GotG Round 3: Dark Souls vs. BioShock

They're destroying mine.

@vitor said:

If this was Demon's Souls vs Bioshock I would vote Demon's no question. But Dark Souls' back half was way too sloppy and rushed to be a contender here. Gonna go with BioShock.

I can't decide. 2 of my favourite games.

You people are the worst . Too many Vinnyaddicts on GB .

Or maybe people legitimately like Dark Souls. I certainly don't see Deadly Premonition in this round.

You're correct about the Dark Souls narrative. I would almost go as far as to call it a 'mythology' instead of a story.

@spankingaddict: Bioshock is a mediocre game in every way except the storyline.

This video is criminally underviewed.

If anyone played System Shock 2 back in 1999, they know how bad Bioshock really is.

Every round, Dark Souls crushes my dreams.

Ugh, the finals are going to be Red Dead vs. Dark Souls, aren't they? Barf.

Honestly I was really disappointed with both, perhaps less disappointed with BioShock, so I'll vote that. Because this is GB though Dark Souls will probably win this whole GotG thing.

I love both of these games, and both of them have sort of weak back ends. But Dark Souls is still fun (well, fun is probably not the right word for it), even when you're slogging through The Tomb of the Giants or the Duke's Archives.

The gameplay in Bioshock stopped being engaging even long before the "twist", as the old adage of "Zap them with the electrobolt and hit them with the wrench over and over again" continued to be true. Also that hacking minigame.

I feel like I should play Dark Souls at some point.

@cptbedlam:

1) The initial all encompassing cut scene is pretty much all the narrative Dark Souls gives you. If Bioshocks' 12 hour long story is deemed as spoon fed because it actually has characters and develops over the course of the game then pretty much all media would be deemed as so.

2) I appreciate that Dark Souls is going against the trend of hand holding, I like it for that too! Every game can't do this though as it would quickly become weary, a middle ground is preferable.

3) 'Just because it's not your cookie-cutter hack n slay material doesn't mean it's bad. You're of course always free to play boring shit like Kingdoms of Amalur or whatever.' I didn't say it was bad just clunky, it could be a bit more fluid but keep it's difficulty and charm. As for it accounting for weight and items, it became a game, for me at least, where I had to just keep my carry load under half my endurance to ensure my rolls didn't become really slow, hardly unique.

4) They're different forms of pay-off, Bioshock was narrative, Dark souls satisfaction was similar to what I got from Super Meat Boy, frustration followed by joy, and repeat. The whole big daddy section of Bioshock was mighty underwhelming but didn't sour my experience.

5) Blighttown has come pretty damn close to ruining my experience, just seems as though Dark Souls has been let off the hook when it comes to this.

Dark Souls, easily.

@mcgray90:

1. "The initial all encompassing cut scene is pretty much all the narrative Dark Souls gives you." Nope. Not even close. This is just the small spoon-fed part at the beginning.

2. Could be. As it stands, DS was incredibly refreshing and rekindled my faith in videogames, as cheesy as it sounds. I was really getting bored with everything the medium had to offer. And I think Dark Souls' success really sent out a message to the industry that making games easier and easier may not always be the way to go. Even Cliff Bleszinski reflected upon that after playing Dark Souls. Of course it doesn't mean every game has to be that challenging. Quite to the contrary, I like "zen" gaming as well. Love Journey, for example. There's room for different experiences.

3. That's one of DS' strenghts: play it the way you like. Want to use heavy weapons and armor? Then you're going to be slow as hell but it's a totally legitimate way to play. But you don't have to.

4. The Ryan-part was kinda neat, however, the narrative as a whole - including the ending - was somewhat underwhelming. The last section of the game after the twist definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. The game also had some lenghts in the middle section. At some point it just became one of those games where you think "oh god I just want it to be over already."

5. Blighttown is probably my favorite area apart from Undead Burg (I also love The Depths) - it's the essential DS experience. I love the level design there and how it makes the player feel desperate and disoriented.

dark souls is a decent game when divorced from its generally abhorrent community/fanbase.

At this point Dark Souls is my favorite to win the whole thing. BioShock's a great game and all, but even Rapture isn't as well-realized as Lordran - not in terms of conception (I loved Rapture's billboards and propaganda), but from just what you can discover by poking around.

Also why did this contest have both BioShock and BioShock Infinite? I figured we had a one per series situation here.

Because BioShock Infinite is just that good (except no, not really).

Where are these people? The community on the dark souls wiki is pretty pleasant from what I've seen. I've had obnoxious invaders but more often than not an invader will wait for me to finish fighting enemies, heal up, and bow to signify I'm ready.

On my personal Top Ten, Dark Souls sits at Number Three while BioShock sits at Number Two.

I know who's going to win, and I feel like I should be OK with it but I'm not. Ken Levine's projects have been under the gaze of pseudo-intellectuals for a while now. "Well, I was completely enraptured (pun not intended) by it when I played it, but looking back, it's pure drivel." *sniff*

I'm tired of this Dark Souls beating everything! If it beats TLOU, I swear I'm tracking all of you down!

Man, this is where I'm turning against Dark Souls in the polls. I'm of the staunch belief that they've still got a ways to go before making Dark Souls a great game outside of the core gameplay. That and I can't excuse the trudgery at certain points in the game anyway. I don't think the hyper obfuscated difficult but fair game beats one of the most important games this generation in terms of pushing storytelling forward. In a vacuum I think the storytelling in BioShock could be done better now certainly but its undeniable the characters they developed, along with one do the most memorable settings in the history of video games. Dark Souls is busted in so many little ways and so specific in its appeal, I don't think it fits as a contender for game of the generation. Oh well, you had a good run BioShock.

