Bioshock: Finale

So over the Christmas Break, I was in warm Miami, and with my future father-in-law's Xbox that he doesn't play,  I had some time to beat both Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite.

Regarding my thoughts on Bioshock. I was disappointed. I really thought Andrew Ryan was a dynamic, interesting personality, and for him to be dispatched so I can fight a Super Shredder with a Bronx accent felt a little tame.

Additionally, the whole last 1/3 of the game where I have to become a Big Daddy felt way too overblown. At that point, I was just hoping to get all of the audio tapes to learn more about Rapture. Just goes to show how important an environment and back-story can be to the game. While it was a let-down, the overall experience of playing the game was very much positive.

Had I played the game in 2007, I think my world would have been much more overturned than playing it in 2013. I can, however, take a step back and see that this game deserves much of the acclaim it garnered. Having just finished Infinite right after Bioshock, it definitely felt like playing the exact game twice with some cosmetic changes.

Bioshock: Sander Cohen, the inhuman human artist

So, as I got to yet another flooded pub in Rapture, I started to wonder how this place isn't completely submerged by now.

I loved Sander Cohen - he just seems so awful, particularly after coming across his art and audio tapes. I mean check this one out:

http://images.wikia.com/bioshock/images/3/36/Sander_Cohen_-_The_Wild_Bunny.ogg

I'm gonna talk about some of the audio tapes actually, but before that, did you guys kill Cohen? I certainly wanted to, but I didn't do it. I'd like to say that I was thinking something like "Rapture has seen too much death and destruction," but actually it was a little bit of fear and laziness combined. 

I actually really liked the very first audio tape you come across in Fort Frolic because it highlights the fact that the bombing of the Kashmir Restaurant was really a turning point for Rapture. It would seem that until that point, people were somehow getting on fine in this utopian world, plasmids and all:

Diane McClintock:

Stood up! Again... Second time this week. Ever since my face was... Steinman worked on me, but it was never the same since the blast... Being alone so much gives a girl time to think. Who could hate me so much they'd ruin me like this? What did I do to them? I keep thinking of all them bandits and terrorists Ryan's got locked up in Apollo Square and I get so mad... sometimes I can hardly breathe... if I could only confront them, tell them what they did to me, how they're ruining everything for me, for Rapture... maybe I'd... well, maybe I'd feel better.

(At this point I decided not to talk about the audio tapes, because it would be too much to unravel, and instead I'll let them speak for themselves.)

Anna Culpepper:

Cohen's not a musician. He's Ryan's stable boy. Ryan's corrupt policies crap all over the place, and Cohen flutters around clearing it up. But instead of using a shovel, like you would with a proper mule, Cohen tidies with a catchy melody and a clever turn of phrase. But no matter how nicely it sounds, he can't really do anything about the smell...

Sullivan:

 I worked the meatball beat in Little Italy, and even I'm shocked at the cold blood that oozes out of these artistic types. This broad Culpepper and that fruitjob Cohen are in some kind of feud, and Cohen's lookin' for MY security detail to pick sides. The next thing I know I'm called into Ryan's office to talk about the whole mess. Goddamn nutjob artists.

I just got the word to put the bump on Anna Culpepper. This isn't some gangster or hard-nosed political operative. We're talking about a dizzy twist what wrote a song or two that got under Ryan's wig.

Silas Cobb:

You wanna lock us in, old man? Oh, that's fine with Cobbsie. I used to love you. I used to think you were a musical genius. You know why? Because you paid my rent, you ancient hack! Come on to the record store, I'll show you what I think of your plinkity, plink, plink!

Jasmine Jolene:

That creepy Dr. Tenenbaum promised me it wasn't gonna be a real pregnancy, they'd just take the egg out once Mr. Ryan and I had... I needed the money so bad... But I know Mr. Ryan's gonna suss it out, gonna know I wasn't being careful... gonna know I sold the... Mr. Ryan's gonna be so mad at me...

Bill McDonagh:

Fontaine knew our blokes were coming. We were done over. Them Splicers come screaming out the woodwork. Burping fire, spitting ice... demons out of the Bible they were. Never seen nothing like it. It wasn't a business he was building, it was an army.

The good people of Rapture didn't sign up to see us government-types shutting down shops, killing their owners... even with a ponce like Fontaine. But he brung it upon himself. 'Stead of copping it on the chin, bugger gets into his 'ead that he's gonna go down guns blazing. Who does he think he is? John bloody Wayne? We can get on top of this. We can. Here's what we do: we find Fontaine's will and make what was his go to where it was intended - and not into the pockets of us that put 'im into the ground.

