ago
I believe the biggest problem with this review, is that it seems you have a vendetta against bioshock. This is the only review i think i had to just turn off simply because it came off to strong as your love for SS2 kept coming out, its understandable But it got in the way of your review
Jerichoholic20 7 months ago
@Jerichoholic20 I would disagree with that interpretation. It's totally legitimate during the story section. No one could disagree with that.
As for the rest, all I ever do at any point is describe the game, describe why I think it's bad, and then suggest how the idea could've been implemented better, citing examples in other games where possible. That's totally standard for any review.
It's not my fault that all the examples happen to be in SS2, it's Irrational's fault for making a bad copy.
antisocialfatman 7 months ago 4
@antisocialfatman true i recently began playing SS2 for the first time and i do like the enhanced level of difficulty and ability of a more hands on approach to the game. Btw have you played Bioshock 2
Jerichoholic20 7 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
This review is garbage and the reviewer is an utterly assinine imbecile.
pcnthuziast 7 months ago
@pcnthuziast I would encourage you to explain to me why you think that. Feel free to post as many posts as required.
If you dare.
antisocialfatman 7 months ago 16
Comment removed
pcnthuziast 7 months ago
Hell, there was a trophie in Bioshock to called "Look at you hacker."
DrRumstain 7 months ago
Bioshock isn't system shock 3 it is Bioshock it only takes little piece of gameplay elementes from system shock 2 but it's a complete diferent experience and that's awesome!
j0KKKer 7 months ago
Well, too bad irrational is gone as well as looking glass games.
redfoxbennaton 7 months ago
I like this review. Although i think you showed a bit of bias in terms of the differences between System Shock 2 and this game. Even though this is a remake of system shock in the basic story line, i think saying this shouldn't be commended as a awesome achievement is alittle too far. I played this game before i had even heard of System Shock 2, and i thought it was the best 50 bucks i had ever spent in my entire life. Although i understand that if you played SS2 that this would be a downer.
RoCkR109 8 months ago
@RoCkR109 Well, of course I'm biased. You can't judge anything without your biases and prejudices coming into play. All opinions are biased, and all (good) reviews are opinions.
I don't think the existence of SS2 has much impact on the quality of BioShock, though, besides the story. I dislike the mechanics and execution of BioShock, and SS2 not existing wouldn't have changed that.
antisocialfatman 8 months ago
@antisocialfatman Some of the mechanics could have been done better, like when weapons feel from dead bodies they ended up lagging across the floor. But i think the cut scenes were terrific and that the gameplay itself was pretty good. And the twist in the middle where Atlas betrays you is unexpected and awesome because of the cut scene before hand. I think this game shows the brutality of what power can do to someone, and how actions can change the future (kinda sad they didnt expand on it).
RoCkR109 8 months ago
@RoCkR109 I imagine it goes without saying that I disagree. I don't see a point in raising specific points here, since my 45 minute long review says everything I have to say.
antisocialfatman 8 months ago
You seem to compare Bioshock to System Shock 2. Is System Shock 1 worth the same value or is it a completely other type of game?
MisterAAnderson 9 months ago
@MisterAAnderson System Shock 2 is obviously similar to System Shock 1, but System Shock 1 isn't really as playable as it was 17 years ago. Now the resolution looks blurry on modern screens, it has no mouse look, the enemies are all 2d sprites, and overall the interface can be confusing. I'd go with System Shock 2 over 1 any day.
xjod9 9 months ago
@xjod9 Should i play System Shock 1, just because it might have a few moments related to System Shock 2? I mean it's freeware now anyway.
MisterAAnderson 9 months ago
@MisterAAnderson It might be difficult to run on today's hardware (it came out in 1994, after all). But yeah, you should definetly play it if you can.
xjod9 9 months ago
@MisterAAnderson
May I suggest looking up System Shock Portable?
DemonPazuzu666 7 months ago
@DemonPazuzu666 Nah, it always crashes with some note like adding salt or something. I don't know if that's a joke or something so I just droped that version. From my experience it's terrible.
MisterAAnderson 7 months ago
@MisterAAnderson
Ah yeah, that problem.
DemonPazuzu666 7 months ago
If you wanted a anonolgy for Bioshock and System Shock think of it like this. The "Shock" family has two children. An older brother who went to college, got a masters in psychology, and has now retired in a middle class neighborhood with the house paid off and a lovely wife. BioShock is the younger sister who was Incredibly attractive but was dumb as a doornob and had to copy off her brother to get by, but married a elderly man who died and now his money has fallen into her lap.
