Topic: The Official BioShock thread.

[Ghandi]

Haven't read this thread yet, since I just bought the game for PS3, but I'm loving this so far. 6 hours straight and I can't stop.

I started on the hardest difficulty and really got my ass kicked for hours 2-4, but I've developed a fairly solid strategy lately and I haven't died hardly at all. My only real complaint thus far is the accuracy of the weapons. They aren't accurate at all (at least the pistol and machine gun - of course the shotgun is accurate as it's only a close-up weapon) and I can't really tell if aiming down the sight improves accuracy at all. I don't think it does, which is a shame. I often come up behind someone at a distance and aim at the head only to have the gun miss because it's entirely inaccurate. Maybe auto aim helps in this regard but I hate enabling it.

Also, as far as the storyline goes, why the hell was there a radio in the capsule with a guy at the other end (at the beginning)? It seemed kind of arbitrary.

[gpw11]

Yeah, the weapons suck for the most part, but it kind of works out because it makes people find other ways of killing motherfuckers.  For me that basically consisted of shocking and then beating everyone within sight.

As for the storyline, I think you just need to get farther.

[Ghandi]

My problem with simply beating everyone with the pipe is that you have to dodge them, which requires lots of quick reflexes and whatnot. And, understandably, in order to increase the entertainment from the game, I've had a beer or two. So I've found that blasting the motherfuckers is a much better alternative.

Also, I assume that the guy on the other end of the radio turns out to be evil, since he wanted me to kill the Little Sisters. I'm assuming that develops. I just hope they tell me why there was a motherfucking radio just sitting there at the beginning with a guy at the other end.

[Quemaqua]

Why do you assume he's sitting at the other end?  Radio signals are kind of... portable.  If they can mutate themselves, they can probably figure out how to make a walkie-talkie.

[Ghandi]

Well, I didn't mean sitting literally. But maybe I'm being too critical.

[gpw11]

I just booted this bitch up again.  Yeah, more inaccurate than I remember.  I'm still going with the pipe and occasionally breaking out guns.

[Ghandi]

Go on the hardest difficulty and try the pipe. It's freakin hard. You can manage one-on-one, but once you get a few guys around, not to mention a big daddy, it's really difficult.

[gpw11]

Ok, don't even try the pipe on a Big Daddy and if you're getting swarmed switch that motherfucker over to the plasmids.  A few enemies though, that's melee territory.  Conserve ammo. 

[Xessive]

If I've got a lot of splicers around and a Big Daddy I usually put the "Hypnotize Big Daddy" plasmid to some use. Big Daddy goes frickin' insane wailing on those splicers!

[Quemaqua]

I don't remember having any problem with accuracy on the guns at all.  Maybe it's just because you're using a controller so you notice it more?

[K-man]

I can say that the DS3 is much less conducive to accurate FPS controls than the 360 pad.  It's almost like the sticks have too much range

[Quemaqua]

Really?  I haven't noticed any differences at all playing through The Darkness with both, or any problems with Dead Space (no comparison there, but the control actually feels superior to most first/third person action games I've played on consoles).

[K-man]

Eh, it's a personal observation.  I just personally find the 360 pad better for FPS (and pretty much everything else)

[Quemaqua]

Heh, I suppose we can stop it there.  I can't remember what thread it was in, but I do believe my belief in the superiority of the PS3 controller is well documented, as are the opinions (which outweigh mine) that the 360 pad is better.  Still, I haven't noticed any difference in anything I've tried, and I suspect whatever issue he's having is with the game, not the controller.  He seems to be saying that the guns themselves aren't accurate, not that he's having trouble aiming them.

[Xessive]

Heh, I suppose we can stop it there.  I can't remember what thread it was in, but I do believe my belief in the superiority of the PS3 controller is well documented, as are the opinions (which outweigh mine) that the 360 pad is better.  Still, I haven't noticed any difference in anything I've tried, and I suspect whatever issue he's having is with the game, not the controller.  He seems to be saying that the guns themselves aren't accurate, not that he's having trouble aiming them.

I definitely preferred the Xbox gamepad over the PS2's Dualshock 2.. The subtle changes in the SIXAXIS and Dualshock 3 have won me over though. I like its triggers, button sensitivities, and the d-pad. Special features aside (i.e. SIXAXIS motion sensing) I feel it's more comfortable and superior to the X360 pad.

In terms of the analog sticks, I feel I have a wider angle of motion with the SIXAXIS over the X360 pad and slightly less resistance.

The standard SIXAXIS is lighter than the Dualshock 3, I sometimes prefer it.

I tried the Bioshock demo on PS3 and I felt the controls were alright, though my default stance on mouse over gamepad remains.

[Ghandi]

He seems to be saying that the guns themselves aren't accurate, not that he's having trouble aiming them.

Yeah, that's about right. I aim at the head and the bullets hit elsewhere. But It's just a matter of getting used to it, I guess.

As for the controllers, I haven't noticed a problem and I've played tons of FPS games on the system. And just for the record, I also think that the Dualshock 3 > 360 controller.

Also, fuck SIXAXIS and every game that uses it. I hate that bullshit.

