» Profile
» Inbox
» Updates
» My People
» My Games
» Comments

» Follow GR on Twitter

» More Modern Warfare 2!

» Gallery of hotness
» Sexy Fan Art
» Sexy Cosplay
» Sexiest Game Gurus

Uncharted 2

Halo 3: ODST

Brutal Legend

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Fallout 3

Pokémon

Grand Theft Auto IV

BioShock

RSS

BioShock 2: GamesRadar reader response

We ranted, you replied. Now the discussion continues

Words: David Houghton, GamesRadar UK

56 Comments

Email this article

Bookmark

Bookmark this Article

Bossco says: I desperatley want BioShock 2 to be as good and as inventive as the original but I know it wont be. I will still buy it though as it will probably be a decent shooter.

I say: You see this is the thing. Despite my steadfast anti-BioShock 2 stance right now, I don’t actually think it’ll be a genuinely bad game. But even ignoring the creative impact BioShock made, do we really need just another decent shooter?

Gotxxrock says: I worry the lack of Andrew Ryan will make BioShock lose its cool "Atlas Shrugged Underwater" theme. I loved the ideas that the backstory took from Ayn Rand's masterpiece, and to see that possibly erode from the game is just scary.

crabbo says: It truly is sad, that we live in a world where, money is our highest priority. We throw away our integrity, and uniqueness in the pursuit. BioShock 2 has some interesting concepts, but overall it seems like nothing more than a "cash in" on the franchise kind of deal.

I'm intrigued by some of the concepts, but I'm absolutely loathing the results.

TheHonorableReverendHobo says: The thing that makes me the most angry is the incredibly stupid "Big Sister".

Big Daddies were BIG for a reason. They were faceless killing machines that made you tremble at the prospect of killing one. And the fact that they were docile until you attacked them, thus releasing an unstoppable force, made you think twice. Like charging a tank that doesn't see you with a pop-gun.

Making a female Big "Daddy" that's capable of jumping around like a long jumper on crack soils the whole feeling. Fighting a small, agile, yet strong enemy isn't frightening, it's irritating. just look at Wesker from RE5.

I say: You read my mind. Aside from the horribly twee “subversion” of the Big Daddy concept in the BS, I just can’t see her having the same dramatic impact. Not only was every Big Daddy fight loaded with the knowledge that any beating you took was your own damn fault, but there was a massive, Shadow of the Colossus-style, sense of guilt to be had by attacking those mournful, lumbering protectors.

Ravenbom says: The one thing you didn't mention that really infuriates me is the multiplayer addition. BioShock, more than a lot of series, was a really complete single player experience, and doesn't benefit from multiplayer.

Just like Shadow of the Colossus didn't need a multiplayer deathmatch of horseback archery to make it a more complete package. It already was a complete, fulfilling experience that didn't need to have a diluted multiplayer tacked on.

The other point is: There is ONE better sequel to Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3, which is more than just mechanical repetition of Secret of Mana.

I say: The current obsession with adapting everything to multiplayer is a pet peev of mine too. I love a good online session as much as anyone, but some experiences just don’t suit it. But I’m not everyone. How many of you guys did think that the first game was missing a bit of online action?

By the way, I tried Seiken Densetsu 3 a few years ago. It was really well made, and one of the most gorgeous-looking and sounding games on the SNES, but something about it just didn’t grab me the same way Densetsu 2 did. I might give it another go soon though, now that you’ve re-recommended it.

NipplesTheSuperHippo says: I just read on giant bomb that multiplayer has been announced, that might make or break Bioshock 2. Oh well, still too early to tell ;)

I say: So what do you all think of the multiplayer, now that the actual details have been announced?

timp123 says: This article was obviously done to generate controversy. I really don't think David agrees with what he is saying.

I say: I can totally understand why you might suspect that, but the fact is that I honestly am 100% genuine with every sentiment on this one. Just ask Matt and Justin. They’ve had to put up with my indignant wailing over Bioshock 2 for months now. Their ears bleed sometimes.

BigBossOSE says:
2K: Mr. Houghton?
H: Yes, your honor?
2K: That is a lucid, intelligent, well thought out objection.
H: Thank you, your honor.
2K: Overruled.

TRAVthe3RD says: I was excited about a sequel. Now im dead inside.

GoldenMe says: Oh you brits. Always wanting to argue.

I say: No we’re not.

throughironsights says: Is it just me or do all game critics from the UK love to be pessimist assholes?

I say: It’s just you. We don’t love anything.

Why BioShock 2 is a TERRIBLE IDEA
One Rapture-loving Radar editor hates the sequel already

The Evolution of BioShock
From slugs to Little Sisters. From elephants to Big Daddies. Witness the creation of the weirdest game ever

100 Most Anticipated Games of 2009
We pick the hottest new titles we want most this year

56 Comments

Order Comments: Newest First | Oldest First

Doorstop - 6 months 18 days ago

Hmm, maybe I should play Bioshock....

