Okay, here's what I posted in the other BioShock Demo thread. Someone directed me over this way, suggesting I should post it here, too -- I didn't see this one. It's just a few quick initial impressions, before I fall asleep.
I quoted my earlier post, too, one I had submitted before playing.
Doodlebug said:
Here I go. A person who did not "Believe." enters the world of Rapture...
Okay, I've ran through the demo fairly briefly. I'm finding it a little hard to focus right now as I'm so deprived of sleep. I will play it through again once I'm rested.
What I will say: WOW. Holy freakin' crap. Absolutely NOTHING I have seen has done this game any justice in the visual department. It looks INCREDIBLE.
The part at the very beginning, after he reaches the surface of the water? I waited like 5 minutes, thinking, "Okay, when the hell is he going to do something," not realizing that it was in-game and that I had to move. :lol
It runs very smoothly. It's definitely locked at only 30 FPS? I just did a Google search to see what I could find: someone, somewhere said 30. *shrug* Anyway, looks better than anything I've seen to date. All animations also seem pretty darn flawless.
The audio is also fantastic. Combined with the visuals and execution of certain scenarios, it's suprisingly spooky. I was honestly feeling scared during some of the earlier parts -- something I've not felt with a video game since...I can't remember.
Gameplay is far more engaging that I thought it could be. Great controls, first of all, give it a very comfortable, easy-to-approach feel. This leaves the player capable of focusing more on using the weapons and abilities available. Something which is also executed well. Combat is rather satisfying. I will say no more.
Lastly, I'm very intrigued by the subtle hints at what seems to be a very deep, dark storyline that I just have to explore further. GAF, I am sold. BiOMGShock sales +1.
You know, it's almost a shame that this game is being given the form of a first person "shooter". Not the perspective in itself, but the format has [unjustly] come to be viewed as so limited and specialized, and this clearly goes beyond that. Hopefully people can see past the perspective and whatever preconceived notions there are about what does or does not go into this format.
I didn't get to play through it all yet, but two things;
1) Download speed maxed my 15mbit connection. After all the complaining here, and me being over an hour late to the party, I figured I wouldn't be playing until tomorrow.
2) Wow - that intro in the water with the fire; AWESOME.
I only got to kill a few baddies before being pulled away, but I'll definitely be playing this in the theater room at work tomorrow.
Wow. The immersion and realism is apparent more so than any other game I've played. The graphics are easily the best I've seen in a shooter, period. The atmosphere. It's hard to describe, but its incredible. All the things that you've heard the developers say about it are true. No hype. No PR bullshit. It's all true.
But the water in the opening sequence (and the opening sequence itself for that matter) has to be one the most impressive things I've seen an FPS. And then there's the fire! It's very cinematic, even though you can turn away from the action, you can't escape from witnessing its cinematic presence.
There is a segment where you come upon a grieving mother, and you know she's there to kill you, but she isn't attacking. And you really feel emotionally responsible for your actions. There's a twist to this encounter. I hope you're surprised!
The menu system is very easy. I was worried about this game being overly complex due to the amount of things you can do, but its so simple and fun to use (unless you've never played a game before :-/). The plasmids don't make the game easier. It's going to be challenging no matter what you're equipped with. I used the the elctro bolt quite a bit. Its excellent for surprising enemies in a pool of water.
The melee combat feels a little bit like Condemned, but not quite as visceral. Not quite as hard either, which based on the numbers of enemies you encounter is a good thing. It fits the gameplay very well, and you'll probably rely on it quite a bit to conserve ammo.
Hacking security bots is one thing I could not grasp, but for $10 you can have it automatically done. I had two of them following me, and I probably would've died if I hadn't.
Overall, I've got to say, I'm impressed with the demo. It's probably the most well thought out demo I've played in ages. It can be very short depending on how you approach it. I looked around and found items and power ups just to look around.
2. Microsoft really need to assess the gold/silver tier structure. What do we pay for with gold now? Times like this they should insist on a staggered gold-->silver release.
Because while Microsoft may be getting away with murder on the pricing structure for microtransactions, basically telling people that they have to pay for content that is free might be a BIT over the line.
I just went through the demo for the first time and all I can say is WOW GOTY confirmed.
The graphics are absolutely mindbendingly gorgeous and the atmosphere.. god damn not even the videos do this game justice you really need to play it to fully get it. I spent a lot of time just looking at the surroundings, just checking out the posters and billboards while listening to the music. The gameplay didn't dissapoint either, in fact I was pleasantly suprised at how damn smooth it controlls. I am so glad I pre ordered the Collectors edition, August 24th can't come soon enough..
I loved the intro, when I came up through the water I was waiting for something to happen only to realize that I should be playing.. amazing.
I also loved that you could hear that the water was cold by the characters breathing, such a great attention to detail in this game.
Wow. The immersion and realism is apparent more so than any other game I've played. The graphics are easily the best I've seen in a shooter, period. The atmosphere. It's hard to describe, but its incredible. All the things that you've heard the developers say about it are true. No hype. No PR bullshit. It's all true.