Sander Cohen:

I could have been the toast of Broadway, the talk of Hollywood. But, instead, I followed you to this soggy bucket. When you needed my star light, I illuminated you. But now I rot, waiting for an audience that doesn't... ever... come... I'm writing something for you, Andrew Ryan... it's a requiem.

BioShock: Pulling me back in...

Lets do it. I will be done with class tonight so will have a bunch more time to tackle this stuff and a ton of backlogged games I got from cyber deals (really insane how many games I bought). I can't wait to jump back into Bioshock. 

We can start thinking about the next game we would want to tackle as well. Joker, take a look at Hotline: Miami if you haven't. 

On Wed, Dec 4, 2013 at 5:36 PM, J <icandigthat@gmail.com> wrote:

Everyone still has to post entries about getting to Fort Frolic, right? Do we wanna lock down a timeline for the rest of the game? You're pretty close to the end after FF, i think. How's everyone's holiday looking? i dunno if christmas and new year's means life is more busy or more relaxed for everyone. You think we can wrap up BioShock by year end and start 2014 with a new game?

--
Posted By J to We Blew in Cartridges at 12/04/2013 05:36:00 PM

BioShock: Pulling me back in...

Everyone still has to post entries about getting to Fort Frolic, right? Do we wanna lock down a timeline for the rest of the game? You're pretty close to the end after FF, i think. How's everyone's holiday looking? i dunno if christmas and new year's means life is more busy or more relaxed for everyone. You think we can wrap up BioShock by year end and start 2014 with a new game?

-joker

Bioshock: Getting back on track

Hey guys,

After the holiday weekend, figured I'd send this out to get everyone back in the mode to finish Bioshock. We're almost there!

Over the holidays, been going nuts with purchases. Picked up Red Dead Redemption (to play it again after I sold it), Dragon's Crown, a 3DS. It's nuts...

Got a kick out of this

BioShock: Fort Frolic (Frolicking my ass off)

You bitches gotta learn to budget your time! Yeah, i've been busy with console launches and launch game round-ups and March Madness articles for the February issue (lead time for magazines sucks my balls) and pitching features to make sure i have assignments after GT6 comes out and the well of new games dries up and Dragon's birthday and the fact that i'm in a wedding that's dominating my whole weekend but i'm already frolicking my ass off because i played through that shit last weekend, knowing i had a busy week coming up. Deadlines, boys; Hit them.

In fairness, i didn't just play to Fort Frolic on Sunday after playing through Neptune's Bounty on Saturday because of my foresight about a busy upcoming week, i did it because i really wanted to see what happened next. I'm thoroughly enjoying the gameplay, i'm engrossed in the story and i wanna know how it ends. I also find that there's the unavoidable hurdle of reacclimation every time you put the game down for a week and was happy to avoid that now that i'm pretty much settled with my weapons, plasmids and overall strategy. Though, after reading everyone else's posts about Neptune's Bounty, i'm really reconsidering how much i've overlooked telekinesis, especially when battling Big Daddies.

So there are actually three levels between Neptune's Bounty and Fort Frolic; Smuggler's Cove, Arcadia and The Farmer's Market. That seems like a lot but it actually goes by fairly quickly and, with the exception of the new Houdini Splicers showing up, is much less notable than previous parts of the game, at least in my eyes. Sure, you get to see the submarine blow up in Smuggler's Cove, you get to wander the eerily beautiful woods of Arcadia and you get to reanimate some seemingly meaningful chick in the Farmer's Market but it all just adds up to a series of fetch missions that don't really progress the plot. It's almost as if the guys at Irrational weren't happy with how long the game turned out to be and went back to add in this section to extend it. Don't get me wrong, it's enjoyable enough but it feels like a superficial means of prolonging the time before your meeting with Ryan (which, in my mind, has become the BioShock equivalent of Neo's meeting with "The Architect" in The Matrix Reloaded).

This section does introduce crafting into the game and i'm finding it's a mixed blessing. i won't go out of my way to collect craftable items (unless i have to, like the items for the lazarus vector) but, if i'm at a crafting station and happen to have the inventory for some explosive shotgun shells, well, of course i'm gonna make them. Scavenger that i am, there's nothing more annoying than finding pieces that can be collected to make ammo instead of ammo itself. I've found myself really having to scrimp by with ammo in this session and i'm pretty sure it's a result of this paradigm change.

