Bioshock.

[XPCportables]

Did you get the latest Nvidia drivers? They make a world of difference. The game doesn't run perfectly, I get some tolerable lag in certain areas with lots of NPCs, but I am running on a one month fresh reformat as well. Do you have Vsync turned off, I do and I promise that if you don't, that is most likely your problem. If this is an example of how well the unreal 3 engine runs on 6 series cards, my PC might have a little bit more life in it still.

Haha, yeah, the game just had pixalated boxes where the text should go on the menus before I updated my drivers. I haven't tried your vertical sync idea, though; I think I'll go do that now.

And Ben, as for your suggestion, I'm afraid that I too am a stickler for a mouse/keyboard setup as far as FPSs are concerned. That's something I liked about the Dreamcast; a good number of the FPSs for it let you use the mouse and keyboard peripherals to play them. Interestingly, though, I tend to prefer a controller for third person games that handle similar to FPSs, like Lost Planet or Gears of War. Nevertheless, I intend to pick up GoW for the PC this Xmas... It looks like they made some pretty b*tchin' upgrades to it (and I always have a PC controller if I want to use a gamepad that badly).

P. S. - XPC, that GIF in your sig is freaking awesome.

Edit: Holy crap, that v sync thing worked! Thank you, kind sir.

FAIL AND AIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edit by mod: This is an example of what not to post.

What does that even mean?

Always happy to help! oh yeah I get that about my sig a lot

[Neon Knight]

It's System Shock meets Fallout, if not for Halo 3 it would be the game of the year.

[Ben Cebhrem]

Neon, I was saying that to my brother. It really does manage to capture that that 1950's -ish feel almost as well as Fallout does, even in the demo. Anybody notice the Gentleman's bathroom sign, for instance?

[Triton]

more 1940s/art deco-esque from what ive seen, game looks amazing and if i werent saving to buy a car i would get it!

[Jongamer]

My friend played the demo and said he was not impressed at all, he just said it`s alright, and he said it way just like Prey but with the injection thing and the magic stuff.

Yeah I think (until I try the demo for myself) this game was hyped too much and is majorly over-rated, prepare for 2 sequals.

Thats only my opinion at this time, I`ll try the PC demo, but it has a outdated Graphics card. (2 or 3 years old.) but at least its a 2.8Ghz Pentium 4, anything lower than that would melt playing Bioshock.

[Triton]

well if this werent a thread for bioshock i would have assumed that it was a few years ago and your talking about HALO!

[Neon Knight]

Neon, I was saying that to my brother. It really does manage to capture that that 1950's -ish feel almost as well as Fallout does, even in the demo. Anybody notice the Gentleman's bathroom sign, for instance?

Of course, it's the Pip Boy! And if it plays like System Shock it's a 90's PC gamer dream come true. It's kinda funny, since these two were niche games back in the day.

[jones]

My friend played the demo and said he was not impressed at all, he just said it`s alright, and he said it way just like Prey but with the injection thing and the magic stuff.

Yeah I think (until I try the demo for myself) this game was hyped too much and is majorly over-rated, prepare for 2 sequals.

Thats only my opinion at this time, I`ll try the PC demo, but it has a outdated Graphics card. (2 or 3 years old.) but at least its a 2.8Ghz Pentium 4, anything lower than that would melt playing Bioshock.

I've played both BioShock and Prey and would agree that I thought of Prey briefly when I first started playing BioShock. The difference is that BioShock executes all aspects of gameplay exceptionally well, whereas Prey only did a decent job.

The things that make BioShock stand out is its atmosphere as well as the depth of gameplay. I find myself (as I believe Ecksem also mentioned) peeking around corners to make sure nobody is there. There is nothing creepier than hearing the thud of footsteps from a Big Daddy along with its "whale moan" sound signature. The first time I came across one I could hear it, but couldn't figure out where it was so I found myself actually hiding behind a pile of boxes until I figured out where he was and that I was safe for the time being. It is amazing to me just how much these guys creep me out!

As far as the depth of gameplay aspect there are many angles to this. There are the plasmids you inject into your character to give him different abilities that can completely alter how you play the game. There are the choices you get to make during the game... Do you harvest the Little Sisters to maximize the ADAM you receive while compromising your morals, or do you rescue them instead and take on a more heroic tone for your character? The choice is yours. Also, much like Oblivion, you can interact with just about everything in the game. You can search file cabinets, hack into safes, and empty cash registers to name just a very few. You can also hack into the security bots so they work for you, rather than against you. Prey had none of this depth.

