[Multiplatform] Bioshock. Available on Wii 12/5/2010

As a veteran of the SHODAN wars I'm not really all that impressed by the game so far. Maybe I'm getting old, but I really think it's too easy with the respawn mechanic... There's a lot of things I just don't like about it, which is pretty weird, cause I was looking forward to the game since they announced it.
Yes it's pretty. Yes they're telling a nice story. But the game itself isn't that special. At least, to me it isn't. Basically it's the same game as System Shock 2, but with some minor alterations, more heavy on the action side.
I WANT to like it into GotY territory. But I just don't. It's not on my list.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Big Daddies spawn at an unlimited level. Or so it seems.
Even when there's no Little Sister left in the level, they'll spawn and bang on the walls.
And sometimes they just walk through the level without a Sister accompanying them. So you better just watch them for awhile till they get one out.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Just finished it.
And I have to say, I haven't been this disappointed by a game since Unreal 2.
Yes, Bioshock has a nice, deep story, which is pretty unique in video games.
Yes, it also has incredible art direction and very good audio.
But that's about all good things I've got to say about it.

The gameplay is System Shock 2 with more combat and a diffrent experience system, namely that whole Adam thing instead of Cybermodules. And research is now vital to survival, if you don't take a lot of photographs of the enemies, the game balancing flies out of the window, making especially later levels near unplayable.
Yes, there are some differing powers, but ultimately the gameplay doesn't offer anything innovative or new, nothing that hasn't been done better by others before.
The actual level design also isn't that great. The overall mood is good, yes, but the level layout and design just lacks a certain something to really elevate it.
Regarding the respawn tubes - vita chambers - it is explained later why only the player resurrects. Still I think they're a rather sucky gameplay device, taking away very, very much of the tension. But I admit that without them, the game would be a real quicksave fest. Maybe they didn't wanted to do too much game balancing. Which doesn't really shed good light on the devs.
Then there are quite a lot of scripted scenes, which to me are quite bad game design decisions. The worst examples are the instant enemy spawns when the player has achieved something. If they had to borrow gameplay devices from Doom3, why not the slick in-game user interfaces? Why this?

So overall, it's a nice, shiny piece of candy with an exquisite wrapper that tastes surprisingly fishy.
It's still a good game. Just not the exellent masterpiece it seemed to be, and sadly not the "piece of art" it's praised for everywhere. Because as it's the GAME part of it that is the really weak spot. Everything else is pretty top notch.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Good story and looks/sounds don't make up for mediocre gameplay / leveldesign. Because "System Shock 2 with focus on action" doesn't work as good as it might sound. The gameplay mechanics are 8 years old, and it shows...

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Erm... I compared bad scripting like it can be found in Doom 3 with bad scripting in Bioshock, which was WHERE exactly in the original System Shock games? Yes they had some scripting, but that didn't involve sudden enemy spawns when you found new weapons.
I give the horde of Splicers swarming in on you after you touch the Shotgun a benefit of a doubt, that's so close to Doom it could be a direct "quote" from it, a nod to id or something.
But later, that's just bad scripting.
And doesn't have anything to do with Doom derivating things from System Shock. Doom 3 DID borrow some things from the Shock games (and did so pretty well), but that kind of scripted enemy spawn situations is something like a trademark of the series. Maybe not a quality one, but still a trademark.

And regarding game mechanics, it's not a spirtual sequel, it's more like a remake.
And sadly not one of the remakes that actually improve anything.

Still, I guess I never actually said anything about Bioshock being a bad game. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record... It's an okay game. But that's pretty much it. I can have some fun with it, but there's just too much things going on that spoil it for me.
If you're enjoying it a lot more than I do, fine, be my guest.
Just don't expect me to join the parade.

I was speaking idiomatically.