Tag Archive for 'BioShock'

‘BioShock 2′ Creative Director Sees Demand For ‘Challenging Material’

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on August 23, 2008
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Gameplayer has a great interview with BioShock 2’s creative director Jordan Thomas that covers the storytelling strengths of one of last year’s best games.

With BioShock, “2K Boston and 2K Australia wanted to build an action-narrative epic that would show respect for the player’s intelligence without forcing them to think exactly like the design team in order to ‘win,’” said Thomas.

“BioShock plays well, I think, to some of the strengths of games as a medium. Most of the first game’s story is unmitigated, meaning you get to live through or discover it directly, in the manner of a forensic anthropologist, as opposed to ‘visiting storyland’ from time to time and then returning to the entirely unrelated game experience.” added Thomas.

“If anything, we’d like to deliver an even more consistently integrated experience with any future games in the series. We hope to maintain a rich narrative atmosphere while allowing for the player to author key aspects of his or her identity with a large degree of expressive freedom. To me, that’s what BioShock is all about.”

Thomas is heading production of BioShock 2 at 2k Marin, which took up the franchise from their sister studios 2k Boston/2k Australia. Some of the original BioShock team is working with Thomas on the sequel, but the first game’s creative director Ken Levine is notably absent from the helm.

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“BioShock 2″ in 2009, Announces Take-Two

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on March 11, 2008
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Take-Two announced today that “BioShock 2″ will rise from the depths late next year. What remains unclear is who will be developing the game and how it will fit into the “BioShock” plot.

It’s been rumored that the game will be a prequel to “BioShock,” as the ending of that game left little room for a follow-up. The game began after the downfall of objectivist-dystopia Rapture, and seeing how this downfall came about would be a good direction to go.

Another possibility (baseless outside of my own opinion) is a “BioShock” sequel reminiscent of those Half-Life games “Opposing Force” and “Blue Shift.” Both those were set in the same place and time as the original “Half-Life” but followed different characters around Black Mesa. A similarly approached “BioShock” game might follow a survivor as he fights his way through another part of Rapture.

“BioShock 2″ will be developed by the newly formed 2k Marin, a studio that includes members from the original “BioShock” team. Most notably absent is Ken Levine, who led the 2k Boston/2k Australia team that developed the original. The development team, headed by Ken Levine, was formed from Irrational Games, makers of the “System Shock” series.

My greatest fear on hearing these rumors was that another team would take up the reigns for the sequel, leaving us with something akin to “Knights of the Old Republic 2,” also developed by a different studio than the original release. With the talent behind the original “BioShock” split, it will be interesting to see how 2k Marin does and what Ken Levine comes up with next.

EDIT: Added information on 2k Marin, composed of members from the “BioShock” team, thank God.

EDIT2: Ken Levine will also be involved in “BioShock 2,” although his level of involvement is unknown. Will it just end up being the same team under a different name?

Downloadable Content for BioShock

Published
on October 19, 2007
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Ken Levine commented this week on downloadable content for BioShock. As the writer points out, BioShock with it’s very closed narrative is not the first game you’d associate with DLC.

For comparison, Half-Life 2’s episodic DLC works well with that game, extending the story after the cliffhanger ending. BioShock’s conclusion (at least the happy one I saw) tied up all the loose ends and left no room for post-plot antics. Another level just would not fit.

Bethesda has provided DLC for Oblivion since launch, with the final pack coming out next week. As an open-ended world, Oblivion readily facilitates the addition of new content, be it an expansion of the story, a new quest, a new weapon, or a new player house. The story in that game can be tackled at the player’s leisure, so it’s easy to add in a new level.

On the other hand, the Rapture of BioShock is such a tight experience that forces the player to move along a set path but in his own way. You can chose what skills to employ in combat and of course whether to save or harvest the little sisters, but you still run through the same number of levels and end up at the same boss. It’s an excellent way of telling a story, but leaves little leeway for a new level or expansion.

“Diablo II, to me, was a great model for an expansion, because it enhanced the original game, but also extended the game, too,” said Levine in an interview with Games for Windows magazine. “I’m not a really big fan of expanding things just by linearly adding to the experience, adding a new campaign, as much as I am of enhancing the original experience and adding replayability to that experience.”

“I think that certainly BioShock’s combat experience is great, but it could be broader. I’m a little more confused as far as how to expand the narrative experience,” he added.

The game is not fully linear, but there’s a definite starting and ending point, and the pacing is perfect. It could only be disrupted by attachments to the narrative. New plasmids though, that’s another story entirely. If they are implemented completely and don’t feel tacked on or useless, such DLC would be a welcome addition.

REVIEW: BioShock (Pt 2)

Published
on September 4, 2007
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Once immersed in Rapture, BioShock’s underwater city, the plot unfolds and twists in a way rarely seen in games.

The game reveals how things went wrong in the utopian Rapture primarily through the recorded comments of its residents. More convenient versions of the diaries commonly employed by games, these recordings provide background and insight into some of the more obscure plot points, such as the little sisters, without breaking the immersion of the first-person perspective.

This device works well in the complex locale of Rapture, but raises an interesting question: Doesn’t new technology allow for more creative plot devices than somewhat contrived journals and dialogue, so ubiquitous in games?

It’s unfair to bring this up in discussing BioShock, which takes many steps forward. The game’s scripted scenes are well choreographed and acted. The flashbacks and ghosts which pass through certain areas are a particularly clever ways of getting around the narrative limitations of first-person games.

