In this Episode, you get to play as Elizabeth. What the first episode lacked in Value for the money, the second more than made up for. This episode is full of cut scenes and voice acting. I won't give it away, but it makes me want to go back to Bioshock 1 and kill Fontaine all over again...maybe draw it out! Give him a swirly or an atomic wedgy!
The game starts out at some patio bistro in Paris. As it progresses, you start to realize that certain things don't seem quite right. When a bird lands on your finger and starts to sing a melody, you realize that you are not in the real world (I mean in the game!) ... or the Bioshock series got bought out by Disney!!! The dream turns dark as you chase after Sally (The girl Booker/Comstock was trying to rescue in the previous episode before you shanked him!!).
As you wake up from your sleep, 'Atlas' (Fontaine) is about to kill you and 'Harvest' Sally for 'Adam'. You imagine an alive Booker to be right beside you and he tells you the things to say to keep yourself and Sally alive for the time being. You do Atlas's bidding in hopes that he will let Sally go so that you can leave Rapture together.
The combat system has changed somewhat from Bioshock Infinite. You have no shield and, generally, getting into stand-up firefights is always a bad idea for Elizabeth. Sneaking and ambush are your best tactics. There aren't enough med kits or money (to buy med kits with) or even health stations. You can carry up to 5 med kits (that's it). You carry much less ammo. There aren't nearly as many enemies but they can hurt you plenty if they have the drop on you. To that end, she has plasmids that allow her to be successfully stealthy.
To compare this to Bioshock Infinite? It really is another game all together in its play style. I don't see much in the way of replay value. The cut-scenes and the voice acting were great! But it was like a movie. You sneak from place to place and unlock more of the story. You could ambush people quite effectively...but it's not enough variation in the elements to provide much interest past the second time of play.
The game flys between trying to tie everything up into neat little "One reality" package and the "Endless Possibilities" from countless realities. If I were to count on the protagonist from the first Bioshock wrapping everything up in all realities about Fontaine, I would fully expect my phone to ring off the hook with those wanting to sell me a bridge. It's like throwing a pile of sand on the ground and expecting all the grains to land on each other and create a very thin pillar.
Good science fiction is an examination of the human condition. You take one element, change it, and write about what the effect on society would be. Now I've heard of bad science fiction...but I've never heard of changing the entire scientific theory to be flipping one way or the other, depending on what would be the most dramatic despite the black eye it gives its own logic - Let's call this "Science Fliption"
Also...What is with the 2 weapon limit!? I get that in a 'Realistic Shooter' you can only carry so much realistically. It's kind of nice that you and your team get together and have a well rounded squad with logical unit types. This isn't that type of game. Even Duke Nukem Forever patched that
mistake. What you end up using are the weapons that provide the best apparent effect to cover use at different ranges. Once I figured out how good the shotgun was...it was a permanent member of one of those slots. I wasn't going to bother picking up the other close range weapon because it would limit my tactical options.
It was also cool to see a few things that happened previously from another perspective.
+1 Wealth of decent cut scenes and excellent voice acting. Tying into previous Bioshock with a new perspective.
- 0.5 Two gun limit - how did the design team sleep through that choice?
-1.5 Not enough variation for replay value
-1.5 Gameplay kind of boring by itself.
-1.5 Guilty of Science Fliption in the story.
+1 For use of imagination (though uncontrolled)
a 7.0 ...respectable. This is a 'Must have' for a fan of the Bioshock series. If Stealthy missions are your thing...it might be fun. This is more like a movie that you unlock as you play the game. As such, it is a respectable production. If you don't scrutinize the logic, you will most likely have a good time with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment