Bioshock demo is out

[Antagonist]

I can give more detailed impressions if someone cares.

By all means, please do. :D

 

[obediah]

I got the game yesterday as a gift.

It's an awesome shooter, incredibly atmospheric. The environments are amazing. The weapons, options (AP ammo, HP ammo, regular ammo), and powers are great. You can use the lightning bolt powah to activate "shorted" door mechanisms, stun enemies and turrets, you can use fire to melt ice blocking access to some optional areas, etc.

It's just not an RPG. It's a great game and I really wish that it had more RPG options to match SS2 gameplay, but if you play it as a shooter you won't disappointed. It blows HL2 away.

I can give more detailed impressions if someone cares.

Oh noes, VD has contracted the 'HYPE' virus!1111!!

Anyway, I'm glad to hear it's a great game. I'm still bummed it's not the *shock game the part of me in denial hoped for, but it sounds like a good step for the FPS genre.

 

[Riso]

Does Bioshock require a 3.0 card?

Yeah it fucking does.

 

[Antagonist]

I had the chance to play the demo now on a 2 year old midrange computer (P4 3 GHz, 2 GB RAM, Gefore 7800 GS 256 MB, no AA) and contrary to my expectations it ran suprisingly well given that I played it with a 1024x768 resolution with maximum details (except for the DX10 thingies, of course). The game's artwork and graphics are nothing less than absolutely breath-taking and they made good use of all the bells and whistles the Unreal 3.0 engine offers (even bloom looks good in the game as Irrational used it in a sane way). Can't say much from a gameplay point of view which already hasn't been mentioned in this thread: It seems incredibly linear, the movement is a bit slow compared to HL2, weapons feel good but the shock / gaspipe pliers combo seems overpowered against the enemies in the demo. The atmosphere is good but not as nail-biting as in System Shock 2.

 

[Vault Dweller]

My specs:

Pentium D processor 930, Dual Core, 3GHz, 800FSB
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM, 533MHz
nVidia GeForce 6800, 256 MB

Runs perfectly. I didn't even have to upgrade the video drivers.

 

[Dark Matter]

I got the game today, and I've just entered the 'surgery' section of the game(still pretty early).

And I have to say, it's pretty damn amazing so far(coming from someone who was thouroughly disappointed with the demo). Once you get past the demo area, the level design is excellent and pretty non-linear(and don't worry, no more doors locking behind you, you're free to backtrack if you wish). As VD mentioned, it would've been great if it had the RPG elements of SS2, but nevertheless, based on what little I've played, I still think it's one of the best shooters in a long while.

Even those who didn't like the demo should still think about giving the game a chance. It still feels like a worthy successor to SS2(but definitely not as good), even though there's a lot more focus on action and the game has little to no RPG elements.

I'll post more impressions as I get further in the game.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Oh noes, VD has contracted the 'HYPE' virus!1111!!

Anyway, I'm glad to hear it's a great game. I'm still bummed it's not the *shock game the part of me in denial hoped for, but it sounds like a good step for the FPS genre.

I was skeptical when I started playing, but I was "sold" on the concept very quickly. The choice between killing the girls and saving them is a nice touch, especially since you get half as much ADAM (and thus half as much bio improvements) for saving them. I was hinted at the reward for saving them, but I have no idea what it might be yet.

The saving part is not "oh, noes, killing is wrong, saving is good" crap. The guy who's guiding you via the radio tells you that the girls are monsters and only look like girls and that you should get as much ADAM as you can otherwise you will not make it. The crazy scientist woman who created the girls wants to keep them alive. She's the one who promised me the reward.

 

[abstract]

Now witness the amazing turnaround where everyone says that they always thouth Bioshock was a good game, just not an rpg.

 

[User was nabbed fit]

Is it out on PC yet, or is it just the demo?

 

[Sovard]

I think the best question to ask is, "Were the scores justified?"

I'd have to say no.

It's a great game, but 99% of the suspense is illusory. Things banging on windows never break through, water flooding in never rises, etc. For that alone, it doesn't justify the scores.

However, the diaries and story are interesting. You have a choice to just play the most recent, or to go back and read through/re-listen to them as well. A much deeper side of the story is shown by the diaries as opposed to just slogging through the main objectives.

Also, the demo does not accurately convey the finished product. The use of plasmids and gene-tonics are not properly represented. The combat with more advanced splicers/big daddies is non-existant in the demo. The weapon upgrade/invention/character building (though shallow) are not there as well. The items and pacing are much improved over the demo as well.

I would have preferred more of an introduction with the demo. It would have been nice to play as a resident when the war erupts, try and hole up somewhere, and get overrun. Then go on in the main game to find that location. It just would have improved the demo immensely.

 

[Jasede]

Oh noes, VD has contracted the 'HYPE' virus!1111!!

Anyway, I'm glad to hear it's a great game. I'm still bummed it's not the *shock game the part of me in denial hoped for, but it sounds like a good step for the FPS genre.

