Comment Of The Week – Kale on BioShock vs Metroid Prime 3
Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 12:33pm by David
Infendo reader Kale wins the coveted Comment Of The Week award, with his comparison of BioShock and Metroid Prime 3.
Last night, I played both Bioshock on the 360 and Prime 3 on the Wii. I played Bioshock for about 2 hours… It was okay (definitely not a perfect 10 game, Game Informer….), but suffers some serious art direction issues, janky animations, and none of the voices seem to match the characters very well. It’s just System Shock with a mucous membrane, nothing new or special. Luckily, my copy was a freebie from work, so no real loss. The whole time I’m playing it though, I kept comparing the game to Prime 3. Finally, I reached a checkpoint and turned off the 360. I put in Metroid and was once again reminded of the Metroid Prime series’ flawless color theory, lighting, and the new control scheme. I must say, after playing a conventional FPS and then immediately putting in Metroid, one begins to realize the true power of the Wii.
Click here to read the full comment. Share your impressions of both games in our comments!
September 6th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
First: I thought his name was KALE…not Kyle. But that may just be his screen name.
Second: As I don’t own a 360, I cannot comment on Bioshock. But I do have Metroid Prime 3, and it has by far been the most rewarding experience since I first played Wii Sports almost a year ago. The sensation of actually controlling the environment you are in to the level that MP3 does is amazing. Not too mention the fine details placed into the game (as mentioned by countless other comments). I’m at 25% done and can’t wait to finished the other 3/4 of the game.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Mmm it isn´t Kale indeed??
But yeah, i totally agree with your comment Kale/Kyle
September 6th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Wow, an infendo post about how Bioshock is overrated, and Metroid Prime 3 is the savior of FPS?
SHOCKING.
Metroid MIGHT have better controls, but having played Bioshock all the way through I can say that it is far more interesting in terms of atmosphere, story progression, and weapon management.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Have you played MP3 Drew?
I haven’t yet, but I have played Bioshock.
Atmosphere: Awesome. Everything is beautiful and I’m a fan of the retro 50’s design.
Story Progression: I guess it’s ok, pretty standard.
Weapon Management: I don’t like cycling through everything to find what I want.
It’s pretty repetitive and doesn’t change at all throughout the entire game.
It’s definitely an 8.5 at best.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
My name is KALE. And thanks for the “comment of the week” thing. Games are my passion and I’ve had a love affair with Metroid since I played the original for the first time almost 19 years ago.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
By the way, i like this feature, i´ll try harder to steal this honor from Kale next time.
Hehehe, just kidding.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
You don’t have to cycle through everything; hold down the shoulder button and you get a dial you can just flick to.
And yes, I’ve played about 2 hours worth of MP3 (Shortly after getting ice missiles) and yeah, I like it. But it feels EXACTLY THE SAME as previous Prime games. Yeah, there’s a bit more NPC interaction, but aside from that, it’s just not that different. Not being able to save at any point is annoying, only having one or two weapons is annoying, and the fact that aside from one boss, the combat has been very simple. I can only count one time when my health dropped below full energy tanks. Yeah, you have more precision over the controls, but what does it matter when enemies are slow and predictable? The enemies that fly generally hover in place for 2-3 seconds before moving around.
It makes me wonder if the commenter above ACTUALLY played Bioshock or not, since he said he got to a checkpoint. You can save the game at any time in Bioshock. It has auto-save checkpoints, but you don’t need them. On top of that, I’m not sure what voices didn’t match the characters, because in the first few hours of the game, the only voices you hear are enemies in the background, and Atlas through a radio. You only see characters speak directly to you a handful of times through the game.
The story progression in MP3 and Bioshock are actually pretty similar except for one key difference; in MP3 you have to stop playing the game to read the story, and in Bioshock, you have the story told to you via audio diaries. This is key because the action doesn’t stop when you want to get a bit of lore.
You think Bioshock is repetetive? How about the Prime games? Go into giant cavern. Find door. Go into next giant cavern. Find door. Can’t open door? Go into other door. Continue until you find weapon powerup, then go back to the door you couldn’t open.