Report

pimlicosound - 6 months 18 days ago

David, any chance you can get someone from 2K Marin to respond to the fears generally shared by us gamers? I'd like to know if they have secrets up their sleeves that will help BS2 rise above our preconceptions.

Report

Gene - 6 months 18 days ago

@pimlicosound Agreed.

Honesty, do you guys think that nobody at 2K has thought of these? I'm pretty sure they're trying their damndest to create something to equal or surpass BioShock, and I refuse to make any sort of judgement on the precious little information we've been handed thus far. Do we know much about the story at all? Do we know how Rapture will be (re-)designed? No.

Have patience. I'm positive this game will deliver the goods.

Report

skaface - 6 months 18 days ago

thanks to the editor for such a good feedback, thats what a community is all about. i guess we'll all (the gamers) have to see the finished product itself to do a rating.

Keep up the good work, David Houghton.

Report

skyline19 - 6 months 18 days ago

As soon I saw bioshock 2 announced I was sceptic. This has only made me more sceptical. :(

Damnit!

Great feedback though.

Report

DEC4D3 - 6 months 18 days ago

Sorry I might rant a bit here. =/ and repeat whats already been said..Just a opinion and thought, also its in NO ORDER because I am thinking and writing at the same time =). ALSO THIS BIG POST MIGHT HAVE SOME SPOILERS!

Reading through this really gets me thinking.. And the fact how I agree with most of the Negative points here. I mean playing as a big daddy? That kinda ruins it as someone stated in the article and it should TOTALLY be like a short part of a game (e.g RE4 Ada as mr.David stated). What would of been a more original idea was like some Action Survival game so you scavenge food and eughh water? And if you don't eat you get things like dizzy vision, decreased stamina or something, stay true to the original! (Yes too much Fallout 3 goodness =P). Bioshock was a instant favourite for me, a environment that draws you in and is real is every aspect, the deep story and characters so many things made Bioshock such a great game even today it stuns me with fantastic effects and scripted events, hell even the water was real..ish...kinda..eh....cool? The good blend of FPS action and a LITTLE RPG stuff made Bioshock stand out from the point-and-shoot FPS crowd. Maybe BS2 could of (NO ITS NOT BULL SHIT 2 >=O) had hand to hand combat! And maybe Plasmids could of had negative effects on the player so you have to think ahead!

Playing as a Big daddy isn't a all bad concept with all the drillin and pillagin and the shootin but it was meant to be a Game sequence that lasted what. 2 levels or so? I mean who doesnt miss fearing every corner, looking for shadows, scavenging for items when you hear a sound, all these factors made Bioshock a deep deep gaming experience that lasted from the very start to the end. But then again, why don't we just play as a splicer? Playing as Jack made us unique and kind of a invader to Rapture so while Jack may of been a normal guy you pass everyday on the streets, he was a intruder, a outsider of sorts to Rapture but as the story unfolded Jack started to slowly fit in and play a vital part to the story which was to me, a very very nice touch. How the developers handle Character Development is going to be interesting but at the same time I fear that the characters will be forgettable.

After watching the gameplay trailer just then, I realise how no offense...BLAND Bioshock 2 looks, yes it has the awesome Plasmid powahs but they weren't new and seemed to be slightly boring and how the weapons didnt really seem unique. The drill was my biggest disappointment, NOT.EXCITING.AT.ALL. Four words to describe what I saw...HOWEVER

The big sister does kind of appeal to me, and the plot on how she came to be but I am worried on how she will intervene with Mr.First Big Daddy, scripted or un-scripted random encounters? Also the fact how Little sisters remain virtually unchanged, protecting them while they harvest, which is just really taking one part of Bioshock and just put it all over the place.

Well I have talked alot and I apologize for ranting like some fan boi but my thoughts were begging to be..reaD?

Report

DEC4D3 - 6 months 18 days ago

I apologize for a 2nd post but. The bit where I stated "Why not just play as a splicer?", I meant to say, why did we have to be a Big Daddy? I mean Splicers are a staple mark of Bioshock and are just as important as the Big D aren't they? There were so many possibilities for 2 (Maybe even a Tycoon game!!!.......>.<?) and 2K should of explored them first before production.

Nuff Said from me!

Report

Evernight - 6 months 17 days ago

I think we need to see Bioshock 2 as a seperate game set in the same world. No longer are we a weak man in a new and strange place. We are a tank and a defender of Little Sisters - or are we? Bioshock was a huge ripoff of System Shock 2 so maybe BS2 will be unique and something good on its own.

Report

LoaMcLoa - 6 months 17 days ago

Ok.. I sequal might work.. But arn't they a bit too desperate? I mean: Big sister?.. Geez just call it Wanna-Be Big Daddy.. And the fact that you're playing as a Big Daddy yourself is not so original either :S
And I would like to go to another place than Rapture once again :(
But I think this will be a masterpiece anyway, just like the first one :D

Report

LoaMcLoa - 6 months 17 days ago

(Take away the "I" in the "I sequal might work" comment and put in a "A" instead xD Also I'm aware of that I spelled sequel wrong. I'm abit sleepy ^^)

Report

gamesradar_george1 - 6 months 17 days ago

@pimlicosound, @Gene, in Dave's absence - he's at an Activision event today - we tried to get 2K to comment, but they declined the offer. We'll keep trying as we'd love to know what they think of Dave's opinion.

