I'm confused, buy or rent Bioshock?

if you have the cash, then buy it.
if you dont, then rent it.

simple =]

it's not like you will regret playing it

Because people on these forums like to stir the pot.

Lets play devil's advocate and say the game is only 16 hours long. That is $3.75 an hour and thats if you only play it once. There is no other form of entertainment that comes so cheap. You can't go see a movie for $3.75 an hour yet people dont complain about that.

Its more likely the game is 20 hours long and most of us will play it at least twice, some more. So its definately worth a purchase. Especially considering it may very well be one of the best games to ever hit your console.

I'm reading all these reviews on how it's an amazing game, 20 hours, and you immediately want to play it again, sounds like RE4. Well, if that's true, then why are people on these forums saying just rent it? I don't know, I'm confused if I should buy or rent it. What do you guys think?1vgfan

i think you should make your own decision and dont let others influence you, take opinions for what they are just an opinion from someone elses point of view, if you play your games to the max when you buy them then you are a buyer if you just play it and it sits there no matter the game your a renter. but dont let someone else make your decision i am buyng it becuse i dont buy that many games anymore and thats what i choose to do, its my money i work for it i do what want can care less what others think but i dont mind an opinion.....HAVE FUN

P.s. i made the mistake of buying the darkness but i got it for 50$ at CC, sold it on ebay 3-4 weeks later and soldit for 47$ so only lost 3$ i am sure if you dont like it you can do that too.

if you have the cash, then buy it.
if you dont, then rent it.

simple =]

it's not like you will regret playing it

therapyhiccup

It really is that simple...

Well, one thing to consider is that the only other 360 games that have received reviews as high as Bioshock are Gears and Oblivion. You even have a demo to try, which I personally think is amazing. Concerning reviews, I always use sites like metacritic or gamerankings, because I think that an average of all the reviews is more meaningfull than one person's opinion. If you go to metacritic, you'll see that the majority of reviewers are giving Bioshock a perfect 10. Again, this hasn't happened since Gears and Oblivion, both of which, IMO, are definate purchases.

I think the reason people would be saying rental is because Bioshock has no MP. In many cases, they would be right. For example, without co-op and MP, the value of Gears for me would be immensely lower. Same goes for games like Lost Planet, Rainbow 6, GRAW, COD, etc. etc. However, there are those single player only gems that are definately worth a purchase. Oblivion is a perfect example. Great RPGs fall into this category, like Mass Effect. So do great sandbox games like GTA IV, or great horror games like Resident Evil. From what I've read and seen in the demo, Bioshock is easily the caliber of game that Oblivion, GTA, Resident Evil, and Mass Effect are. So, for me, purchase.

BioShock is a must-buy, IMO. It's going to be one of the most beautiful games you'll ever come across, period.
devilbuster

You are way off on that one. You should play the full version before coming to this conclusion. That said, it will be Game of the Year though no doubt for consoles. No offense though, as far as beauty, it doesn't hold anything AT ALL on Crysis, period.

^

Coming from a guy who has played niether and bases games on Graphics...

I'm buying it. I will definitely play through it once if not more. It will be one of the best games of the Xbox 360 if not all time (which it seems to be headed towards very quickly), so it is definitely worth a purchase in my book.

Besides, I never rent games. I either buy a game and add it to my collection or I don't play it at all. Something that's resulted in me being very picky about what games I drop $60 on.

Bounce are you serious?... Did you rent GoW?... Halo 2... Or did you only buy for ONLINE PLAY...

Seriously you must be a giant nerd to me 15 Hours is god enough time for me to atleast have so much fun through plus like me it'll take me atleast 40 Hours to Complete :D... Since i'll go through it twice looking at each end detail :P

^

Coming from a guy who has played niether and bases games on Graphics...

Nicko2006

I have played both. I am willing to make a bet on both. I currently have Bioshock for 360 which you can check my gamertag for my achievements and also, for my time played on Crysis I can prove this thru Xfire.

Btw, don't be a fanboy. It is what it is. Bioshock main attribute is the immersiveness of the game. The atmosphere is great. The gameplay can sometimes feel slightly broken. AI is poor and repetitve. This is not a big deal asthe story is great so you push to get thru it. Crysis, also has amazing atmosphere but ismuch more interactive. The physics in this gamenever fails to make your jaw drop.

Finally, I can all but guarantee Bioshock will be console game of the year. What more praise do you want? It has great sound, great graphics, fun story, you can make your own decisions that effect the story.So far it doesn'tfeel to short like the story is being rushed.