Am I generalizing it? Yes, I am. But if you think that Bioshock is repetitive, then you’re generalizing that too. I can’t vouch for the overall plot in MP3, having just started it, but the plot of Bioshock is far more complicated and less predictable than either of the first two MP games.
Which is FINE. MP has never been about plot. It’s always been about exploration. All I’m saying is that Bioshock plays to its strengths better than Prime plays to it’s strengths.
Say that Prime is a great game – it is. Despite my complaints, I love the series, and I’m enjoying this new one. Say it has a wonderful new control scheme – it does. I love the quick aiming, even if it is taking some adjusting. But there is absolutely no reason that infendo posts have to take aim at another great game to “Take it down a peg” just because it’s a 360 game, and appeals more to hardcore gamers.
The commenter in the OP says that Bioshock feels like System Shock with a mucous membrane. I’ve never played System Shock, so I can’t comment to that. But if that’s true, then it’s still a bad point. Prime 3 feels like Prime 2 with very generic military guys talking to you. No game that is the third part of a trilogy has any right to be more original than a game that is inspired by another game.
Okay, I’m done ranting. Feel free to put me up on the Infendo Cross and stone me to death, but I’m finding it harder and harder to read these posts without commenting at length like this. There is just no need to assault other great games in order to sing the praises of Prime 3. Iwata warned that Nintendo cannot become arrogant, but he apparently forgot to spread that nugget of knowledge to the fansites.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Drew, you came here seemingly to start a fight. An infendo commenter said he thought MP3 was better than Bioshock. What’s wrong with that?
You’re doing the same thing with the opposite point of view.
I myself meant to say the level design were all repetitive except Arcadia. I think the sound design was top-notch.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Eh, sorry if I came off that way. I’ve been an Infendo reader and listener for quite some time, but I’m finding that I disagree with more and more editorials around these parts, so either I need to stop coming around entirely, or learn to be less combative in my commenting.
Sorry bout that.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
DrewMG,
The sincerity of your last comment is much appreciated. That said, are you suggesting that Infendo is becoming more subjective than it’s been in the past? If you have specific concerns, shoot us an email:tips@infendo.com.
Either way, the site has and will always play favorites so long as Nintendo doesn’t completely turn to the dark side.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Why did we started comparing Bioshock to Metroid Prime 3, anyway? Is it because they both came out within a week of each other? Probably, but comparing those two would be almost like comparing Super Smash Bros. with Tiger Wood’s PGA Tour, in my opinion!
Oh, and by the way, did you see that Metroid Prime 3 outsold Bioshock??
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=171307
Awesome! (Did I say that already??)
September 6th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Drew, I made a comment, not an editorial. Chill. I mean, this IS a fanboy site, after all.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
I could write a 50 page essay about the reasons why I don’t enjoy Infendo as much as I used to, but few of them have to do with Infendo so much as the gaming industry and online gaming journalism as a whole. If you really want, I can write something up and email it to you, but I’m sure it’s stuff you’ve heard before. Hardcore vs. casual, fanboy vs. objective, blah blah blah.
I guess it just boils down to that Infendo seems like a place for someone who finds the other consoles to be vastly inferior to Wii, and I don’t feel that way. I have a 360, and I love my 360. Prior to MP3, it’s gotten way more use than my Wii in the past 6 months. And not even really for the “hardcore games” so much as the downloadable demos, and XBLA online multiplayer.
But enough about that. This thread should be about how awesome Metroid Prime 3 is, and how awesome Bioshock (apparently) isn’t.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
I myself side with Metriod Prime over BioShock, but that doesn’t make BioShock a bad experience. BioShock has a cool narrative, the locale is something you don’t really see in gaming, and the plasmid/choice system is pretty innovative, in terms of balancing.
I bought both games on day one, but only finished Prime. I just really, really love the Prime series. But, now that it’s done, I will go back to BioShock, and have some more fun.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
I am a fanman, people. Jeebus cripes.