TheEPICtrainrider 9 months ago
I am starting to wathc your rewiews, like them very much, at this moment im starting to watch this one, and can only say Bioshock is one of the greatest surprises of mainstream gaming, just the fact that the game is based around a single player is enough, ps cant wait for the Fallout rewiew :)
Tactomanify 9 months ago
Changing your gender!
laifalbert 10 months ago
i like your reviews but i was curious, what do you think your opinion of this game would be had you never played system shock 2?
dave1cha 10 months ago
i like your reviews but i dont like how you act like your opinion is fact in all of them
jake546213 11 months ago
@jake546213 I'm pretty fucking sick of people saying that. Taste is subjective. Everyone should know that. And in knowing that, it's a given that any time I - or anyone else - makes a comment about their taste, it's a statement of opinion.
It's redundant. There's no need for me to state that it's an opinion, because it clearly is.
antisocialfatman 11 months ago 7
@antisocialfatman sorry didnt mean to annoy you no need to get mad
jake546213 11 months ago
@jake546213 I'm not, but imagine if you had to explain the same thing over and over, and it was something that shouldn't need explaining in the first place.
antisocialfatman 11 months ago
@antisocialfatman sorry i didnt know
jake546213 11 months ago
i heard bioshock was once gonna be about am island with nazis on it
xlr8fast11 11 months ago
You are by far the worst video game reviewer i've ever seen. all you do is compare it to "System Shock". dude idgaf about how similar they are, talk about BIOSHOCK. not system shock, just cause u got a cool accent doesnt make you smart. u suck bro
sheridanproductions 11 months ago
@sheridanproductions The two stories are practically identical, and the story is a big part of each game. That makes comparison extremely relevant. You'd understand if you'd played Shock 2.
antisocialfatman 11 months ago
@antisocialfatman it might be very like system shock but its also not it has a art style and excitement to it like dead space
picklenote22 11 months ago
@picklenote22 No it doesn't. It really, really doesn't. Watch my review if you want to know my opinion. I imagine you turned it off after 3-4 minutes.
antisocialfatman 11 months ago
@antisocialfatman fuck no i loved it . man i dont wanna start a fight so just go with it. alot of games take things that have been in others games and it does. your one of the few that doesnt
picklenote22 11 months ago
all through your review you blast bioshock for being a total rip off of system shock 2 which it may be and say how criminal it was that ss2 was overlooked at the time despite having an amazing story line do you really blame irrantional games for getting there story out there among gamers that were ready for it??
glyncr84 11 months ago
@glyncr84 I'm ambivalent. It's good to see people enjoying such a great story (even if it is in the wrong game), but that's no excuse.
antisocialfatman 11 months ago
lol @ butthurt fanboys.
WrathOfTheTyrants 1 year ago
ok derivitiive, fine, but immensly stupid, I think that is quite harsh.... if this is 'immensly stupid' I would like to see your take on halo or COD
TheNadster2 1 year ago
Why do you have to compare the game to System Shock? Can't the game simply be good in its own merits? So, it's not like System Shock, so what? It does not try to be System Shock, it's still a fantastic game.
neverhoodyn 1 year ago
@neverhoodyn If examples of similar, superior gameplay are so readily apparent, the critic is remiss to ignore them.
I judge BioShock on its own merits, and illustrate clearly the problems with the game by offering up improvements. It's not my fault they're all in Shock 2.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
Well, I liked it.
SpaceChinchillaFilms 1 year ago
you feel you've done this before. Yes, different world, different characters, different "powers", but still feels very similar. Even the twists in the story were in some ways similar to System shock 2 (SHODAN).
This doesn't mean that BS 1 isn't a must play game. It is. It just borrows a lot from System Shock 2. Which isn't a bad thing at all.
But I think they should change the formula a bit for their next project.
MSMSValve 1 year ago
Well, I just finished BS 1. I think that the game experience should be divided for two cases - if you played Ken Levine's masterpiece System Shock 2 prior to BS 1 or not.
If you didn't, BS 1 is just an amazing game, great graphics, unbelievable atmosphere, great story (although the twists in the plot were... well, predictable), great game play mechanics, In short, another masterpiece.
But if you played System Shock 2 before BS 1, the experience changes. It is still all the above, but...