Graphics 10

Sound 9

Replay 8

Story 9

OverallVaule 9

This is a game most will play thrua second time. It is awesome to play a game likeBioshocksimply because you can see the work that went into it. The level of detail hasn't been seenin a game yet this generation of 360 games.

[QUOTE="devilbuster"]BioShock is a must-buy, IMO. It's going to be one of the most beautiful games you'll ever come across, period.
Taijiquan

You are way off on that one. You should play the full version before coming to this conclusion. That said, it will be Game of the Year though no doubt for consoles. No offense though, as far as beauty, it doesn't hold anything AT ALL on Crysis, period.

Even based on the demo this game has amazing graphics. If anything, the full-version would look better. Saying that this is one of the most beautiful games of all-time is no stretch at all. And, actually, I think BioShock does have a leg up on Crysis in one area. Crysis may be technically better looking, but it has nothing on BioShock's art direction. Crysis may have great lighting, shadows, and depth-of-field, but BioShock's art is amazing and immersive. Crysis is pretty, but it's pretty reality. BioShock is something completely different, and that's what's so appealing about it.

Also, I don't think BioShock will only be Game of the Year for consoles (next to Mass Effect), but also PC. I don't know if your thinking Crysis will be, but if you are, I just think it's another pretty FPS. I don't think it does anything with the FPS formula besides make it shinier and more destrctible. Just my opinion.

[QUOTE="Taijiquan"]

[QUOTE="devilbuster"]BioShock is a must-buy, IMO. It's going to be one of the most beautiful games you'll ever come across, period.
FireBurger

You are way off on that one. You should play the full version before coming to this conclusion. That said, it will be Game of the Year though no doubt for consoles. No offense though, as far as beauty, it doesn't hold anything AT ALL on Crysis, period.

Even based on the demo this game has amazing graphics. If anything, the full-version would look better. Saying that this is one of the most beautiful games of all-time is no stretch at all. And, actually, I think BioShock does have a leg up on Crysis in one area. Crysis may be technically better looking, but it has nothing on BioShock's art direction. Crysis may have great lighting, shadows, and depth-of-field, but BioShock's art is amazing and immersive. Crysis is pretty, but it's pretty reality. BioShock is something completely different, and that's what's so appealing about it.

Also, I don't think BioShock will only be Game of the Year for consoles (next to Mass Effect), but also PC. I don't know if your thinking Crysis will be, but if you are, I just think it's another pretty FPS. I don' think it does anything with the FPS formula besides make it shinier and more destrctible. Just my opinion.

Based on the demo yes the game has amazing graphics. Yes, the full version does infact look better. You did not say this is one of the most beautiful games of all time. You said it would be one of the most beautiful games you come across ever. This is simply not the case. As far as art direction, Bioshock is great. Don't get me wrong, I shouldn't have thrown Crysis out there. For a game to even be getting compared to what is considered one of the best looking game ever up until this point should be considered an honor. Bioshock has a wow factor. But for ME it does not keep wowing you. Crysis does. You call it reality pretty, not sure when the last time Aliens invaded, but..... Its just a matter of opinion on what is beautiful. As they say, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Last comment on Crysis, it adds a level of interactivity never seenin a game before.This is huge to me. I love games where I feel like I was there. These are few and farinbetween.

I am not knocking Bioshock. It is really fun. It is beautiful. What it isn't, is the be all end all game. Should you buy? Why not thedevelopers deserve it. Would I buyit? Nah, to manypotential good games coming out that I would rate as almost certainly having a higher replayvalue. My opinion is based offthe fact that Iprefer multiplayer games.

Rent it. People are saying it only takes around 15 hours to complete, and such a short game is only worth a rent.BounceDK

Thanks for winning the most ignorant post of the day award. 15 Hours is if you RUN through it and played it only once. Its still only 4$ an hour, that is cheap (you should see my bar tabs).

Ignore everybody here and just decide...

First play the DEMO then ask yourself i guarrenty you'll buy it in the end...

^

Basically i played the demo and tomorrow i am getting a quick last PRE-ORDER IN :D 4 Days i cant wait :P

Well, one thing to consider is that the only other 360 games that have received reviews as high as Bioshock are Gears and Oblivion. You even have a demo to try, which I personally think is amazing. Concerning reviews, I always use sites like metacritic or gamerankings, because I think that an average of all the reviews is more meaningfull than one person's opinion. If you go to metacritic, you'll see that the majority of reviewers are giving Bioshock a perfect 10. Again, this hasn't happened since Gears and Oblivion, both of which, IMO, are definate purchases.