Right now, for me, i can't help but just want to sprint to the finish. There's a part of me that really hopes the formula is similar to the ending of BioShock Infinite; Big reveal, head spin, epic final battle (the blimps), resolution, credits. dunno if i'm setting my expectations too high or too low as a result but i do know the uncertainty is making the wait to finish more of a hardship than it should be. It's like agreeing to wait to watch the series finale of Breaking Bad because your wife is still in the middle of season four.

-joker

Re: Bioshock: Fort Frolic

I'm in the same boat, I've been knee deep in XCOM Enemy Within, and haven't really had the chance to play. Shall we move the deadline back another week? I think Joker's been busy with other things as well anyway. 

I think, in any case, there's more that can be said about Neptune's Bounty.

Re: Bioshock: Fort Frolic

Agreed, I haven't had a chance either this week... can we push back as well?  Doubtful I'll be able to play this weekend.

Bioshock: Fort Frolic

Yo guys,

Will probably need to push this deadline a couple days. I haven't had the chance to play at all this week. Looking forward to jumping back in though.

If you guys are hitting the goal, go ahead and post away though. I will just read and post when I'm done (hopefully by this weekend).

-El Fuj

When Squaresoft was King

Miyamoto, Amano, Mitsuda, Uematsu, The Guch.  This damn logo…

This logo represented excellence.  This logo represented the golden age of RPG’s…  and very admittedly a very large part of my gaming childhood.  Rad Racer was among the first few games I had for the Nintendo.  Spent hours playing it alongside Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt.  But what I will forever be grateful for that Squaresoft developed?

Final Fantasy 6, Secret of Mana, and Chrono Trigger.  A group I refer to as the big three.  1993-1995 ended up being two of the best years of my RPG life.  These three games sit in my memory as some of my most enjoyable gaming experiences.  I still listen to all three soundtracks to this day.  Without these games, I may have developed a different love for the gaming world.  Or perhaps I wouldn’t have been so interested in this industry as I am now.

So for helping foster my love of video games as an art for worth of appreciation – thank you, Squaresoft.

And as for Square Enix…

Thanks for the toilet paper, because I’d rather wipe my ass with this logo.  It's a constant reminder that the juggernaut that Square once was is now a mere memory.  Why did they make that movie?!  WHY?! All that money could have been better spent elsewhere.  I was so disgusted when I found out that Nobuo Uematsu wasn't even involved with the music composition.  Who organized a dick move like that?  Thanks for nothing, Eliot Rosenthal.  Sullying your dirty hands on one of my favorite organizations of all time.

I wish I could find Gamespot's article on the History of Squaresoft - for some reason the article was missing.  It explained exactly how I felt about that company.  Adding Enix at the end of this company name was like ingesting rat poison.  The company is hemorraging money constantly, and I don't even know how on earth they're going to release FF vs13 on time.  (Isn't it 15 now or some shit?)

Part of me still hopes that the new Final Fantasy games will be better.  But like a battered victim, I'm still expecting a backhand to the face when 15 comes out.

Live from the Xbox One launch.

In case you were wondering...

I Remember When...

Man, i remember getting new consoles as a kid, when we still actually had to blow in cartridges. Worst decision "Santa" ever made was giving me a gameboy on Christmas Eve back in '89 or '90. Like it wasn't hard enough to go to sleep on Christmas Eve as it was, top it off with a gameboy you could play in bed. I didn't sleep that night.

But the excitement of opening a console on christmas day was pretty much the pinacle of childhood memories, right? Was there a more universal experience than this one?:

As someone who gets things sent to them in advance (for review purposes) those remnants of childhood remain but it's not the same. My wife (who has asked to be called Dragon - her "gang" name - in this blog. Yup, Dragon.) got a glimpse of it last week when my PS4 and Xbox One arrived, pre-launch. Assimilating it into my entertainment center was still exhilarating. Firing it up for the first time, seeing the loading screen, hearing the sound effects, it all still brought a big smile to my face. But it's nowhere near the irrational, emotionally charged feeling of shredding the wrapping paper on the biggest box under the tree, knowing full-well what's inside but still acting totally surprised when you see what it is.

I'm writing this before i leave my office to head over to the Xbox One launch in times square. Xbox always does a good job with the pomp and circumstance of a launch (i have two Halo launches and two Gears launches under my belt, this is my first Xbox launch) so i'm excited to see what's in store tonight. I'll say hi to Major Nelson, i'll get my picture taken, i'll go kick ass on the game demos (because i'll be playing against people who are playing the games for the first time while i've had them for a week heuheuheu) but my favorite part is gonna be seeing the kid - who somehow convinced his parents to take him to the shindig - getting his Xbox One. Adults just don't get the opportunity to love life like that kid is going to at midnight.