[gpw11]

Yeah, I kind of noticed it the other night too.  In retrospect I don't know if they're all that inaccurate or if they just don't do much damage, but something feels off.  Don't get me wrong, it doesn't diminish from the game, but it just seems almost...floaty?  That might not be the right word, but coming in after COD 4, Painkiller, and other games it kind of has a different feel when shooting shit.

[Xessive]

Also, fuck SIXAXIS and every game that uses it. I hate that bullshit.

So far the only game I actually like the SIXAXIS motion in is Folklore. It's a very simple implementation but I think it was done just right. It's only used when you're trying to absorb a Folk's id (suck a baddy's soul). I didn't mind it much in Heavenly Sword either as it was only used to manually guide thrown objects or in very few combat recovery situations.

You know what I don't care for? Vibration. I like the idea of the game attempting to physically interact with me but I can totally do without the vibration. A game could go entirely without and I'd never notice unless someone poited it out to me.

[Quemaqua]

Yeah, I've come to realize I actually don't like vibration much.  I haven't bothered to get a DS3 for that reason.  It basically just annoys me and distracts me, and I feel much more immersed without it.  It can be cool when done right, but it's too often a throwaway feature, and even when it's cool it isn't that cool.

[Xessive]

Yeah, I've come to realize I actually don't like vibration much.  I haven't bothered to get a DS3 for that reason.  It basically just annoys me and distracts me, and I feel much more immersed without it.  It can be cool when done right, but it's too often a throwaway feature, and even when it's cool it isn't that cool.

I think the only game I liked the vibration in is MGS4 and even then not all the time, just in the cinematic set ups.

[Ghandi]

I'm having difficulty killing the big daddies without dying. Even with two health upgrades and an armor upgrade, they still kill me in two hits. I inevitably die a couple of times when fighting one in close quarters. Shock + shotgun works well until I run out of ammo, and then it's run-and-gun with the rest of the weapons. Anyone got any tips on killing these guys?

[Xessive]

I'm having difficulty killing the big daddies without dying. Even with two health upgrades and an armor upgrade, they still kill me in two hits. I inevitably die a couple of times when fighting one in close quarters. Shock + shotgun works well until I run out of ammo, and then it's run-and-gun with the rest of the weapons. Anyone got any tips on killing these guys?

Shock & shotgun is the ebst way I think. When he dashes at you try strafing out of the way, it'll buy you a few secs to reload or land a few more hits on him. They're tough bastards. With no ammo I tried shock and wrench (be sure to have the Wrench-Jockey plasmid), it took longer and I had to evade very quickly after hitting him.

If you're lucky enough and you're fighting one in a high security area, bug a camera so when it spots him a couple of drones will come out and occupy him.

[Ghandi]

Welcome to the circus of vaaalues!

Thanks for the tips. I can pretty easily handle the big daddies now - a few new weapons and some upgrades and they aren't too bad.

[Quemaqua]

My personal favorite is getting a big item that I can pick up with telekinesis, sticking it with as many of the prox mines as I've got, then chucking said object at the big daddy for one giant explosion of ultra-hurt.  I also enjoy setting up elaborate runs of traps in hallways and such, where I know how to run through them without setting anything off, but the daddy will just crash into everything as he plows through and hurt himself.

There are some other creative ways, too, but finding them for yourself is half the fun!

[Cobra951]

Electric gel.

[Xessive]

Man, just reading about Que's trap-setting I realized Bioshock woulda been fun in multiplayer.

[Cobra951]

That works well at an emotional level, but I'm not sure why.  It shows next to nothing.  Is it the song?  The girl bringing up memories of the first game?  The foreboding?  Now I need to find a direct recording of that.

Finally . . .

Edit:  Better link for downloading

Edit 2: Best link for downloading

[Xessive]

Cool. Very enticing teaser!

I wonder if Bioshock 2 will be a prequel, set in the height of a populated and thriving Rapture.

[Cobra951]

The teaser seems to nix that idea, compelling though it may be.  That's a grown-up little sister, making the scene an event following the first story by perhaps a decade.  Of course, in sci-fi, anything is possible.  (Once you can travel in time and revive people with a mixture of fantasy and fantastic science, no last-minute plot change is out of reach.  )

[Ghandi]

One minor thing that I hope they change: the "little sisters in this level" tally on the start menu should be little sisters left on this level. It just makes more sense that way.

But I guess that's a good thing if that's my only real gripe so far.

[Quemaqua]

Well, that isn't really true though, because it doesn't actually remove any of the icons.  It leaves them and changes them after you "get" one of the sisters.

[Ghandi]

Oh, heh. I didn't notice that. I guess I always looked either before or after I'd gotten them all and didn't notice it changed. Ignore my previous statement. Continue on.

[MysterD]

Ken Levine interview from Forbes.com

[MysterD]

Something artbook nuts and Bioshock fans might wanna hear...

New Bioshock Artbook - Breaking The Mold: Developer's Edition coming that'll be over 170 pages long

BioShock Artbook Version 2.0 Now On Sale
by Nick Breckon Mar 17, 2009 7:32pm CST tags: BioShock

2K Games community manager Elizabeth Tobey today revealed an impressive special edition of the BioShock art book, now available for preorder on the Take-Two store.

Titled "Breaking the Mold: Developer's Edition," the book offers 174 pages of concept art and developer commentary on the making of the acclaimed shooter.

[Quemaqua]

Hell yes.  I love art books so bad.