I think the reason people would be saying rental is because Bioshock has no MP. In many cases, they would be right. For example, without co-op and MP, the value of Gears for me would be immensely lower. Same goes for games like Lost Planet, Rainbow 6, GRAW, COD, etc. etc. However, there are those single player only gems that are definately worth a purchase. Oblivion is a perfect example. Great RPGs fall into this category, like Mass Effect. So do great sandbox games like GTA IV, or great horror games like Resident Evil. From what I've read and seen in the demo, Bioshock is easily the caliber of game that Oblivion, GTA, Resident Evil, and Mass Effect are. So, for me, purchase.

Grende1

not even gears and oblivion got as high as scores as bioshock is getting. and like someone else said, dont listen to us, do what u want to do. if u wanted to buy it before u heard people on hear sayin its only a rent, then buy it. and ive heard u can get well over 20 hours playin this game if u dont just rush through to the end, and even 30 hours if u play on hard difficulty.

Because people on these forums like to stir the pot.

Lets play devil's advocate and say the game is only 16 hours long. That is $3.75 an hour and thats if you only play it once. There is no other form of entertainment that comes so cheap. You can't go see a movie for $3.75 an hour yet people dont complain about that.

Its more likely the game is 20 hours long and most of us will play it at least twice, some more. So its definately worth a purchase. Especially considering it may very well be one of the best games to ever hit your console.

tkemory

actually i never go see movies for exactly that reason.

2. Fair enough. I agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in my case, I really enjoy the art direction in BioShock. I think it's something unique and interesting, and something that the developers took a chance on. At the same time, I can see why you think Crysis is great looking because it does look great. In my case, I just prefer BioShock's direction over Crysis'. As for the "pretty reality" remark, I was more thinking of the jungle and such, I sort of neglected the whole Alien part.:P Still, I think BioShock comes out on top because the unique story combined with the enviroment really just drives the immersion like few games I've played before. Alien invasions just don't do it for me anymore.

As for interactivity, I think BioShock has it in spades. You can hack cameras, turrets, drones, health stations, and more however you please. You can use telekinesis to pick up just about any object in the game and use it as a weapon. Water responds realistically to electricity, and both water and fre spread realistically. I think both games have a good level of interactivity, Crysis with its destructible environments and BioShock with what I mentioned before, and I think both will be fun to mess around with.

As for replayability, the only thing I can say for BioShock is that you can approach situations many different ways and use many different techniques, which I think adds a level of replayability seen in few single-player games. Multiplayer wise, Crysis obviously wins and adds much to its lasting appeal.

In the end though, I guess it comes down to what you're personally looking for in a game and its aspects, and so everybody will have a different opinion. Either way, I'm sure both games will be great.

the game is worth the buy, but i can understand that the lack of online will make the replayability factor some what lower...

i'll buy it, cause it's a purely single player experience.

[QUOTE="tkemory"]

Because people on these forums like to stir the pot.

Lets play devil's advocate and say the game is only 16 hours long. That is $3.75 an hour and thats if you only play it once. There is no other form of entertainment that comes so cheap. You can't go see a movie for $3.75 an hour yet people dont complain about that.

Its more likely the game is 20 hours long and most of us will play it at least twice, some more. So its definately worth a purchase. Especially considering it may very well be one of the best games to ever hit your console.

00697man

actually i never go see movies for exactly that reason.

unrealistic, you get what you pay for my friend.

the game is worth the buy, but i can understand that the lack of online will make the replayability factor some what lower...

i'll buy it, cause it's a purely single player experience.

furtherfan

the game isnt worth 60DS , you know why? its short and repetetive , ive played the game (check VeRKK for acheivments) and i fed up with it , its short , and the powers getting boring after a while , the game is good , awesome , but not for a purchase.... you "will" buy it , i played it...

I have the game and beat it and I think it depends.

It depends on if you really want to play that same experience over and over again. If yes, then yeah, sure, buy it. Also, if you are a game collector, it's an obvious buy.

However, if you don't think you'll play the game more then two or three times. It would be better to rent. It's not a long game considering it's single player only. I cleared it in around 12 hours first playthrough. Every second playthrough is always shorter, so you should be able to clear the game more then once in a week of renting it easily.

It really depends upon that if you ask me. Ask yourself the question: am I really going to play this game more then two-three times or am I fooling myself thinking I will?

If you know you are not, then do yourself a favor and rent it. If you really think you will play it loads and loads of times then buy it. But also keep in mind there are loads of other games still coming up.