MSMSValve 1 year ago
I never played System Shock (because im 15 so i wasn't into games until SS was really old and I don't know where to find it), so i liked Bioshock a lot. Honestly, I'm looking forward to Bioshock Infinite, which will hopefully be a different story.
TangyDude55 1 year ago
I agree with pretty much everything on every review
phaxen 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman I do agree with the story. It's pretty interesting. The game just starts out to slow. But the game design is horrible. It's so repetitive and boring and the controls for using your telekinesis are terrible. Graphics are good except for the monster designs and the core shooting just isn't that great cuz the guns just don't feel right. I played mass effect 2 and said this is what dead space shouldve been like
Gowatch3kb 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman efbb? Idk what that is. Ok so u font like this game. That's understandable. Entitled to opinion. But now I want to move to a different game. Why the fuck does everyone like dead space? I had HUGE expectations for that game and it sucked. So u hate this game but like dead space. Why
Gowatch3kb 1 year ago
@Gowatch3kb Well, do you think of it as a survival horror game? If you think of it as a survival horror game, then yeah, it sucks. Not scary, and too easy. But if you think of it as an action horror, then it's a totally different experience. It has really pretty great gunplay - taking what RE4 established and improving on it. It also has a good horror atmosphere, though not great.
Plus, the story is great. If you just look at the barebones 'plot, it's meh, but take all the logs and...
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman ...translate the alien language and check out the prequel animations and everything else. There is a quite elaborate story beginning on Earth of all places. It's quite complex and very cool.
Also it has some decent satire of Scientology and Christianity.
But most of all, I just think it's a damn good TPS, and one that doesn't use a shitty cover mechanic, for once.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman also there ain't no god mode. If you defeat some enimies and then die you respawn in a vita chamber. When you go back to the sane area all the enemies are back. So you can die. But there just isn't an annoying loading screen telling you mission failed. You just respawn and have to figur it out
Gowatch3kb 1 year ago
@Gowatch3kb No, that's wrong. Enemies don't respawn, and existing enemies' health doesn't regenerate. You can kill anything by spawning and dying over and over.
But even if you couldn't, it's still god mod, because you can't die.
And I agree with the absence of loading screens being good, but in SS2 the vita chambers cost resources to use. So you skip the loading screen, but you're still punished for dying.
Watch my review man. Listen to my arguments. It's all in there.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago 2
@antisocialfatman There's a simple solution to "god mode".There's an option to turn the Vita-chambers off.There ya go
jase276 1 year ago
@jase276 That's almost as bad, though, as you have to sit through loading screens and stuff which harm the immersive quality of the game. They should have kept the vita chambers and just associated a cost with it.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman Nah,a cost would be stupid.Vita-chambers on is bad,w/o it is still bad,man Bioshock just can't win can it.What did System Shock do when you die?
jase276 1 year ago
@jase276 Vita chambers with a cost. It works perfectly. You get all the obvious benefits of the vita chamber, but you also have a tangible loss.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman Mmm idk,it kind of defeats the purpose and it wouldn't really make sense.It was set to Ryan's genetic code so why should he have to pay if it was just for him.
jase276 1 year ago
@jase276 That could be changed. Gameplay should always come first.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman Hmm?Gameplay over Story?It's COD all over again
jase276 1 year ago
@jase276 That makes no sense whatsoever. I say "gameplay comes first", not, "no story at all". It's a game, gameplay always has to come first. Stories are important, but stories should always defer to the gameplay. Why? Because it's a game.
Besides, BioShock's story is 95% copied from SS2 so BS is hardly a shining example of a story-driven game. It's a fraud.
Also, CoD's gameplay sucks.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago 3
@antisocialfatman lol "BS"
mysisterisweird 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman there you go. Bioshock ain't no rpg. It's just got some powerups. And popularity does determine quality of a game. People play it and tell other people how good or bad it is and this game sold millions. They even ported it to ps3 it's so good. And I want u to tell me a cooler video game world than rapture. Just one. You sound like an idiot cuz everyone loves this game
Gowatch3kb 1 year ago
@Gowatch3kb I didn't call BS an RPG. You are ignoring my argument-winning points and focusing on nonsense.
If something you hate is extremely popular, does that mean you're wrong and it's actually good? Something you really can't stand. But you dislike it... you're wrong, and it's good? Right?