T-minus six hours. See you in the next generation, fellas.

Opening up New Consoles

This tradition on Christmas was one of my most cherished memories as a kid. I still remember seeing the Genesis lodged in a closet crevice in my parents' bedroom. Then finally ripping open the package and sucking down the sweet, sweet innards.

This post over at Engadget reminded me of what it was like being a kid.

 

Square Enix announces Tomb Raider port for PS4/XB1

.... This makes me sad.

Squaresoft (as they were known WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY back) could do no wrong in the 90s. I bought and loved every single epic RPG, but I even bought the phenomenal experimental games they put out, like Tobal No.1, Bushido Blade, Vagrant Story and Einhander (my favourite side scrolling shooter, besting even all the Darius and R-Type games).  The list could go on and on. Anybody who cares about Japanese games would agree that the vast majority of NA localized games on this list are classics:  

I struggle to think of a great Square Enix game in the last 10 years which has blown me away the way Square games did on the PS1. Honestly, I can't even think of a single one! Because for the most part it has all been remakes, overpriced iPhone ports and a general resting on laurels. Any original IP developed in the last 10 years has largely been mediocre: The Last Remnant, Nier, even FFXIII.  Seriously, this list of games published by Square Enix is largely a bunch of remakes. 

The last Square Enix game which came close to greatness was Final Fantasy XII, with its politically charged story line and generally likable characters.... We then got Snow, Hope and Vanille as characters in XIII - the least likable and most annoyingly voiced characters in the history of RPGs. 

Anyway, it seems that Square Enix has remade nearly every game output by Square or Enix in the last 20 years. So now they're moving on to the Eidos developed games, releasing a port of Tomb Raider (but calling it the Definitive Edition) less than a year after the original game launched. 

In the PS1 days (and even well into the PS2's life cycle) I would have thrown money at this company every time a new game came out - I wouldn't have bothered with reading reviews because the brand 'Squaresoft' indicated high quality. Am I just older and more jaded, or has Squaresoft fallen by the wayside since the loss of so many important people (e.g. Goochy & separately the entire Monolith Software team).

Random thought for the day. 

-W

Re: BioShock: NB (In the end... our choices, make us.)

I have actually not played Skies of Arcadia, and a quick look on Wikipedia made me think I should (smells like Grandia), but then Amazon talked me out of it by pricing the PS2 version at £85. 

SBG points out that you can use Telekinesis to return Big Daddies' grenades, but did you also know that you can pick up items with it? Very useful, particularly for grenades which are often hidden around the maps. 

I don't particularly care if I'm the only one who finds this game scary (edit: ok that's not true, I am genuinely glad that Hotfuj feels the same way - it further cements the camaraderie between us). If scary isn't the right word, 'stressful' definitely is. By the time I'm finished with each session, my heart is pounding and I just want to watch something uplifting and wholesome. Somewhat related, for some reason I've had the theme song to that old sitcom "Step By Step" stuck in my head for a while.

- W

(Joker Edit: Obligatory)

Bioshock: Selection of quotes from Neptune's Bounty

I do not recommend searching for these, as the internet will try very hard to spoil this game for you, but here are some audio tapes from Neptune's Bounty:

Ryan: This Fontaine fellow is somebody to watch. Once, he was just a menace, to be convicted and hung. But he always manages to be where the evidence isn't. He's the most dangerous type of hoodlum... the kind with vision.

-------

Sullivan: Mr. Ryan asked me personally to make this clear to you. You give us Fontaine, and this whole filthy ring of his, and you'll be knocking back pints up at the Fighting McDonaghs. But if you prefer to play the mule... we'll treat you like a mule... Give him a taste, Patrick... 

(Timmy screams from electrocution) 

Sullivan: Oh, what's that? Change of heart, Timmy? Timmy? Ready to talk now? 

Timmy H: Go on, Sullivan... go on and do your dirty! ...whatever Ryan thinks he can do to me, Fontaine can do double!

------- 

McDonagh: Mr. Ryan... I believe in Rapture. But that doesn't mean we always win. Fontaine Futuristics is the biggest thing going in Rapture. So let me be plain: when we arrest that toe-rag Fontaine for his thieving and smuggling, we must make it clear that we won't touch his business interests. We sit on the Council because these poor sods trust us... not because God gave us a chair.

-------

Ryan: The death penalty in Rapture! Council's in an uproar. Riots in the streets they say! But this is the time for leadership. Action must be taken against the smugglers. Any contact with the surface exposes Rapture to the very Parasites we fled from. A few stretched necks are a small price to pay for our ideals.

