polytourist97 on 13/8/2011 at 20:42

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2k Games: Alright Ken, let's hear about this new direction you've taken with the project.

Ken Levine: First off, thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me, I know you're really busy. Now I know you were not crazy about our original concept of Bioshock, and that's totally understandable. I mean, a game that has an insectoid theme focused on AI hierarchy that touches upon the concepts of genetic engineering gone awry with the player character making choices about how far removed from humanity they want to become with real consequences for their actions? That's kid stuff. This game is for adults, and what do adults love? POLITICS. So we've come up with a new idea for Bioshock full of stuff that is just ripped from the book shelves of high school students who want to impress their friends with how thick the books they take to coffee shops are. I think you're going to be really impressed.

2k Games: Ok. Now what about all these complex features like an inventory, character stats, doors, and game events happening separately from the player's involvement? Don't you think that's going to confuse the mature, adult audience that Bioshock is being designed for? Not to mention the incredibly lucrative adolescent audience that is NOT going to be getting the game due to its agreed upon MATURE ESRB rating? *wink*

Ken Levine: Don't worry. We're removing all of these things so that our mature audience can focus on all the POLITICS we've beefed up the game with.

2k Games: Perfect. Oh, and would you kindly add in a few more "fucks" just to make extra sure that when people play the game there is no mistaking this is an ADULT game for ADULTS?

Zooey on 13/8/2011 at 22:49

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Actually System Shock 2 has philosophical ideas at its core which manifest as politics on the human side where the quasi communistic UNN fights with a ruthless capitalist named Korenchkin who leads Triop. And on the alien side there's a hyper-narcissistic individual fighting a tech war against a communal biological hive mind creature.
Drop in the player and let him try to survive between these extremes, like the normal people always have to when the big guys play their games. And make completely sure he realises during the course of the game that none of these parties are actually interested in him, just in using him as a tool to their schemes.

Bioshock took the basic idea of political/philosophical messaging from SS2 just like everything else. But where SS2 left it up to the player to think and develop an independent view, Bioshock took the player by the hand and stuffed it's message down his throat. Do this and be good, do that and be evil.
SS2 had more differentiated ethics than that, admittedly you had to develop them yourself, but you were practically forced to do it. Bioshock tried to make ethics into a gameplay device and hence ended up with the video game version of ethics. It is less mature for that and especially for the way it's playing your emotions like a baby kissing president so you'll fit into one of its binary molds. If only you had learned anything from System Shock 2.

Matthew on 13/8/2011 at 23:32

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I liked how Custer's Revenge was about titties.

Zooey on 14/8/2011 at 00:12

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Tetris was about blocks. If anything its addictive gameplay should have made you think about the absence of free will. Try again?

june gloom on 14/8/2011 at 01:54

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What the shit? Trying to shoehorn some sort of philosociopolitical meaning into System Shock 2? And then using it to bash Bioshock?

Fuck you. Fuck all of you. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for allowing things to have come to this.

you fucking bastards