|
Last week I sat down to survey the landscape of games due to arrive in 2010 and made my selections for the ones that I would step over women, children and grandmothers to play. These are the games worth quitting your day job, shutting out the real world and skipping bills and sustenance to spend just five more minutes enjoying. At least, that’s the fond hope we harbor.
After all, we all make these lists early in the year, and while some games match their hype, there are so many that fall woefully short.
So, for this piece I decided to temper my expectations and pick a game that I long to play this year, but I have a sneaking suspicion is just going to royally disappoint me.
Next month, 2K Games will release the long-awaited follow-up to their smash hit Bioshock. The original game, released in 2007 amidst a busy fall season that also saw the debuts of Halo 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect and Super Mario Galaxy, ended up topping my list as my favorite game of that year.
Of all gaming archetypes, the action-adventure that rewards careful exploration has always grabbed my gaming dollar. By melding that with first-person controls and then setting the entire adventure in a crumbling, decaying undersea dystopia, Ken Levine and his expert team of artisans at Irrational Games (then known as 2K Boston) offered up one of the more enticing experiences I had played through in many years. Though the game stumbled slightly with its final boss showdown, it didn’t miss a beat at any point and successfully submerged me in its warped World of Tomorrow. Plus, it boasted one of gaming’s better “Sixth Sense” style twists, which, when fully revealed, had you replaying everything that had come before. The innocent inquiry “Would You Kindly?” suddenly took on a deeper, more sinister shading.
 Bioshock was so carefully crafted and arrived at such a pitch-perfect ending, depending upon the key choices made near the finale, that it really didn’t require a sequel. If the studio really wanted to trade on the good will generated by Levine’s game, they could always follow Team Ico’s lead and simply design new enchantments that share a similar aesthetic, much as that developer did when chasing Ico with Shadow of the Colossus.
Of course, the corporate and creative ends of this industry serve different masters, even if they are all responsible for feeding the bottom line. Bioshock sold incredibly well at retail, and thus 2K flashed the green light for a sequel. When it appeared Levine would need some time to reflect on from where Rapture’s continued tales should stream, they immediately shifted gears and gave the reins to another internal development house, handing the keys to the kingdom to 2K Marin and 2K Australia. Levine, the creator of the trend-setting PC thriller System Shock, is going to be missed, as the original game was truly his brainchild.
While I’m looking forward to playing Bioshock 2, my anticipation is tempered by the cookie cutter nature of casting a sequel before the game’s story dictates there’s more tale to tell. I want a compelling reason to return to Rapture, not simply because Product Development has determined that they need a new SKU to append “Now With Online Multiplayer” to the back of the box.
That inclusion of multiplayer is my most worrying concern.
 The original Bioshock was a well crafted, engrossing 20-hour adventure designed to suck a single player into its depths. Its development resources were devoted 100% to bringing us along on its fantastic voyage and thus, the sights they created in that crumbling city beneath the sea were awe-inspiring. I didn’t need multiplayer. There are plenty of other games that offer that diversion, should I get the itch.
But every publisher thinks they’re missing the boat if they don’t offer that bullet point. I think it’s a foolhardy pursuit anyway, as most core online players tend to gravitate to one or two games and then play the hell out of them until the next successive installment in their beloved series is released. In the console domain, Modern Warfare 2 grabs the majority share, while Halo players stick to their universe. They might dabble in a new game’s online offering, but within a few short months the servers dry up as those players retreat back to the comforts of their respective homes, where they’ll play Modern Warfare 2 for another few years until the next tour of duty beckons.
Why bother splintering your development resources on a gambit that is unlikely to put a dent in the armor? Bet the house on the single-player campaign and be done with it. We, the gamers, benefit greatly from that. If you absolutely must compete on the online front, then do it with DLC campaigns.
Two years ago, when I sent Andrew Ryan to a watery grave, I couldn’t wait to dive back in and let Rapture wash all over me. Now, I’m filled with trepidation that my wish is about to come true.
I’ll take the plunge, but from this vantage point, the waters look choppy.
|
Great article. I don’t feel the way you do about Bioshock as a whole, but I understand how you feel in regards to sequels in general.