-------

McDonagh: Rapture's changing, but Ryan can't see the wolves in the woods. This Fontaine fellow... he's a crook and a proper tea leaf, but he's got the ADAM, and that makes him the guv'nor. He's sinking the profits back into bigger and better Plasmids, building them Fontaine Poorhouses... more like Fontaine recruiting centers... 'Fore we know it, Bloke's gonna have an army of Splicers, and we're gonna have ourselves a whole heap of miseries.

BioShock: NB (In the end... our choices, make us.)

“A man creates.  A parasite asks, ‘where’s my share?’”

I’ve started this post three different times, and every time I feel ready to post you guys bring up something else I want to address.  So let me start with the obvious.

Joker, about your rescue stories, I’m pretty sure the pattern is every three sisters.  And I only know this because I’ve rescued six total.  But how the hell did I do this?  Between the Medical facility and Neptune’s bounty it should only have been five sisters? 

Turns out I activated a glitch in the game by accident.  I looked up the Wiki; just to be sure I wasn’t crazy. (POSSIBLE SPOILERS, but the one in reference should be at the top of the page)

Before I found out that I had started this glitch, what was driving me nuts (and probably cost me another hour and a half of playing time) was the sheer worry that I missed saving a sister.  Every time I tried to enter Fontaine Fisheries and battle Peachy it kept issuing a warning that I missed a sister.  Which prompted me to go back through the entire level AGAIN to make sure I got them all.  Three good things did come out of this:

• I’ve gotten a hell of a lot better at battling Big Daddies.  I fought an extra three battles by mistake thinking that a sister would come out.
• The Shotgun is my fucking jam.  The frag grenade/proximity mines being a very close second.  
• I love crowd control. I made all my money back that I spent in the stores/ammo shops since Big Daddies (or Rosies… whoever the hell they are) drop about 60-70 bucks a pop.

Another annoying glitch I found was when I get killed.  If I’m in the middle of firing a gun, and I get killed while pulling the trigger – the entire clip empties if I don’t switch the gun.  Either way you still lose a few bullets because you can’t switch until you completely revitalize at the vita-chamber.  Such bullshit.

Now, for my real notes about this thing:

Joker, I finally share your love for hacking things – that is, once I got the slow-flow upgrade plasmid.  I now hack everything in sight, and it makes the security cameras a complete joke.

My plasmid use is mainly Electro Bolt, Telekinesis, and Winter Blast currently.  I did swap WB for Incinerate when I went to battle Peachy.  That fucker deserved to fry.  Especially when I found out that after I deposited my weapons, the people he sent after me used my own ammo against me.  Once I recollected my weapons, my ammo was almost exactly halved.  I immediately walked back to his body and lit him on fire again. 

I also love how different all of us are in our approaches to battles.  I manipulate surroundings to do most of my fighting, and you absolutely have to in order to limit Big Daddy damage.  Spacing is critical, and setting traps has evolved into my favorite pastime in this game.  First time I laid a satisfying trap was after I killed Steinman, and all the splicers start running down the hall at you.  I backed up, lit a wall of oil on fire as they crossed, and all of them died instantly.  There has been a different way to get around obstacles while saving your health packs, and you feel so much smarter when you find a new way to do so.  This loops back to my wasted time looking for a little sister that didn’t exist.  I battled the Big Daddy in the bar by laying three proximity mines across the floor he was standing – and watched him walk into all my mines.  He was dead within 60 seconds.  Telekinesis is also vital when battling them – if you catch his own mines and throw them back at him you save ammo and get such a larger sense of satisfaction knowing his own weapon killed him.  And I just realized I love playing hot potato with Big Daddy.

Photography is acceptable.  If it helps raise my damage against what I photo, I’ll keep doing it.  Finding more film seems easy enough so far.  It gave me a free upgrade plasmid too.

This game doesn’t scare me much, but it sure as hell creeps me out.  That laughter at the Circus of Value machine still gives me shivers.  Especially if you pause while it’s running – the laughter just trails off into silence.  Yeesh.

The audio diaries continue to be fantastic.  You can feel the sheer hatred between Ryan and Fontaine in their tapes.  Another one I found equally entertaining was the audio diary of Sullivan while he was ‘interrogating’ a suspect in the locked room outside the fishery.  You just hear the guy getting shocked while he was talking, a nice dose of old school mob behavior.

So excited for a new checkpoint – See you guys in Arcadia.

(Side note: have any of you played Skies of Arcadia?  AWESOME GAME.)