A cooler world - EfBB's prison. And if you think everyone loves it, you're wilfully ignorant.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman here's what it comes down to plain and simply. What game is more poplular for there generation. Hmm bioshock. I have not met one person who doesn't have this game. Not one. Yea vita chambers open up but all enemies respawn idiot. It's a good way to get rid of loading screens. The game is scary as hell and being in rapture is epic. Ss2 makes no sense with it's game and art design. It was a doom wannabe. So just shut up
Gowatch3kb 1 year ago
@Gowatch3kb First off, popularity does not determine quality. That;s a ridiculous and idiotic statement. Secondly, what does respawning enemies have to do with anything? God mode = simple game. Thirdly, how can it possibly be scary WHEN YOU CANNOT DIE.
And finally, Doom is an intense ball's to the wall action game. SS2 is a complex and intelligent FPSRPG. How could SS2 possibly be a Doom wannabe?
Also, BioShock is a copy of SS2 in every way. BS is a SS2 wannabe.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago 2
@antisocialfatman yea you probly played it on easy. Of course the games simple vlbut if you put some pants and lose the vagina and play on hard you gotta know how to play this game properly. This game is a masterpiece. And what I don't get is why u hate it so much if it's so much like system shock2. It sounds like you like that game.
Gowatch3kb 1 year ago
@Gowatch3kb Riiight. I played on hard, man. But as you may be aware, through the ridiculous vita chambers, god mode is active. How can a game be hard when you can't ever actually die?
BioShock is System Shock 2, except dumbed down for console retards. SS2 is much harder and cooler and more complex.
I eagerly anticipate your insightful reply. Wait, no. Not insightful. What's that other word... oh yeah!
Ignorant.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
lol @ Showdown. I thought he was referring to the end of the game or something
gilgamesh310 1 year ago
This game is way better than system shock. Showdown is lame. And this game is all about environment and using different plasmids tactically. The story isn't all that original but presented in such an interesting way thats makes it so good
Gowatch3kb 1 year ago
@Gowatch3kb Except that there's no need to use plasmids tactically, as the game is stupidly simple. Also you might want to learn how to spell her name - and actually play SS2 (which clearly you haven't) - before denouncing it.
I would encourage you to watch the rest of this review. I explain BioShock's problems pretty thoroughly. I'm sure you won't agree with them, but you may find the perspective interesting.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
i really really wanted this so i asked my dad to get but they had sold, not just on amazon but on game, gamestop everywhere so i had no other choice than...................bioshock ........2. i think bioshock 2 is good but it's no bioshock 1
x20djw 1 year ago
i really wanna play system shock 2
but it doesn't seem to work on vista
i wish they'd release it on steam :(
raket94 1 year ago
@raket94 It will work on vista, it worked for me. You just won't be able to watch the cutscenes but there is only 3 in it and they can be watched on you tube.
gilgamesh310 1 year ago
Yeah, I played System Shock 2 after I played bioshock and despite finding bioshock to be brilliant when I first played it, when I later played System Shock 2 it made me realize how much bioshock stole from it as well as dumbing down the gameplay. Even if it was the same team that made both games there is no excuse from just carrying over all the stuff that made their original game so great and hardly adding anything new. The setting is really the only proper difference at all
gilgamesh310 1 year ago
Yeah, in a nutshell, this game is basically an auto-plagiarism of System shock 2. It is the worse thing they could do in my opinion, Bioshock would be better off with a generic and mediocre original story, than a stolen one.
ShephardReborn 1 year ago
hot fuzz is my favorite movie and it was a funny explosive hollywood film from the begining.
griffin09 1 year ago
talking for nearly 50 minutes, that's what I call a review, most people take 2 minutes.
turdbutt89 1 year ago
You know when I saw the trailer I actually wanted to play this game because I couldn't play SS2. After playing it was VERY disappointed (this was before playing SS2). Then I finally got SS2 working and played it. It is now on my list of "Best horror games I have ever played". Bioshock is a kick in the balls for more than just fans of SS. It's an insult to LGS.
thedragonb0y 1 year ago
I was hoping for a long time that they would re-release system shock 2 but now they can't because there secret would be revealed
imbadatnames390 1 year ago
Hey ASFM, I have to agree with your review. The art direction and graphics were beautiful. Many of the characters were intriguing and the atmosphere was eerie, but the entire game was ruined for all the reasons you talked about. Kudos to you for writing a good critical piece even though you knew you would get skewered over it. People need to fucking wake and see how infantile the gaming industry has become.
mst3kbitches 1 year ago
@mst3kbitches It's ironic that the average age of gamers has gone up and the intelligence of games has gone down.
mst3kbitches 1 year ago
Bioshock shouldn't be considered stupid because it uses the same story as System Shock 2. It's still a brilliant story in both games, just told in a different setting. Plus, for people who haven't played SS2 (a.k.a. alot of people) they can still enjoy the story in some format. I understand where you're going with the remade movie analogy, but that only counts if the remade story turns out to be told in a stupid way. That is not the case in Bioshock.