@Bill – Thanks for the feedback. I will say that I’m quite sure I’ll end up diving into the depths once more but there was something about the first game (and all initial IP) that can never truly be replicated. As they say, you never forget your first time. : )
Agree completely with this.What I can’t understand is, when looking to develop a multiplayer for the series, why they didn’t opt for co-op. Firstly – it’s all the rage, secondly – it’s a less crowded market area, and thirdly – SS2 had it and showed it can work in a similar title (albeit in a buggy form that could have done with more development time). Just seems like it would fit far more comfortably with the style of the series than a simple deathmatch mode.
Why so much thought about it? The game will likely be a lot of fun to play. Who cares if is is not the most perfect plot line? Like MW2 has any story at all.
Honestly – when looking at the landscape of games I am just dying to play – Bioshock 2, the sequel to one of my most treasured game experiences – falls way down the list. Been there, done that. The point of my article though is that we all have games that we’re dying to play and at the end of the day, there’s bound to be disappointments. I just have a sneaking suspicion this will be one of them. I’d love to be proven wrong, however. That’s one of the reasons we consistently add games to our libraries – to have fun and garner new experiences.I agree with Bluebottle. If MP is absolutely a requirement for a publisher in this day and age, then go the Co-Op route to add value to the title if you can’t hang with the big boys of Halo and MW2 (again, strictly speaking in the console space).And Larry – I played MW2 and could take or leave it. I did it because it was there but I won’t revisit the single player and I’ve long tired of getting teabagged by foul-mouthed 13 year olds so I won’t be gaming in multiplayer either. So, in essence, you’re making my point.
I wanted to clarify my statements in this article just in case anyone has any confusion – especially in light of the Blog title. I think “My Biggest Disappointment” is a misnomer as I’ve obviously not played Bioshock 2 yet, nor had any time with a preview build. The contents of this Blog are simply editorial opinion. As I looked out at the list of games that I’m just dying to play in 2010, Bioshock 2 was one of my most anticipated titles – and also – the one I am most wary of given my unabashed love for the original title, as well as its creator – Irrational Games. Irrational was behind System Shock 2 as well and there is no doubt that the seeds they planted in that cult classic bore fruit in Bioshock. Ken Levine runs a talented group of programmers, developers and above all – artisans – and their uninvolment in this project colored my pre-release ‘opinion’ greatly.
That said, I don’t mean to toss other development studios under the bus and recent comments that I’ve read in Game Informer - attributed to Ken Levine – show that he feels the property is in good hands. That makes me breathe a sigh of relief. If anything, I look at another beloved property which changed hands from the maiden effort to the sophomore release. That would be David Jaffe’s baby, God of War, whose baton was handed off to the Lead Animation Director, Cory Barlog, to helm the sequel. And that sequel was arguably as good – or better – than the original. If anything, it was bigger and a refinement of the core concepts. Another example would be The Legend of Zelda series which is Shigeru Miyamoto’s brainchild but has flourished under Eiji Aonuma’s watchful eye ever since Majora’s Mask. Both series are near and dear to my heart and both have been brought up just right. So, while the context of my posted opinion remains the same in that I do re-enter the world of Rapture slightly wary, I will indeed dive back in and hope to be brought along on another fantastic voyage. Nothing would make me happier than to be proven wrong. I live to play games and I love ‘em – and nothing rocks my world more than when my preconceptions are dashed against the rocks and I walk away completely blown away by the product.
Make me proud, 2K Games.
@Ed: I played and finished Bioshock 2 this past weekend and I can say that it was extremely boring and convoluted. So while you may be backtracking on your original statement I on the contrary see it as a bit prophetic.
If anyone wants to play an interesting new game (and likes combo type games), get Dante’s Inferno instead. Now that was fun. And yes I know it was a rip from God of War, but still it was fun.
@Angel – I’m hoping to get my hands on with Bioshock 2 to see if I indeed have that Nostradamus touch or if I will be pleasantly surprised. I’m hoping for the latter but your news does not bode well. Time will tell and I’ll be back with an official review when that copy shows up.
As a huge God of War fan, I’ve actually been looking to Dante’s Inferno with great anticipation. I think a full-out clone is fine if done well and that game, based on the demo, is dripping with atmosphere and production values. So thanks for the tip in that direction.
Same goes for Darksiders, which I just started last night. It’s a rip of Legend of Zelda, God of War and even Portal, of all things, and yet it cribs with style. I’m only about an hour in but for an early January release, it’s pretty damn fun.
One thing about this year – the normal doldrums have certainly not taken hold. Here’s hoping the steady stream of software flows through the summer as well.
Post a Comment