just read on GameFAQs something I didn't noticed. [spoiler:28818c1d57]The Elizabeth at the end which is one of the Elizabeths that drowns you isn't the one you were with through the game since she hasn't the bird/cage necklace. Booker even says it ("you are not...who are you?") but he says it (intentionally?) when another Liz enters the screen.[/spoiler:28818c1d57] So...uh...is this supposed to have some significance?
This is the problem with having an overly complicated story and then explaining the ever-important details in easy-to-miss notes, silent movies and audio logs.
It isn't an insult, it's pointing out that you're bashing the game for the sake of bashing.
"Oh, isn't it convenient that the Nameless One just happens to forget everything when he's dead?"
"Oh, isn't it convenient that the Courier doesn't know the platinum chip is more than just an oversized poker chip?"
"Oh, isn't it convenient that Eli Vance dies right before he tells secrets to Gordon?"
"Oh, isn't it convenient that the tranquilizer acts long enough to have Romeo commit suicide?"
"Oh, isn't it convenient that Judas just happened to be looking for a way to curtail Jesus?"
"Oh, isn't it convenient that an officer tripped ofter the suitcase bomb and placed it behind a table leg, saving Hitler's life?"
And so on and so forth.
Stanislao Moulinsky said:
[spoiler:cb3f29505c]It's a "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" reference.[/spoiler:cb3f29505c]
[spoiler:cb3f29505c]It also points out that you're take #123 of Booker Tries to Save Elizabeth and Not Die Horribly.[/spoiler:cb3f29505c]
Change of heart of Robert, a voxophone mentions it.
[spoiler:cb3f29505c]"My brother has presented me with an ultimatum: if we do not send the girl back from where we brought her, he and I must part. Where he sees an empty page, I see King Lear. But he is my brother, so I shall play my part, knowing it shall all end in tears."[/spoiler:cb3f29505c]
As of why they went through all this mess it is because it's also an experiment for them, they have all the time in the world and with infinite retries they'll sooner or later succeed.
Rosalind also [spoiler:cb3f29505c]mentions that the way they are doing it is because trying to do it themselves would be like trying to pull in a tide they brought themselves. They need an external factor, Booker, to introduce the paradox.[/spiler]
By whom? The Luteces? Seems improbable. It's more probable IMO that he is
just a random body they collected somewhere (maybe even a previous Booker, who knows) put there to reinforce his false memories of "bring us the girl and wipe away the debt"[/spoiler:cb3f29505c]
The signs of struggle, the note from Comstock, and a photograph in their lab with the lighthouse circled as "the only obstacle" suggest otherwise.
The story has its problems but come on, this is all stuff explained in the game.
[spoiler:cb3f29505c]Comstock is old because excessive use of the machine that sees in other dimensions irradiated his body, gave him cancer and made him sterile. And, as said, Booker doesn't know of Columbia because in his dimension it doesn't exists.[/spoiler:cb3f29505c]
[spoiler:cb3f29505c]The Booker universe only exists if he rejects the baptism. The Columbia universe only exists if he accepts the baptism and becomes Comstock.[/spoiler:cb3f29505c]
While sea does go a bit overboard sometimes, I really thought we could all agree that the bits about random convenient shit happening between tears is dumb.
They might as well have said a wizard living between worlds did it.
And for the record, the fact that The Nameless One can suddenly die without losing his memory is pretty lame and they could have explained it in some other way than basically not at all. At least in that setting, saying "IT'S BECAUSE MAGIC" isn't that bad.
Also, Eli's death was totally lame. Hooray, you've defended the huge attack, but suddenly a single enemy slips behind the defences for plot convenience and shock value.
This doesn't change the fact that these are Emotionally Engaging™ games/scenes, but it's still weaksauce.
By whom? The Luteces? Seems improbable. It's more probable IMO that he is [spoiler:cdc4b64130]just a random body they collected somewhere (maybe even a previous Booker, who knows) put there to reinforce his false memories of "bring us the girl and wipe away the debt"[/spoiler:cdc4b64130]
[spoiler:cdc4b64130]The signs of struggle, the note from Comstock, and a photograph in their lab with the lighthouse circled as "the only obstacle" suggest otherwise.[/spoiler:cdc4b64130]
[spoiler:cdc4b64130]You realize that that is all stuff that can be faked, right? By the same token the papers with "bring us the girl" and "don't disappoint us" must be true too because they are there.
Again, who killed this "guardian"? The Luteces? Seems REALLY unlikely, they aren't the type. He was killed by a previous Booker? Can't be, he would be in a different dimension. Given that we have proof that the Luteces decided to reinforce Booker's false memories the only logical explanation is that all that stuff was also prepared by them too.[/spoiler:cdc4b64130]
There are far worse scenes where you can only facepalm at what is happening on the screen. Just right now I had a little 20 (?) year old girl hit the protagonist unconscious with a single blow. A protagonist that has no problems mowing down hundreds of enemies, sustaining heavy fire, surviving multiple melee hits from strong enemies, has superpowers, some kind of "shield" etc.
Yet, a puny little girl can knock him over (in a cutscene where you have no control ofocurse) in the most obvious way.
11/10 GOTY
(some of the shooty parts are quite ok though, as long as there are no bullet sponge enemies around)
The story has its problems but come on, this is all stuff explained in the game.
