# I want to replay Bioshock; how to make it less scary? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** video-games-e-games\ **Created:** [August 10, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814 "2010-08-10T13:09:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/21 "2010-08-11T13:44:24Z")
> [@abel29a](#): > > Also, for anybody who has played it - [Vampires: The Masquerade - Bloodlines](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire:_The_Masquerade_%E2%80%93_Bloodlines) - the haunted Hotel early on in the game freaked me out to no end, jeebs… Took two sittings to get through it 🙂 On the forums, people would constantly ask for ways to skip that quest. Admittedly, much of the time it was because that level is a chore (the sewers had the same problem). Still, some people genuinely couldn’t get through the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/22 "2010-08-11T13:49:57Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Also, stop being such a wuss. You’ve already played and beaten it, so you know when stuff is jumping out at you. Go kill it. I will. 🙂 After I finish X-files, as I said - then that daily hour will be spent on Bioshock instead. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/23 "2010-08-11T13:55:12Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > > [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > > > Also, stop being such a wuss. You’ve already played and beaten it, so you know when stuff is jumping out at you. Go kill it. > > I will. 🙂 After I finish X-files, as I said - then that daily hour will be spent on Bioshock instead. Also, I’ve never played BioShock, so go beat it for me, or some such. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/24 "2010-08-11T13:58:06Z")
You can do what I do - whenever Atlas radios you, answer him at length, out loud, using that same thick as mud Irish brogue he does. Then later, switch to the thuggish Brooklyn accent. Alternately, buy a copy of “Thief: Deadly Shadows”, rush through it as fast as you can until you reach the Shalebridge Cradle level. Play that, in the dark, full surround sound, preferably during a thunderstorm. If you’re still coherent and sane after that, Bioshock will be a breeze. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/25 "2010-08-11T13:58:11Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > > [@Anaamika](#): > > > > I will. 🙂 After I finish X-files, as I said - then that daily hour will be spent on Bioshock instead. > > Also, I’ve never played BioShock, so go beat it for me, or some such. It is an awesome game. Just wish they would make an RPG of it, as I said. muldoonthief if that is as terrifying as you imply I will be a gibbering fool twitching on the ground. It ain’t happening! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/26 "2010-08-11T14:11:07Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > > [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > > > Also, I’ve never played BioShock, so go beat it for me, or some such. > > It is an awesome game. Just wish they would make an RPG of it, as I said. > > muldoonthief if that is as terrifying as you imply I will be a gibbering fool twitching on the ground. It ain’t happening! System Shock 2. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/27 "2010-08-11T14:49:18Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > I had this reaction to the early parts of “Clive Barker’s Undying”. Not so much when the game gets to the funky LSDed-out other dimension, but in the dark, creepy old family manse, when the flayed guy appears to you every once in a while…brrrrrrrr. oh wow, i remember now. the game’s crappy but just the mansion parts were worth the price. standing at one end of a long corridor filled with open windows and billowing curtains.. it’s amazing how even knowing what to expect didn’t help relieve the tension. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/28 "2010-08-12T01:18:23Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > > [@Anaamika](#): > > > > It is an awesome game. Just wish they would make an RPG of it, as I said. > > > > muldoonthief if that is as terrifying as you imply I will be a gibbering fool twitching on the ground. It ain’t happening! > > System Shock 2. I don’t know what that means. I haven’t played System Shock either. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/29 "2010-08-12T01:35:24Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > > [@Anaamika](#): > > > > I will. 🙂 After I finish X-files, as I said - then that daily hour will be spent on Bioshock instead. > > Also, I’ve never played BioShock, so go beat it for me, or some such. You need to play this game. Its epic, one of my favorites. Go buy it…its hella fun. And creepy! ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/30 "2010-08-12T14:02:50Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > > [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > > > Also, I’ve never played BioShock, so go beat it for me, or some such. > > You need to play this game. Its epic, one of my favorites. Go buy it…its hella fun. And creepy! Meh. I’m just treading video game water until Halo: Reach. After that, that’s pretty much all I’m playing. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/31 "2010-08-12T14:13:30Z")