SBG

BioShock: Neptune's Bounty (You Can Go Your Own Way)

i just wanted to take a quick moment after reading the two most recent posts to say how interesting i find it that, in a game that is largely linear - it's not a sandbox at all - we've managed to approach things very differently. Granted, some of that is set up by the choice system of the game, but i'm really talking about our different combat styles. HotFuj talks about his controlling Big Daddies and manipulating splicers. I certainly have those plasmids and thought they were a neat idea but found them largely useless because i'm just not encountering Big Daddies enough to justify that slot being taken. Wallaby talked about the kinesis and rag doll physics. Don't get me wrong, i used them, noted them and then quickly swapped out that plasmid because i didn't feel like searching for gas tanks to toss around when i needed something more inherently offensive.

For better or worse, the choices we make on that fundamental level really changes the gameplay, potentially more than even the Harvest vs Rescue choice and i have a level of fascination about that from a game-producer standpoint. These guys are creating a shared experience, much like a movie, but it has the added layer of how the individual approaches it. It's not even about BioShock so much as it's about the nature of interactive entertainment (two-way) vs traditional entertainment (one-way). Gamers always know it's there on some subconscious level but this blog is a satisfying way of setting aside the time to devote focused thought at the paradigm.

Wallaby's feelings about him aside, a while ago (about a month before Beyond: Two Souls launched) i had a nice long talk with David Cage about the future of gaming. I was surprised by his reluctance to acknowledge the similarities and influences between Cinema and Video Games, especially because his work seems to be largely cinematic and Beyond was featuring two well known actors providing both voice and their likenesses directly translated into a game. In dancing around this comparison, i asked him "Since movies were originally shared in a communal setting (a theater) and then shrunk down for individual consumption in a living room, do you ever think that video games which are made for the living room can ever go the opposite direction and be shared at once with many people in a theater?"

His answer was somewhat evasive mainly, i think, because it's an interesting idea without a simple solution. Online multiplayer and co-op seemed to be the current answer that video games are giving to that question but its a fun little brain exercise to think: What kind of game could be brought to a group of, say 50, people all at once in a single location and how would you do it?

Next checkpoint sounds good, Wallaby. My week is a bit hectic with yet another console launch and i have the added bonus of being a groomsman in a wedding on Saturday too. I'll do my best to reach the checkpoint with everyone.

On a completely unrelated note: I've been playing Forza5 all morning and have finally raced enough to send my Drivatar out into the world. Yup, there is currently an artificial version of my own intelligence racing against other journalists and beta testers and microsoft officials while i sit here and blog. It is simultaneously a source of pride and deep concern to know that, even on this extremely superficial level, my consciousness is existing in some virtual world without my knowledge of what it's doing. Welcome to the future.

-joker

Bioshock: Second "Chapter" Thoughts

You have chosen....poorly

We need a word to describe the second “unit” of our playthrough.

So this part was much more seamless and less angst-ridden than the first chapter. I knew how to handle my weapons and plasmids, but STILL had a tendency to frantically and unnecessarily use my health when in a fight. I also learned that I have been twitching a lot more when I sleep so this might be my new reality.

So where do we go? The availability of audio tapes have ramped up tremendously. I would walk into a room and there would be about 2 audio tapes per room; a veritable olfactory orgy! I love, love the audiotapes. It does something to my imagination and senses, gives a depth to Rapture that just seeing “it” doesn’t.

My favorite characters, like Wallaby mentioned, have come to be Fontaine and Sullivan. Ryan vs. Fontaine would have been something to have lived through. Almost a Game of Thrones-like quality to the proceedings. What was the tipping point and why did Ryan need Fontaine down there to begin with?

While playing through Neptune’s Bounty, I nearly crapped myself in the “red room” that was in the bar area. It was up the stairs, and there was a guy chained to the bed. There was a splicer hiding by the bed, and playing it on a late Friday night, I nearly twitched myself out the window.

Regarding weapons and plasmids, I absolutely love controlling Big Daddy’s, enraging splicers, and manipulating situations. I’ve used all available Adam to open slots and add smaller abilities. I still am really low on Plasmid “blue” stuff, but I make up for it with enough Frag grenades (I love the sound effect of picking them up).

On the Rescue vs. Harvest question, I have no idea about where or how this game is going to end, but dammit, I will bring a level of humanity to this horrible place. It’s seen enough death and despair. I am their Jesus (I just accidentally used health again).

