So I am incredibly late with playing Bioshock, (realize my PC could handle it for the longest time) but since the sequel is coming out soon I figure this thead would still be relevant.

Personally I love System Shock 2, I think its one of the best games out there aside from technical aging(I played it a couple of years ago). I know Bioshock is the spiritual successor to System Shock 2 and hold largely the same staff. So lets get into it.

Warning, if you havent played either game yet this will have massive spoilers that may ruin the game for you

BS is a beautiful game but to quote Yatzee "what isn't these days". The weapons are fairly well varied, you have standard  pistol machinegun, shotgun set up, but you also have access to a couple of exotic weapons as well. The camera actually adds a bit to the game as far as research. There are actually minor ways that research affects the game and has some depth. There are a multitude of skills in the form of plasmids, unfortunately it seems like there are only a couple that are really worth holding on to most of the time. I could have tried to spend more time with others but it seemed like electrobolt was really the most useful skill. I felt the enemy selection could have been a bit more varied, but I will get to that.

As far as plot, I was expecting a lot to be taken from SS2, just from what I had heard from the internet. There were a few unique plot points that served to separate it from SS2 that helped flesh out the game. I didn't like being forced to kill Andrew Ryan, but I guess it drives home the point of being a slave. (by the way, shouldnt he have survived since his genetic key was used for the vita chambers?) I also thought turning into one of the bosses that you previously laid traps for was a clever twist. Philosophically there is a lot of libertarianism and the idea of utopia(but whose), but it is also kinda glossed over. It adds its ideas but in reality is kinda shallow.

Comparison

I also feel there were a lot useful features that were in SS2 missing in BS. The most immediate things being an inventory screen and character creation. The inventory screen would have been very helpful with keeping track of quest items and made it convient for items you might want to hold onto later. Intead there were specific item caps which I always seemed be going over. character creation would have been good as well, but then they would have had to redo the game in that case.

Character comparison

I felt Andrew Ryan can't hold a candle to the many. His libertain philosophy makes him unique, but in the end he is just a paranoid powerhungry man, beaten by fontaine. The many of SS2 aren't a unique idea (the zerg, the borg) but they were the first hive mind that seems to articulate thoughts. They constantly tell you that you should be a part of them and you would like it. The journal entries for those being assimilated really helped fleshout he various aspects of the many.

I had similar feelings to Shodan vs. Fontaine. Fontaine isn't a bad villian but not much makes him special. Him creating you added a unique dynamic but his betrayal as Atlas was visible from a mile away. similar things could be said about Shodan. However even though shodan was a bent on universal conquest, you still had to work with it to survive.

given my feelings about the Many, I also feel that splicers were inferior to hybrids. Mind controlled adicts aren't nearly as cool as the various stages that a hybrid goes through. Also the sounds of the hybrids were fucking creepy. The sounds of most everything in SS2 were pretty creepy( esp the spiders). It seems that SS2 just had a wider variety of enemies than BS but BS obviously had a much better AI.

At times is seems like BS tries too hard to be creepy. The little sisters is the most obvious point however, They are part of the plot so I can't imagine the game without them.  Even the splices singing songs goes a little too far at trying to be creepy. The dark environments also add to that as well, but more it made me wish for a flashlight.

Well I have already written a lot, I may add more post about hacking and about the inventory screen

Mostly I would like other peoples thoughts. I enjoy discussing games but few people have played both. Let me know what you think

(if you havent played SS2, its well worth it)