On BioShock 2 Vita-Chambers and Backtracking

A BioShock 2 article on Kotaku hears from BioShock 2 creative director Jordan Thomas about a couple of ways the gameplay in the underwater shooter sequel departs from the original game. One of the areas being changed is vita-chambers, which can be turned off in the sequel, and as Jordan explains, the vita-chamber exploits from the first BioShock are mitigated by the little sisters healing some of their big daddies' health while you are being reanimated. They also discuss how it will be impossible to backtrack to areas after they are completed, which Jordon confesses is more due to technical limitations than a design decision: "We came down to having to choose between supporting backtracking and much more interesting, readable features ...and decided to invest in things we thought people would actually notice. We also got some knock-on benefits like shorter loading times because of the way the memory was structured once backtracking was no longer an issue." He also explains how any unresolved little sister/big daddy conflicts will not be lost due to lack of backtracking, as they will be added to subsequent levels. Thanks nin.