So why is there so much shit in Rapture. Being underwater sure helps. But think of the flawed people that would follow someone into this underwater city. It’s so fucked up because of the alcohol and mental instability. Just notice how much alcohol there is in this game. The people who came to Rapture were beaten and defeated by the outside world in their past lives. When you bring a bevy of destroyed people together, chaos will ensue. So no, I’d probably want to avoid being anywhere near this place.  

Next week's goal

Having just consulted a walkthrough, I think that we should get to the beginning of Fort Frolic by next weekend, 23 November.

Should be a sizeable chunk of game comparable to the Neptune's Bounty segment, if not slightly longer.

Re: BioShock: Neptune's Bounty (Hey Soul Sister)

You're right behind where I stopped actually, If you finish that Smuggler's Hideout section you'll get to Arcadia which is where I stopped. I suspect it's 5-10 minutes of playtime from where you are, and not much action, mainly story.

Thank god for the grenade launcher, a lot of my money goes into ammo for that. The machine gun is my main weapon though. I love the way the weapons feel and look and reload in this game. They get even cooler as you upgrade them. I'm gonna to focus on upgrading those two, before moving on to the shotgun. 

The camera - it increases the damage you deal to enemies which you've photographed, notwithstanding useless hints like 'use armour piercing rounds!'. I actually use it, it's easy and quick to switch out if you hold RB to bring up the weapon wheel. Having said that, the mission to photo the 3 Spider Splicers for Peach is one of the low points of the game, aside from the awesome audio tapes you find throughout.

Do you guys use the hints? I didn't until I couldn't find the 3rd fucking Spider Splicer, and the hint told me exactly where he was. Pretty cool guidance system, because it somehow makes you feel bad about using it (maybe because it's limited to 3 uses). Contrast this with a game like Mass Effect or Dead Space where I'm constantly pushing down R3 to see where the objective is because it's just natural.

Twice now the game has spawned me into a raging battle when I load up (and I don't remember saving in those circumstances). So I hear you on that one. I also agree entirely on Rapture being a bit gross. It was more obvious when I came upon a splicer talking to himself in a flooded bathroom.

On Harvesting/Rescuing, I guess i'm just a bad guy when I'm scared. I'm normally the paragon character in video games, but in Bioshock (last time at least), I thought fuck it, more power!! I think it was the giant needles that made me instantly want the little monsters harvested last time around. The only reason I'm not harvesting them now is that I am going for a 'different gaming experience' and despite the teddy bear rewards, I feel like I am somewhat hindered for rescuing the evil little monsters.

Fontaine's audio tapes are some of the best in the game, I might try to find some quotes from the ones found in Neptune's Bounty. Also, Sully's are pretty interesting too (he's the head of Rapture's security).

- W

BioShock: Neptune's Bounty (Hey Soul Sister)

I didn't finish off the good doctor before i ended the last session (had to sign off because of Wallaby's screaming) so i opened this session with a boss battle.  It did not go well, partly because i didn't expect it and partly because, after a week of playing other things, i was going into it with a disoriented muscle memory. Didn't take long to get back to normal but a very unwelcoming return to Rapture.

Harvest or Rescue? i was only slimly aware of the implications of this choice. The end result of getting loot was very secondary in my decision because the primary consideration (for me) is what it says about the kind of person I want to be (in the game). I want to be a hero. Are my good intentions paving the way to hell? i don't know but i do know a hero doesn't kill children when there's an alternative. i'm rescuing the little sisters. and, damn, they sure do make me feel appreciated when i do. Though it's slightly off-putting when, after you save them, they talk about getting sleepy and then crawl into a nearby hole and out of sight.  (Soap Box, i got a teddy bear after rescuing three little sisters but haven't gotten anything extra after saving two more.) Still, i have more than enough ADAM and i'm really only using a combination of three offensive plasmids (ice, fire, electro). I've also become quite fond of my machine gun and rarely feel a pinch on my ammo.  High accuracy and lots of scavenging, FTW.

On a side note (i'm writing this during a pause from gameplay); If you put aside the flashiness and imaginary sparkle that Rapture, presumably, had before its downfall, wouldn't it still suck to live there? It just feels like everything would be wet ALL THE TIME. Even if you weren't physically wet, i bet there'd be this unstoppable feeling of being wet. The whole place makes me feel like my socks are soaked inside my shoes. Seems very unpleasant.

Other miscellany:
Big Daddies don't scare me. I still manage to have a ton of cash and it all goes into first aid kits. Load up six of those and top off my EVE and go into the fight. The grenade launcher has helped (see below).

