Ken Levine's new game: "More F***ing Bioshock"

[665b0736c61e5ZylonBane]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoLJ4HgWqw4

Okay it's actually called "Judas". But seriously, he's not even trying to hide that he's basically making Bioshock again, this time with even more marketable character designs and even less immersive sim gameplay.

[665b0736c67f9Xkilljoy98]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoLJ4HgWqw4

Okay it's actually called "Judas". But seriously, he's not even trying to hide that he's basically making Bioshock again, this time with even more marketable character designs and even less immersive sim gameplay.

Seems interesting, though too early to say if it will be good or not.

The look seems interesting, and gameplay reminds me of Bioshock for sure.

As a fan of both Bioshock and System Shock this seems interesting and more Bioshock is never a bad thing in my book, though how much Imm Sim gameplay it will have IDK. Both Bioshock and System Shock had that sort of gameplay (Infinite and SS1 lacked some elements but still had others) so I assume this will, but hard to say.

But the important thing is, is that this is a different series. So I think it deserves its own standards.

Bioshock and System Shock shouldn't be held to the same standards (SS 1 and 2 have a lot of differences) and this game I think it's best to look at on its own merits.

Gameplay and Character designs from the trailer look fine, how it plays remains to be seen.

No word on the state of Bioshock 4, but it is still in development last I heard.

[665b0736c6a1bfox]

So, a spiritual succssor to the spiritual successor... I really didn't expect this many obvious similarities but I'm all for a first person-Shock game - if the gameplay is good! I don't think there's much to judge in that regard yet.

Also, Ken Levine seems to be the kind of guy that likes to radically change core ideas around even late into development. I wouldn't wonder if the theme and the game world end up looking fairly different from Bioshock. Coming up with fresh and interesting settings always seemed to be his forte to me. Wait and see what actually gets released, I say.

"FIX WHAT YOU BROKE" certainly reads like a mission statement and a direct message to us over here. Or maybe to those Bioshock-fans who disliked Infinite for its even more "streamlined" gameplay.

[665b0736c6b61voodoo47]

just make sure to do a proper inventory this time.

[665b0736c6d71JDoran]

It does look very Bioshocky, thanks for posting the link to the video.

To me, the gaming scene has never been more boring, so it's great to be able to add one more game to the very short list of new games that I am looking forward to (the list includes Hogwart's Legacy, Bioshock 4, Atomic Heart, System Shock 3 (I am still hoping), and probably a couple more that I can't recall at the moment).

[665b0736c6fcckrumpet]

Reminds me of what I've seen for Bioshock Infinite, but I admit I never played that one. Only the first and part of the second, which I thought were OK but not as interesting as SS2 due to missing a lot of gameplay options and having rehashed plot devices. I don't really like the Disneyfied look they're doing or whatever it is.

[665b0736c73e6JDoran]

Bioshock 1 has much less in common with System Shock 2 than you'd think, given how the media so often seems to lump them together when discussing SS2. The games have similar premises and themes, such as [no real spoilers here, don't worry] both games rely heavily on your melee attack at least in the early game, in both games you're alone in a hostile environment, you're advised during the game by a friendly voice, there is a plot twist mid game, in both games enemies spawn randomly to give the impression that the are is still occupied by people or creatures, etc.

But gameplay-wise they are very different. System Shock 2 is a complicated action/RPG game with first person melee and ranged shooting attacks, it's not easy (especially if you're new to it), and it doesn't hold your hand. Bioshock is a first person shooter with slight RPG mechanics, and is *much* easier to play than SS2, and the game really does want you to win, as you are practically tripping over ammunition during the game, and (unlike with SS2) you don't really have to plan ahead and use different weapons for specific enemies to save ammunition. Bioshock doesn't even have a manageable inventory system. Bioshock is a great game, and it's atmosphere and beauty are amazing, but compared to SS2, it's very dumbed down.

And Bioshock: Infinite is even more dumbed down than Bioshock 1. The combat is more dumbed down, you can only carry two weapons (guns) at once, the initial hintings of the story (a floating city that is built largely on slavery, racism, and exploration, and is potentially going to wage war on the USA because of the 'visions' of it's religious zealot of a dictator) start out fascinating but quickly just disappear into nothing, and the whole game is a stunningly beautiful but otherwise mostly uninteresting first person shooter. Even Elisabeth, the in-game character who is with you for much of the game, and who was lauded before release as being this stunningly realistic companion who acted with uncanny human-like , turned out to be basically an indestructible NPC who spoke scripted lines at preset points in the game, followed you around unquestionably, and managed to find supplies where there were none, when you needed them during a gun fight.