But the water in the opening sequence (and the opening sequence itself for that matter) has to be one the most impressive things I've seen an FPS. And then there's the fire! It's very cinematic, even though you can turn away from the action, you can't escape from witnessing its cinematic presence.
There is a segment where you come upon a grieving mother, and you know she's there to kill you, but she isn't attacking. And you really feel emotionally responsible for your actions. There's a twist to this encounter. I hope you're surprised!
The menu system is very easy. I was worried about this game being overly complex due to the amount of things you can do, but its so simple and fun to use (unless you've never played a game before :-/). The plasmids don't make the game easier. It's going to be challenging no matter what you're equipped with. I used the the elctro bolt quite a bit. Its excellent for surprising enemies in a pool of water.
The melee combat feels a little bit like Condemned, but not quite as visceral. Not quite as hard either, which based on the numbers of enemies you encounter is a good thing. It fits the gameplay very well, and you'll probably rely on it quite a bit to conserve ammo.
Hacking security bots is one thing I could not grasp, but for $10 you can have it automatically done. I had two of them following me, and I probably would've died if I hadn't.
Overall, I've got to say, I'm impressed with the demo. It's probably the most well thought out demo I've played in ages. It can be very short depending on how you approach it. I looked around and found items and power ups just to look around.
Hacking is quite easy. Just open 'er up and open all the panels, swaping out the bits accordingly. Once you've made a path for the electricity/whatever tap Y to instantly activate it.
i wasn't really interested in this game but from the screens that were posted it looks really atmospheric and beautiful. really different from the usual fps, and i'm glad that the reviews have all been good. looks like this game will be talked about for a long time.
Ok, so the demo is the greatest thing since sliced bread and all.
But I'll say one aspect where I wasn't blown away: Water.
The opening scene with the plane has like the best water ever, I was going "damn, this is what those 2 guys were doing all that time". But then in the actual game...I dunno, it's good, but the water just seems like water in any other AAA game. I was expecting to be completely blown away at each leak or puddle with realistic volumetric looking water that had never been seen before in any game, but the demo sections didn't do that for me.
The water isn't doing anything that hasn't been done in a game before. It just looks insanely good.
I really expected it to have volume and fill up over time. But that's just for scripted events, apparently.
A puddle stays the same size no matter how long you watch a leak in the wall spray onto it.
Also, I'm baffled at the step backward games have taken in terms of making water interactive. Before we had BDGA and UT2k4, where water would ripple in response to objects moving through it. But now we get the flat bitmap "splash" graphic on top of the beautiful- but immutable pixel shaders.
Awesome. The demo was pretty much on-rails, but it felt so good. It plays great, and it looks great. And I hope I was the only one who played the piano the difficulty selection screen for like a minute or two.
I was always a fan of retro American style and the fact the Lavine and his team chose classic american culture as an art style is a A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ in my book
Hacking is quite easy. Just open 'er up and open all the panels, swaping out the bits accordingly. Once you've made a path for the electricity/whatever tap Y to instantly activate it.
Before I pass out from exhaustion, the most important think I can say about Bioshock is that you don't know how fucking good this game looks until you play it.
Videos are doing their best, but just can't manage to do it justice.
A very creepy and atmospheric game. I thought the part in the beginning was a cutscene and sat there for a minute trying to figure what the hell was going on. And then I died and couldn't figure my way out of one of the spawning chambers so I shut it off.
I wish you had more "mana" in the demo. Inferno + lightning is a fun combo.
Paralyzing the enemy while seeing him burning and screaming to death is really enjoyable.
There's so much food and and so many Eve capsules, I never really had a problem... until that large skirmish at the end. I went through all my medkits and capsules and then died due to tryng to blaze through like a total bonehead.
I guess I will post what I posted in that other thread.
About the water yes. When I first started the game, I was watching the intro...then I thought the intro would continue...and I just stared...waiting for the rest of the intro...but then realized it was time to play. thats how good the graphics are....I still thought it was part of the cutscene or something.
Also, about hacking.....hacking in this game OWNS. its so sweet.
but wow, this demo has Blown me away. I was gonna buy this game anyway, but now I am gonna preorder. (the last game I preordered ever was halo 2) Usually I don't preorder games cause I am patient and don't mind getting a game a few days or a week or two or even months later depending on the game...But this..I need asap.
I can also see this game lasting quite a long time, even tho it is a FPS...its not a fps you can just burn and fly through. I found myself moving through this very slowly...looking around at everything and being careful with every step.
Graphics, are just unbelievable...in fact everything about this demo is amazing so far. This will probably be my GOTY. I haven't been this blown away this gen since when I first played Gears of War.
Gears of War and Bioshock = epitome of Next Gen gaming.
I don't know how Halo 3 will be able to top Bioshock this year.
My only complaint is it has a bit of the Doom3 effect where it almost feels too intimidating. The enemies pack a punch and the game throws a lot of them at you at once. The atmosphere is so oppressive, ammo is scarce, and the "Splicers" will fucking kill you. I didn't die once in the demo, but i always felt like i was about to die. That can get a little tedious over time. We'll see how its paced in the final game.
