True dat.

But you're missing the point. Bioshock isn't perfect.

It was good, but lets stop pretending its the "end all" video game. The weapons lacked imagination, Andrew Ryan's death was unnecessarily forced to try and fortify an "OMG" plot-twist that really fell short (you're a pawn, so I'm gonna use my power over you to beat myself death?...okayyy), the final boss was weak and not epic at all, and the game lacks any replay-ablity.

Great series > great games. The developers should want to make their series legendary, not hesitate because the first one was "too good" to improve on.

If Bioshock was perfect, then they should leave it be. Its not. Therefor, continue the series.

I can see your doubts about Bio Shock 2, however I feel the endings of the 1st weren't enough, they didn't sow anything together and left me asking more questions than it answered.

The sequel curse may occur but think about MGS series and how amazing MGS2 was, if it ended there I wouldn't have known who the patriots were! (something I waited 6 yrs to find out) then MGS4 came along and explained everything.

I want to know what really made Ryan create Rapture and the early constructions of it. (Bio Shock in construction would be awesome- the optimism to complement and off set the horror we saw at its decay)

Also how free and autonomous people made the decisions they made, to firstly join him in Rapture, then the chaotic choices afterwards. The whole ideological and philosophical roots of this need to be explained more deeply, which means returning to Rapture.

I understand the concept of the 1st Big Daddy, almost like the biblical Adam making choices, he is in a world he does not know, but it came about because of his own indirect choosing. In addition the how and why the big daddy chooses to 'be' this creature and his interaction with the little sisters needs exploring.

The game also needs to centre a lot more on a complex choice system as it will bring a sense of humanness to the game rather than should we harvest this girl or that girl. This may go some way to explain why the polis of Rapture made their disastrous choices in the first place out of the quest for human perfectibility.

Perhaps it will take until a Bio Shock 3 to really tackle these issues.

Also Tenenbaum's character development will come as a welcome extra.

Can't wait to see what is store this Autumn!

@rxb

that's exactly what i was thinking too!

it's almost impossible for the second to live up to everything the first one did so well. that's why people shouldn't concentrate as much on comparring it to the first one and just accept it for the things it does right.

unfortunately it looks as if it might take the same path as resi 5 and become more of an action based game. but as long as it doesn't get made on the wii, it can't be too bad.

for fucks sake!!

ahahahhaaa... that about sums it up, doesn't it? Cuz that's what we've all been thinking everytime we see more prereleased Bioshock bullshit.

I was severely intrigued by the first one... but I have a feeling the second one is gonna be a one night stand.

So very true.. and you didn't have to reach so far back for an example of the same. Fable 2 was a massive disappointment for me, after the brilliance of the first one.

I am really looking forward to this game and this article doesn't dispell that, but props, this is a very well written article and I respect your opinion.

I respect the opinion of the editor, but this thinking implies that sequels of great games HAVE to be inferior. Thinking of Fallout, Killzone, God of War, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, etc. it occurs to me that even the most unique (ok, leave Killzone out of it) game can be topped (but not replaced) by its sequel.
Loving the art and style of Productions like Fallout and Bioshock, i sure hope it Bioshock 2 will so good it gets another sequel. Milking a Franchise does not have to be bad - Evolving and Learning from Faults is certainly welcome, isn't it?

Im sure this is going to be a great game but if you compare it to Bioshock it wont seem as good. they are obviously trying to give you more power and focusing less on the story and the fear factor and more on the fighting. it looks like a good game its less like bioshock 2 and more like they are giving you a taste of what the Big Daddies go through.

i was excited bout a sequel..
now im dead inside.

I think bioshock is a great game and I cant wait to play it Why do you really care that much itz a game if you dont want to play it no one is going to make you play it so I m glad there is going to be a bioshock 2

I agree that the game is a bad idea, though I do like the idea of playing as a Big Daddy, something that should have been a DLC and a pure experience, i.e. no plasmids, slow, and should have been just you having to protect the little sister. But now that you are THE FIRST BIG DADDY EVAR, your suddenly better then the others. I think that the CONCEPT is sound (maybe START in rapture, or a revisit) but not the whole game.