Another key element in this game is the story. I find it quite interesting that Roger Ebert still stands up and says that video games are not art when games like BioShock come along with a far more compelling narrative than damn near anything Hollywood is dishing out these days. As I go through the game I find recordings from people who lived in Rapture that enable me to start piecing together the story of what went wrong. I wonder if the guy talking to me over the radio is really such a good guy, or if there is more to him than meets the eye (or ear in this case). I wonder what made the leaders of Rapture take a wrong turn. Was it a God complex, or something less obvious? There are a host of other questions I have, but the point is that I have these questions and I want answers which makes me want to play through this game. This is another area where Prey was lacking. That's why I never finished that game off actually. The story and gameplay just weren't enough to keep me going. If I ever do go back and finish it, it will only be for achievement points. In BioShock's case I am already looking forward to playing through it again even though I am far from finishing it the first time.

I think most of the comparisons to Prey come down to look of the guys hand on the screen to be honest. The way his hand looks and is rendered is very similar to the guy in Prey. I know that sounds stupid, but that's the only thing that made me think of Prey when playing it. My wife said the same when she was watching me play it actually. Otherwise I suppose comparisons could be drawn to the somewhat gory aspects of the storyline, but then you might as well compare it to Condemned or Manhunt as well.

I'm not saying Prey is a bad game, but I think overall the comparisons between it and BioShock are largely superficial. Prey was a decent game with an average story. BioShock is a great game with a fantastic mystery. I think I can honestly say that playing through BioShock will end up being one of those gaming experiences that I will look back on with great fondness, much the same as how I look back on Oblivion and A Link to the Past today.

Hopefully you enjoy the demo when you check it out. Just remember that the demo is a very small taste of what the game offers. There were many things (like the hacking) that I wasn't even aware I could do until I started playing the full game.

Let me tell you that there is nothing in any game in recent memory that has moments that fill me with dread like when I hear the ominous sounds of a Big Daddy approaching.

Awesome stuff!

[jeroen]

Tomorow bioshock day here. I hope I have enough cash. Also found out to late so couldn't pre-order. Hope it isn't sold out.

[Neon Knight]

My friend played the demo and said he was not impressed at all, he just said it`s alright, and he said it way just like Prey but with the injection thing and the magic stuff.

Yeah I think (until I try the demo for myself) this game was hyped too much and is majorly over-rated, prepare for 2 sequals.

Thats only my opinion at this time, I`ll try the PC demo, but it has a outdated Graphics card. (2 or 3 years old.) but at least its a 2.8Ghz Pentium 4, anything lower than that would melt playing Bioshock.

I've played both BioShock and Prey and would agree that I thought of Prey briefly when I first started playing BioShock. The difference is that BioShock executes all aspects of gameplay exceptionally well, whereas Prey only did a decent job.

The things that make BioShock stand out is its atmosphere as well as the depth of gameplay. I find myself (as I believe Ecksem also mentioned) peeking around corners to make sure nobody is there. There is nothing creepier than hearing the thud of footsteps from a Big Daddy along with its "whale moan" sound signature. The first time I came across one I could hear it, but couldn't figure out where it was so I found myself actually hiding behind a pile of boxes until I figured out where he was and that I was safe for the time being. It is amazing to me just how much these guys creep me out!

As far as the depth of gameplay aspect there are many angles to this. There are the plasmids you inject into your character to give him different abilities that can completely alter how you play the game. There are the choices you get to make during the game... Do you harvest the Little Sisters to maximize the ADAM you receive while compromising your morals, or do you rescue them instead and take on a more heroic tone for your character? The choice is yours. Also, much like Oblivion, you can interact with just about everything in the game. You can search file cabinets, hack into safes, and empty cash registers to name just a very few. You can also hack into the security bots so they work for you, rather than against you. Prey had none of this depth.

Another key element in this game is the story. I find it quite interesting that Roger Ebert still stands up and says that video games are not art when games like BioShock come along with a far more compelling narrative than damn near anything Hollywood is dishing out these days. As I go through the game I find recordings from people who lived in Rapture that enable me to start piecing together the story of what went wrong. I wonder if the guy talking to me over the radio is really such a good guy, or if there is more to him than meets the eye (or ear in this case). I wonder what made the leaders of Rapture take a wrong turn. Was it a God complex, or something less obvious? There are a host of other questions I have, but the point is that I have these questions and I want answers which makes me want to play through this game. This is another area where Prey was lacking. That's why I never finished that game off actually. The story and gameplay just weren't enough to keep me going. If I ever do go back and finish it, it will only be for achievement points. In BioShock's case I am already looking forward to playing through it again even though I am far from finishing it the first time.

