Bioshock too weird for mainstream gamers?

No such thing as a weird game, just good or bad one's.bob_geldof221

Bioshock is going to really appeal to us gamers that have been around a little longer. If you're old enough to have played System Shock and System Shock II you will most likely be very interested in Bioshock.

Personally I still regard System Shock II as the best FPS I have ever played. If they are able to recreate that same type of gameplay in Bioshock then the game will do extremely well. 

Bioshock is going to really appeal to us gamers that have been around a little longer. If you're old enough to have played System Shock and System Shock II you will most likely be very interested in Bioshock.

Personally I still regard System Shock II as the best FPS I have ever played. If they are able to recreate that same type of gameplay in Bioshock then the game will do extremely well.

therealFrek

Yep, I'm loving the fact more genre-blended FPS games are coming out, my fav genre, since System Shock, since Deus Ex......problem is that they're rare as hell as most developers go for the standard cookie-cutter run&gun FPS gameplay that's essentially oversaturating the genre to death...

(STALKER was a step in the right direction, great game, albeit with it's own issues and pacing problems) 

Here's to hoping Bioshock lives up and holds well, both in the reviews, and on the marketing side of things.

[QUOTE="BounceDK"]It's a game, what's weird about it? Go back to WoW[/QUO

Ahh....madam, i don't even play WOW. So why don't you get off your sizable ass and go back to the nursing home which you have probably escaped from you pitiful ol' fool!

biggest_loser

 your name suits you, bioshock looks insane =D

Maybe 'cause of that childkiller commercial? I did like it, though ;)Parrotman

It's a game, what's weird about it? Go back to WoWBounceDK

Wow! That's great. Care to add anything else un-helpful?

I understand where the original poster is coming from. The premise of the game does look to be unique.

Bioshock is going to really appeal to us gamers that have been around a little longer. If you're old enough to have played System Shock and System Shock II you will most likely be very interested in Bioshock.

Personally I still regard System Shock II as the best FPS I have ever played. If they are able to recreate that same type of gameplay in Bioshock then the game will do extremely well.

therealFrek

Exactly. Couldn't have said it better myself. I loved all the trailers and gameplay movies I've seen so far. Bioshock is definitely on my list of "to buy" titles.

ricardo

[QUOTE="bob_geldof221"]No such thing as a weird game, just good or bad one's.paganinio

Mainstream gamers buy tons of bad games. :) 

[QUOTE="paganinio"][QUOTE="bob_geldof221"]No such thing as a weird game, just good or bad one's.Einhanderkiller

Mainstream gamers buy tons of bad games. :)

50 Cent anyone? 

bioshock already has its pc audience thanks to system shock 2 - most pc gamers know about it and acknowledge its greatness (if only to look cool!!) so i don't think any amount of weirdness or non-mainstreamness will be even a slight problem for pc sales

the console market is a much different thing though - and irrational is aware of that, that's (probably) precisely why they released that woah-is-that-ingame? video of the fight with the big daddy that ends with a drill bit through your chest - it was a beautiful looking, high action fight that was just obviously made to appeal to straight up action fans wanting simple experiences

now, i'm usually the last person to generalise - bioshock won't suit all pc gamers and some console gamers will love bioshock blah blah blah (the pc is the home of the run n gun afterall) - but the typical console gamer is too young to appreciate most of what bioshock is, as someone else said - and that's true... bioshock probably scored a couple thousand sales on consoles just from that video though, and hopefully they'll learn something...

personally, i am gonna keep a keen eye on amazon.co.uk, play.com and amazon.com sales figures for each system to see just how well each sells

edit: bioshock is currently winning for pre-orders on 360 at amazon.co.uk by a slight margin and by a big one over at amazon.com  - interesting stuff

To be frank, it's too early to tell, I think.  Personally, I think Bioshock has the capacity to appeal to different genres of more hardcore gamers, including both FPS and RPG/Adventure game fans... but whether or not it goes well mainstream just depends on whether or not it gets good press and whether or not the quick descriptive "blurb" that casual/mainstream gamers hear about it appeals to them or not.

 In other words, superficial appeal (or lack of it) when it finally comes out will probably be the determining factor.  Since it's a dark shooter with a lot of atmosphere and depth however (somewhat in the vein of FEAR, but with adventure/roleplaying aspects) as well as roleplaying elements (which are part of the depth), I would predict that it would appeal to many mainstream gamers though, as it has a lot of visceral appeal. 

