Is anyone else finding the level of difficulty defending the little sisters to be fucking absurd? Spawn with 25% health and EVE and nearly no ammo and defend yourself against quick moving hordes that can kill you in one or two hits, but take four or five hits with the drill to be downed. I'm afraid I might have to be a pussy and go for the "medium" difficulty setting.
BioShock 2
Game » consists of 26 releases. Released Feb 09, 2010
Ten years after the events of the first game, Subject Delta is awoken and must unravel the mystery behind the Big Sisters and his own past in the ruined underwater city of Rapture.
Holy shit, this is difficult.
I don't expect a cakewalk, but the jump in difficulty between the two seems to be serious overkill. In fact, now that I've dropped it down to medium, it's not exactly a cakewalk, either - but at least it feels like the situations are achievable with a little strategy and patience. It'll be interesting to see what strategies people come up with for dealing with the swarms in Hard mode -- especially since the resources afforded you are much less.
On the other hand - at least they didn't aim for the "make it dead simple so everyone can see the end, even if they can't tie their shoes" alternative that games all too often do these days.
I'm glad you were one hard mode cause I was about to make fun of you a bit, I'm having no trouble at all on medium, I took out the first big daddy and big sister on my first try..... I'm going to go for hard the next go around though. great game, so far the only thing I haven't totallygotten used to is hacking, damn those safes! I got them all but damn
I'm playing on Hard as well. I've only played the opening couple levels, so I've only had to defend two little sisters and I thought those sequences were challenging, but not ridiculous. I did use up nearly all of my resources though. Set a lot of rivet traps, hacked everything around me so I had some help from bots/turrets and used conveniently placed explosive things to do some damage. Defeating the Big Daddy and Big Sister wasn't too bad either. What has been a kick in the balls though are the random encounters with bullet-sponge splicers (much like they were in the original). I haven't figured out exactly why some splicers go down in a couple shots from the rivet gun and others take five to six...
" @XII_Sniper: Demon's Souls!!!!! No difficulty setting...or instructions....or an idea of what you are supposed to do.......and its awesome! "
And all the effort wasted because it won't contribute to my gamerscore. Wow sounded like an asshole there hahaha. That's not where my problem with that lies, it's more the general lack of direction and focus I feel like the game has. I don't mind a hard game, but making it artificially harder by making it confusing is totally not the way to present it.
I'm actually kinda glad to hear this BIoshock game is a bit harder than the first, that one was a little too easy. Fun, but easy. I'm just hesitant to buy this because of how awkwardly fit the story seems to be. The first one was conclusive enough.
lol @ people who give a crap about gamerscore. It's a singleplayer game, play it at the difficulty level you'll have the most fun with. Usually, that means normal mode first time through, unless you enjoy dying repeatedly.
Also, what I've noticed in 8 years of gaming is that if you play a game the first time through on the hardest difficulty and beat it, there's no incentive to come back a second time around. Whereas if you beat the game on normal mode, you then get to go through it again on a higher difficulty, and it's more of a logical progression of difficulty (hard mode startgame usually feels like normal mode endgame)
Considering how easy the first was I went for hard straight away. It's been fairly easygoing so far and I'm right near the end. Ammo can be a problem, but health and EVE has been in plentiful supply for the most part. I will say the Little Sister stuff is harder than most, but I just make sure I have enough ammo and health before I begin, if not I'l go and collect some and then come back to it. I think it can also depend on where the body is, since some are a lot easier to defend than others in regard to laying down traps. There's usually quite a lot of bodies in each area so it's probably best to find one in a good area.
Yeah, this is why I always play on Normal/ Medium/Default, because I just know at some point I'll hit a brick wall and not be able to progress on hard. Hard is for second playthroughs, yo.
Besides, in most games nowadays, 'Hard' just means "You take more damage" which I don't really consider to be much of an extra challenge. It just makes the game more frustrating.
" Question: Is the aiming reticle the same as the first, where it's just like a big circle? I really hated that circle. "Yes.
On defending the little sisters, on normal I found once I got access to the mini turrets for the hacking device it made them (so far) very trivial, those little mini turrets can bring down even a brute splicer in little time if you keep them stunned with electro bolt.