I think most of the comparisons to Prey come down to look of the guys hand on the screen to be honest. The way his hand looks and is rendered is very similar to the guy in Prey. I know that sounds stupid, but that's the only thing that made me think of Prey when playing it. My wife said the same when she was watching me play it actually. Otherwise I suppose comparisons could be drawn to the somewhat gory aspects of the storyline, but then you might as well compare it to Condemned or Manhunt as well.

I'm not saying Prey is a bad game, but I think overall the comparisons between it and BioShock are largely superficial. Prey was a decent game with an average story. BioShock is a great game with a fantastic mystery. I think I can honestly say that playing through BioShock will end up being one of those gaming experiences that I will look back on with great fondness, much the same as how I look back on Oblivion and A Link to the Past today.

Hopefully you enjoy the demo when you check it out. Just remember that the demo is a very small taste of what the game offers. There were many things (like the hacking) that I wasn't even aware I could do until I started playing the full game.

Let me tell you that there is nothing in any game in recent memory that has moments that fill me with dread like when I hear the ominous sounds of a Big Daddy approaching.

Awesome stuff!

Sounds a lot like Deus Ex.

[jones]

Sounds a lot like Deus Ex.

Interesting. I assume that's for PC?

[Neon Knight]

Sounds a lot like Deus Ex.

Interesting. I assume that's for PC?

Indeed, System Shock 1 and 2, Deus Ex and now Bioshock are very very (and with good reason, Bioshock it's SS2 spiritual succesor and DX it's SS2 spiritual succesor) much alike. As you said, most games, storywise wont go much farther than Super Mario in a way that the story it's mostly an excuse for the player to kill as much as he or she can without asking too many questions as to who he or she is killing and why.

You are the hero, this is the bad guy, kill his lackeys till you get to him, get the power up and save the day. Works for Super Mario as well as Final Fantasy.

But with these games, much like the real world, nothing it's set in stone, and what you do in the game world reflects what you are in the other. In DX for example you can kill anyone you are told to do so or start hacking computers and find out who is who and decide the way you want to interact with this world (and no, you wont grow horns like in Fable).

I remember coming to a point when the good guys told me that I should kill this guy who "was a bad terrorist, he is an enemy", some of the "good guys" I had to interact with where "good people" some where pretty messed up, and, much like Bioshock you get to play this good like character who can do anything (Deus Ex, Theos Ek Mekkanes, god from the crane) so I decided not to do it, it had consequences, I wasn't in this linear story where I don't get to decide, I wasn't Mario, I wasn't Squall.

[Neon Knight]

Sounds a lot like Deus Ex.

Interesting. I assume that's for PC?

Indeed, System Shock 1 and 2, Deus Ex and now Bioshock are very very (and with good reason, Bioshock it's SS2 spiritual succesor and DX it's SS2 spiritual succesor) much alike. As you said, most games, storywise wont go much farther than Super Mario in a way that the story it's mostly an excuse for the player to kill as much as he or she can without asking too many questions as to who he or she is killing and why.

You are the hero, this is the bad guy, kill his lackeys till you get to him, get the power up and save the day. Works for Super Mario as well as Final Fantasy.

But with these games, much like the real world, nothing it's set in stone, and what you do in the game world reflects what you are in the other. In DX for example you can kill anyone you are told to do so or start hacking computers and find out who is who and decide the way you want to interact with this world (and no, you wont grow horns like in Fable).

I remember coming to a point when the good guys told me that I should kill this guy who "was a bad terrorist, he is an enemy", some of the "good guys" I had to interact with where "good people" some where pretty messed up, and, much like Bioshock you get to play this good like character who can do anything (Deus Ex, Theos Ek Mekkanes, god from the crane) so I decided not to do it, it had consequences, I wasn't in this linear story where I don't get to decide, I wasn't Mario, I wasn't Squall.

[Twisted Warthog]

What was the point of quoting yourself? And i still think Bioshock executes everything more skillful and better then Deus Ex

[vskid]

What was the point of quoting yourself?

He must have hit "quote" instead of "edit" and not realized it til it was too late, he edited his other post, so that must be it.