Unlike Psychonauts, for instance, which has so many layers and is so eclectic, that mainstream gamers and even gamers in general "didn't get it", although if they'd actually played it, they probably would've liked it quite a bit.  I really have to put "bad marketing" at fault for a lot of Psychonaut's lack of sales though, personally.  The commercials and ads I saw showed nothing of the coolest things in the game! 

**spoilers** like when you become a giant monster and stomp around a city full of 50's-esque Lungfish, or wander through an eerie suburban neighborhood where cameras are snapping at you everywhere and government agents are (unsuccessfully) pretending they're just part of the populace and aren't up to anything...**spoilers** 

Seriously, some of the most ambiguous commercials ever!  I just don't see how they managed to leave out all the coolest things in the game and show us only the most superficial and uninteresting things about it!

 But back to the topic: I think it's too early to tell, but I'm leaning towards Bioshock being not too weird for mainstream, because it's weird in the extremely interesting/deep/compelling way that most people would just sum up as "Weird... but in a good way." 

It may be weird to the uniformed: that "child" isnt really a child but a mutation and definately not human.

The only thing that might be excessive is the violence and gore.

it is a bit weird, i admit, but awesom nonetheless

It is unique, but I think it will do well. It's had a great marketing push, it has System Shock 2's laurels to ride on, gamers (even console gamers) are more adventurous nowadays, and it looks like they've done a great job of making it unintimidating. Perhaps even more importantly, the graphics are definitely on a par with the other stuff out these days, something System Shock 2 didn't have.

However, I doubt it will be a blockbuster like Oblivion or Wow. Just like with movies, innovation is a downside when you're looking for a mega-hit.

I see where the TC is comming from, and agree somewhat.  I am all for off tempo games and unique settings, but at this point, I am not sure this one really interests me at all.  The whole "pseudo 1950's health and science gone wrong" theme is very cool, and so far all the propaganda (posters, signs, ect) seem to give a very eerie and atmospheric appearance.

But them i take a look at the enemies...mutated ladies with meat hooks...little girls with huge gaurdians...kinda strike me as a little too odd. 

I haven't decided yet though, I really need more info about the game. 

Oh, so you know I have played SS2 (and loved it) and am an older gamer, so it's not the whole "younger crowd" mentality I am comming from.

Edit:

Just wanted to add something...if in the end I think Bio Shock is too "weird" or whatever for my tastes, i am not saying this a bad thing.  Not every game has to appeal to every gamer, and in fact, I appluad them for trying something different and innovative, even though it might reduce thier player base. 

Topic: ^biggest_loser

ummm... no, mainstream gamers will buy it if they liked it.

well, if it's like system shock, it's not going to appeal to a lot of people. Bioshock seems to be getting a bit of publicity though and from the look of it, it's going to be more focused on shooting. I bet most people are going to go into it believing it strictly an fps and might get turned off by the rpg elements. That's one problem, most people don't want an rpg fused with a fps, so the rpg elements aren't focused on as much when showing the game to the public, but once those are taken out of focus, it becomes "just another fps."

 I can't tell you how many times i've heard that phrase in system wars, where people who have never heard of system shock say that it looks generic and that telekinesis is nothing new in a game so it's nothing special and that it looks like the shooters that have been coming out for the past 10 years. I'm going to say that Bioshock is going to appeal to more gamers than System Shock did, but it's definately not going to get the recognition it deserves.

I don't care about mainstream/casual gamers. Besides, how is this game weird? It's a shooter/RPG/adventure.TrueReligion_

That's one problem, most people don't want an rpg fused with a fpsSystemShock2

On the contrary, I think the problems will come from it not being enough of an FPS-RPG. It's not about level-grinding so you can mow down entire populations, but about solving problems and picking the right fights. Both require thinking, and many gamers don't much like to do that. ;)

[QUOTE="bob_geldof221"]No such thing as a weird game, just good or bad one's.paganinio

Since when does mainstream=good games? 

The game is not 'weird'. However your profile picture is weird ;)  

[QUOTE="paganinio"][QUOTE="bob_geldof221"]No such thing as a weird game, just good or bad one's.DarKre

Since when does mainstream=good games?