I was skeptical when I started playing, but I was "sold" on the concept very quickly. The choice between killing the girls and saving them is a nice touch, especially since you get half as much ADAM (and thus half as much bio improvements) for saving them. I was hinted at the reward for saving them, but I have no idea what it might be yet.

The saving part is not "oh, noes, killing is wrong, saving is good" crap. The guy who's guiding you via the radio tells you that the girls are monsters and only look like girls and that you should get as much ADAM as you can otherwise you will not make it. The crazy scientist woman who created the girls wants to keep them alive. She's the one who promised me the reward.

Were you ever afraid?
Is the atmosphere rich? Thick? (You know what I mean, damnit.)
Even if it's not SS2, are the logs nicely written/acted?
Is the architecture good? How about art design?

 

[obediah]

Now witness the amazing turnaround where everyone says that they always thouth Bioshock was a good game, just not an rpg.

Considering that we've known that it was not an RPG for almost 2 years (3 years depending on your standards for the term), and that the game was released yesterday (and the demo wasn't very informative), now would be the logical time for people to say "it's not an RPG, but it is a good game".

 

[msoltyspl]

I have mixed feelings about the game. So far only [tried to] try the demo. Unfortunately allowing people to *freely* rebind keyboard in mid 2007 seems to be a challenge for game developers. going through almost 100kb defuser.ini is not a pretty thing either. Too bad I don't use wasd ....

Then the game itself - surely pretty, but then again - no inventory, no lean, no walk, too ridiculous "death system", linearity, dumbified consolish interface ....

I expected spiritual successor of SS1 - a game that imo, connected fps with outstanding story and required quite a bit of something else than beeing minimally capable fps gamer, w/o forcibly rpgizing everything (like SS2 sadly did, althoguh I liked that one a lot too). A true gem imo.

What Bioshock delivered is - basing on a bit of my demo time - dumb fps console port. I might review my opinion when I play more. Or more accurately - If I bother.

But nevermind the game itself - what is totally astonishing is the 2 activation limit. It got clarified later that if you uninstall the game first (too bad it wasn't in manual) it won't need reactivation. Too bad if your hd crashes, system crashes for good, simply don't do it (it's so logical and natural to uninstall apps before full system wipe after all :/), or securom goes out of business in next 2 years, or any other reason. Also, the same extra "protection" is apparently present in steam version as well (which is beyond retarded). Funny thing is, 2k and securom are already playing table tennis with unlucky customers.

I can't believe there're adults in XXI century that invent things like that, unable to forsee problems it would/could create, and then actually put it live. And then they say it's to fight piracy.

Why can't they follow fine examples of respecting customers, like i.e. in Galactic Civilizations case ? No "protection" junk, no limits. Just a simple serial. And lo and behold - imagine it sold great. And there're were even people that never played this type of games, and bought the game out of the sheer support for this move. Incredible what a bit of respect to paying customers can bring, or is it really ?

I just can't believe take2k doesn't see that in reality, they just beg for their game to be pirated at all cost.

PS.

I think that marketing hype of bioshock beat that of oblivion.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Now witness the amazing turnaround where everyone says that they always thouth Bioshock was a good game, just not an rpg.

How many people said that it's not a good game?

Is it out on PC yet, or is it just the demo?

It's out in North America.

I think the best question to ask is, "Were the scores justified?"

Well, it IS one of the best shooters in the last 10 years.

 

[obediah]

I think that marketing hype of bioshock beat that of oblivion.

:shock:

"beat" as in it was more severe?

I don't follow. Unless I've missed a great many somethings, Bioshock received about as much press over the past year as Oblivion did in any given week. I spend a lot more time following RPGs than FPSs, so this is certainly likely, but someone else is going to have to corroborate this for you.

And what marketing I have seen for bioshock seemed reasonably honest.

 

[User was nabbed fit]

Yeah, that was bullshit.

I first heard of Bioshock about a week or two ago. I'm not the first person to know about games, but I don't live under a rock either... plus I'm an FPS/shooter fan.

 

[Dark Matter]

I know the questions weren't for me, but still, here's what I think:

Were you ever afraid? Not really, but part of the reason is that I've been playing on the 360 in broad daylight sitting on the couch several meters away. If I were to play the game on the PC with headphones and maybe at nighttime, there's a good chance I might get scared in a few instances. Still, the game definitely has some spooky moments. Definitely not as creepy as SS2 though.
Is the atmosphere rich? Thick? (You know what I mean, damnit.) Sure.
Even if it's not SS2, are the logs nicely written/acted? Yep, I thought the voice acting was excellent throughout.
Is the architecture good? How about art design? I loved it.

 

[Dark Matter]

I expected spiritual successor of SS1 - a game that imo, connected fps with outstanding story and required quite a bit of something else than beeing minimally capable fps gamer, w/o forcibly rpgizing everything (like SS2 sadly did, althoguh I liked that one a lot too). A true gem imo.

