# Bioshock or Dead Space or ... **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 20, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666 "2008-11-20T16:42:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/1 "2008-11-20T16:42:39Z")
Have some time off for the holidays so thought I’d invest in a video game. Want something atmospheric and immersive but that won’t take too much brainpower (puzzles I like, but having to think thru real-time strategy - no thanks). FPS’s seem to fit the bill (NOTE: I do NOT like shooters where you have to control multiple people/buddies/allies), and both of these got good reviews. I could also go for something more ‘adventure-like’, but those seem scarce on consoles. (I’m on a PS3). So, what say you? Also, on a tangent - would my wife like Little Big Planet? She’s not a gamer at all, but looks like it could be fun. PS - I know there’s been threads on these games but the search function is completely broken for me. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/2 "2008-11-20T16:46:27Z")
I’d suggest Bioshock, personally. I’ve got DeadSpace, and while it’s technologically neat, the storyline just hasn’t hooked me. Your wife will probably love Little Big Planet, but bear in mind that it can be quite hard- so nongamers might have a rough time with it. My wife liked it at first, but now she’s content to just watch me play it. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/3 "2008-11-20T18:41:10Z")
Fallout 3. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/4 "2008-11-20T18:53:21Z")
Bioshock definitely sounds like your game. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/5 "2008-11-20T19:08:32Z")
Bioshock is not only a superb FPS, it’s got one of the most finely told stories in any game post Planescape: Torment. It’s got a real postmodern vibe to it too once you meet up with one of the story’s main NPC’s. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/6 "2008-11-20T19:13:06Z")
I’ve wanted BioShock since it first came out. My computer couldn’t run it, though, so I was pumped to hear that it was coming to the PS3. However, there are so many other good games out now. I just ordered Fallout 3, have Call of Duty: World at War sitting back at home, and have yet to play more than an hour of Oblivion. I’ll never have time to get into BioShock! Gah ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/7 "2008-11-20T19:23:39Z")
Another vote for Bioshock. I agree with **FinnAgain**. I’ve been playing video games for 20 years and have never been as enthralled with a story and mood as I was with Bioshock. Resident Evil WISHES it could be so engrossing. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/8 "2008-11-20T19:31:16Z")
I’m helplessly addicted to Fallout 3 on my PS3 right now. So much so that if I get any other new games during the holidays they will probably sit unused until the Spring. At least I hope I’m off Fallout 3 by then. ---
**Author:** ![Unsquare\_Dance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b3f665/32.png) [@Unsquare\_Dance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unsquare_Dance)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/9 "2008-11-20T19:47:14Z")
I’ll throw another vote in for Bioshock. That game was… mmm. If your wife isn’t a gamer, I wouldn’t buy her a game. Buy it for you, if you want it, and maybe she’ll get into it. Then her playing would be a cool bonus. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/10 "2008-11-20T20:13:45Z")
Your wife might like Guitar Hero. I know a ton of girls who don’t play video games at all but love to jam on those music-oriented games. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/11 "2008-11-20T20:43:24Z")
> [@rexnervous](#): > > Also, on a tangent - would my wife like Little Big Planet? She’s not a gamer at all, but looks like it could be fun. [Any game in the right context…](http://www.livesprites.com/Default.aspx?comic_id=24) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/12 "2008-11-20T21:55:11Z")
There was an ad I saw once for **Bioshock** that was basically a page covered in quotes from industry critics. One said something like, “I live for that moment in a video game where I just drop my controller in amazement. **Bioshock** has four of those.” Seriously. It’s ten pounds of awesome in a five pound bag. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanTigerTamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@SuntanTigerTamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanTigerTamer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/13 "2008-11-20T22:08:03Z")
Left 4 Dead. Get it now. Stop reading this and get it now and then join up and shoot some undead with us. But yeah, Bioshock is great too. In my mind, it goes Portals \> Left 4 Dead \> Bioshock \> Call of Duty 4… ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/14 "2008-11-20T23:10:57Z")