Why is that every time a new entry in a series of great games comes out, everyone goes ahead and assumes it sucks? I remember having this very same attitiude towards Brawl, Fallout 3 2008, and Fire Emblem 9; Only I liked each one just as much as its predecessors.

I think the only truly disheartening flaw is the fact that you will be playing as a big daddy. Honestly, in Bioshock, you were just a regular guy (kinda) who was in a plane crash and found "refuge" in a giant, mysterious lighthouse. You started off the game not knowing what would happen to you, and that was one of the biggest elements of the game. Being a big daddy in Bioshock 2 will take that mystery, the fear, and the unknown out of the game quite a bit. As a big daddy, albeit an altered big daddy with more agility and plasmids, things become too easy. Its hard to be very scared, or care too much about the mysteriousnous of a new world when you can just punch your way through any obstacle, and burn your enemies to the ground.

Just to add though, I am REALLY looking forward to the sequel, after all, sequels definitely do not have to be terrible, and used solely to make money, they can be just as good and hopefully even better than the original (although I don't think this will be the case w/ Bioshock 2, although it will be a great game in my opinion).

I think that sequels arent a bad thing usually. I think that in a game where a sequel is needed it is usually to tie up some loose plot points or to further tell the story of the main character or reintroduce the antagonist in some new and inventive way. The original bioshock is a brilliant game. Admitingly I will say that at first I didnt understand the big idea of what was so special about it. I loved the city and I loved the enemies and the creepy oh shit feeling when I saw a big daddy and I was only down to a few cheap trick plasmids and 2 shotgun bullets. I remember the feeling of running down the hall only to encounter more splicers then I had bullets for. To me there can be a bioshock 2 and it can potentially be awesome except....


The ending of the first one seemed tacky and added on. Hey look I can control you so i want you to kill me. It just seemed someone ran out of ideas there. The end battle was a bit to easy I mean I didnt know what the hell I was doing for a good minute but I had enough health and wits to stay out of danger until i figured it out then the battle was so easy that I actually went back to play the battle to make sure I didnt get lucky. Now the uninvolvement of ken levine could kill this game or it could help it. As a side note I would be interested to know if ken levine intended there to be a sequel to his game. Regardless The direction he was taking the game was great it was full of awesome moments some awesome plot moments and it truly seemd as though I was exploreing a city that I quickly realized was in peril. This direction it sounds like its going from everyone is play as the original big daddy. I admit I didnt even know there was a sequel in the making for the original and it caused me to create a account stop doing my college work and write. But to play the game as a big daddy that immeadietly un irrevocably gets rid of the feeling of orginiality,creepiness and hoplessness of encountering multiple enemies with not much but a few plasmids and a wrench. The whole reason why so many liked bioshock was the experience of going through it and being in constant peril. Being a big daddy rids you of that feeling it in my opinion gives a god mode type of feeling. To me a watered down sequel is not better then nothing at all.

2 sequels. There are only two film sequels I have ever like better than the first, Godfather Part 2 and Toy Story 2. A sequel almost never lives up to the original and if it does, its even rarer (is rarer a word) for it to surpass the sequel. Bio 2, your work is cut out for you.

I think I am the only one who hated Bioshock. I bought it last week and beat, I was disappointed. The reasons people like it are the very same resons I hated it, claustrophobia, dark atmosphere, annoying incomprehensable radio chatter, alarms, turrets, not being able to go into the water! Shall I go on? Yes it was original and I will be getting Bioshock 2 because it looks like major improvement.

Definitely well reasoned, but come on. That video embedded in the article is pretty damn sweet, which certainly doesn't strengthen the argument.

I, an enormous fan of BioShock 1, and extremely excited for BioShock 2, and really do have hope it'll be good.

The end.