BioShock 3: Where next for the story?

Great article and I agree that the good ending (the one I got) leads to ideas of what Bioshock 3 will be about

Its not Bioshock without Rapture but thats just me. If they left Rapture I would miss it but if they went back it might feel old. I think seeing Rapture before and when it went to hell through the eyes of a splicer would be cool and then mabye to team up with Ryan or Fontaine. Great Article btw!

I think you're wrong, GR. From Bioshock 1 to 2, notice that there is no continuity in the characters. Remember that you escape Rapture at the end of the first game as well, with no effect on the second, regardless of which ending you received. Also, Bioshock without Rapture just doesn't work. Imagine, however, if you play the third game as an outsider, discovering Rapture for the first time - possibly a government agent investigating Eleanor's story or some other lead from Jack in the first game. Regardless, there is no WAY to incorporate the massive social changes of Eleanor hitting the rest of the world into a single game. It would be far too big and complex to possibly write a story for.

in bioshock 3 a big sister should be the protagonist

If they take the game out of Rapture, they won't take it out of the small, confined, industrial-themed places. Maybe they'll take it the route of System Shock and into space (after all, it IS 1968/69, the year we went to the moon). The Charlie Manson aspect mentioned, however, would fit perfectly into Bioshock 3. Maybe there really will be a (contained) race war like he protected. Controversial, yes, but Bioshock was never known for being pretty.

i loved the ending not 100% sure what is was, i saved 2 people, killed the guy who asked, but saved all little sisters. I loved the ending, but for me the story is complete, at first i wasnt even going to buy bioshock 2 but if by far surpassed the first in everyway that i cannot describe. it was the best game ever, but a sequal is unessecary. although id probably still play it. oh and the little sisters view was completely unexpected

The thing to remember here is that there wasn't a given "canonical" ending for BioShock 1 so it remains to be seen what route they go. Other than that fact, great article Dave!

Bioshock 2 is still one of the greatest games ever. I hope the third installment is just as good as the last one.

i just hope the game is good and i hope its in the real world but starts out in rapture shes going to have to return for something right maybe plasmids.

And the idea of playing when Rapture was grand and into the downfall would be cool. Kinda like if they flushed out the story aspect of the multiplayer (the audio logs in your apartment). See why ordinary citizens became splicers, why they did what they did, and what the power players like Ryan and Fontaine did about all the regular folks becoming superpowered junkies.

P.S. Custom Plasmids would suck. It would ruin the idea of them being a mass marketed product. The entire idea is that they were made and sold by a company who didn't care that their addictive nature turned their clients into junkie freaks because they made tons of money. Essentially drug dealers. But if anyone can make their own then there's not nearly as much money in it.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I agree that a return to Rapture would most likely negatively affect the city's atmosphere (really the only way to avoid this would be to make damn sure the environments visited were fresh and creative like Ryan Amusements) but Rapture is also an intricate part of what makes the franchise so special. I didn't think it was a bad thing at all that Rapture is isolated and cut off from the outside world, in fact that's part of what I love about it. Does no one else remember the Welcome to Rapture video Ryan narrates in the submersible at the beginning of the first game? He made Rapture to escape not just the outside world's ideas, but the world itself (Moscow, Washington, and the Vatican). That being said, the idea of mixing the turbulent times of the late 60's/early 70's with the explosive power of Rapture in it's entirety (it's products, people, and philosophies) would make for an amazing experience. And I'm not so certain that 2K wouldn't risk leaving Rapture for Bioshock 3 because if there's one thing they've proved with the last two games it's that when it comes to this series they are willing to take risks not normally seen in the industry. Like adding multiplayer to Bioshock 2 despite rapid protestation, and the entire first game which was just one huge risk cause gaming had never seen anything close to it's depth or maturity before, or since (excluding the sequel). Now no matter your opinion on the succes rate of those risks, they were risks all the same. But even if they remain in Rapture they could have more individuals from the surface discover it like the father in Bioshock 2. Just not everybody. Cause let's face it, if you walked into the White House (or similar government/public building) and tried to convince everyone there that there is a secret underwater city in the Atlantic Ocean, you'd be evaluated psychologically(or at least drug tested), even in the late 60's/early 70's. Even there promo website for Bioshock 2 featuring all the research the father did to find Rapture mentions that people though he was insane. Basically at this point, all we can do is wait and see and trust that 2k can kick ass a third time.

i dont see how setting the game in rapture would kill the environmental appeal. i couldnt see them making a game without rapture. i would like a whole new story not following the events of bioshock 2's. I think it would be cool to play as a splicer

How about Rapture rebirth Eleanor returns and starts to rebuild. You are on her side tackling factions who don't want a new Rapture. Be quite nice to actually encounter NPCs you don't want/have to kill. They can move the story along and actually give you something tangible to fight for. I am not sure Bioshock would be Bioshock without the claustraphobia, same as system shock

isnt rapture destroye tho? i mean at least part of it was completely demolished at the end of the last game so idk if its gonna be in rapture

I would actully like to see Bioshock 3 take place back when Rapture was actully grand i mean seeing how Rapture fell threw the eyes of some Splicer would be cool.

you know,i thoght of bioshock 3's story before this came out,i was think of using elenor also,but in my version,someone from rapture other then her and the little sisters escaped,by takeing a diveing suit(hes not a big daddy) and has at least 20 plasmids,and this time you could make your own,and have up to 2 custum plasmids in the start,but later on you can get more

At first my reaction to the title was "No more BioShock," but after reading the article, I think you guys might be onto something, a way to actually really keep the story going...although like the others I'm a bit pessimistic that 2K would permit its Marin studio from actually doing it.

I doubt 2K is listening. The next BioShock will take place in Rapture again, regardless of how that will damage the setting's appeal. And besides that, as interesting as these ideas are, Rapture is the very heart and soul of the series, not to mention its very identity. I'm not sure how well it would survive outside of it. And even if it did, it wouldn't feel much like BioShock any more. If they are going to do anything like this, they may as well start fresh with a new ____Shock game.

@embolado, i know it would lose its impact, the thing is i cant see the developers leaving rapture nehind, their market research department wouldnt let them. Hell im for a spliced up woodstock. but if they choose rapture, which i kinda hope they dont, id like to see it like that.