Anyone else love the combat and not the ending?

I agree with most of the reviews that BSI might just be the best game of the year. Where I disagree is they all seem to mention the actual gameplay mechanics as the game's weakness and praise the story and the pseudo-intellectual ending as its greatest strenght.

Now, I love BioShock games. I've always thought the original transcended the FPS genre. I agreed exploration trumped shooting in Rapture, but even then I don't think it would have been as strong of a game without splicers sneaking up from behind to occasionally interrupt your exploring.

I thought Columbia was well-crafted, but not nearly as interesting as Rapture. Everything looked great, but there weren't as many clues as to what had gone on there before Booker arrives and it doesn't take too long to get a good idea of what the culture there is like. I actually got a little tired of poking into every corner between Battleship Bay and the Hall of Heroes and went looking for a fight.

Loved the characters, but thought the environment worked best as a backdrop for the action. Loved the new vigors, the more open arenas and larger hordes of enemies, the Sky-Lines, and the new melee weapon in the Sky-Hook. Loved the visceral violence that was a blast in game but would appaul me in real life (sorry critics who says video games, and this one particularly, are too violent).

Didn't hate the ending, but thought it was the weakest part of the game. Too much exposition, too many twists all thrown out at once.



"Last rat standing."