Topic: Push Square Game Club Spooktacular: Resident Evil 4

For me, Bioshock 2 is the best one. The combat is much improved over the original.

I've made a start on Bioshock 2. It's good to be back in Rapture. It's interesting to see them try something different in terms of narrative, I'll be curious to see where it goes.

@IAM1982 Hey there, yeah anyone can join in! All we ask is that you don't spoil the game for others playing the game (if you do want to discuss key story points, you can put those behind spoiler tags).

If you want to be include in future votes for what gets played next and stuff, let us now and we will include you in the tags.

@nessisonett Could I trouble you to change the title of the thread to from Shadow of the Colossus to Bioshock 2 please?

@JohnnyShoulder No problem! I might actually join in now I’ve finished Arkham Knight, think it’s included with either PS Plus or PS Now.

@nessisonett Cheers! I was checking earlier as I was gonna fire it up whilst I'm over my parents, and it was defo with plus, but might have since arrived on Now. Or taken off the way things are going.

Good luck to all of those playing the game, especially if it's for the first time.

I really enjoyed it when I played it a few years ago as part of the Collection on PS4. The different outlook on Rapture through your character is really quite clever and the change in combat made it feel quite different from the original as well.

I started Bioshock 2 tonight and it’s alright so far. For 3 years between games, it doesn’t exactly feel like a big step forwards though!

@Thrillho I could only echo those sentiments, played it a couple of years as part of the collection and I enjoyed my return to rapture! The first game is a classic but it very much is a radio play with a FPS bolted on! In terms of mechanics, I remember 2 being a big step up.

God the segments where you have to defend the little sisters are bloody annoying. First aid kits are insanely scarce at the best of times so I’m just stuck dying over and over again with no end in sight.

@IAM1982 Sure thing, welcome to the club!

I've picked up the camera, so it's now the part of the game where I take photos of everything before shooting. I like how it encourages the player to mix up their attacks, giving more research points for using a variety of attacks. Thankfully the camera film is unlimited this time around, making this research less tedious than the first Bioshock.

It feels like I'm making slow progress through the game, mostly because I'm always looking at the old-timey decor, reading the posters, and listening to the audiotapes. The game has clearly picked up on that, as it's regularly showing the message that offers a hint if you're stuck.

Hacking is a lot easier and simpler this time around. So much so that I can go straight into it without needing to do my usual Bioshock 1 trick of quick-saving before every hack. I keep accidentally firing my ranged hacking dart though, so I'm getting low on those.

@crimsontadpoles I’m just a little bit ahead of you then, I’m on the level after you get the camera. I love the drill but I still find the guns a bit weak and puny.

Just found these clubs due to the news post on PureXbox. Great idea. Is there a list of which games have been game of the month recently? I have some catching up to do lol

@TuckNorris85 That… is something that I probably should have been keeping track of! Last few were Shadow of the Colossus, Control and Resident Evil 3 if I remember right.

@nessisonett oh nice choices. I will play Resi 2 and 3 when the ps5 upgrade happens.

And Control is another one I want to replay, that goes nicely with Quantum Break which was on the other sites game club.

A bit late to the party, but I did start BioShock 2 yesterday. Just barely got started but early impressions are good. It does feel like a PS3 game, given my other game I’ve been playing is Miles Morales on PS5. I’ve been spoiled by the load times.

I like the atmosphere and it’s good to be back in Rapture. I’m not expecting much, since this is largely felt to be the weakest of the BioShocks, but I’m trying to keep an open mind.

I still need to play the first game. I will finish off Life is Strange True Colours for the purexbox club ( shouldnt take long), then I will get straight on that.

Bit late also, but started the other day and finished the opening few levels.

At the time of release I think it was viewed as lacking the spectacle of the original and very much retreading old ground. When I first played it in 2010 I was disappointed, although, over the years my opinion has become a lot more positive. The core shooter mechanics are an improvement (although certain new gameplay additions are not), but while the story has more emotional depth and some themes work well, it lacks the punch of the first BioShock. The setting is a little well worn, but is still interesting. I like that it explores more of the underbelly of Rapture and the living conditions of the poor who propped up Andrew Ryan's lie, not to mention why they would come to follow someone like Sofia Lamb. The seventh-gen morality choices are shallow, and by the end of every replay I still find the villain's radio messages to be utterly ridiculous. The first game was Ayn Rand= evil (well duh), and it's like the developers wanted a bit of BBC balance with their collectivism=evil theme this time round, but it's a little muddled and unsure of itself. The mild retconning and Burial at Sea's insistence on pretending BiosShock 2 doesn't exist also mean that is has a slightly odd place within the series.

@mookysam Yeah, the villain has been a bit odd for me so far as well. They go to great effort to show exactly why each member of the ‘family’ would follow Lamb due to Andrew Ryan being so incredibly awful but then realise that they still need to be the baddies. So they just make Lamb a bit mental and ruthless.