Anyway, this is a great take on BioShock, IMHO:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/1394-Zero-Punctuation-BioShock
September 6th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
@ Drew: “Infendo seems like a place for someone who finds the other consoles to be vastly inferior to Wii.”
That’s never been the site’s intent, Drew, and we’re talking about a single Wii game compared to a single 360 game; not generalizing their entire libraries. Ideally Infendo is a place where people who like Nintendo products can commune independently of their other gaming likes and dislikes.
Even though I personally gush over the awesomeness that is Ninja Gaiden for PS3, I don’t talk about it here and certainly don’t expect it here. But that doesn’t make Infendo visitors condescending as you suggest, only concentrated on a single topic: Nintendo culture.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Oh, I have seen that one… VERY funny!
But I don’t see any love for the DS around here anymore, and that makes my Lite sad…
Buh-bye!
September 6th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Invis,
I’ve thought the exact same thing. Man the DS coverage, Infendoites!
September 6th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Chalk it up to a different in opinion if you like, Blake. I’m just pointing out a trend that I’ve noticed in the content of this site. If I’m the only one who’s unhappy with it, then eventually I’ll stop coming and you won’t have to worry about disagreeing with me.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I own both a 360 and a wii.
After not enjoying metroid on the DS, i have yet to purchase metroid for the wii.
I own bioshock, I played it for about 4 hours after putting it off for two weeks, and just turned it off it is not what they said it would be the ‘Game of the year’.
I havn’t touched my wii in months(since my purchase of the elite in april), maybe its time to dust off the dust and jump back into the nintendo world with some metroid.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
So far, my “Game of the Year” is Pac Man Championship Edition.
What does that say about me?
September 6th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
The use of “hardcore” is pretty lame these day to me and probably thrown around a bit too much. If person was really “hardcore” about video games, they’d want to play all games & consoles, not just pick a side. I didn’t mind reading Drew’s comments at all. I like seeing what other people think, it’s only when the commenter starts making vicious and mean-spirited comments towards other people for their console or opinion(which drew didn’t do).
Cutting yourself off from other system is very ignorant and close-minded.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
iawtp, matthew. I absolutely loathe the term “hardcore” and “casual” in terms of gaming. Also, “mature.” To me, hardcore and mature mean Debbie Does Dallas, not Resident Evil.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Thst you’re not biased toward hardcore games?
September 6th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Kyle, er KALE! I’m seriously sorry I messed up your name. Apologies.
Regardless of their contents, you know what these comments tell me, gang? People are passionate about video games. More so than before, folks now discuss the merits, flaws, and the overall art that games represent. I feel like games are finally getting to be something that can be discussed at the same level as art, wine, music, or movies.
September 6th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
I am really looking forward to Wii Sports: The Movie.
September 6th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Just for the record (do I need one?): I own and regularly play a 360, a Wii, a DS Lite, a micro, and a PS2. The unit that gets most playtime is the DS… and my game of the year? Etrian Odyssey!
I think all the commenters here and me really have quite a variety of gaming tastes!
September 6th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Man, this is getting annoying. So some guys don´t like some games i like and viceversa? Ok, i know we can both live with that, however when the flames starts to burn is when someone claims as a fact that “X” game is much better than “Y” game. It´s all related to personal tastes and nothing more.
September 6th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
DrewMG, just chill out!
When unsure about why Infendo posts fanboyish content and not Microsoft, or Sony headlines…I always find reading “Intelligent passion for all things Nintendo” which is posted in the banner at the top. Emphasis on “passion” , “all things” and “Nintendo”.
September 6th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
I already apologized for getting a little heated earlier, so unless I’m mistaken, I already did “chill out.” Do you really want a site where people are frowned upon for disagreeing?
But as I said earlier – if I continue to disagree with the content posted here, then eventually I’ll just stop coming. And at that point, you won’t have to listen to me complain about it. This is only the first or second time I’ve ever posted a dissenting opinion on this site. Usually I keep it to myself. This time I didn’t.