DreamSnap 1 year ago
I wasn't a big fan of this game either, I thought it was pretty weak both as a shooter and as an rpg.
LTWalker108 1 year ago
fans of system shock 2 'claim' not to like this because of its mainstream success.
Get over it. Late nineties PC gaming provided some great games, but the mechanics and 'intelligence' (as you put it) of these games just isn't commercially viable anymore. Bioshock is fantastic, the system shock series is fantastic.
SweetnessDies 1 year ago
Dude, what the hell, lowest common denominator? You are a pompous a hole for calling this game stupid, it is a great game and should not be considered any less than said game, system shock 2. It is based around and is a critique to Ayn Rand's great novel Atlas Shrugged. It is a spiritual successor to ss2 gameplay wise and is its own game otherwise. You, good sir, are stupid and ignorant, and should do some research into what it is about before you record 5 ten minute long reviews.
ubertomadachi 1 year ago
I HATE YOU!
quote55 1 year ago
@quote55 yeah, this guy is such a prick, and everyone else is dumb for calling it not scary enough, even though it is not meant to be a scary game, just atmospheric
ubertomadachi 1 year ago
from what i can tell, people who have played Bioshock, think its amazing. But people who have played System Shock 2 first, think its shit.
Koopsas 1 year ago
What I liked about BS story is the fact that your character is under mind control, because in a way, it breaks the fourth wall. in video games when a someone tells you to do something you never question who they are, or wheather you should trust them, or any of the consequences of your actions, you just do it because otherwise the game wont progress. and BS uses its story to explain the pyschological behavior of gamers.
oars44 1 year ago
Bioshock was a real let down it was more of a FPS than a survial horror it had no tension what so ever as for the monsters in Bioshock they were just dull I mean insane humans oooh scary not. Systems shocks 2 monsters were alot more creepy who remembers the midwifes they where scary.
01Damic 1 year ago
@01Damic
It's not supposed to be a survival horror game,if you want a survival horror play dead space this game is an FPS,if you look at this game with an open mind you will enjoy it more
imbadatnames390 1 year ago
I got Bioshock at some point in mid-2008 and completed it in a couple of weeks, and, as much of a sin as this may be, I had never before heard of the System Shock series (mainly due to my general ignorance of PC gaming). I was stunned by the game, and I still think it is a fantastic game, having played through it again in anticipation of Bioshock 2, and then when visiting my parents I downloaded SS2 and played that through.
heffers12345 1 year ago
I think it is a "better" game (ie. it did what Bioshock did and more 8 years earlier) and certainly is more of a slow burner compared to the more bombastic nature of Bioshock. I still think both are magnificent games, and I would not have known of SS2 without it. I know this can be frustrating for people who have known about the game for a long time previously but... sorry, I just hadn't heard of it. I appreciate many of the flaws you highlight in Bioshock, but I can't help but love it still.
heffers12345 1 year ago
I cannot believe how well you can analyze and interpret games.
Snake14159 1 year ago
This review sums up how I feel about the game pretty well. I didn't have much fun playing it, the combat was a chore and the aesthetics are weird, greasy looking.
I played SS2 in 2006 or something and it still scared the crap out of me (couldn't finish it) and BioShock had none of that.
