BioShock

Well, it was finally released. So to see if my machine was up to the task, I DLed the demo from Beyond Unreal's File Front. 1.88 GB and a few hours later, I had a workable demo.

Install went well, but a bit slow as I was installing it thru it's compressed state. Then I ran it...loaded fine, but when I got to the main menu screen, I had no mouse. Quite odd...

Browsed the readme file for a bit of help. Ran down the min. requirements and reccomended requirements...it seemed fine, all but one... The game requires a Shader Model 3.0 compatible video card with 128MB of ram. I have a Radion 9800 Pro 256 AGP 8x. Now, going down it's stats, it does not mention Shader Model anything by name. Pixel Shader 2.0 is listed. I hate it when they interchange names like that, if in fact its the same. I doubt mine is 3.0 compatible I just dont know when 3.0 came out or I could have made a time line match on the cards production. I did fine a set of 'tweaked' files to make it run on a non 3.0 card, but I think it's for the retail copy and not the demo.

Doing a lot of digging in related forums, it seems others are experiencing the same problem, and other mention that it's because of the 3.0 compatibility issue, and these people have newer cards than me.

So, to sum up, if anyone else was anticipating this game as I was, being a new gen bit of software, you will need a pretty modern rig to meet the min. req's. Mine does, until that particular point. Upgrade? Maybe. I may build a new rig all together or just get the best AGP card I can and see if that does the trick. Money is tight right now so it may not be for a while.

Dang....Yeah..now adays I prolyl not gonna buy any 'new' games due to the same reason..my computer jsut wouldnt take it..

..hehe...most tolling games ever to run on this comp nx to unreal was halflife 2..

Think wihtt hat was..if you decided to mess around with a couple cheats ...and get gravtiy gun..and try to pick up a vehicle..it caused the computer to crash..

But yeah prolly no new games form now on out till i actually get a job...and get a better comp...

yeah you definitely have an outdated card. It's made from unreal engine 3 (what ut3 will use, you might have to upgrade if you were planning on playing) which requires that shader model. I tried downloading Roboblitz (an unreal engine game) on my comp with a radeon 9600xt, but it wouldn't run because of the shader model thing.

i saw my friend playing bioshock on his 360 a few days ago, looked pretty cool. I always loved the 50's theme in games too.

I played the demo on the xbox 360. The game is pretty incredible, from it's amazing graphics, creepy atmosphere, and just great gameplay. I'm hoping to rent the game at some point, but after playing the demo I can't wait.

I snagged the Bioshock demo earlier this week. I'm...underwhelmed. The water effects were cool: I liked watching the plane's tail sink, and the water rising before you get in the elevator was pretty cool. Come to think of it, everything about the game is interesting, and I want to play a game with a well-written story. The gameplay, however, was bland. Zap, melee, repeat. Or Water, zap...or zap, shoot...or skip the zap and just shoot. Methinks the demo doesn't have enough toys to play with.

EDIT: I decided to give the demo another go. (I wanna try out "fire, water, zap.") I click the shortcut, and get:

A required security module cannot be activated.
This program cannot be executed (5024).

Please have a look at http://www.securom.com/message.asp?m=module&c=5024 for further, more detailed information.

It's mad that I'm running Process Explorer (a kick-butt app BTW.) If this is the kind of security shenanigans I have to put up with, I'm not sure if I want this game anymore...

EDIT2: I closed the Process Explorer, but it still doesn't run. STRIKE TWO!

EDIT3: So it looks like if Process Explorer has been run, Bioshock won't. Doesn't matter if PrEx has been closed since then, Bioshock won't run, and I have to restart my computer if I want to play. LAME! In fact, this could be strike 3...

Well after playing this game I feel like I owe it a review. I played it on the Xbox 360, but from what I've heard the PC version is the same. (Sorry for the long review, but the game really got me excited)

Visuals:
I have to say that I've never been so impressed by a game right off the bat. The visuals had me in awe (I can only imagine HD), whether it was the fire in the beginning, the water effects, or the undersea world of Rapture. This game makes every little detail noticeable and impressive. Minor details like the water dripping from the ceiling that runs down your screen as you walk through it. Just looking at the atmosphere that's created really got me into the game.

Sound:
For me it's hard to find the best part of the game, but the sound is incredible. You hear the groans of the city shifting underwater, the loud footsteps of the dreaded Big Daddy's, and the conversations of the corrupted/insane inhabitants. It all adds up to being very creepy and never knowing where the sound is coming from or what to expect.

Story:
The story is full of twists and unfolds to reveal greater mysteries up until the last minute of the game. This is well written and the voice acting is incredible. I haven't seen too many games lately succeed in this area throughout the game, but this never let up.

Gameplay:
The most important part is how the game actually felt to play. The game is not the best FPS, but it is well done. What helps in this area is the plasmids... or the use of special abilities like Fire, Telekinesis, Electricity, or Ice. There are about 10-12 different plasmids and many are amusing and creative... I stuck to the basics above so I won't spoil them for you. So if you add the weapons which are customizable and the plasmids together, I found it to be immensely fun.

Besides the weapons at your disposal I thought the best part of the game was the idea of fighting these huge deep sea divers called Big Daddy's. The purpose of fighting them was to gain "ADAM" (it's like money for plasmids) from the Little Sisters they protect. It's a bit complicated without playing it. These Big Daddy's really pack a punch and are a blast to fight.
(Picture of the Big Daddy and Little Sister on the left)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bioshockcoverfinalcropped.jpg

Overall:
So I felt impelled to write this because this game is one of the best games I've played in years and possibly ever. The game took me a week and a half to beat and about 25 hours of gameplay. Much of this was exploring the world, but the game's story is still a long lasting one. The game did so many things right and didn't slack on any aspect of the game. I loved this game, it was amazing from start to finish and I suggest it to anyone. (minor warning though, there are moments of language and is violent, so it's deserving of it's Mature rating)