September 6th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
I understand where DrewMG is coming from. I am pretty much turned off by all “fanboy” comments. However, I do appreciate Nintendo-focused discussions, which is why I have been visiting this site for a long time.
But, as DrewMG is observing, it’s getting a bit too much about Nintendo vs. MS and Sony on this site. I believe it used to be more about what Nintendo is doing, what they should be doing, and what we like and don’t like about their products and strategies.
And as far as BioShock vs. MP3. They are both awesome, for different reasons. MP3 can do great without BioShock having to fail. As a gamer, I want them both to sell millions. Only insecure fanboys will bother to point out how one is so superior to the other.
September 6th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Thank you, cygnus. Agreed 100%.
September 6th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
So I just watched the escapistmagazine video on BioShock that Jack referenced.
It was pretty funny and very well done, if not a bit cynical. One thing I find interesting is that many people complain that it is too “dumbed down” (compared to it’s spiritual successor, System Shock 2). More casual friendly? Is that so bad? Maybe for the “hardcore” crowd. I actually liked the balance that was struck.
System Shock 2 was awesome, but it sold terribly. If anything, BioShock has taken a page out of Nintendo’s book to make a more approachable version of their previous game so that more people could enjoy it. If BioShock was released on the Wii with MP3 controls, it would be compared to the second coming. (Come to think of it, that would be awesome.)
September 6th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Nice article.
But your Fan BOY mentality really make me laugh at times, in a good way, of course. I was a fanboy my self, untill I owned the Gamecube , X-box and a decent PC, and became a GAMER.
I love Nintendo, but the 360 is great as well.
Bioshock is AWESOME
Metroid is AWESOME
Lets leave it at that.
They are great in different ways, and THAT boys and girls is why we all need a Powerhouse HiDef online gaming system ALONG with our wonderful Motion Controlled Wii! So we can experience BOTH great systems, and Both great games they offer.
Honestly, I would Give Prime 3 a 9.3 / 10 and Bioshock a 9.1/ 10
Maybe its time for Fan BOYS to grow up… just a little bit ???
I did like the article. =)
September 6th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
cheers on the sentiment DrewMG & cygnus. Infendo has seen an increasing amount of dialougue that builds Nintendo up by tearing others down. And I sympathize with your comabtitive stance there. Don’t be worried about being called out for holding to a point though, there’s plenty of other aggressive people on this site.
@ jack- ARGH! i really want to hit that link, but I haven’t gotten to bioshock yet (still mucking around in zelda:TP) and am worried about spoilers. is it safe?
speaking of nintendo- i just realized: @ PAX they had a room of TVs for old school gaming. All the old consoles were there. But all the tvs were running NINTENDO GAMES! At one point you could observe several different games of contra, marble madness, and punch out!!. I got a pic of 10 people crowded around a session of smb and a nearby session of mario3. Nintendo is where it all began for so many of us, or where it began in earnest for the rest. Returning to a Nintendo forum should feel like coming home (imo), even if I just put down the latest and greatest from another system.
September 6th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
@drewMG,
First, let me say that as a very loyal reader and listener of Infendo, and some of Blakes work on other sites, I think most of us here are very welcoming of your thoughts and comments. I’m in complete agreement with much of what you’re saying. But I think it’s important to recognize a few key changes in the industry and how that reflects on both the sites content and the overarching angle of the commenters. Nintendo (and its fans) have LONG been excluded from the main body of gamers due to the “kiddy” image, or whatever. Fans of Nintendo franchises have been a bit bullied for years. And as much as we, as fans, have enjoyed our consoles, and games from nintendo, we’ve always sort of known that some of what was being said was true. There was no denying that the cube sold poorly. No denying that the vast majority of cube games were easily accessible to kids as well as older gamers. Now, as the Wii is winning back a level of success and popularity, it seems that the “cool kids” of gaming are just pushing us even further away. The success of the Wii is almost being used against it by the hardcore gaming circles. The measure of success of being #1 in sales has been discounted as irrelevant, now that Nintendo is doing it. All that is fine. But one must realize the environment has not gotten much better. This only aggravates the perceived level of competition. Add to that the fact that 2 MAJOR releases are out within a week of each other. Both boast nearly the best their platform has to offer. That beig the case, its nearly inevitable that comparisons will be drawn, no matter how inaccurate or inappropriate. But one has to look at these things through the lens of understanding. If you do, you’ll realize things are the way they are for a reason. Its not just Blake, or Infendo, or the new writers, or a new mentality of the comments. Its the industry and how it’s changing. We are, as they say, a reflection of the times. And its not just on Infendo, you’ll see similar combativeness towards Metroid on xbox sites. I know, I read a lot of sites and this is not exclusive to nintendo sites.