@strangestories: maybe abhorrent is the wrong word, but your typical dark souls fan seems to have an air of superiority over others. anyone who calls dark souls out on the flaws it indeed has, or just expresses their personal dislike for it, is typically torn a new one and admonished for "not getting it.". and don't ever dare play it in front of a fan or over youtube/a stream, lest you want to be bombarded with cries of "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!!!!!!!". i don't know, many of those in love of this game just feel like the epitome of the evils of gaming elitism.

bioshock as a whole is so much more inviting and universally applealing that i think it deserves to win this (kudos to DS for the things it does right, though).

Dark Souls certainly has its share of elitist douchebags, but I'm pretty sure this is not "Gaming Community of the Generation". There are plenty of games out there I would hate if I judged them based on their community. (Bioshock absolutely included.) Mostly because people suck everywhere.

Dark Souls wins here. I played Bioshock on all three platforms and really enjoy it. The back quarter or so isn't good. Its story and setting are both fantastic and while I get why some people think the combat isn't good. Big Daddy encounters were like a puzzle for me; a puzzle I thoroughly enjoyed again and again.

But there is something pretty special about Dark Souls. Each playthrough unveils something new: a new tactic, strategy, item, secret, etc. I recently just revisited DS for a run through as a magic character. Being in Anor Lando has been a revelation as to how the game let's you tackle it in whatever manner you wish. Sure its difficult and frustration is bound to ensue, yet there is a drive to continue onward and the game gives you just enough tools and information to conquer the next area/boss and progress.

I could ramble all day about why DS is better until we're all hollow but I'd rather go slay Ornstein and Smough.

From what I've seen even hardcore DS fans acknowledge the game's obvious flaws (framerate issues in some areas, late-game areas feel a little rushed etc.). And people are generally okay when someone says Dark Souls is not their thing. They know that despite its relative success, it's still a niche game - and many of those fans would love it if it stayed that way. They scorned Bamco for their appeal-to-mass-market marketing approach with the second game.

I like Bioshock. But Dark Souls has far and away the better gameplay, and Bioshock fell apart in the back third.

Dark Souls and Demons Souls were like brand new experiences for me. Dark Souls, being the more polished and overall better of the two. I've always thought Bioshock was just an overrated FPS. I've tried to play through that game twice, but I always get bored with the gameplay halfway through. Dark Souls, for sure.

I don't want to let nostalgia overtake what I think is, overall, a way better game. Dark souls was such a unique experience and really got me into playing different sorts of games and tackling things in different ways when I play games. I guess what I'm saying is that Dark Souls made me a better person, so it wins?

@spankingaddict: To be sure, people on this site love Vinny and people on this site love Dark Souls. The pre-existing love for both of these things is what makes "Load Our Last Souls" such a popular series, it isn't just one of them driving the other.

I really like Bioshock and I can at the very least respect Dark Souls even if I didn't enjoy playing it that much. I will be a little confused if a game with one of the worst UIs I've ever seen wins this whole thing though.

I think Dark Souls also has quite an advantage in this community since it's getting so much attention by the staff right now. Also, Bioshock always seems like it's on the cool to hate list, so it's got that working against it too.

Bioshock is that OG old ass shit and Dark soul is that Japanese western hardcore RPG shit, i'll choose for Bioshock anyday because it's more original.

enjoy the fuck outta Dark Souls anyway don't hate me dudes.

Fart Souls

This is too close for my heart to handle.

Bioshock is great great, but Dark souls. It's weird that they are so close.

Bioshock just rejuvenated system shock 2. While I love the game, it's not on the same level as dark souls. It cant even compare. It didnt bring anything new to this generation of games, just continued to keep that type of game relevant.

While that is great and all, that does not make it a game of the generation.

Creating a living world, that intercepts with other players, on consoles. That's something to be remembered forever. It brought something new to a new generation of games. Granted Demon's Souls did it first, but Dark souls perfected it.

No contest. Dark Souls. This would be more complicated if it was Minecraft vs Dark Souls as they are both ground breaking games worth remembering this generation for. Even without this generation we'd still have had System Shock, so Bioshock didn't bring anything new (except amazing water tech, which I do think is worth remembering how amazing that was at the time).

As much as I liked Bioshock, this is still a no-brainer. Dark Souls, baby.

Dark Souls has the disadvantage that many players (even on GB) didn't even touch it because of its reputation for being difficult. Pretty much everyone has played Bioshock on the other hand, meaning Bioshock had an advantage to begin with.

Also, the Dark Souls love existed long before LOLS.

I absolutely love BioShock (one of my favourite games ever), but I can understand the passionate love for Dark Souls. I don't know if it's "fair" to treat BioShock as a mediocre game tough just because it has more mainstream appeal. But I guess it speaks to Dark Souls that it invokes so much love despite (or because) being so punishing and broken in parts.

Bioshock was the game that first made realized we had reached a new generation. At the very least, Rapture needs to win setting of the generation, no location in any video game has drawn me in more than Rapture.

BioShock has come far enough, Dark Souls is absolutely superior.

I really don't like bioshock so it's easy for me (I can't stand the way it plays)

Dark Souls just keeps growing on me, whereas I personally liked Bioshock Infinite more than Bioshock.

Praise the Sun!

Prepare to die, BIOSHOCK! ^^

Dark Souls, dawg.

I didn't finish BioShock. The shooting was mediocre and the storytelling/world bored me after about three hours. This is an easy choice.