That sounds like Bioshock to me(I'm not entirely sure about the story, but apparently it's really good according to all the reviews, and I myself thought the premise is pretty interesting).

 

[Pegultagol]

The activation problem sits squarely at 2K and Securom, no? The game itself was developed by 2K Boston (Irrational) and Australia, which probably did not have any input on the publishing side of things.

In Europe, it is to be released on August 24th.

Could someone comment on the apparent level scaling in the game a la Oblivion? Is it noticeable during the course of the game that compromises gameplay, or does it scale well with the increasing power of weapons or plasmids? I've also heard that there are warnings that you need to have a specific amount of ADAM before moving past some points in the game, as if you need to grind for levels in RPGs. Is this also true?

 

[Oarfish]

The activation problem sits squarely at 2K and Securom, no?

Yeah, its almost always publishers who decide on the protection used. Possibly why they are so often easily cracked, as to get the best effect you need to use the protection from many points in the code. Exactly the kind of thing that gets a half assed effort when the project is already over budget.

In Europe, it is to be released on August 24th.

And I'm seriously looking forward to it.

 

[Nicolai]

AVG (free version, been planning to jump over to Nod32 or Kaspersky for a while, but I never seem to get beyond the planning stage since, hey, actually going through with it would be a lot of work) thought that there was a trojan (horrible creatures) in the demo's setup file, so now I'm grabbing the full game instead* (less work than breaking the setup file out of AVG's Virus Vault and all that jazz). Not quite at the speed of light, but I'm getting there. Will report back with screenshots if I run into any furries.


*No cracks yet, though, guess we'll have to wait for the scene to catch up.

 

[obediah]

The activation problem sits squarely at 2K and Securom, no? The game itself was developed by 2K Boston (Irrational) and Australia, which probably did not have any input on the publishing side of things.

Why give the developer a pass for this? If they care about the people that play their games, they could have made this a stipulation of their contract with 2K.

You also shouldn't let the consumers that don't return their game because of this off the hook. Accepting this ensures that the next thing will be even worse.

In fact, if PC gaming is important to you, you should go buy a copy just so you can return it and give the activation limit as the reason. That's the only way to make your stand clear.

By the time I have a video card that can run this game, it will be part of a 50 game collection on Pink-Ray, so I'm not going to do anything except bitch from my dark little corner of the internet.

 

[Zomg]

Even if the copy protection only lasts a week before it's cracked, that's still a big win in the blockbusterized video game market. A majority of the profit is made in the first few days, as crazy as that sounds. That was in those old Costikyan articles in The Escapist. All they care about is that initial period where they're reaping the hype frenzy they've bought with marketing, and after that they expect you to go find a crack to get around anything too restrictive.

 

[cardtrick]

AVG (free version, been planning to jump over to Nod32 or Kaspersky for a while, but I never seem to get beyond the planning stage since, hey, actually going through with it would be a lot of work) thought that there was a trojan (horrible creatures) in the demo's setup file, so now I'm grabbing the full game instead* (less work than breaking the setup file out of AVG's Virus Vault and all that jazz). Not quite at the speed of light, but I'm getting there. Will report back with screenshots if I run into any furries.


*No cracks yet, though, guess we'll have to wait for the scene to catch up.

Was that with a normally downloaded demo, or a torrented demo? I had the same problem with a demo that I torrented from Demonoid. I went for the torrent since it seemed like it was going to be a hell of a lot faster (450Kb/s rather than 25), but I'm hesitant to install it with a possible virus. I don't trust torrents . . . But if yours was the normally downloaded version, I would feel better knowing that it's a general problem.

 

[Nicolai]

AVG (free version, been planning to jump over to Nod32 or Kaspersky for a while, but I never seem to get beyond the planning stage since, hey, actually going through with it would be a lot of work) thought that there was a trojan (horrible creatures) in the demo's setup file, so now I'm grabbing the full game instead* (less work than breaking the setup file out of AVG's Virus Vault and all that jazz). Not quite at the speed of light, but I'm getting there. Will report back with screenshots if I run into any furries.


*No cracks yet, though, guess we'll have to wait for the scene to catch up.

Was that with a normally downloaded demo, or a torrented demo? I had the same problem with a demo that I torrented from Demonoid. I went for the torrent since it seemed like it was going to be a hell of a lot faster (450Kb/s rather than 25), but I'm hesitant to install it with a possible virus. I don't trust torrents . . . But if yours was the normally downloaded version, I would feel better knowing that it's a general problem.

Definitely a false alert. I got the demo off gameupdates.org. No one else reported any trojan trouble in the comment field, and judging by the checksums I found online, the file was the real deal. A quick googling turned up a few threads on the issue as well, every single one of which confirmed my suspicions; I had a false positive on my hands. :the plot thickens: