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Our intern's a huge "BioShock" fan. So when Game Informer broke some new details about the sequel, he was excited but also... worried. See why.
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By Sal Basile
Though 2K Marin has the right resources to make "BioShock 2" a great game and has been praised by Ken Levine, the creative director of the original "BioShock," I can't help but be worried.
After reading through Game Informer's cover story, I'm excited by the prospect of playing a renegade Big Daddy in the game. However, I just don't think 2K Marin should get too carried away with having players feel like a Big Daddy. Body awareness, authentic weapons, and unique Big Daddy abilities are cool additions, but moving and turning sluggishly could become bothersome. While it may seem cool at first, hearing the boom of every hulking footstep you make through the entire game would quickly become annoying and seems unnecessary.
At first, backtracking was also a worry of mine. When I hear "sequel," I often get the impression that it's an excuse to reuse old areas, especially with "BioShock" because you're confined to the single location of one underwater city, as opposed to other games that have the freedom to change locales. The Game Informer interview with creative director Jordan Thomas relieved some of my concerns on that. Thomas revealed his plans for some of the levels in "BioShock 2" which included unexplored areas of Rapture and "iconic landmarks" recognizable by people who played the first game. This is a good way to give credit to the game without having an entire level devoted to an already explored area of the failed utopia.
I think having a flashback level where you play as the man before he was changed into a Big Daddy would also be a good way to show past levels without having players experience walking through them in the same destroyed state as they were in the first game. Walking through the Point Prometheus facility in a past Rapture would let you take a break from the destruction and could show already explored areas in a state never seen before.
To boot, the underwater level that utilizes the Big Daddies diver suit sounds like a fantastic idea. This could be an awesome level, showcasing the outside world we could only see through the reinforced glass windows of the first game. I don't think 2K Marin should keep this a short, battle-free, area transition, however. Having a boss battle with a giant squid or shark could become one of the most memorable moments of the game.
Another thing that concerned me was that playing as a Big Daddy might be Rapture's equivalent of Superman. I was scared that the empowerment given to the player would transform this game into a "Dynasty Warriors" version of "BioShock," where I'd button-mash my way through thousands of Splicers and come out without a scratch. But Thomas assured us in the interview that a group of Splicers will be able to work together and still be able to take you down. I think having the teleporting Splicers take over most of the decrepit Rapture would be a good way of adding difficulty to fighting a single enemy, rather than just shoulder-dashing every foe you find standing alone.
The most important element I hope this game is focusing on is making us attached to the Big Daddy that we play. If I'm taking on the role of a soulless, heartless, character with no dialogue or brain of his own, I don't think I'll care enough about the game to play it. The first "BioShock" gave us a scenario: you're a random guy, your plane just crashed, you found this mysterious place, and now what are you going to do? If the storyline is simply "You're a Big Daddy and your motivation is you want people to stay away from your Little Sister," I doubt players will have a connection, perhaps resulting in loss of interest for some.
Overall, it seems like 2K Marin is pointed in the right direction. The idea of playing as a Big Daddy sounded like such an outlandish idea to me at first, but looking at it now, I don't think they could've done it any other way. Playing as the same character wouldn't have made much sense since the ending of the first one implied the closing of his chapter; playing as another random outsider would come off as "Bioshock 1.5"; and playing as someone with a deep history with Rapture wouldn't have had players relate as well as they did when playing as an outsider and seeing everything for the first time. So far, I believe "Bioshock 2" is in very capable hands.
What do you guys think 2K Marin should stay away from or add in "BioShock 2"?
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