Everyone wants to hold up their games and claim champion. But since their can be no honest comparison, we simply have many simultaneous declarations of victory. And thats fine. If you’re going to read a FAN site, you have to put yourself in that mentality or you’ll take things the wrong way. Kind of like the way, a guy will talk differently when there are no girls around. We talk differently on a fansite than we do in polite company. I hope my rambling made some sense, if not perhaps put you at ease at least a little bit. This is a great site and a great community, only a small part of a great hobby and great industry, that happens to be in a pretty turbulent time right now. Game on.
September 7th, 2007 at 12:35 am
(broke down and watched it- funniest thing i’ve seen online in ages.)
September 8th, 2007 at 11:26 am
@used cisco:
Well said
September 9th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
I know this has long deviated from the original topic, but seeing DrewMG’s comments, as a long time reader and listener I felt I just needed to pipe in, since I’ve been having similar sentiments for a good while too, but kept them to myself. Truth is that sadly Infendo _is_ getting more and more confrontational, for no good reason in my view. Not a week goes by without some editorial about “the misguided gaming media”, “the sad state of the industry”, “how Nintendo is the bright future” and so on, and so for. And _all_ of it basically reads like “they’re making fun of us so let’s have a circlejerk to make ourselves feel better”. Once is fine. Once a week (at best) isn’t. Jake stressed the “passion” , “all things” and “Nintendo” bits of the Infendo slogan. So what about stressing “intelligent”? Apparently I speak for more than just myself when I say that we don’t need the same thing reiterated over and over. We like Nintendo. We feel good about it. We want to read about it. We don’t want to read about how we are persecuted and misunderstood, while being superior to the unenlightened one. We don’t care. Give us Nintendo news please.
And I’m really sorry if my comment in turn sounds confrontational (which it probably does). But please Infendo, is it too much to ask to just “get over it”? And to make it clear (and sort of back to the topic), I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Kale’s BS vs. MP3 comparison. It’s his opinion and he’s entitled to it. Moreover, it was a pretty interesting one and makes me all the more looking forward to MP3 (I’m European). It’s just that making it Comment of the Week was… let’s just call it “less than optimal” and keep it at that.
Once again, sorry for ranting, but I just wanna keep enjoying my Infendo
I’ve always liked it for the level-headed approach… And I’d hate to see it gone for good. Let’s forget just combatitiveness on this site. So what other people do it as well? Infendo should be better than that.
September 9th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Glad I’m not the only one. And yes, I’m sorry Kale if it seemed this was aimed at you. This was a Samus Charge Beam that’s been held for too long, and this was as good of a post as any to let it loose on. Negrin says it exactly like I was thinking it.
Thanks guys.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:03 am
I don´t even see why one would compare Bioshock and MP3 at all! These are two magnificent games, that stand true to their makers intentions. They deliver on both storytelling and game mechanics alike and reinvent elements of the fps and rpg genre to combine them.
Having played both of the two games, I can´t ignore the “been there, done that” feeling I was having with MP3. Considering the possibilities you get in Bioshock with all the modifications you can do on weapons and abilities, the fantastic mood throughout the game and the over the top sound and voice acting, I´d always prefer Bioshock over MP3 – anytime. MP3 is a great game, no doubt – it´s just more of what I´ve already played – plus the awesome fps control scheme of course!
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