For a lot of people though BioShock did exactly what SS2 did for the reviewer. It just comes down to taste
teooo 1 year ago
i'm in the middle ground here. i enjoyed it more than the reviewer did but i don't think its the 10/10 revolutionary masterpiece that the critics said it was. it was fun but that was all
applewithoutacause 1 year ago
When I beat this game and didn't like it as much as I thought I would I was wondering why. Everything you said in this review was reason why I didn't like this game, I just didn't see it at the time. No inventory management is probably the biggest sign that this game is made for a much less mature, far more twitchy gaming audience. Also I recently got System Shock 2. I found the (good) Bioshock ending to be really unsatisfying. Will I like the ending for System Shock 2 more?
bbisnothotkratos 1 year ago
@bbisnothotkratos That really depends on how much you like SHODAN. I really enjoy the ending, but it's not spectacular. I don't think the ending is all that important, though. There's so much to the story and it's so dense, and I don't think the final few minutes are disproportionaly more important in any way.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman the end quote in SS2 sucked, shodan asks your character for mercy and begs you to be a better being and you reply with the word "....nah.."and kill her
griffin09 1 year ago
@griffin09 That's in my opinion the best quote from a videogame character ever. It was just so unexpected especially considering he was mute for the entirety of the game. In contrast the only time Jack speaks in bioshock is at the very start of the game where he utters a longer sentence that wasn't nearly as memorable.
gilgamesh310 1 year ago
wow way to shit all over my favourite game
then shit on half life 1
i want a review not some assholes opinion who is comparing instead of reviewing
unsubscribed
slamt08 1 year ago
@slamt08 Firstly, all reviews are opinions. The two concepts are inseparable.
Secondly, I don't compare it to anything else. If you watch the review, I clearly judge every aspect on its own merits. I only mention other games to illustrate how the idea has been better used in the past, which is something all reviewers do from time to time.
And thirdly, why are you insulting me simply because we have different opinions? Do you go around harassing people who don't share your taste in food?
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
nope i just dont like fanboys who shit on games because they prefur something that is similar
like BFBC2 players that shit on mw2 just because its similar to it
which is what you did
and i dissagree
a review is talking about what makes it fun to you , what isnt fun to you ect
not what has been done better and what you prefured in other games because not everyone has played the game you have refering to so your just rendering your example useless
slamt08 1 year ago
@slamt08 You didn't pay attention to the review and you didn't pay attention to my comment.
I judged BioShock's elements on their own merits. Other games had nothing to do with it. Only after judging an element on its own merits did I then go on to mention where the idea had been used better in the past.
And I did talk about what makes it fun to me and not fun to me. Did you not actually watch the review?
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
nope i am paying attention
yes you did judge it on its own merits but your judgment is bull when your allready biased because of your opinion
you allready think SS2 has a better plot /gamplay and whatever so allready bioshock is guna get a bad review because its not as good a game as what you have previously played
anyway
slamt08 1 year ago
@slamt08 When I'm already biased because of my opinion? That sentence is gibberish.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago 9
@slamt08 And that's what all reviewers do. If an idea has been used before, and better, reviewers will point to that game to help clearly illustrate how the idea could be better implemented.
As for the relevance of my examples, they exist, regardless of whether or not people have played it, making them relevant. But regardless, I judged the elements on their own merits. I could have just been plucking those ideas out of the air to show how they could be better implemented.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
anyway i dont care about this anymore to be fair
i was just having a hissy fit i guess
bioshock is still my favourite game no matter what happens or what i hear from others opinions
slamt08 1 year ago
@slamt08 What this REALLY is is you having a hissy fit because you've just found out your favourite game isn't all that special.
And that's fine. But it's not my fault you can't handle someone disagreeing with you, and stating their opinion calmly and rationally.
But who cares about that, right? This is the internet. Just keep on insulting me.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago 3
what i dont really care what you think about bioshock
I KNOW its a good game
i dont need you to tell me that
ive only recently started playing pc games and im getting my way through half life now
after that im doing SS2 and seing what the fuss is about
but to be honest even if i do prefer SS2 i wont say bioshock is a peice of shit like you bassically did
anyway whatever dude
slamt08 1 year ago
@slamt08 You clearly weren't paying attention to the review, then. Piece of shit? I made it clear that I don't think it's a bad game. I made that abundantly clear. It's not a bad game. It's okay.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago 11
See what you don't under stand is that the majority of players haven't played System Shock 2! If this is the spiritual successor to "System" they have done a great job.
Thashining 1 year ago
@Thashining Firstly, I fully understand that most people haven't played System Shock 2. It's not relevant.
Secondly, this game doesn't capture System Shock 2's spirit at all. It's not a spiritual successor. It's just a very bad copy.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
As someone who hasn't played System Shock 2 and probably never will due to technology changes from then, I do wish you would've dumbed down the comparison between this and System Shock 2. While you did make good comparisons that don't seem far reaching, this is probably the closest to ever playing System Shock 2 in this gaming age.
