Is Bioshock as good as System Shock 2?

[CaramelizedGPU]

I finished playing System Shock 2 a while ago and I have to say that it is one of the best games I have ever played. It's not just the gameplay but the story, the characters, the level design, the soundtrack and everything else about this game is so awesome!!!
Is Bioshock as good as this? Does Bioshock have a story that is as interesting as System Shock 2?

[Puzzlemint]

Well it's basically the same story in an arguably more interesting setting, with an inarguably less interesting antagonist.

It's pretty good, and I'd definitely recommend it. Just, since you played SS2 first, expect to be less impressed with it than people who played BioShock first.

[Geo]

i played BioShock first and like what ^this guy said^ i was impressed with it. Then I played SS2 and it quickly changed my mind. SS2 offers much more options in terms of gameplay. Story wise both games are pretty impressive on their own right. Comparing the two would be like comparing a hamburger and a cheeseburger, both taste great but one offers more than the other. Its crap anaology but hey i tried

[Drowning witch]

Bioshock 1 will seem great only if you played it before system shock 2.

If its the other way around, then no, not even close.

Its watered down in every aspect besides the technology used.

Bioshock 2 is the closest of the bioshock games to System shock 2, but it's still not in the same category.


I know I might dissapoint you, but System shock 2 is like heroin. You will always want that first high, but there is simply nothing out there that will provide it again. At least I haven't found it so far.

It's pretty much the pinnacle of first person game design.

[CaramelizedGPU]

Alright, thank you for your answers everyone!

[Sikobae]

Doesn't matter - Good game

[Bethlemos]

Did you play the original thief titles? :)

Originally posted by Drowning witch:

Bioshock 1 will seem great only if you played it before system shock 2.

If its the other way around, then no, not even close.

Its watered down in every aspect besides the technology used.

Bioshock 2 is the closest of the bioshock games to System shock 2, but it's still not in the same category.


I know I might dissapoint you, but System shock 2 is like heroin. You will always want that first high, but there is simply nothing out there that will provide it again. At least I haven't found it so far.

It's pretty much the pinnacle of first person game design.

[Ivlichnov]

This review compares System Shock 2 and Bioshock 1.

BIOSHOCK (Zero Punctuation)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGxo2X4B_LE

[Hans Brotmeister]

Bioshock is a good game but unlike System Shock 2 it is just an ego shooter. One with quite unsatisfying gunplay at that. It makes up for that in other aspects but don't expect anything like System Shock 2.

[Aqualung]

SS2 > Bioshock. That is all.

[Sikobae]

Originally posted by Hans Brotmeister:

One with quite unsatisfying gunplay at that

Excuse me, but.. nothing was more interesting than building a 20+ piece wall of electric crossbow bolts and having a Big Daddy charge through it.

[Hans Brotmeister]

Originally posted by Sikobae:

Excuse me, but.. nothing was more interesting than building a 20+ piece wall of electric crossbow bolts and having a Big Daddy charge through it.

I'm not talking about traps and interactions with the environment. Those were pretty good. But the simple shooting felt quite insatisfying. The guns lacked impact, both mechanically and "feely" (I know that's no word) and it made no difference where you hit the enemy unless you were using an upgrade to make headshots matter. System Shock could get away with it, but Bioshock is an ego-shooter and thus was held back by its gunplay.

[Drowning witch]

Originally posted by Bethlemos:

Did you play the original thief titles? :)

Of course :)

System shock 2, thief 1 and 2, and deus ex 1 are my favorite games of all time.

[Nasher]

SS2 is still better. The RPG content (crafting, skills, etc) is much better and so is the setting.

Also SS2 has a much better stealth mechanic, since it was ripped straight out of Thief (same developers, same engine).

[Space Punk]

It's worth playing but a far inferior game to SS2.

[mess with Chen, get the horns]

SS2 is definitely quite better overall. The voice acting is less ham-fisted, the gameplay is more diverse, and the levels are a bit more cohesive than Bioshock.

It feels like Bioshock was good up until 4-5 hours in, then they got tired of making it and just started slamming ♥♥♥♥ into it until it was finished. SS2 actually feels like someone wanted you to enjoy the game, but forgot how to balance the game towards the end so a number of things are just not good and it gets incredibly difficult (to impossible), even on a reasonable difficulty.