Bioshock has had a lot of press coverage these last couple of months so i don't think it's an underdog TBH...

Well, I think you're probably right Eddy. I'm buying it.. for 360 too, since it's not really an action FPS and I don't think my current PC gear will play it as well. I think it's going to be the sleeper hit of the year though--maybe of the last several years. I'm really looking forward to this thing, the praise is just.. ridiculous.

I worry about sales for this game as well. Genres sell, as do "popular appealing themes". I mean, Halo's spartans are a blatant rip off of Doom's space marine, and a ton of games do the "dimensional portal" and "zombie" themes in a variety of ways -- living dead, space aliens, viral infections, etc.

It doesn't mean these things are bad, only that they resonate with the current gaming culture and pique an interest.

Games like Bioshock that are disturbingly wierd because they are so different (yet so familiar in terms of overarching themes, at least to classic sci-fi junkies) that there isn't a precanned audiance. The themes are deep and socially critical in many ways. And the game challenges you to explore this: You just don't shoot everything that moves, but must discover the motives and tendancies of each entity and wisely interact and manipulate it. And through the course of the game you must make horrifying decisions: kill a child? alter yourself and become a monster as well?

Technically the game is amazing. Graphics and art are top notch. The design is wonderful. The AI is amazing and allows true mini-sandbox AI trial and error in a non-gimmick fashion. The story is deep, puzzling, and challenging. The acting is supurb and the game design fresh and interesting with a depth of RPG values.

But with all the praise, I think the game has some major challenges. It is a blip before the Halo 3 wave. It has no multiplayer. It has no established fan base for the franchise and the developer hasn't made huge splashes in the console area (like a Bioware has).

But most challenging will be the concept. Bioshock is a smart game. It isn't a mindless shooter, rote racer, or twitchy sports past time. It straddles genres and actually harvests the best of both worlds. It makes you reflect on the game world -- and on yourself. And for those reasons I am not sure the game will get the attention it deserves at the retail outlets.

This game needs a huge marketing push and a quality demo/walkthrough on Live and the PC.

Yeah, I think you're underestimating this game Ron, but I can't say for sure until the end of the month when I finally get to play it myself. It sure seems like much more than your typical FPS to me though--and if the hype surrounding the initial impressions and reviews is to be believed, it could wind up being one of those rare (very rare) truly great videogame experiences.

I'm so there.

Mr. Bubbles?

Hah.. now that's good cosplay.

Bioshock is shorter, play it first.

Play Blue Dragon first, anything after Bioshock may leave a bad taste.

That's what I'm doing :).

And that is why this game may fail.

It is as much, if not more so, and RPG. But shooter fans will look at it through the eyes of "shooters do ABC, this doesn't, it is a bad shooter!"

Likewise, it isn't a "shoot and kill everything" game. You won't live long by just killing everything. Shooter fans are trained to kill, kill, kill. They will feel out of place.

Finally, it is a thinking / tactical game with very intelligent and complex AI. Shooter fans want a straight forward approach: linear and destruction. A lot of shooters have taken variant approaches with open ended approaches to progression and it is either boring or confusing to many gamers (i.e. being force fed progression instead of the joy of the hunt). And dieing because you need to find the right combo and level up, ala an RPG, is very foreign to shooter fans who are conditioned to win through destruction.

I think Bioshock is going to get labeled as a traditional shooter and then fail to meet the preconditioned expectations of the genre.

Add that with an odd, untraditional theme that will be a hurdle for some gamers to warm up to and I think Bioshock won't reach its full sales potential without something drastic -- like a slew of GotY awards and a large secondard marketing push.

Heck, a bonus demo disk in with Halo 3 wouldn't hurt!

That's what Xbox live is for :P

Granted, I think that would give it way more exposure. Or maybe a guaranteed pass to the Call of Duty 4 mp beta should come with the game...