I do find it interesting you thought the moral issues were badly implemented when they were based on the concepts from Atlas Shrugged
TeutonicJoe 1 year ago
And LOL @ Streets of Rage. I simply think GoW's combat is overly simplistic and dumbed down compared to something like Ninja Gaiden. This wouldn't matter if it had great adventure and platforming elements, but its a bit too linear and the only time the platforming is challenging is when the camera is being a bitch. Kind of a shame that the first two games are hailed as the PS2's swan songs when brilliant late-generation stuff like Okami and Shadow of the Colossus get overlooked.
Kagemusha08 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman Well to be fair most people have been trained since childhood by school to associate 70s with mediocrity, 60s with barely passing and anything below that with utter crap. Of course the 1 to 5 scale completely sidesteps that problem.
Kagemusha08 1 year ago
I completely agree with everything you say in these videos, but strangely, I still like this game a lot. I can't even explain why, other than to say that it's fun.
Holktube 1 year ago
For anyone that doesn't want to watch the entire 45min of this, the "tl;dr" version is: "I have such a hard on for for SS2, that I can't objectively review any game remotely close, particularly one that I wanted soo bad to be SS3, and will instead list the reasons Bioshock is/isn't SS3."
A few minor points (vita chambers, hack pausing) are certainly valid, but overall Bioshock is much more deserving of a excellent than the truly mediocre-at-absolute-best Torchlight.
ShintaSeijuro 1 year ago
I see the faults of bioshock even though i am a fan both 'shock series'. compared to system, bio is dumbed down in gameplay, but i feel there is more immersion and creative game play, offering creativity in lue of calculation. this, to me, along with the little sister choices, plays off the overarching concept making the twist to go from the plot point that it was in system, to a real life commentary on gaming as a whole... even though it gets completely contradicted in the end.. its true flaw
gaodene 1 year ago
I haven't watched all of the parts yet (though I will), but I must say, this makes me angry. I guess I'm a fanboy, then? I should warn you that I'm a member of the generation of gamers that didn't play System Shock.
Still, you miss the point: compare this to games of today, not yesterday. Not ten years ago. You'd be hard pressed to find a game that manages this level of storytelling, while at the same time, stays fun to play throughout.
There is no world in which Bioshock is just 'okay'.
utubegod35 1 year ago
@utubegod35 Praising mediocrity because it's the best of what we have (not that BS is the best of what we have) is... ridiculous.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
@antisocialfatman
Straight up: having not played System Shock, all of your criticism had little to nothing to do with my play through. Theres no more eloquent way to say it. Im not trying to single you out I love your reviews, and the criticism you have for BS is not unique. Still, I disagree immensely. Its hard to argue about why your opinion is wrong because, well, yeah. It just doesnt make any sense to me.
utubegod35 1 year ago
@utubegod35 Well, the thing is, while I mention SS2 a lot as an example of how to do things right, I am judging BioShock on its own merits.
I don't think the pseudo-RPG middleground stuff in BS is any good at all. Even if I had never played SS2, I'm sure I would look at the RPG mechanics and see that they undermine themselves.
This review might not be relevant for you, but that's fine. I think a lot of my opinions are pretty unpopular.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
50 minutes of review? Holy s**t! I'm gonna need some snacks. Also, good review, but (not comparing you to Yahtzee) the review needs to be more of review, not just a comparison.
EBHughsThe1st 1 year ago
@EBHughsThe1st Only the story section is a comparison - because they have the same story, and I wanted to illustrate just how identical they are, for people who consider BioShock's story original.
In the other sections, I judge BioShock's elements on their own merits, only bringing up SS2 to illustrate how the ideas have been better implemented in the past.
Not sure why you even mentioned Yahtzee!
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
woah, woah, a 50 minute review? what do you think this is - a movie?? i stopped listening after "i can't imagine", cuz that's all i needed to hear: you have no imagination! let me tell you what a review should be: it should be spontaneous, simple, and no more than 2 minutes long!
my part 1 review: "bioshock is so fucking awesome. why? well, first, the story's going to blow your fucking mind! it's just so original. and, like, really complex. it's going to suck you in; i guarantee it!"
hotlesbianassassin 1 year ago
Rant continued: I suspect that game criticism is far less trustworthy than most people assume it is (when's the last time a hugely hyped game has gotten below 90? I'm looking at you MW2) I'm not alleging that corruption affects every publication out there, but when advertisements for the games your supposed to by reviewing without bias make up the majority of your income your going to be affected in some way. That's why your reviews are so appreciated, even when I disagree with them.
