Bioshock (series)

[Mayumi]

It's amazing how when you go on Tumblr, you automatically want to/get into new fandoms. Has anyone played the Bioshock games? And what's it like? I got interested in the series due to this Elizabeth character I've been recently seeing on my dashboard and only reblogged a photoset once and luckily the game is released for the PS3 so I can get it.

[Emma]

The first Bioshock is one of my favourite games ever. Rapture, the whole atmosphere, everything, is so atmospheric. I really got sucked in. It was almost like reading a really good novel, if that makes sense? And I say this as someone who's usually not fond of first person shooters. I also really enjoyed the second game (which seems to be an unpopular opinion? It's not as good as the first one but still good)

I was actually less fond of Bioshock: Infinite, which is the one in which Elizabeth appears. Columbia didn't draw me in like Rapture did and I found the gameplay got boring after a while (I really, really, get sick of shooting people endlessly, hence why I don't like fps games. and for some reason in this game in particular it just didn't sit well with the narrative. It really bugged me). HOWEVER, Elizabeth is fab and the game tackles some issues that I've never seen presented before in an AAA game like this. I had no clue about the game before playing and there's a choice near the start that sets up the world and I got proper horrified and angry - so I think it does it's job well in that regard. And the ending is amazing. It's still a game worth playing (they all are, tbh).

[dubiousdisc]

The first Bioshock is one of my favourite games ever. Rapture, the whole atmosphere, everything, is so atmospheric. I really got sucked in. It was almost like reading a really good novel, if that makes sense?

YES!

I haven't played Infinite but I loved Bioshock 1 and 2. Mayumi, if you only saw Infinite and are interested in the series as a whole, you need to know that the first two Bioshocks are very, very different in setting from Infinite, so if you end up liking Infinite, you might not find the things you liked about Infinite in 1 and 2, and vice versa. So I'd recommend checking videos, screenshots, etc. before you dive into the whole series. Pun not intended. :P

At least as for what concerns 1 and 2, Bioshock is basically a story about the rise and the fall of a utopian/dystopian society, with plot twists, mystery and thought-provoking themes. For me, this is basically everything I like in the same game; if all of the above sounds good to you, go for it, and you won't be disappointed.

As Emma said, though, it's a FPS, which might not be for everyone, and I must agree that there was something really clunky in Bioshock's gameplay. She was saying before that she's not a very FPS person, while I am the FPS nut, and we both agree, so I guess it has to be true, hehe. I can't really explain it, it just played like a game that wasn't really sure of what it wanted to be like, which was particularly evident next to its stellar storytelling. I thought Bioshock 2 played better as a FPS, but was overall a less strong story than the first game. I mean, I still enjoyed it, but I can't remember what it was about, while I can talk endlessly about the plotpoints of the first Bioshock, so I guess it's an indicator that it didn't really leave that much of a mark on me.