Five More BioShocks On The Way?

[William84]

January 7, 2009 - In a story running on MCV.com, 2K president Christoph Hartmann says of the BioShock franchise, "If we spin it the right way and get the right twist of innovation, we can make six parts of it, as Star Wars did." Thankfully he also said that the company promises not to "cash in" on the BioShock franchise.

Hartmann told MCV, "I won't name the company, but there was a great racing game years ago. They brought it back year-on-year. If you look at the scores, it's hard to believe what they've done to it. It's upsetting, actually."

The 2K boss went on to say, "For Bioshock, because it's so story driven, the question obviously arises: how long can you do it without turning into The Matrix? The first Matrix was great, the second one was weird and the third one, you thought: 'Who [making this] is on crack and who isn't?' "But, then again, look at Star Wars. It's a fight between good and evil, just like Bioshock."

For the full interview check out tomorrow's weekly MCV magazine. BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams is scheduled to launch sometime in 2009 on PS3 and Xbox 360 and is being developed by 2K Marin.

[topperharley]

"If we spin it the right way and get the right twist of innovation, we can make six parts of it, as Star Wars did." Thankfully he also said that the company promises not to "cash in" on the BioShock franchise.

I don't think those two statements can peacefully coexist...

Also, I have yet to play the game. Is it really all that and a bag of chips, as so many people claim?

[Cpt. Overkill]

I wouldnt care, Bioshock is an awesome game.

As long as they keep the story going good, and dont turn it into Attack of the Clones and The Phantom Menace.

[CCDaDon]

Would those racing games be the EA Nascar series?

[William84]

BioShock is probably my favorite first person shooter ever and I'm stoked they are considering this. Rapture is definetly a place I'd like to return to, so long as they keep all of the sequels stories as engaging as the first one, which could be very possible considering the storyline has almost limitless potential.

[topperharley]

Would those racing games be the EA Nascar series?

Either that or Need for Speed.

[gsmorgan]

Bioshock creeped the hell out of me... it was really well done. It was a really eclectic mix of a FPS getting inspiration from a zombie movie (closest comparison for the tonic-hopped foes), Art Deco design and archetecture and a story driven by Ayn Rand Utopian/Dystopian extremism.

I played it on my PC (well able to handle the graphics needs - Pentium Quad Core, 4GB Ram, nVidia GTX 8800 768MB vid card) since I'm one of those old school FPS players (started with Wolfenstein) who think that playing an FPS with a console controller bites.

My ONLY complaint about the game - furthering the plot via the tape recordings - a lot of the stuff on the tapes, it just didn't seem to make sense that as the place is crumbling, people would be recording that stuff.

The "ghost" encounters, on the other hand - excellent. I would have preferred a lot more of that for plot development - but it would have potentially slowed down the game somewhat. I dunno.

Yeah, if there's a sequel(s) and it's even remotely as good as the original - I'll buy it.

[Daemius]

I don't think those two statements can peacefully coexist...

Also, I have yet to play the game. Is it really all that and a bag of chips, as so many people claim?

It's a good game but overrated. I was bored after one playthrough. My first playthrough was great though. I think it was popular because it was a lot of newer gamers first experience with the genre. Deus Ex: The Conspiracy and the System Shock series were better imo.

EDIT: The creators of System Shock were the creator of Bio Shock btw.

[gsmorgan]

It's a good game but overrated. I was bored after one playthrough. My first playthrough was great though. I think it was popular because it was a lot of newer gamers first experience with the genre. Deus Ex: The Conspiracy and the System Shock series were better imo.

EDIT: The creators of System Shock were the creator of Bio Shock btw.

I wouldn't say it was overrated - it got excellent reviews, arguably well deserved.

As I mentioned, I play FPS games on a PC - and I got two of the bigger ones last year - Bioshock and Crysis. By all accounts, Crysis is the better game technologically (my computer was top of the line, less than three months old and I STILL couldn't max out the graphics settings) - but it left me cold. I never finished it - got bored. Ironically, I should want to finish and play Crysis repeatedly, as they have multiple methods of attaining objectives - part of the strategy is to figure out the path of least resistance.

Bioshock is extremely linear - so I can understand why you had no desire to play it through a second time (other than perhaps to change your actions towards the Little Ones in order to see the other ending(s)). Strangely enough - I still play it. I simply find the setting extremely compelling.

Didn't play Deus Ex - but I'll agree that System Shock was also a great game - but I (personally) like Bioshock better.

