BioShock Infinite Announced, Looks Good
After completing work on BioShock three years ago, Irrational started work on a new game. In those three years not a single peep was heard about the new project. BioShock 2 came out and was good. Granted it was a forced sequel, left post-launch without adequate patching and a tacked-on (though surprisingly solid) multiplayer, but it was still a worthy game.
The direct sequel wasn’t made by Irrational and we were all informed that Levine, although helping with the project, had moved on. He told Game Informer last May that he wasn’t working on BioShock 2, but was instead “focused on making our next big project at 2K Boston.” And that game has turned out to be BioShock Infinite. What a sneaky man.
At a flashy press event the game was revealed to all. The trailer above was shown along with a gameplay demo. Have a read of the write-ups if you’ve not done already: Joystiq, Kotaku, MTV Multiplayer, Eurogamer.
If there’s one thing that BioShock 2 taught us, it’s that the BioShock gameplay has been nailed down, and is good. That part of the game, due out in 2012, I’ve just assumed will be brilliant. What I’m looking forward to far more is the narrative. The wide-reaching, powerful ideas that seem to drive the ‘Shock games.
Levine told Kotaku, after being asked if this game was a prequel, “I don’t want to think about that [...] I don’t think it’s particularly constructive to have that conversation” which makes me happy. The story of Rapture is closed, and I’m happy for it to stay like that.
The game instead takes place on a giant, 1900′s floating city. Built by the Americans to float around the world showing everybody how great the US is. This being BioShock, things soon go t-over-a and a story leading you to try to find a girl named Elizabeth, assumed to be in the city somewhere, leads you on your way. The real hook for me is the theme driving it all: American Patriotism, or as Levine put it to Joystiq “American exceptionalism”. MTV Multiplayer‘s Russ Frushtick reported that at the event there were large posters displaying “racist stereotypes of other nationalities, with George Washington in the center, looking like a savior among savages.”
That sounds like a fantastically provocative, perhaps even an exploitative theme to explore, and one that should play out very interesting over the next two years leading up to the game’s release. I would say I’m excited for this game, but I think I’m feeling just satisfied. I now have a game that’s likely (not certain) to be good to look forward to.
I’m optimistic. I’ll give Levine more faith than I did with the 2K Marin team behind BS2. Part of me was hoping they were doing something completely new, but it looks like they’ve gone about trying to capture the essence of Bioshock’s gameplay, which is something to be happy about, and a new setting, which was over due as well.
I’m a little cynical about whether or not this is a prequel. His comment about about that conversation not being constructive seems worded very specifically as to not dismiss it out right.
@ouched: I thought that, but then picked up on the fact he said he didn’t want to “think” about that, rather than “talk” about it. Though I may be reading too much into it. I assume, as with the trailer, there’s going to be references to Rapture though.
Was it the clangor who gave you the heads up, cause he told me yesterday he would send you a tip to the tips thing.
Also could you make a filter, I don’t wanna hear anything about this game.
@Normal violet tortoise: We did indeed get a tip, though I found out via Twitter and got most info from Wire.vg (it was the number one trending phrase yesterday).
Also, I’ll not make a filter until more news starts coming out (the game’s not out for a couple of years). But when that happens send me an email and I’ll sort it for you :)