Oh, and I'm not at all saying the game is bad. It's one of the better ones I played in a while. But that simply does not mean it's a must buy. Just like 9+ rating games are not always must buys, people must learn this.

[QUOTE="BounceDK"]Rent it. People are saying it only takes around 15 hours to complete, and such a short game is only worth a rent.tkemory

Thanks for winning the most ignorant post of the day award. 15 Hours is if you RUN through it and played it only once. Its still only 4$ an hour, that is cheap (you should see my bar tabs).

You never asked where he lives. It may be 4$/hour in the USA but in Canada games cost 80$ after taxes (at least in ontario) so that works out to 5.333$/hour even though our dollar is worth practically the same as yours nowadays. The europeans get screwed over even more when it comes to game and console prices as well.

that said i still plan on buying assassin's creed, halo 3, COD4, mass effect and maybe bioshock this year.

1. I didn't write the first post.

2. Fair enough. I agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in my case, I really enjoy the art direction in BioShock. I think it's something unique and interesting, and something that the developers took a chance on. At the same time, I can see why you think Crysis is great looking because it does look great. In my case, I just prefer BioShock's direction over Crysis'. As for the "pretty reality" remark, I was more thinking of the jungle and such, I sort of neglected the whole Alien part.:P Still, I think BioShock comes out on top because the unique story combined with the enviroment really just drives the immersion like few games I've played before. Alien invasions just don't do it for me anymore.

As for interactivity, I think BioShock has it in spades. You can hack cameras, turrets, drones, health stations, and more however you please. You can use telekinesis to pick up just about any object in the game and use it as a weapon. Water responds realistically to electricity, and both water and fre spread realistically. I think both games have a good level of interactivity, Crysis with its destructible environments and BioShock with what I mentioned before, and I think both will be fun to mess around with.

As for replayability, the only thing I can say for BioShock is that you can approach situations many different ways and use many different techniques, which I think adds a level of replayability seen in few single-player games. Multiplayer wise, Crysis obviously wins and adds much to its lasting appeal.

In the end though, I guess it comes down to what you're personally looking for in a game and its aspects, and so everybody will have a different opinion. Either way, I'm sure both games will be great.

FireBurger

This is a great post. You are going to love Bioshock. As far as Alien Invasions, are you getting Halo 3?

Interactivity, Cameras, why hack a camera? I have not hacked one yet. It makes more sense to blow them up. Turrents/ Drones, the enemy placement competely eliminates the need to hack any torrents. Drones, you will hack one and I doubt you will hack another. 2 main reasons. 1) They are annoying. Besides getting in the way and taking away the depth of the level design the noise they make takes away from the atmosphere or ambience. 2) They do not deal much damage to enemies. There are so many health packs scattered around that you won't need to hack health stations exc.

Telekinesis is cool. I won't spoil anything for you but being excited about something based on trailers will only lead to disappointment. Take the cool part of any movie or gametrailer and imagine how cool a movie or game would be all the way thru it played just like that. The reality is, it has simply shown what happens for a few moments that are few and far between. Hope this makes sense.

Completely agree about approaching situations in different ways. Its not quite as diverse as I would like, but on the hardest difficulty is where this game will be at. One thing I can say with certainty, Bioshock is great.

[QUOTE="00697man"][QUOTE="tkemory"]

Because people on these forums like to stir the pot.

Lets play devil's advocate and say the game is only 16 hours long. That is $3.75 an hour and thats if you only play it once. There is no other form of entertainment that comes so cheap. You can't go see a movie for $3.75 an hour yet people dont complain about that.

Its more likely the game is 20 hours long and most of us will play it at least twice, some more. So its definately worth a purchase. Especially considering it may very well be one of the best games to ever hit your console.

tkemory

actually i never go see movies for exactly that reason.

unrealistic, you get what you pay for my friend.

i dont follow... are you saying im lying when i say i dont go see movies? the whole theatre experience isn't fun at all. Crowded, people talk on phones, laughter makes you miss out on dialogue etc etc

You can't go see a movie for $3.75 an hour yet people dont complain about that.

tkemory

Actually a movie is about 2 hours long and at $3.75 an hour that would end up being about the same price as a movie ticket. Just saying...

[QUOTE="furtherfan"]

the game is worth the buy, but i can understand that the lack of online will make the replayability factor some what lower...

i'll buy it, cause it's a purely single player experience.

omrikk87

the game isnt worth 60DS , you know why? its short and repetetive , ive played the game (check VeRKK for acheivments) and i fed up with it , its short , and the powers getting boring after a while , the game is good , awesome , but not for a purchase.... you "will" buy it , i played it...