[Daemius]

I wouldn't say it was overrated - it got excellent reviews, arguably well deserved.

As I mentioned, I play FPS games on a PC - and I got two of the bigger ones last year - Bioshock and Crysis. By all accounts, Crysis is the better game technologically (my computer was top of the line, less than three months old and I STILL couldn't max out the graphics settings) - but it left me cold. I never finished it - got bored. Ironically, I should want to finish and play Crysis repeatedly, as they have multiple methods of attaining objectives - part of the strategy is to figure out the path of least resistance.

Bioshock is extremely linear - so I can understand why you had no desire to play it through a second time (other than perhaps to change your actions towards the Little Ones in order to see the other ending(s)). Strangely enough - I still play it. I simply find the setting extremely compelling.

Didn't play Deus Ex - but I'll agree that System Shock was also a great game - but I (personally) like Bioshock better.

I'm not saying that it didn't deserve good reviews, it was a great game. I'm just saying people hype it too much.

[TopazDolphin]

I don't think those two statements can peacefully coexist...

Also, I have yet to play the game. Is it really all that and a bag of chips, as so many people claim?

The game is a lot of fun. Great story, controls, overall look... it's one of the few games that made the 360 worth getting (unless you have a PS3, then you can take advantage of exclusive content).

But five more Bioshocks? Already a prequel/sequel (I forgot what the new one in August was supposed to be) is puzzling and maybe slightly unnecessary...

And lest we forget there's a movie in production.

[gsmorgan]

I'm not saying that it didn't deserve good reviews, it was a great game. I'm just saying people hype it too much.

Perhaps. Although, and this might just be my own perception, it seems that a lot of FPS games get "hyped" to a large extent. Some of the ones that don't get hyped - get missed. For example, I've played Painkiller - Heaven's Got a Hitman. I think that it's a pretty good FPS - had a storyline, decent graphics and settings, some really creative weaponry, and decent gameplay. It has nowhere near the name recognition of games like Bioshock, Crysis, Halo, Unreal, Half-Life - etc. I think all of those games got a lot of hype - and I think some of them are better than others - some worse.

Of course, a lot of personal opinion comes into the equation. I would (personally) argue for Crysis being overrated - because it got a lot of hype and I didn't like it that much.

[TopazDolphin]

It's a good game but overrated. I was bored after one playthrough. My first playthrough was great though. I think it was popular because it was a lot of newer gamers first experience with the genre. Deus Ex: The Conspiracy and the System Shock series were better imo.

EDIT: The creators of System Shock were the creator of Bio Shock btw.

Yahtzee made a similar point. That is what happened with me, I wasn't familiar with System Shock 2, until Yahtzee discussed it in his review.

Overrated, yeah, I can see your point.

[Daemius]

Perhaps. Although, and this might just be my own perception, it seems that a lot of FPS games get "hyped" to a large extent. Some of the ones that don't get hyped - get missed. For example, I've played Painkiller - Heaven's Got a Hitman. I think that it's a pretty good FPS - had a storyline, decent graphics and settings, some really creative weaponry, and decent gameplay. It has nowhere near the name recognition of games like Bioshock, Crysis, Halo, Unreal, Half-Life - etc. I think all of those games got a lot of hype - and I think some of them are better than others - some worse.

Of course, a lot of personal opinion comes into the equation. I would (personally) argue for Crysis being overrated - because it got a lot of hype and I didn't like it that much.

Have I mentioned I hate Halo :p I believe that's the most overrated game(in terms of reviews and personal opinion) ever.

But yes, you're correct, a lot of games are completely overlooked by the general gamer audience (like any game developed by Quantic Dream).

[jacobB12`]

I really never got into bioshock

[gsmorgan]

Have I mentioned I hate Halo :p I believe that's the most overrated game(in terms of reviews and personal opinion) ever.

On my personal list of overrated (remember, I'm a PC FPS player) - Doom3. It got solid reviews - was hyped beyond belief in terms of returning to a "re-make" of the original but utilizing what the latest in FPS grahics could offer. It didn't do a thing for me - I would still, to this day, re-play the original Doom before playing Doom3 again.

Yet at the same time, a year or so before Doom3 - id went back and did Return to Wolfenstein - and I LOVED it!

Again, a lot of personal preference goes into these things. The FPS game market was (still is?) over-saturated. Without the "hype", a FPS will die a quick death and wind up on the $9.99 bargain shelf within a few months (sometimes weeks) of release. I'll grant that many of them deserve that fate - but a few don't. On that note, I will accept some "hype" and potential for a game to be overrated if that means a good title actually survives long enough to get a following - and perhaps allow for the developers to make another good game. I would point to the Half-Life series as being (in my opinion, anyway) a pretty good example of that.

[macamatic]

But yes, you're correct, a lot of games are completely overlooked by the general gamer audience (like any game developed by Quantic Dream).
I would like to take this opportunity to mention Psychonauts.

If you don't own it, punch yourself in the throat. Now. Now do it again because they're not making a sequel. Now do it a third time for helping screw over a publishing company.

By the way, wanting six parts doesn't necessarily mean they're cashing in. Half-Life is on its way to five, and I don't see anybody saying Valve is exploiting the franchise. The parts don't all have to be commercial games, and if the story can span six games, then hey, why not? Presumably they'd upgrade the technology with each game. Hopefully they'll find awesomely innovative new features for each game to make it worth the money - you know the kind, the ones where you go back to the original and go "man, I wish I had this...".

Point is, if it's a long and convoluted story, there's no meaningful reason why they couldn't make six of them. Nobody is complaining about MGS4, which has such a story, and has four games. Yes they ended the series at four, but with that many cutscenes, it could have easily been six or even more.

[citric_bullets]

This thread reminds me I still need to actually finish Bioshock... I'm legitimately ashamed about that one. I always get freaked out by that game. That atmosphere is just so... unsettling. And I never get around to playing any games until it's late and I'm tired.

I generally have a problem finishing FPS games though. I'm about halfway through Half-Life 2, Bioshock and I've done 2 of the 4 campaigns in Left 4 Dead (I can't stop doing versus...).

So, if there are gonna be a bunch more Bioshocks, I really REALLY need to finish the first one.

[Magnet]

I don't see playing future BioShock titles ever being as cool as how it was the first time through (mostly because BioShock was that awesome for me), but I'd still jump at the chance to play future BioShock games and revisit Rapture.


Nobody is complaining about MGS4, which has such a story, and has four games. Yes they ended the series at four, but with that many cutscenes, it could have easily been six or even more.

Snake's story arc ended with MGS4, not the MGS franchise. Kojima has been quite candid about this.

[hawkofva]

Am I really the only person who likes the prequels? Really?

:confused:

[Fausttt]

Am I really the only person who likes the prequels? Really?

:confused:

I like prequels if they are done right. A prequel to bioshock would be amazing if they show the rise of Rapture, and allow you to witness the degradation and eventual fall to chaos. maybe even explain the existence of the tapes.


bioshock was an excellent game. There was 1 part, however, where i felt like it could have been EPIC.

****SPOILERS****



The part where you slowly gather the parts needed to become a big daddy and escort the girl around. . . as soon as i put on the voice modulator and started sounding like them i was immediately struck with a thought that horrified me. . . what if ALL the big daddy;s were previously people like you. . .and by doing this you are signing your life away to become a big daddy forever. I kept waiting for the game to end right after that part and show you forever wandering the halls protecting your little sister.

That didn't happen. . .but i think that would have been amazingly unexpected if they ended it that way. Sure, it would have bypassed the whole "boss fight" thing, but it would have caught me off-guard so much that i would probably still be talking about it today.

but i guess it wouldn't have allowed for sequels then (at least not with the same character).

[topperharley]

Psychonauts. If you don't own it, punch yourself in the throat. Now. Now do it again because they're not making a sequel. Now do it a third time for helping screw over a publishing company.

As soon as you punch yourself in the throat for telling me that my choosing not to play a game I have no interest in is a bad thing that prevented a sequel and "screwed over" a publishing company. I get that it was well made, I get that it was a relatively unique IP as video games go, but it did not appeal to me, so why would I spend my time and money playing it?

[FlameSama1]

As soon as you punch yourself in the throat for telling me that my choosing not to play a game I have no interest in is a bad thing that prevented a sequel and "screwed over" a publishing company. I get that it was well made, I get that it was a relatively unique IP as video games go, but it did not appeal to me, so why would I spend my time and money playing it?

To defend him, it's because most gamers don't take risks and buy into franchises too much. I didn't play it either, could never find it in stores. BUT, I doubt you've ever played Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, which was the best Xbox game ever made. Buried treasure...damn shame.

And on topic, FIVE? Geez, one was enough. A unique game with no replay value isn't really worthy of a sequel, let alone FIVE.

[RockBandRocker]

I just want to see how the second one turns out!!