Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

I don't think enough can be said about the amazing architecture and atmosphere of the game. It's really stunning.

Some more reviews are coming in:

"This is the really bewildering thing about it: it succeeds so stunningly on three different fronts. Not esoteric ones, either, these are the big challenges developers have been struggling to master for decades: narrative, emergence, a sense of place. If another game did just one of these as well as BioShock, it would immediately qualify as a classic. When a game comes along that does all three, we can only be baffled and thankful."

- Games Radar: 10/10


"And with that out of the way, all that remains is to insist that anyone with a PC or a 360 goes out and buys this wonderful game on the 24th of August (or sooner if you happen to live near the street date-breaking US retailers), and send a message to the entire games industry that this is the kind of game that people want. BioShock is the ultimate rarity: not only does it live up to its lofty promise, but exceeds it through simple, old fashioned talent and imagination - not to mention verve, style,class, wit, and sheer bloody-minded ambition. It takes the tired, worn-out FPS genre by the scruff of the neck, reinvents and bend it out of shape in such a breathtaking fashion that it's going to take something very special to top this in the months and years ahead. For a game to be so outstanding in one department is one thing - to manage to tick every single box from graphics to audio to gameplay depth to atmosphere and innovation is pretty much unprecedented. Seriously - if you don't find something to love about BioShock, we'd recommend a trip to the nearest doctor to check if your heart's still beating."

- Euro Gamer: 10/10

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

Just the whole old time atmosphere is fun to look at and is visually pleasing

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

Damn I might just upgrade my PC for this. I have a good case, good power supply, a huge new hard drive (500GB), and two new DVD burners, and a good PCI audiocard. So I think all I need is a new mobo with PCI-Express (my computer is four years old -- it uses Rambus DRAM, remember that???), a new dual core CPU, and a new video card. Shouldn't be more than about $600 methinks.

Ah damn, all of my drives are IDE. Never mind......

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

Or you could just buy a 360...

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

could, but i'd rather upgrade the computer too. :p then get the better version of the game :D

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

Oh, like the PC version of Halo?

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

which is better, the game just sucks to begin with. ;) this is different because its an excellent pc game with a excellent 360 version.

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

Yeah, there are so many PC games from the last two years that I've wanted to play but have missed out on because I didn't want to ruin the experience with my obsolete computer. So upgrading my computer is much more worth it to me. Plus the tide of PC games coming out in the next couple years (TF2 ANYONE????).

The truth is, if I just bought a new AGP card for $140, then my 4-year-old computer would meet all of the BioShock minimum specs except one. That one is the amount of memory, which good thing right now memory is so cheap.

But oh wait, only the DDR memory is cheap, I'm using Rambus DRAM. Rambus DRAM went the way of the Yangtze River dolphin, so a single stick of 512MB Rambus DRAM now costs $199, which would be almost $400 to only bring my RAM up to 1GB RAM. Compare that to 2GB of DDR2 RAM for about $100, or 4GB for about $250, it just ain't worth it to upgrade. Damn I got screwed by buying a Rambus board.

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

BioShock just got a wonderful 9.7 from IGN:

Closing Comments

There is art here, despite what many would say isn't possible with games, from Roger Ebert to game designers like Hideo Kojima. But it's in BioShock--it's in the gorgeously realized, watery halls of Rapture. It's in a Little Sister's expression of thanks when you choose to save her, or the utter silence if you harvest instead. It's in the way the characters develop, in the testimonials of the recording boxes you pick up along the way. It's in the way the narrative is structured, and the way it blends so seamlessly with the action. Irrational had a clear vision with this game, something pulled off with remarkable precision in every department. They didn't just deliver something that's fun to play, a criterion so often cited as the benchmark of what makes a game worthwhile. BioShock stands as a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay and an irresistibly sinister, engrossing storyline that encompasses ahost of multifaceted characters. This is an essential gaming experience.

10 Presentation
An intriguing, well-written story delivered with at a precise sense of pace. It doesn't get any better than this.

9.5 Graphics
It may not be as technically impressive as Gears of War, but the art style, animations, and special effects create an unparalleled sense of mood and believability.

10 Sound
Top-notch voice acting, spectacular ambient effects, and overall some of the best sound design ever built into a game.

9.5 Gameplay
Superb control, intelligent enemies, and a wildly entertaining mix of weapons and plasmids.

9.0 Lasting Appeal
A lengthy adventure, 20 hours or so if you don't rush it, yet there's enough variation in the gameplay to bring you back for another round.

9.7 (Incredible) OVERALL

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

Great to see awesome games like these from time to time. It actually makes me want to play it...

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

Finally got it finished downloading last night, and I've been playing the demo this morning.

Wow. Amazing game thus far, and I don't think that's going to change. The lighting in the game is fantastic, and serves its purpose to scare the crap out of me most of the time. I loved walking into the bottom part of the first area, and all the tile walls were like, glistening from moisture under the water. Really amazing terrain design.

Something else that I loved was when the whale swam under the capsule that you ride in at the beginning. The game has a way of surprising you with random little details, and you have no idea when those random little details are going to attack you. I half expected the whale to charge me. Happy it didn't, though.

Also, when the capsule finally starts you see the first spliccer kill that guy, then jump up on top of your ride and start cutting in, I love how you could still control the camera. You look at the sparks and see it trying to get in and think "What the hell am I going to do?"

The plasmics are very cool, and I can't wait to pick up and try different types of it.

One thing I didn't like was that you had to look -right at- something in order to pick it up, instead of being able to run over top of it. But I guess that is much more realistic, and I eventually realized that it added to franticness of combat when you're racing around trying to find something to fight with.

I've not finished the demo yet, but when I do I may have more impressions to post.

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

for this type of game tho i think thats much better, instead of walking around and all of a sudden the screen says you picked up health! and your like wtf, how did that happen?

this has you checking garbage cans, checking dead bodies and things like that. if its a fast paced online or multiplayer shooter, then its better when you just walk over things.

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

Early reviewers are saying this game tops Ocarina of Time.

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

I completely agree, I'm just saying I didn't like it at first.

How can they compare it to OoT, though? It's a completely different game. They might be able to say "the enjoyment derived from playing this game is great than that of OoT", but that's not going to be true most of the time, it just depends on what kind of game the player likes.

Re: BioShock Demo is up on Marketplace
 

many reviewers have said many games are better. and i'd agree with some, ocarina is a great great game, i wouldnt say its the best game ever tho.

Ocarina just has the best average review of all the reviewers. so far this game is 99% on gamerankings, with 9 reviews.... Ocarina is 97.7% with like 32 reviews.