Amusing review compares Bioshock to SS2

[6750a86345518ikiceman]

Tags: °video °SS2 °BSKAn amusing review of Bioshock by Zero Punctuation from Escapist Magazine can be found here:


The review puts a lot of focus on the similarities and differences between Bioshock and System Shock 2.  If you've beaten  SS2 a few times, I think you will especially enjoy the review.

[6750a86345833Kolya]

Video doesn't play for me. 

[6750a86345967ikiceman]

That's really odd.  I think the video is flash based, so if you can view videos on Youtube, you should be able to watch it. 

[6750a86345a6ajohnnythewolf]

Wow... that video summarizes my own opinion on Bioshock! Good thing it's funny and creative though...

[6750a86345c44ikiceman]

Mine too.  I wish I could hear Ken Levine's reaction to the review.  In a lot of his interviews he talks about how he wanted to make BioShock really accessible.  Also, a lot of the interviews mention how the Irrational PR people went to great lengths to emphasize that BioShock is an FPS, not a FPS-RPG hybrid.  In one interview, Levine mentions that a publisher turned down BioShock because they thought it would be just another FPS that only sells 250,000 copies.  A great and complex game, but one that doesn't appeal to a wide enough audience and doesn't turn a large enough profit.  I think Irrational and 2k were pretty scared that the game wouldn't sell enough units, so they made it more accessible (dumbed it down) and made sure everybody knew it was an FPS. 

Like the video review, I think the game is kind of shallow, but it's still a great game.  If anything, I hope it turns more casual/console gamers onto more complex games like SS2 and Deus Ex.  Maybe then we will see a true successor to SS2.
 

[6750a8634621djohnnythewolf]

Mine too.  I wish I could hear Ken Levine's reaction to the review.  In a lot of his interviews he talks about how he wanted to make BioShock really accessible.  Also, a lot of the interviews mention how the Irrational PR people went to great lengths to emphasize that BioShock is an FPS, not a FPS-RPG hybrid.  In one interview, Levine mentions that a publisher turned down BioShock because they thought it would be just another FPS that only sells 250,000 copies.  A great and complex game, but one that doesn't appeal to a wide enough audience and doesn't turn a large enough profit.  I think Irrational and 2k were pretty scared that the game wouldn't sell enough units, so they made it more accessible (dumbed it down) and made sure everybody knew it was an FPS. 

Like the video review, I think the game is kind of shallow, but it's still a great game.  If anything, I hope it turns more casual/console gamers onto more complex games like SS2 and Deus Ex.  Maybe then we will see a true successor to SS2.

Yeah, as I said on another forum, Irrational should use Bioshock as inspiration for a much more complex and open-ended game, like a mix between STALKER's A-life system, Bioshock's setting and System Shock 1&2 gameplay mechanics (although uprgraded of course).

But I must say that the legacy of BS is a bit scary. I mean, the game was dumbed down but still managed to be an overwhelming success. So, if EA decides to green-light SS3, I fear they'll try to follow BS's path... in other words: multiconsole release, linear gameplay and dumbed down gameplay.

Funny though that Levine once said that he refused to make SS3 for EA because "it would have been a scripted linear shooter with an endboss" or something like that. If you think about it, it's a bit what they did in the end...

[6750a86346348Lambda 00]

Favorite Line:
"Funny, I didn't know boiled water could make allegiances."

[6750a86346458Konstantin]

I enjoyed the video comparison and it sums up quite well the way I felt about the game.

Konstantin.

[6750a86346653AL429]

That Escapist, Zero Punctuation review huh.......saw it weeks ago and I whole heartily agree with Mr. Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw about BioShock.......and the funny thing is that I haven't even play BioShock yet either.  I'll need a video card upgrade to play those newer "super hi-graphics" games now a days.

Anyhow, the direct link to those Zero Punctuation video game reviews can be found here (the BioShock review is on page 2) on the main Escapist web site.  Check out the other Zero Punctuation video reviews especially the ones for Call of Duty 4, Mass Effect, and Halo 3.

While there be sure to also check out some of the other features and articles as well.

[6750a86346822ZylonBane]

"whole heartily"?

Wow.