This game doesn't scare me. I think it's funny that you have to play in the morning, Wallaby. I started the second session around 1130 last night and stopped around 1am. Saw HotFuj on around the same time who ignored my Party Invite, you bastard.

Shooting enemies....with a camera. What the shit is this? i keep doing it and the only thing i've gained is the occasional tidbit of knowledge like armor piercing rounds are useful on Rosie. Oh, really? The gigantic armored bodyguard is susceptible to bullets that pierce armor. Cheers for that, you researcher nerds. Am i missing something?

Hacking: i still fucking love it. My default state in the game is with two hover bots watching my back. Hack ALL the things!

That Grenade Launcher: Electric Plasmid + Heat Seeking Missiles is just nasty.

Peach, that fishmongering mother fucker. Very nifty the way they took away all my weapons in that fight. Atlas goes out of his way to say he couldn't take away my plasmids. You know what else he couldn't take away? My hacking skills. Froze a couple of enemies, hacked every auto bot and turret in the place and scavenged the rooms on the wings while my minions did the dirty work, then came back to loot the bodies. Who needs guns?

"You don't fuck Fontaine, Fontaine fucks you." Ha. Great bit of dialogue that came out of nowhere.

I just left off in the Submarine Room where i was supposed to meet up with Atlas, finally. Hope i didn't get too carried away and go too far. Seemed like a good place to stop though.

So, what's the next checkpoint?

-joker

Bioshock: Harvest or Rescue (+ tiny update on goal posts)

Minor update on goal posts: I just got to the end of Neptune's Bounty. I stopped immediately after Smuggler's Hideout (a very short section), as soon as I got to Arcadia.

On rescuing vs harvesting - you've probably have read that the ending of the game is somewhat of a let down compared to the overall experience. On that basis, I didn't bother with the morality system last time I played the game. I harvested every single little sister. I agreed with Atlas, look at these little monsters, what good could come out of them? 

This time around, I've been rescuing them. I suppose the little animation of them saying thank you (which I'd never seen before) made me feel a little bad about previously consuming them all. But I still don't feel great about rescuing them so far, I feel like I'm missing out on precious ADAM, despite the game's way of making it up to you. Big daddies kill me repeatedly and splicers still scare the shit out of me. As much as I love Rapture, I really hate this place when I feel weak.

Things I've noticed generally:

- I can only play this game in the morning when it's really bright outside

- I sometimes want to mute the TV because I just can't handle hearing some of the things random enemies say

- Big Daddies are hard as fuck so far, I'm so happy to be able to ignore them when I know I've dealt with all the Little Sisters in the area.

- I've found that 'pausing' the game during battles, by bringing up the weapon/plasmid wheel, really helps me stay calm under pressure

- This game stresses me out

There is a TON of story packed into the audio tapes in Neptune's Bounty - Fontaine's rise within Rapture, his power struggle with Ryan, how that affected the citizens of Rapture etc. Lots to discuss there.

W 

Bioshock: Harvest or Rescue?

I’ll withhold my points about the PS4 launch activity. I have a separate post on my site for that going on now.  I know now how Joker felt about all the posting last week.

I’m going to tackle the Harvest or Rescue issue.  It’s a pretty good question.  I’m about halfway through Neptune’s bounty, and rescued 3 little sisters so far in this level (in addition to the two I’ve already saved in the Hospital).  Here are the options I’m currently weighing:

Harvest – Roughly 160 ADAM per sister, with one very pissed off doctor.  Odds are that likely I can buy out most of what I need from each Gatherer’s Garden in one go.   When I rescued the first three, I had trouble getting all the plasmids I wanted.  I could only settle for what was necessary – and couldn’t upgrade my health or Eve limits.  Strangely enough, each little sister turns into one of those silicon nulls from Reboot.

Rescue – About 80 ADAM per sister.  They get to live, which pleases the doctor – who promises to make it ‘worth my while’.  I was beginning to wane on this rescue activity until I got to another Gatherer’s Garden in Neptune's Bounty.  I had rescued four sisters up to this point – and found a teddy bear gift sitting in front of the plasmid machine.  The gift was an extra 200 ADAM (on top of the 160 I had left from originally going to the machine), gave me special rounds for my machine gun and an extra support plasmid.  While I assume that these gifts are few and far between, it made picking up everything I need a joke.  I bought out the garden with ADAM to spare.

I may stick with rescue for now if the gifts continue on a pattern.  If I have to wait more than 4 sisters per gift drop, that tactic may drastically change.  I know everyone saw all those empty slots in the gene bank, waiting to be filled.  Deciding which plasmids to use is most definitely a problem I want to have.