Ok. I’ve heard enough. I didn’t start this thread, but I’m getting BioShock ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/15 "2008-11-20T23:17:21Z")
BioShock is great even if you’ve played System Shock 2 (in a lot of ways they’re the same game, by the same people, though one is steampunk while the other is cyberpunk) but BioShock is a lot prettier. I honeslty didn’t think it was quite as good as System Shock 2, but BioShock is still EASILY one of the best games out for consoles this gen. Dead Space is great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a lot more “meh” than BioShock was. I’d also highly recommend Fallout 3. Freaking AWESOME game, with a lot of replayability. Bioshock only has the obvious good guy or bad guy choices, and those are even few and far between. Fallout let’s you mess with people ---
**Author:** ![Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/13edae/32.png) [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/16 "2008-11-20T23:32:08Z")
Heh. I guess I’m the only person who thought Bioshock was an overhyped, repetitive-if-stylish FPS with clumsy combat elements and boring mini-games. It is very atmospheric. It’s also very boring (to me,) YMMV. You should really Fallout 3 instead. ETA: Didn’t see you were on a console. Sorry, no Left 4 Dead suggestion for you (joysticks are terrible inputs for any FPS requiring actual aim.) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/17 "2008-11-20T23:39:56Z")
A slightly older game you might like is Dead Rising. The premise is that you are a reporter locked in a mall full of zombies Dawn of the Dead style. You have three game days to unravel the mystery of the zombies and save as many people as you can. The game is played “sandbox” style like Grand Theft Auto. You are given points of interest to go to and time limits to get there. Meanwhile the entire mall is filled with hundreds of zombies and you can use anything as a weapon - 2x4s, chainsaws, swords (katanas, claymores), knives, shotguns, picnic umbrellas, chairs, cash registers, soda cans, whatever you would normally find in a mall. It’s not the most technically perfect game, but it’s a lot of fun and relatively short but replayable. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/18 "2008-11-21T00:05:07Z")
> [@PopeJewish](#): > > BioShock is great even if you’ve played System Shock 2 (in a lot of ways they’re the same game, by the same people, though one is steampunk while the other is cyberpunk) but BioShock is a lot prettier. I honeslty didn’t think it was quite as good as System Shock 2, but BioShock is still EASILY one of the best games out for consoles this gen. System Shock 2 is one of the single greatest games ever made. It’s up there with Deus Ex, Master of Orion I and II, Freespace I and II, Alpha Centauri, Planescape: Torment, etc… And yeah, it was better than Bioshock (IMO) only because it allowed for a much greater depth of play style customization. Then again it also featured weapon degradation (boooooo!). Ironically enough, if you’ve played System Shock 2: you should see the Big Reveal coming as to who it is that’s guiding you around Rapture ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/19 "2008-11-21T02:15:54Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > System Shock 2 is one of the single greatest games ever made. It’s up there with Deus Ex, Master of Orion I and II, Freespace I and II, Alpha Centauri, Planescape: Torment, etc… > > And yeah, it was better than Bioshock (IMO) only because it allowed for a much greater depth of play style customization. Then again it also featured weapon degradation (boooooo!). > > Ironically enough, if you’ve played System Shock 2: > > you should see the Big Reveal coming as to who it is that’s guiding you around Rapture ooh, another Deus Ex player. Awesome. I never got around to playin DX2, but I heard it wasn’t as good and I’m not missing out on much. Also your mention of MOO II brings back memories (and pain from my one and only go at MOO III). Me and my friends used to multiplayer hotseat MOO II for hours and hours of nerdgasm fun 😃 As for your spoiler, definitely true. But I still definitely liked BioShock a lot, and it had some truly great moments of gaming within it. Plus being reminiscent of System Shock 2 put me in a happy place 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DeptfordX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DeptfordX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeptfordX)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666/20 "2008-11-21T02:21:36Z")
\*\* Bioshock\*\* without a question abd **Dead rising** was rubbish. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bioshock-or-dead-space-or/473666.md?page=2)