I’d like to say more, but hate spoilers. Remaining as ambiguous as possible, BioShock does a near-perfect job of conveying a complicated plot and should serve as an example for game developers of how storytelling can be handled and improved.

REVIEW: BioShock (Pt 1)

Published
on August 31, 2007
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BioShock has received nearly unanimous adoration from fans and critics during the course of its development and following its North American release on August 21, perhaps most often for its immersive potency. Incredible artistic design, roving enemies and monsters, haunting sound effects, and a fitting score all lend a hand in creating an experience which is intensely invigorating, enveloping and, to be perfectly honest, quite frightening.

The design of BioShock’s setting, the underwater city of Rapture, alludes to the steampunk style of a ’60s future, with cold iron and glass walls, wood paneling, incessant curves and a hefty dose of neon. Resting atop this utopia are the decayed, debis-strewn and blood-splattered signs of Rapture’s steady decline into destruction and madness. Her residents are for the most part dressed in rotting clothes and wearing animal masks like Bacchic revelers. The Big Daddies, guardians of the Little Sisters who produce a mutative substance you need to advance in the game, look and move like giant old-fashioned diving suits.

BioShock’s sound effects are nothing short of incredible. Rapture’s crazed denizens mumble, cry, shout and scream as you approach, and Big Daddies moan an inhuman warning to stay away from their young wards. Ambient noises, such as the constant drip of the ever-present ocean and the creaking noises of Rapture, add to the terrifying atmosphere.

The orchestrated score, composed by Gary Schyman and available to download on 2k Games’ Web site, fits BioShock’s setting and style perfectly. Penderecki-like strings back the madness of Rapture’s residents and throbbing brass complement the protagonist’s struggle. It is supplemented by old ’50s songs and well-known classical music. Some of my favorite moments are when these light-hearted tunes are piped over Rapture’s loudspeakers and juxtaposed with the chaos and carnage of first person battle.

Atmosphere alone does not make a great game, but with BioShock it enables an incredible degree of narrative immersion. You feel the oppression and desperation of the protagonist which is so much a part of the storyline. It’s a level of personal immersion and investment possible only in games.

In the Struggle for Creative Games, Are Publisher’s the Enemy?

Published
on August 23, 2007
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Psychonauts creator Tim Schafer exclaimed the need for creative developers in video games at the Games Convention Developers Conference, which starts today in Germany.

Schafer said that the enemy of creativity is not the publisher, but rather “mediocrity, laziness, and fear were the broad-ranging things to watch out for,” the article paraphrases. “Publishers have all the money,” said Schafer. “It’s your job to fight for your idea and convince them. Never say something like ‘Aw, they don’t have any taste…’”

This is contrary to the way I usually think about the games industry, dominated as it is by large publishers like EA which, in my experience, churn out sequels and generic licensed property like no other. However, as Schafer’s experience and the timely release of BioShock on Tuesday demonstrate, it is obviously possible for creative games to be made; all it takes is a little determination on the part of the creator.

“The most important thing about Psychonauts is not the sales numbers,” Schafer said. Rather, the artistic value of the game overrode it’s relatively abysmal record. Psychonauts, despite being a flawless example of creative storytelling in games, sold 400,000 copies, according to the article.

While the responsibility for creative plot and design in games may rest with the developers, we the people can help too by not letting games like Psychonauts gather dust on store shelves. Show publishers that we appreciate creativity as well.

In summing up, the designer had some strong conclusions: ‘It’s an illusion that people don’t want creativity’, ‘Creative people need to be more fighters’, ‘The enemy is not that big and scary’, ‘We are the unholy terrible giants in the game industry’, and even more bombastically: ‘We have machine guns full of ideas, rocket launchers full with passion.’

His ending salvo was fierce and terrible, and definitely entertaining: ‘Go forth! Burn them alive! We are the hope and the future of the games industry.’

One can only hope that Schafer’s impassioned speech will push the creative talent of the gaming world to show publishers how to take advantage of emerging technology in the interest of engaging storytelling.

BioShock’s Storytelling

Published
on August 16, 2007
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BioShock’s release approacheth. The reviews are in, and it’s earned nothing but unremitting praise. The Xbox 360 version’s aggregate review on GameRankings.com is a stunning 99%.

One of the most interesting critiques comes from the closing comments in Charles Onyett’s review on IGN:

There is art here, despite what many would say isn’t possible with games, from Roger Ebert to game designers like Hideo Kojima. But it’s in BioShock–it’s in the gorgeously realized, watery halls of Rapture. It’s in a Little Sister’s expression of thanks when you choose to save her, or the utter silence if you harvest instead. It’s in the way the characters develop, in the testimonials of the recording boxes you pick up along the way. It’s in the way the narrative is structured, and the way it blends so seamlessly with the action.

Irrational had a clear vision with this game, something pulled off with remarkable precision in every department. They didn’t just deliver something that’s fun to play, a criterion so often cited as the benchmark of what makes a game worthwhile. BioShock stands as a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay and an irresistibly sinister, engrossing storyline that encompasses a host of multifaceted characters. This is an essential gaming experience.

Graphically, BioShock looks absolutely amazing. That should be apparent to anyone who has played the demo (available now on Xbox Live and for PC gamers by August 21).

Of course, graphics aren’t everything, but they do facilitate improved storytelling. They allow a greater range of expression on the characters, such as the Little Sisters mentioned in Onyett’s review, and a greater sense of immersion for the gamer as the world becomes more detailed and realistic.

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