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BioShock 2 Released
BioShock 2 launched today for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows, ending the wait for a sequel to the original 2007 blockbuster. The events in BioShock 2 take place 10 years after the story from the original game. This time around, players control a prototype Big Daddy in an attempt to overthrow the new leader of Rapture. Early reviews for the game are quite strong, though the developers were prepared for fan backlash over some of the changes they made. The Guardian's Nicky Woolf praises the new storyline, and adds that "there is a fundamentally excellent shooter here too, with some of the best combat dynamics in the business." Rock, Paper, Shotgun's Alec Meer also had good things to say about the combat: "I can't stress this enough – as a game about shooting people, it's very responsive and very rewarding." However, Meer expressed disappointment that some of the impressive new concept art didn't get used and that the story and environment couldn't match the novelty of the original game. "Part of Rapture's great wonder was that it was just believable enough, if you squinted your brain a bit (or a lot), but this lathers on so much wild sci-fi that it's much harder to connect to it. The Sisters are elevated from horrifying genetic/psychological experiment into all-powerful messiah figures capable of pulling any old deus ex machina out of the hat. Making them into so much reduces the power and the sadness of what they are. As a result, the concept feels too exhausted to ever be used again."
What's the story with DRM on this game?
Hands down, System Shock 2 was better in every way than Bioshock (well, OK, graphically Bioshock is far better but then you'd expect that given the progression of engine abilities).
Most specifically, I like the background of Bioshock BUT the twist in the middle of the story really pissed me off, at least the way they handled it from user interaction. They were going somewhere subtle and then all of the sudden you have no choices (despite supposedly the game being about choice) and a Mu-Ha-Ha villain lacking only a twirly mustache.
That's not to say at some point I will not play Bioshock 2, I just have trouble really putting my heart into it after Bioshock was such a weak game compared to the story and gameplay of System Shock...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
who thought the original was boring?
System Shock was far from boring.
Where did the OP suggest he was going to download it? He didn't say he download the first Bioshock either, he just said he skipped it, which is an entirely appropriate response if you don't like the DRM.
Ugh, I really hate windows live, especially when it's incorporated in steam games. It's like hey: we put DRM in your DRM so we can lock down your game while we lock down your game. The worst part are the involuntary patches that can get up to or greater than 100 mb. Just when you're ready to play, they slap you down a couple of pegs.
If I owned an xbox, I'd probably appreciate live with the same fervor you exhibit. But I don't, and I've found that using Live outside of the proper MS environment unpleasant. I still don't think I cheapen the word DRM by considering Live synonymous with it. While Live isn't the core DRM technology, they do enable game serials to be linked you your Live id. This can make Live a more integral part of a DRM system as a whole because it helps developers track and uniquely identify you (as best as possible). Granted, this is dependant on the game, but I still think Windows Live acts like a DRM system or at least part of one.
Now, my complaint really wasn't targeted at Windows Live, though it came out like that, but at the excessive layers of protection being placed on games. As such, you might get a game that requires a Steam login, a Windows Live login, and SecureROM on top of it. This ultimately makes pirating, or at least cracking, a game more appealing because they are less of a hassle to play.
I'm sorry if I was a bit hard on Live and I'm glad you're enjoying your experience with them. I only wish systems that acted as content providers+DRM, or the games provided by them, offered more options in terms of choosing what third-party software gets installed with it.
Strange that I buy a license when it fits into the plans of the company but I bought a medium when I want a replacement because it got scratched. After all, I have a license that is not time limited, thus should be allowed to another medium (which is required to play due to DRM), right?
It must be like that dual nature of photons in physics, it's a license or a product, depending on what property we need to make the maker happy...
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.