Spoilers for those upto the Fontaine Industries part:
" @xyzygy said:" Question: Is the aiming reticle the same as the first, where it's just like a big circle? I really hated that circle. "Yes. On defending the little sisters, on normal I found once I got access to the mini turrets for the hacking device it made them (so far) very trivial, those little mini turrets can bring down even a brute splicer in little time if you keep them stunned with electro bolt. "
Ya I love putting down 2-3 mini turrets with about 12 trap rivets surrounding the little sister and then pulling out my gatling gun with anti-personnel rounds. When they say hard they freaking mean hard! After every one of those fights I'm pretty much left limping out of there.
" Y'know I kinda miss when games didn't have a difficulty choice, now it's so goddamn temping to pick the easy mode. Most of the time you even get the same achievements. "Play on whatever difficulty you feel like. If someone legitimately derives their sense of shame or pride from video game accomplishments than they probably have bigger issues in life other than which level to play Bioshock on.
I don't think there's anything wrong with patting yourself on the back for beating a difficult game. Beating a game should provide satisfaction. I'm not sure what you would consider a "legitimate" sense of pride, though. I think you can section-off a small corner of pride for gaming accomplishments without becoming completely delusional." Play on whatever difficulty you feel like. If someone legitimately derives their sense of shame or pride from video game accomplishments than they probably have bigger issues in life other than which level to play Bioshock on. "
For me, I choose hard difficulties out of the desire to play a challenging game, and since a lot of shooters I've played over the past couple of years have taken the "hard is the new normal" approach, I usually choose hard just because I find it more enjoyable, then, if hard turns out to be too frustrating, I dial it back.
Honestly, first thing I bought when I had the chance? Wind Trap. Then I upgraded it as soon as possible. Why? COMBO TRAPS. They have saved me a ton of grief in defending Little Sisters. They're oneshot, like the trap rivets and trap spears, but it's really REALLY nice to hear screams from out of sight as they hit the flame and electric traps simultaneously. Honestly though, I think I just kept getting lucky with my gathers, because half the time a lone Big Daddy walked by and took some flak from a Splicer I just dodged and decided he wanted to rip somebody a new one. It's fun when you don't have to fight your own battles - best part is, Big Daddy just walks away after he's done murderfying the Splicers as long as I keep my distance. Perfect.
This game was definitely more challenging than the first. I rescued all the little sisters and harvested adam twice with each of them, on the hard difficulty. It was definitely challenging. I think one thing that really helped me out was getting head shots with the rivet gun, considering I had the gene tonic that makes head shots more deadly. Just shock with electricity, and then you have time to aim for the headshot.
The spear gun works great for this too! Also, I recommend the decoy plasmid for those times when you're completely surrounded by 5 or more splicers.
I regret not choosing hard in the beginning. I play hard now and so far it's been very nice, it's hard but not frustrating .(except when I forget to save)
just finished the game and tried some multiplayer. kinda surprised how well it turned out (multiplayer) As for playing the game on hard i think il start that tomorrow. i also want the BIG BRASS BALLS achivement... maybe i should just get that one on easy and save my self the headache? Also if you really really want you could just save/harvest the little sisters with out taking them to get more adem. I dont know how well that work out for you but its a thought.
gonna have to agree with this whole thread, i'm only about an hour or two in at this point but wtf? maybe my expectations are all out of whack here but seriously, you're a big daddy, the biggest, baddest enemy from the first game, you're supposed to be this great legendary thing but any cracked out splicer can hit you twice with a stick and kill you. i don't feel like a big daddy at all, not empowered in any way. i'm making it through but dude is seriously wimpy. maybe it'll get better with upgrades, but it just doesn't seem right. i'm wearing big tough armor with a helmet. i'm huge. i'm a total fucking pussy. strategy so far is to have max health potions at all times. WAY harder than the first one.
" gonna have to agree with this whole thread, i'm only about an hour or two in at this point but wtf? maybe my expectations are all out of whack here but seriously, you're a big daddy, the biggest, baddest enemy from the first game, you're supposed to be this great legendary thing but any cracked out splicer can hit you twice with a stick and kill you. i don't feel like a big daddy at all, not empowered in any way. i'm making it through but dude is seriously wimpy. maybe it'll get better with upgrades, but it just doesn't seem right. i'm wearing big tough armor with a helmet. i'm huge. i'm a total fucking pussy. strategy so far is to have max health potions at all times. WAY harder than the first one. "Yeah, I was beginning to think I was the only one who thought this. I run into a fight expecting to be like one of the other big daddies but then instead die in a couple of hits, when the other big daddies will take several clips and keep coming at you. Weird how an armored badass will have the same health as the random joe-schmo from the first game.