[spoiler:f40f8ef19f]Comstock is old because excessive use of the machine that sees in other dimensions irradiated his body, gave him cancer and made him sterile. And, as said, Booker doesn't know of Columbia because in his dimension it doesn't exists.[/spoiler:f40f8ef19f]
[spoiler:f40f8ef19f]
I missed the Comstock getting old part (so much for leaving important info in some damn audio log) but my point is that how come Booker doesn't notice the change in reality? Why doesn't he question the fact that Columbia exists, despite never hearing of it in his life before? Also, Comstock must have looked exactly like Booker before getting older via plot device, why don't the people who were with him from the city's beginning (Fink, in perticular) recognize him? They can't all have forgotten, 20 years is not an extremely long time.
[/spoiler:f40f8ef19f]
I also gave up trying to understand the beginning of the story. It just doesn't seem to make much sense given what happens in the ending.
There are far worse scenes where you can only facepalm at what is happening on the screen. Just right now I had a little 20 (?) year old girl hit the protagonist unconscious with a single blow. A protagonist that has no problems mowing down hundreds of enemies, sustaining heavy fire, surviving multiple melee hits from strong enemies, has superpowers, some kind of "shield" etc.
Yet, a puny little girl can knock him over (in a cutscene where you have no control ofocurse) in the most obvious way.
[spoiler:497eed7c5b]
I missed the Comstock getting old part (so much for leaving important info in some damn audio log) but my point is that how come Booker doesn't notice the change in reality? Why doesn't he question the fact that Columbia exists, despite never hearing of it in his life before? Also, Comstock must have looked exactly like Booker before getting older via plot device, why don't the people who were with him from the city's beginning (Fink, in perticular) recognize him? They can't all have forgotten, 20 years is not an extremely long time.
[/spoiler:497eed7c5b]
I also gave up trying to understand the beginning of the story. It just doesn't seem to make much sense given what happens in the ending.
[spoiler:497eed7c5b]How should he have noticed the change in reality exactly? Something like the Columbia is hard to miss, I agree, but when you are faced with something like that what would you think? "Wow, I need to go out more" or "I must have jumped dimensions"? Before meeting with Elizabeth why should have he even thought that alternate dimensions exist? And by the time he knows alternate dimensions exist he, like, has other more pressing matters at hand (like, not dying).
For the second point, first 20 years IS a long time. Second, when Comstock started Colombia he had already the beard.[/spoiler:497eed7c5b]
[spoiler:e297b5b109]How should he have noticed the change in reality exactly? Something like the Columbia is hard to miss, I agree, but when you are faced with something like that what would you think? "Wow, I need to go out more" or "I must have jumped dimensions"? Before meeting with Elizabeth why should have he even thought that alternate dimensions exist? And by the time he knows alternate dimensions exist he, like, has other more pressing matters at hand (like, not dying).[/spoiler:e297b5b109]
[spoiler:e297b5b109]Well, two people who looked eerily similar did kinda open a portal in his living room that led to a shore somewhere.
But I guess the magical wizard of plot convenience made him forget that...[/spoiler:e297b5b109]
[spoiler:0e08cba5fc]Well, two people who looked eerily similar did kinda open a portal in his living room that led to a shore somewhere.
But I guess the magical wizard of plot convenience made him forget that...[/spoiler:0e08cba5fc]
Is that supposed to be another deflection of criticism through sarcasm or did you not get what I'm referring to?
I'll assume the latter:
[spoiler:0ca5cc02ef]I'm not referring to their first visit when they take Anna, I'm referring to the portal they open in his hovel just before they take him to Columbia, as shown in the end.
Y'know, the part where he suddenly forgets half of his life and his birthday for no reason other than plot convenience. No, I will not stop harping on this.
[/spoiler:0ca5cc02ef]
I recently learned that it was one of the rare occasions of "Choices&Consequences" in the game. If you decide to not do anything at this guys phone/ticket booth, you get stabbed. If you pull the pistol, you don't. Ofcourse just laughable small and minor change, but I liked it. Game could have had a lot more of this.
BTW - does it alter anything depending which medal I choose from this scientist pair, I mean these medals Elizabeth puts on her clothing? Or is it just another cosmetic "choice" ?
Its just a cosmetic choice. And Choices and Consequences doesn't really mean anything in the game; its all cosmetic.
As I said, if getting stabbed actually decreased your accuracy (as it should), it would have added a bit more to the game, as then you would have to adapt your play-style around it.
I'm really loving the atmosphere in this game but goddamn it's not what I was expecting after watching those early trailers.
The AI is terrible and the combat is laughably easy and feels like an even more streamlined version of Bioshock 2's combat. I haven't progressed far enough in the story to be able to comment on it, but I've already been spoiled and the twist sounds kind of dumb.
Still a really enjoyable game if only for the attention to detail they put into it. Elizabeth is nowhere near as annoying as I was expecting her to be.
Edit: It's also a lot more linear than expected, which is a disappointment. I was promised a dynamic constantly moving city, but I guess that was just Levine being overly-ambitious.
well something I noticed though, is actually how different "trailers" are from the finished product, or how little they actually have to do with the game sometimes.
Compare some of the earlier trailers, and how much the girl and tone changed between them and the finished game.
Not that I am really complaining, its just interesting.
I like some of the changes made but others disappointed me. I was under the impression that Columbia was supposed to have constantly moving buildings and skylines and stuff and that it would be like a dynamic maze or something.
I dunno. It just feels a shitload more linear than Levine promised it would be. If it weren't for the visual appeal and detail I would probably hate this game to be honest.
