How do you turn a deeply flawed man into a religious figure? Simple: make a sequel. That's what 2K Games did with the protagonist of the critically acclaimed "BioShock" for the upcoming sequel, "BioShock 2." The follow up to one of the best games of 2007 takes place ten years after the original game, where the inhabitants of Rapture are left with a very deep impression of the original's main character, Jack Ryan; so much so that some of the inhabitants of Rapture have placed him on a pedestal usually reserved for holy figures. At a recent demo, "BioShock 2"'s creative director, Jordan Thomas, had this to say when asked about Jack’s role in the upcoming game:
"He's mentioned. His story, for the purposes of 'BioShock 2,' is over, in terms of his world driving narrative. That said, the things that he did are being fiercely debated by the splicers, because we wanted to support any of the choices the player could have made in the first game. It’s become kind of a religious question; what he did at the end of "BioShock 1."
So, aside from the amusing thought of a bunch of splicers sitting around a table debating religion, it seems that 2K Marin has solved the problem tying up any loose ends that may have been left from the first game by keeping everything pretty vague, since the first game, much like the second, was so heavily influenced by player choice. However, the fact that Jack could be considered a "religious" figure may draw some comparisons to another FPS leading man, Dr. Gordon Freeman, and the scenario that was created between "Half-Life" and "Half-Life 2."
It's clear that both of these men weren't "gods" by any means, but its always interesting to see them from the point of view of the people they so-heavily influenced. Does that mean we're gonna see Jack's wrench as a unifying symbol?