BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

[Jan 19, 2012, 11:16 am ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

Irrational Games announces 1999 Mode, a challenging mode for BioShock Infinite, their upcoming continuation of the BioShock series. For those expecting them to make it rain purple, remember that 1999 marked the release of one of the game's spiritual predecessors, System Shock 2. Here's word:

BioShock Infinite’s 1999 Mode will feature an especially demanding gaming experience, forcing you to examine your decisions while going through your adventure in Columbia. With every choice you make, there are irreversible implications, and if your choices guide you down a path not suited to your play style, you will suffer for it.

It’s not simply a matter of adjusting the difficulty sliders in the game – the team went much further than that. Resource planning? If you’re to survive this mode, proper planning will be crucial. Combat specializations? You’ll need to develop them efficiently and effectively throughout the story; any weapon will be useless to you unless you have that specialization. Combat? You will need to carefully target every shot, and your health will be set to an entirely different baseline. Game saves? Well, yes, there will be those, but according to Irrational Games Creative Director Ken Levine “there are game saves, and you’re gonna f***ing need them.”

“We want to give our oldest and most committed fans an option to go back to our roots,” said Levine. “In 1999 Mode, gamers face more of the permanent consequences of their gameplay decisions. In BioShock Infinite, gamers will have to sweat out the results of their actions. In addition, 1999 Mode will demand that players pick specializations, and focus on them.”

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31 Replies. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
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31.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 22, 2012, 01:38

Ant

System Shock 2 was way better than BioShock! I couldn't get into the first SS game though.




Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx and Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net ...

30.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 20, 2012, 19:36

Jerykk

To me, that doesn't sound like a proper consequence.... very few games give you choices that have true consequences, Witcher 1/2 maybe a bit but nothing really major. Uh, in Witcher 2, the entire second chapter is completely different depending on the choices you made in the first. That's a pretty major consequence. In DX:HR, a choice you make about 3/4's of the way through a game has a major impact on a later boss fight. In Alpha Protocol, almost every choice you make has a tangible gameplay impact, from the number of guards you face to how well they're equipped to even which bosses you have to fight and which factions help you.

29.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 20, 2012, 07:02

eRe4s3r

I haven't got a lot of games in memory lately that had any kind of gameplay effecting consequences from my decisions. There is maybe that 1 suicide mission in Mass Effect 2 where, if you have bad-save-game management, you are literally stuck with your first 2 choices (tech and squad leader) and any other choices you made before. And where you could actually lose the game at the END if you.. like, did not play the game at all (loyalty missions aren't exactly easy to miss or even easy to pass over) ;p Thing is, is it really "optional endings" if playing the game properly means completing it properly and by doing so you are automatically granted the "best" ending (unless you made dumb choices) To me, that doesn't sound like a proper consequence.... very few games give you choices that have true consequences, Witcher 1/2 maybe a bit but nothing really major. Only game where it comes to mind is Deus EX 1 - depending on what you take with you you can really find yourself in a situation where you have to be very very creative.... ah well

28.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 20, 2012, 04:25

Raptor

Prez wrote on Jan 19, 2012, 19:42: Having said that, if I could hand-pick a studio to handle a System Shock sequel, it would be the team Eidos used for Deus Ex HR (the PC version specifically). Now there is a team that understands how to do a proper sequel to a classic game. Oh please no. These guys have problems understanding the source they use, so in their "adaption" SS3 would have "System Shock" mode as the hardest difficulty which would remove glowing items, quest pointers and maybe not make you receive 500 XP every time you open a door. Also you would die in 9 hits instead of 10. Leaving aside the obvious consolification of the sequel, constant handholding and being treated like an idiot, it would of course be a highly cinematic experience. At least on consoles the level design of room-corridor-room would work quite okay. DxHR was a good game on its own, but it was not Dx.

27.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 20, 2012, 03:04

Fantaz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_%28song%29

Where is Prince now?




proudly fragging noobs in deathmatch since 1999

26.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 20, 2012, 00:45

Flatline

panbient wrote on Jan 19, 2012, 18:16: You know what would be cooler than constantly comparing Bioshock to System Shock? An actual sequel to System Shock. Tacking on -Shock to another franchise does NOT make it a spiritual successor to SHODAN's mastery. SS's IP is scattered across multiple companies, including companies that have gone out of business. Gathering all the threads together is nigh-on-impossible and has been for years sadly.