[How To Play Bioshock](http://www.collectedcurios.com/HTP_017_Bioshock.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/32 "2010-08-12T14:26:43Z")
System Shock and System Shock 2 were the predecessors. It’s where SHODAN gets his name…it’s another creepy, creepy story. I don’t intend to play it but have read much about it. > [@Gyrate](#): > > [How To Play Bioshock](http://www.collectedcurios.com/HTP_017_Bioshock.jpg) Ok, so I started reading this and started giggling over it because it is SO TRUE. Then my coworker said, “Mika, is that you giggling?” I have a very serious and calm reputation at work so I think she was a little surprised to say the least. I got all mock-serious and was like, “Nope. Never! Not me!” ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/33 "2010-08-12T18:48:36Z")
Well, there’s your solution. Play System Shock 2. After that, nothing in Bioshock will be all that scary. You’ll actually be happy to play a game with no monkeys. The only downside is that SHODAN ruins Terry Brosius’s voice for you. I’m playing Deus Ex : Invisible War for the first time and I’m convinced that Ava Johnson is going to squash me like an … insect. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/34 "2010-08-12T18:59:58Z")
In my experience, the best and most efficient way to make something not scary at all is playing/watching/listening to it with a friend and cracking wise the whole time. That’s how I watched Ju-On, and that’s how it didn’t creep me out one bit. Of course, one could argue that trying to play a scary game the non-scary way kind of defeats the purpose… ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/35 "2010-08-12T19:22:21Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Alternately, buy a copy of “Thief: Deadly Shadows”, rush through it as fast as you can until you reach the Shalebridge Cradle level. Play that, in the dark, full surround sound, preferably during a thunderstorm. If you’re still coherent and sane after that, Bioshock will be a breeze. That’s what I came in to say. Bioshock made me jump twice (both in the medical pavillon with its monsters that would suddenly appear behind you or jump out of closets) but aside from that I didn’t find it scary. Shalebridge Cradle had me really scared. I do recommend playing it alone and in the dark in one stretch. You’ll be very scared but you’ll like it. The game is worth its price just for that level. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/36 "2010-08-12T19:41:22Z")
People, _please_. I don’t _want_ to be terrified! I play Bioshock in spite of the fear, not because of the fear, because it is such a cool game and the world of Rapture is immersing. Generally I don’t play very many terrifying games. Sheesh. You all are trying to give me a heart attack! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/37 "2010-08-12T20:00:48Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > People, _please_. I don’t _want_ to be terrified! I play Bioshock in spite of the fear, not because of the fear, because it is such a cool game and the world of Rapture is immersing. Generally I don’t play very many terrifying games. > > Sheesh. You all are trying to give me a heart attack! 🙂 I don’t like being scared all that much either. The only horror movies I like are the 28 days/weeks series. Even then, play the Shalebridge cradle level. One of the best level designs I’ve seen. Can you lower the difficulty mid-game? If so, you can make it easier during the medical pavillon level and crank it back up later. Play in a well-lit area with someone else in the home, preferably with some other noisy activity going on. If you have pets, keep them around. This will help keep you from being immersed in the game and getting scared. Or you could stop being such a feminist and just ask your man to pass the medical level for you : ) On another topic: Have you tried Fallout 3? If you liked Bioshock, you should like Fallout 3 as well. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/38 "2010-08-12T20:11:49Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > On another topic: Have you tried Fallout 3? If you liked Bioshock, you should like Fallout 3 as well. I lurves me some Fallout 3. And that doesn’t scare me at all, not even when the ghouls rush in at me in the dark subway tunnels. But then, the first thing I always do is go get Dogmeat, so I am never alone. And while my SO may do the occasional jumping puzzle for me, I never ask him for more than that! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/39 "2010-08-12T20:47:37Z")
> [@panamajack](#): > > Well, there’s your solution. Play System Shock 2. After that, nothing in Bioshock will be all that scary. You’ll actually be happy to play a game with no monkeys. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I know how you can get the System Shock 2 experience anywhere you go. Just put one hand out as if on a keyboard, the other as if working a mouse. Then just start screaming and shitting your pants. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814/40 "2010-08-13T02:31:25Z")
Just imagine all the Big Daddy’s in their underwear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-replay-bioshock-how-to-make-it-less-scary/549814.md?page=3)