" Is anyone else finding the level of difficulty defending the little sisters to be fucking absurd? Spawn with 25% health and EVE and nearly no ammo and defend yourself against quick moving hordes that can kill you in one or two hits, but take four or five hits with the drill to be downed. I'm afraid I might have to be a pussy and go for the "medium" difficulty setting. "I didn't realize playing the game at the acceptable difficulty was being a "pussy".
" @Branthog said:Almost every game these days is shipped with the default difficulty level tuned very low. "Normal" in 2010 isn't the same as "normal" ten or fifteen years ago. I think most non-casual gamers tend to jump right in for at least one notch above the default setting in a game, because we've all been trained to expect the default to be slightly harder than picking your own nose and the level just below the default to be "had an infant the controls and still win"." Is anyone else finding the level of difficulty defending the little sisters to be fucking absurd? Spawn with 25% health and EVE and nearly no ammo and defend yourself against quick moving hordes that can kill you in one or two hits, but take four or five hits with the drill to be downed. I'm afraid I might have to be a pussy and go for the "medium" difficulty setting. "I didn't realize playing the game at the acceptable difficulty was being a "pussy". "
That's certainly how I recall the first Bioshock being. Bioshock 2 definitely feels like it was ramped up.
" But with the vito-chambers your basically invincible right? Its just a case of:hit some splicers with drill, die, respawn, hit some splicers with drill, die, respawn, hit some splicers with drill, die, respawn, hit some splicers with drill, die, respawn. Right?! "The problem isn't with the save-points (which are littered absolutely everywhere). It's that you can quickly go from having a plentiful supply of ammo, health, and cash to being completely broke and stuck. The very first time I had to protect a little sister while she harvested Adam, I died. I knew I'd have to use my brain to set up defenses, but I didn't know I would be instantly swarmed by one-punch-wonders from every direction at such speeds. It really felt like a moment out of Left 4 Dead 2. I had the place rigged with a ton of traps, had my best ammo out, took a good vantage spot... and didn't have a prayer.
I found myself resurrected in a vita-chamber with three splicers right outside the door. They killed me two more times, because they smashed the fuck out of me the instant the vita-chamber released me, but before I could pull my weapons on them. When I eventually had a second to melee and fire on them, I used up a small chunk of my ammo to do so. Had to hit the vending machines. Fill up on more expensive health. Then I had to rid the area where the little sister was harvesting of the remaining splicers before I could reset and go again. By the time I did, I had almost no ammo at all. Spent the last bit of my money on more ammo.
So then it became a repeating three-ring-circus of me having no money, health, or ammo and being butchered in a heartbeat. Spawning back at a vita-chamber (and on Hard you only get 25% of your health when spawning), fighting my way back to the spot. Hoping not to die. only to have no health, ammo, etc to battle with.
After playing on normal for awhile, I think I could start the game over and pull it off without much difficulty on Hard -- but if the first one is that hard, I can't imagine what it'll be like a few hours past that.
I'm glad to see a developer embrace some more difficult and not making the default level "glue-sniffer-easy" being cheap about falsely ratcheting up the difficulty, either. That's what I liked about Demon's Souls. But god damn, I really started to wonder if it was or that hard or if I was just a complete moron and everyone else was breezing right through it all on the harder difficulties. :)
I chose to play through it the first time on Hard. I didn't find it too difficult as long as you strategize your fights before gathering ADAM. The hardest part for me was the Big Sisters, and they aren't too bad if you know how to deal with them. Although you take quite a beating from them.
I just turned it down to easy. One shot takes off 90 percent off your health? THE CHARACTER IS A BIG DADDY FOR CHRISSAKES! I'm not saying it should be a frigging cakewalk but make it a fair fight.
" Is anyone else finding the level of difficulty defending the little sisters to be fucking absurd? Spawn with 25% health and EVE and nearly no ammo and defend yourself against quick moving hordes that can kill you in one or two hits, but take four or five hits with the drill to be downed. I'm afraid I might have to be a pussy and go for the "medium" difficulty setting. "So let me get this straight. You are playing the game on HARD and you are complaining the game is hard? Dur, de, dur, dur...
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