- Joined
- Jan 2, 2007
- Messages
- 1,067
So here we are, under the sea in Rapture again. From the very beginning I've been skeptical of the game, I thought the idea of playing as a big daddy was stupid (I still feel that it contradicts the first game, the idea that Big Daddies are mindless, almost robotic slaves with programmed minds; and so far the writers haven't RetConned anything, so I still stand by this argument.), the developer has changed, and TBH I didn't see where else the story could go. Much like the original Silent Hill game the most interesting part of the story wasn't so much the character as it was the town itself, and the original BioShock writers did a great job telling the story of Rapture and closing it on a fairly moot point, even if the main characters fate was a bit ambiguous.
But so far the game is alright, the biggest problem is its too familiar. Although the games violence seems to be toned down a bit (Blood no longer splatters and although there's still enough to warrant that M rating, there aren't as many gruesome human "decorations" lying around) almost everything else feels the same, the music is the same, the splicers are the same, and although the level design is different the first half of the game is the same. Walk down hallway sight seeing, get electro-shock plasmid, shoot door handle, encounter little sister but can't get to her yet, talk to person on radio etc. etc. etc. The core gameplay is still good, but everything feels way too familiar.
Combat definitely is a bit easier, the game is quick to give you a rivet gun and the drill is powerful although it burns through fuel fairly quickly, which is my biggest problem. I tuned it on "Medium" and it seems almost every enemy has gone down in one hit, save for a scripted encounter with the ominous "Big Sister."
The story so far is you are one of the earliest big daddies or something and you were at the new years party or something following a little sister who found some bodies or something and a mysterious scientist named Sofia Lamb takes away the little sister who is supposed to be your daughter, but claims this little sister (Named Elenore) is her own and then forces you to shoot yourself in the head. Somehow, despite the fact that there's no way in hell someone who put a bullet through their brain at point blank range (He took his Helmet off, though his helmet magically returns onto his head) could survive, let alone lying on the ground bleeding to death for 10 bloody years you wake up 10 years later and a little sister tells you Elenore is waiting for you or something, and Lamb has apparently replaced Andrew Ryan as the creator of Rapture or something (Seriously, all of a sudden she's the fatcat claiming Rapture was her idea. Did the developers pay much attention to part 1?) and there's a painful play on Orwell's 1984 where you hear "Big Sister is Watching you."
The story isn't that intriguing so far, I would maybe care more that Mr. Daddy is looking for his daughter if I knew something about the character, and Lamb comes out of nowhere and just doesn't fit in the continuity, I'm hoping the writers fix things up but it just doesn't feel right. I'm also not sure if the game is before or after the events of the first game, some things suggest its a prequel, others suggest its a sequel storywise. There's a diatribe from Tenenbaum about how someone else is making little ones and that wasn't happening in part 1, so that suggests a sequel, but some fine details suggest a prequel. It's a bit confusing and the fact that its being written by a different developer sticks out like a sore thumb.
The gameplay is fine so far, but I'm not really convinced that this is a proper sequel so much as it is a fan made modification. Maybe things will improve, but it all feels the same but with new levels and new weapons, not much else. Even the graphics are mostly the same, and in some areas actually seem worse. It's certainly not bad, but it doesn't feel like it'll improve upon the first in any way and it feels rushed in some aspects as well. I'll give my final impressions once I've beaten the game in the form of a full review.
But so far the game is alright, the biggest problem is its too familiar. Although the games violence seems to be toned down a bit (Blood no longer splatters and although there's still enough to warrant that M rating, there aren't as many gruesome human "decorations" lying around) almost everything else feels the same, the music is the same, the splicers are the same, and although the level design is different the first half of the game is the same. Walk down hallway sight seeing, get electro-shock plasmid, shoot door handle, encounter little sister but can't get to her yet, talk to person on radio etc. etc. etc. The core gameplay is still good, but everything feels way too familiar.
Combat definitely is a bit easier, the game is quick to give you a rivet gun and the drill is powerful although it burns through fuel fairly quickly, which is my biggest problem. I tuned it on "Medium" and it seems almost every enemy has gone down in one hit, save for a scripted encounter with the ominous "Big Sister."
The story so far is you are one of the earliest big daddies or something and you were at the new years party or something following a little sister who found some bodies or something and a mysterious scientist named Sofia Lamb takes away the little sister who is supposed to be your daughter, but claims this little sister (Named Elenore) is her own and then forces you to shoot yourself in the head. Somehow, despite the fact that there's no way in hell someone who put a bullet through their brain at point blank range (He took his Helmet off, though his helmet magically returns onto his head) could survive, let alone lying on the ground bleeding to death for 10 bloody years you wake up 10 years later and a little sister tells you Elenore is waiting for you or something, and Lamb has apparently replaced Andrew Ryan as the creator of Rapture or something (Seriously, all of a sudden she's the fatcat claiming Rapture was her idea. Did the developers pay much attention to part 1?) and there's a painful play on Orwell's 1984 where you hear "Big Sister is Watching you."
The story isn't that intriguing so far, I would maybe care more that Mr. Daddy is looking for his daughter if I knew something about the character, and Lamb comes out of nowhere and just doesn't fit in the continuity, I'm hoping the writers fix things up but it just doesn't feel right. I'm also not sure if the game is before or after the events of the first game, some things suggest its a prequel, others suggest its a sequel storywise. There's a diatribe from Tenenbaum about how someone else is making little ones and that wasn't happening in part 1, so that suggests a sequel, but some fine details suggest a prequel. It's a bit confusing and the fact that its being written by a different developer sticks out like a sore thumb.
The gameplay is fine so far, but I'm not really convinced that this is a proper sequel so much as it is a fan made modification. Maybe things will improve, but it all feels the same but with new levels and new weapons, not much else. Even the graphics are mostly the same, and in some areas actually seem worse. It's certainly not bad, but it doesn't feel like it'll improve upon the first in any way and it feels rushed in some aspects as well. I'll give my final impressions once I've beaten the game in the form of a full review.
