When comparing Half-Life 2 (2004) vs Bioshock, the Slant community recommends Bioshock for most people. In the question“What are the best PC games from 2000-2009?” Bioshock is ranked 2nd while Half-Life 2 (2004) is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose Bioshock is:
While the core of the story is told through character interaction, Bioshock does an incredible job making the world feel real by allowing you to discover more details of the world via reading diaries people left behind. This combined with the steampunk graphics style, fantastic soundtrack and the characters make an incredible atmospheric game.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Great Sci-Fi story
Aliens, portals to other dimensions, oppressive regimes, oh my! This game brings a great flavor of dystopian sci-fi as you fight part of the rebel cause to deliver justice with your Gravity Gun to the many species afflicted by the evil Combine. Also Half Life ties in somehow with the Portal series which makes it even more awesome.
Pro Guns are varied and interesting
Almost every gun is fun to shoot and is distinct. The crossbow is super awesome for it’s power and the gravity gun offers variety in puzzles and what you can shoot with. Want to hit someone with an explosive barrel? Pick it up and throw it with the gravity gun!
Pro Amazing character animation
When Half Life 2 came out it set the bar super high for character animation that still rivals some games today.
Pro Very moddable
Entire games have been made from Half Life (such as Counter Strike) and the tradition continues with it’s sequel! In fact there’s a game essentially about making your own things made from a modded Half Life 2 and that game is called Garry’s Mod.
Pro Commentaries
Hear from the creators about the making of Half Life 2 Ep1 and 2. Everything from level design to technical details are discussed. More developers need to use this.
Pro Incredibly immersive plot and world
While the core of the story is told through character interaction, Bioshock does an incredible job making the world feel real by allowing you to discover more details of the world via reading diaries people left behind. This combined with the steampunk graphics style, fantastic soundtrack and the characters make an incredible atmospheric game.
Pro Plasmids keep the gameplay fun and exciting through different uses
Bioshock gives players the use of Plasmids, which act as this franchise's form of magic, and features many different kinds with various uses. For instance, you have access to Electro Jolt, which allows you to shoot lightning from your hand. If there are enemies standing in water, you can simply shoot electricity into the water and watch as your foes are electrified. Winter Blast also allows you to freeze enemies where they stand. Using this on a group of enemies will allow you to freeze them solid and shatter them with the use of a weapon, quickly reducing their ranks. Each Plasmid in Bioshock has its own uses which keep the gameplay fun and enjoyable as there are a myriad of ways to inflict them on your foes.
Pro Re-mastered version updates the graphics to modern standards
Cons
Con Overly complex plot
The plot is so deep it's sometimes difficult to follow. This isn't helped by the poor quality voices in-game which sometimes leave you guessing what was just said.