Other than that, Garnett wasn't kidding, this is sick.
My only complaint is it has a bit of the Doom3 effect where it almost feels too intimidating. The enemies pack a punch and the game throws a lot of them at you at once. The atmosphere is so oppressive, ammo is scarce, and the "Splicers" will fucking kill you. I didn't die once in the demo, but i always felt like i was about to die. That can get a little tedious over time. We'll see how its paced in the final game.
Other than that, Garnett wasn't kidding, this is sick.
You can't play the game like a typical shooter. The rooms across the demo and in the previews I've watched basically seem to make the combat boil down into puzzles, taking advantage of proper plasmids, hacking and things in the general environment
You can't play the game like a typical shooter. The rooms across the demo and in the previews I've watched basically seem to make the combat boil down into puzzles, taking advantage of proper plasmids, hacking and things in the general environment
My only complaint is it has a bit of the Doom3 effect where it almost feels too intimidating. The enemies pack a punch and the game throws a lot of them at you at once. The atmosphere is so oppressive, ammo is scarce, and the "Splicers" will fucking kill you. I didn't die once in the demo, but i always felt like i was about to die. That can get a little tedious over time. We'll see how its paced in the final game.
Other than that, Garnett wasn't kidding, this is sick.
You can't play the game like a typical shooter. The rooms across the demo and in the previews I've watched basically seem to make the combat boil down into puzzles, taking advantage of proper plasmids, hacking and things in the general environment
Ok I've been skeptical ever since I saw the first few screens of this game, but from what I've seen of the demo I'm truly blown away. Irrational Games haven't created simple game visuals, they've created atmosphere, a sense of weight and a true living breathing world. Everything is so meticulously crafted with the utmost attention to detail that it seriously blows my mind. I also though the graphics merely looked "good" in trailers, in person it is the most stunning piece of work period. Sure stuff like Crysis push more polys, and have more destructibility and buzz words going for it. But I have never played a game that has made me feel like I'm part of a world, not a game world mind you, I get a feeling of being part of something that is so genuine in it's representation that it truly feels real. This is the type of realism I feel from really great movies that strive to create an amazingly realized universe, and up until this point I've never had a game approach that feeling. I'm truly flabergasted.
I also want to go back in time and punch myself in the face for ever saying that I would rent this game and not purchase this.
One more thing, did anyone else think that the part at the beginning of the game where the main character was in the water with the fire around him was CG at first? I was like "when is this cutscene going to get going..." and then I moved the analogue stick and went :O :O :O".
Now back to more Bioshock goodness. I now BELIEVE in the power of this game, it will be GOTY, there is no doubt in my mind.
One more thing, did anyone else think that the part at the beginning of the game where the main character was in the water with the fire around him was CG at first? I was like "when is this cutscene going to get going..." and then I moved the analogue stick and went :O :O :O".
One more thing, did anyone else think that the part at the beginning of the game where the main character was in the water with the fire around him was CG at first? I was like "when is this cutscene going to get going..." and then I moved the analogue stick and went :O :O :O".
I hacked the bot in the bathroom and camped like a motherfucker. If any made it further than that I'd shoot them in the head as they passed me. I don't know how else you could have survived.
I stood outside the bathroom and lured the enemies toward a corner of the larger room. As soon as the 1st enemy would I arrive I would incinerate him or her. That would cause the 1st person to run back to the water setting the 2nd and 3rd guy on fire along the way. After they jumped in the pool of water I electrobolted them. Kentucky fried splicer.
I'll try and add some impressions that people haven't mentioned yet (though I ado agree with a lot of it):
-The omnipresence of the environements and game world are really tangible. There's an amazing sense of feeling like you're underwater, and you can "feel" the crushing pressure all around you. When you get your first glimpse of Rapture from the bathysphere, you will be too stunned to say "wow". It's amazing. Another part of this environmental presence is the ambient music/noise, which brings me to my next point...
-The sound is excellent. I have the game hooked up via a 4.1 system, and it sounds fantastic. The drips, the creak of steel, the scratchy music over the radio. Some truly excellent sound design; this game reminds me a lot of Condemned, and the sound is one of the reasons. You can hear the splicers talking and grunting as they wander around, and it's really unnerving.
-There's a lot of small little touches that add to everything (for example, try drinking several alcoholic beverages quickly in a row). Some of the textures are truly incredible.
The demo shows you just enough to make you want more; I already have the CE preordered, but I would definitely recommend checking out this demo if you're on the fence or have not really followed any info.
I will also echo the unimpressiveness of the water. I was expecting more given all the hype it got; it still looks damn good, though, especially looking out the windows of Rapture into the ocean.
All in all, the game has a really great feel to it. It's not exactly scary or creepy, just kind of ominous. So awesome.
EDIT- The splicer assault at the end, my strategy was pretty simple: I hacked two security bots, so I had them both following me. Once the splicers came, the bots would chase them, and they would run away behind some of the pillars, which gave me time to pick them off with my pistol.
I hacked the bot in the bathroom and camped like a motherfucker. If any made it further than that I'd shoot them in the head as they passed me. I don't know how else you could have survived.