Kagemusha08 1 year ago
@Kagemusha08 Yeah, and I think another issue is that most gaming publications misuse their scoring system.
Most rate out of 10, or 100, but most don't use their whole scale. They barely even use half. If you look at GameSpot, they effectively only use 5-10, with everything below 5 representing '0'.
That means that games that deserve a 6 get an 8, games that deserve a 7 get a 9, and so on.
There's a weird bias towards high scores in gaming journalism. That's part of why I love /5.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
Still, you do a fantastic job at stating your case, even more so than usual. And as someone who's recently gotten a lot of flack for saying the God of War games are a bit overrated I have to commend you for risking the wrath of fanboys and going against a beloved game.
Kagemusha08 1 year ago
@Kagemusha08 God of War is very overrated I think!
I own the first game and I find it barely playable. I'd rather play a Streets of Rage ROM than God of War.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
I'll get this out of the way: I respect your opinions tremendously, far more than any "professional" reviewer. But I like most people who probably will comment on this, I think your wrong on this one. I've played and loved System Shock 2. Is Bioshock an inferior game? Absolutely. Is it still a great one? I think so, for different reasons. I love both of them, and while I'd pick SS2 any day I don't regret buying Bioshock for a second.
Kagemusha08 1 year ago
Bioshock is a master peace! but sadly I can't play this kinds of games... You are a genious, you should get payed for this! 50 minute review is just sick...
nicha112 1 year ago
Then there's Adam, which just ends up being an excuse for all the gaping plot holes, and the moral choice system is a choice between distinct good and evil, oh dear.
I also feel insulted to end up killing Ryan and the whole morality conveyed by it is, "A man chooses; a slave obeys." It's something everyone knows and is just an excuse to cover up the overwhelming linearity.
leewolfgang 1 year ago
I thought you would be more immune to BioSuck's story unlike most other people, but I guess I'm the only one who gets that it's shit. Sure, the characters never appeared in games before, but as for comparing them to the archetypes seen in books and movies, they're just the most charicaturistic things I've seen in years. The transition from Atlas to Fontaine is poorly done; sure it's a twist, but it's one that comes with no fun mystery or foreshadowing.
leewolfgang 1 year ago
@leewolfgang I think I've probably trasferred a lot of my reverence of SS2's story onto BS's, since it's basically the same. I take it as a given that it's good.
I didn't really get to experience BS's story properly. I mean, as soon as I stepped out of the bathysphere, I was like... Atlas is the bad guy.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
what the story is what, wow this is a grate game yes the second needs work but the first one and the good twist. how can eone not like this game, unless all you do is play mwf2 all day. wow
willzilla300 1 year ago
@willzilla300 Did you actually watch the review?
I spent the whole review talking about how it's a copy of SS2's story (so the twist was predictable), and comparing BioShock's gameplay to SS2's vastly more intellectually rewarding gameplay, so namedropping Call of Duty makes no sense.
antisocialfatman 1 year ago
I thought Bioshock was worth a play through or two when I bought it for cheap on steam but it is definitely not as great a game as System Shock 2. System Shock 2 had originality. Bioshock 2 on the other hand was just a complete waste of my money.
ReggieWinsor 1 year ago
Wow, didn't expect all of this from your thoughts on the story. I never had the chance to play either system shocks as a kid, but playing Bioshock as what I thought at the time to be a purely original game, I thought it was one of the best stories I've ever played.
Surely Irrational Games wanted to give their shot at re-releasing SS2 without actually re-releasing it. Sort of like a going back in time and do it differently kind of thing. But it worked. Sad that SS2 didn't receive as much praise
666OrWhat 1 year ago
nice review, very informative
shaizerbaizer657 1 year ago
I agree with this review.
Bioshock is a dumbed down version of System shock 2. Why is it so hard for developers to evolve gameplay from the past? Lazy bastards.
MoonHoplite 1 year ago
Okay I disagree with some of your opinions, the intro to the video made it seem like you hated the game, I think it's one of the best games this generation.
Girdzify 1 year ago
I disagree with your opinions.
Girdzify 1 year ago
This large review of a very good game is very well done. I like the fact that you don't leave a single stone unturned, and thats what I like about your reviews.
karavatas 1 year ago