Report

oryandymackie - 6 months 17 days ago

Finally. I have been recognised by the GR elite. That's all I wanted. My comment is up there!

Report

pimlicosound - 6 months 17 days ago

Thanks, George. That's perhaps even more worrying. The one ray of hope: 2K could only have responded by revealing all the tricks up their sleeves, and they aren't ready to reveal it all yet. But if that is the case, they could at least say so.

Report

garnsr - 6 months 17 days ago

Argument is an intellectual process, it isn't just saying "no it isn't." And lots of games go off in the wrong direction even though the developers start off with an idea they think is good, but just doesn't pan out. Letting them know our thoughts could help them keep it on the right track. And it might turn out like Devil May Cry, good first game, not so good sequel, good prequel for the third.

Report

erreip199 - 6 months 17 days ago

One of the aspects i enjoyed the most about first bioshock was its totally unexpected plot twist, i remember shooting walls in rage and i also do recall the mentioned feeling of doubt to fight when encountering a big daddy ill miss that experience but hopefully new experiences shall be implemented in the sequel

Report

NipplesTheSuperHippo - 6 months 17 days ago

Cool, I got mentioned. Thanks!

Report

Rutter - 6 months 17 days ago

Rant time! But only because i liked Bioshock so much. The story mode beats most films, let alone games. Unlike films it's also interactive- there are multiple endings and you have to make your own choices. You really didn't know if you were making the right choice rescuing all of the little sisters. The whole game is fantastic.... apart from ***SPOILERS*** the last hour, which is just a minor blip. Protecting the little sister, while frantic, was very repetitive and annoying. The 2 endings of the game were pretty poor as well, though they did tie up things nicely. However, BS2 is taking the last hour of BS as its source material. How long before gamers get sick of protecting their little sister ALL THE ****ING TIME? Not long. And how are you supposed to be scared of what lurks in the shadows when you have a massive drill??

I also dont like the fact that you are a "special" big daddy. Why is telenbaum talking to you? Are you suddenly able to think rationally? The only reason i can see this storyline being used is to sell money to kids who want to play as a BIG DADDY. The now feral splicers arent human enough for you to sympasise with them, battles with the big sister are going to be HEAVILY scripted, and the element of fear is now gone.

Bearing in mind that the game is now missing its two most interesting characters, I thought 2K were going to do something entirely new and different, be it a brand new game, prequel, or set many years later, with the city in ruins. But what they are giving us is something none of us actually want- more of the same, minus the story, emotion and originality.

Rant over!

Report

Z-man427 - 6 months 17 days ago

throughironsights says: Is it just me or do all game critics from the UK love to be pessimist assholes?

I say: It’s just you. We don’t love anything

couldn't have said it better

Report

jar-head - 6 months 17 days ago

Houghton Wins. Brit's are not pissy, it's just his opinion, and the concept that he even Wrote about this in this follow up, says so. We actually need more people like David to argue with.

Report

Picnic1 - 6 months 17 days ago

Further to my previous post on the original article, I agree with nearly all of it except perhaps that going in to the sea is necessarily a bad thing. I never thought of the sea as being the ultimate villain, right from the start when I realised that, if I didn't swim to the entrance to Rapture, I wouldn't freeze to death in Atlantic waters or be attacked by a shark (at least, no-one has said that happens if you stay there for a long time).

On the other hand, once in Rapture, there is the appealing metaphor of Rapture being just a couple of cracks away from disaster. But going in to the sea in a protective suit doesn't harm that relationship, just as when someone got in a cage and looked at Jaws didn't harm that film. They won't necessarily concentrate on immediate danger underwater- it can instead allow a moment of quiet contemplation away from the horrors in Rapture, just as the diary rooms did in Resident Evil, with the added extra of having more things to explore- they could keep it very realistic or they could have a wrecked ship and other random debris.

Bioshock apparently takes place 10 years later in 1970- on the one hand it seems a shame that the game shows no significant stylistic changes as happened in the real world in that time- the creation of brutalist architecture for instance seems to mean nothing to a world trapped in an art deco period with 40s/50s music. But on the other hand, this could be looked upon as having deep meaning- despite all of Rapture’s chaos, it is in reality arguably changing much less than the real world was during that time- it is a hermetically sealed bubble. It is an irony, of course, that the comforting sound of such an innocuous songs as ‘Beyond the sea’ are the soundtrack to such brutality.

To try to be near as affecting as the first game, they probably would have had to leave it for a few years, maybe call it something else and try a different setting- I considered the idea of a quasi-Victorian ‘steam punk’ setting. But striking gold is hard enough but they had to laboriously craft it until it was the brilliant game that was Bioshock so I can’t blame them too much for not wanting to abandon that particular mine.

Report

Showing 1-20 of 56 Comments

1 2 3 NEXT »