25.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 20, 2012, 00:41

Jerykk

Yay for hardcore modes that do more than just add damage and health multipliers. I hope this becomes a standard as publishers and developers slowly realize that some gamers actually enjoy depth and challenge. That said, I've love to know exactly what changes the 1999 mode makes. When they say that health has a lower baseline, what do they mean? Is the max health lower? Does it still regenerate completely or just partially? Does it take longer to regenerate? Does it regenerate at all? Details please.

24.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 19:42

Prez

panbient wrote on Jan 19, 2012, 18:16:
You know what would be cooler than constantly comparing Bioshock to System Shock?

An actual sequel to System Shock.

Tacking on -Shock to another franchise does NOT make it a spiritual successor to SHODAN's mastery.

An actual sequel? That would be asking a lot in this day and age. More likely some studio would steal the name and slap it on some bad "re-imagining" that has nothing to do with the source material.

Having said that, if I could hand-pick a studio to handle a System Shock sequel, it would be the team Eidos used for Deus Ex HR (the PC version specifically). Now there is a team that understands how to do a proper sequel to a classic game.




Prez on Soundclick http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=604888

23.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 18:28

entr0py

That's awesome. Some of my fondest gaming memories are of very difficult games that demand to be mastered, not just played in something more than a stupor. And they are absolutely right that a making a game challenging isn't just a matter of cranking up enemy damage and health, but of incorporating permanent consequences and irrevocable decisions. If you make mistakes, it should feel like you have to claw your way to victory to make up for them. It's a completely different platform and genre, but I just started replaying one of the old Fire Emblem games thanks to the 3ds ambassador program. I think much of what's endearing about the series is how unforgiving it is. It would be great if this 1999 mode included really terrible consequences like the permadeath of central characters, or actual bad endings.

22.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 18:16

panbient

You know what would be cooler than constantly comparing Bioshock to System Shock? An actual sequel to System Shock. Tacking on -Shock to another franchise does NOT make it a spiritual successor to SHODAN's mastery.

21.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 17:03

Matshock

Prez wrote on Jan 19, 2012, 16:34: For the record I actually did* mean System Shock 2. It was my favorite game of the 2 by far.* I liked them about equally, OTOH I was playing PC games when SS1 came out so I didn't have SS2 to compare it to at that time. I did prefer SS1's method of finding and using hardware/software upgrades to SS2's upgrade points though. They both gave me the sci-fi/horror heebie-geebies. Now they just need to bring back Ultima and my 1990's nostalgia trip will be complete.

20.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 16:34

Prez

For the record I actually did mean System Shock 2. It was my favorite game of the 2 by far.




Prez on Soundclick http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=604888

19.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 16:30

Dev

Sounds like there would be no reason for me and many others NOT to play in this mode. I just hope they won't require you to beat the game on normal first before playing in 1999 mode.

18.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 16:03

Waterski

The small "Minerva's Den" DLC for Bioshock 2 was better than the entire game. Worth a look for anyone who was disappointed in the game itself and wants to get some last bit of good storytelling out of Rapture.

17.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 16:01

GarrettTX1

Have to admit I had such high hopes for Bioshock 2 - mostly because Jordan Thomas was chosen as the creative director - who IMO, created (with Randy Smith of LGS) one of the most immersive levels (and scariest) ever - Shalebridge Cradle in Thief: Deadly Shadows.

16.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 15:56

avianflu

ugh Bioshock 2 was indeed a dog but it was not made by Ken Levine's gang. Then again BioShock 2 got great critical reviews, so what do I know?

15.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 15:07

Creston

Doombringer wrote on Jan 19, 2012, 11:53: Listen, I liked depthy games too... back when I was in high school and had entire weekends to devote to them. Old school XCOM? Yep. Today? I'm lucky if I have an hour after work and one or two on the weekends. Surprisingly, the game market does not revolve around you and your personal restrictions. There are now new kids who are in high school and have entire weekends to devote to extra hard modes, and getting all the achievements and whatever. So I'm not really sure why you seem to think this is a bad idea. More game options = cool. Actual difficulty in game = GREAT. Creston

14.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 15:00

Creston

That sounds pretty sweet. Creston

13.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 14:57

Cutter

This just got me a lot more interested.




"Are you crazy? Is that your problem?" - Jack Burton

12.

Re: BioShock Infinite Parties Like It's 1999

Jan 19, 2012, 14:40

The Half Elf

The pickle wrote on Jan 19, 2012, 11:56: I think after the disappointment that was Bioshock 2. I shall pass on this one. Considering they didn't make Bioshock 2?

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