What makes it worse is that the early videos of Bioshock: Infinite, released during the game's early development. make the game look much more promising. But the release version seemed to have really cut back on it's ambition, and so the city's atmosphere of trembling on a war is much less apparent now, Elizabeth has has a less interesting and convining personailty, here multi-universe abilites have been really cut back and simplified, and wjhat looked like it might hacve been a genre-defining game turned out to be just a pretty but otherwise generic first person shooter with a weak story and a terrible pretentious ending. The game was even so dumbed down that if you tried to fall off the city then instead of falling to the Earth and dying, you just magically re-appeared in safety. Because why use the idea of a floating city for anything at all, when really the combat areas are just rooms but with an appearance of being in the open air?

To me, Bioshock 1 is great, Bioshock 2 is better (it improves on many of the first game's faults), and Bioshock: Infinite is inferior to both B1 and 2. But none of them are the same genre as System Shock 2, and if you play any of them hoping for a SS2 experience then you will be very disappointed, sadly.

[665b0736c7501krumpet]

Would be nice to see something that isn't just tweaking the same old gameplay systems we've seen for the last 20 years. But can't really judge from this trailer, as it doesn't show much.

[665b0736c7e85Xkilljoy98]

Bioshock 1 has much less in common with System Shock 2 than you'd think, given how the media so often seems to lump them together when discussing SS2. The games have similar premises and themes, such as [no real spoilers here, don't worry] both games rely heavily on your melee attack at least in the early game, in both games you're alone in a hostile environment, you're advised during the game by a friendly voice, there is a plot twist mid game, in both games enemies spawn randomly to give the impression that the are is still occupied by people or creatures, etc.

But gameplay-wise they are very different. System Shock 2 is a complicated action/RPG game with first person melee and ranged shooting attacks, it's not easy (especially if you're new to it), and it doesn't hold your hand. Bioshock is a first person shooter with slight RPG mechanics, and is *much* easier to play than SS2, and the game really does want you to win, as you are practically tripping over ammunition during the game, and (unlike with SS2) you don't really have to plan ahead and use different weapons for specific enemies to save ammunition. Bioshock doesn't even have a manageable inventory system. Bioshock is a great game, and it's atmosphere and beauty are amazing, but compared to SS2, it's very dumbed down.

And Bioshock: Infinite is even more dumbed down than Bioshock 1. The combat is more dumbed down, you can only carry two weapons (guns) at once, the initial hintings of the story (a floating city that is built largely on slavery, racism, and exploration, and is potentially going to wage war on the USA because of the 'visions' of it's religious zealot of a dictator) start out fascinating but quickly just disappear into nothing, and the whole game is a stunningly beautiful but otherwise mostly uninteresting first person shooter. Even Elisabeth, the in-game character who is with you for much of the game, and who was lauded before release as being this stunningly realistic companion who acted with uncanny human-like , turned out to be basically an indestructible NPC who spoke scripted lines at preset points in the game, followed you around unquestionably, and managed to find supplies where there were none, when you needed them during a gun fight.

What makes it worse is that the early videos of Bioshock: Infinite, released during the game's early development. make the game look much more promising. But the release version seemed to have really cut back on it's ambition, and so the city's atmosphere of trembling on a war is much less apparent now, Elizabeth has has a less interesting and convining personailty, here multi-universe abilites have been really cut back and simplified, and wjhat looked like it might hacve been a genre-defining game turned out to be just a pretty but otherwise generic first person shooter with a weak story and a terrible pretentious ending. The game was even so dumbed down that if you tried to fall off the city then instead of falling to the Earth and dying, you just magically re-appeared in safety. Because why use the idea of a floating city for anything at all, when really the combat areas are just rooms but with an appearance of being in the open air?

To me, Bioshock 1 is great, Bioshock 2 is better (it improves on many of the first game's faults), and Bioshock: Infinite is inferior to both B1 and 2. But none of them are the same genre as System Shock 2, and if you play any of them hoping for a SS2 experience then you will be very disappointed, sadly.

I never liked the term dumbed down, while I agree that fits the description in some cases, it doesn't in all as some games simply have different goals. 

SS1 is interesting in that in that it lacks a lot of elements of 2, but since it came before 2 a lot of people don't mind it.

At the end of the day I enjoy all games, SS2 can be frustrating sometimes due to lack of resources, so I appreciate that there are also games like Bioshock where I can still upgrade and explore but is less stressful.

Then there is Prey which in terms of complexity I think even beats SS2 at its own game in certain areas.

[665b0736c854afox]

At the end of the day I enjoy all games, SS2 can be frustrating sometimes due to lack of resources, so I appreciate that there are also games like Bioshock where I can still upgrade and explore but is less stressful.

I always felt that the ressource balancing (which is linked to the problem of the non-existent item inventory) was one of the greatest shortcomings of Bioshock 1.