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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."
Wow, a huge three years between games.
You guys never played Zelda, Metroid, Diablo or StarCraft, have you?
If it's anything like "rogue" or "nethack" crossed with "tetris" and "super mario" ... I'm ready to play!
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What's the story with DRM on this game?
http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55023
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
Supposedly it has:
- securom
- steam
- Games for Windows Live
All at once. Of course rumor has it the pirate bay version was available yesterday and had all those things stripped out.
A lot of people refuse to buy this game because of the DRM.
From the release notes of the crack:
Protection: SecuROM+XLive+PA
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.
The DRM for Bioshock 2 is even worse than before. Securom is still there and requires online activation and now there is Games for Windows Live forcing it's own online activation and 15 install activation limit.
The real kicker is that 2K has a thread where they lie and claim they "scaled back" the DRM by removing the 5 install limit set by Securom - but it's irrelevant since GFWL has it's own install limit. Oh, and if you buy it on Steam? You get the Steam DRM + Securom + GFWL - that's 3x DRM......and yet 2K claims that they listened to customers after the fiasco that was Bioshock's DRM.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson
GFWL isn't explicitly DRM, but it has some DRM-ish aspects to it. For example, with an online account you must be logged in to access your save games on many newer games. Granted, you can create an offline account, but you can't share save games between your online account and offline account. So if you start a game online, you better be prepared to finish it online. This problem is further compounded by two things. First, games using GFWL must be patched through GFWL. There is no alternate route if say GFWL's servers are down. Also, you can only be logged into your GFWL account in one place at a time. That might not seem like a problem, but if you have an Xbox 360, then your GFWL account is likely shared with your gamertag. So if your wife wants to watch Netflix on the Xbox and you want to play Red Faction: Guerrilla on your PC, tough luck. Only one of you can log in.
So like I said, GFWL isn't exactly DRM. But keep in mind that the problem that people have with DRM is not that they can't pirate the games, it's that it restricts legitimate use of the product, or at least makes legitimate use unnecessarily convoluted and cumbersome, which is exactly what GFWL does.