GameSpy interviewed Irrational's Ken Levine about a wide variety of topics, including the oh-so dreaded BioShock vs System Shock comparison.
From the interview:
GameSpy: In the years since System Shock 2, it's gained a huge cult status among hardcore gamers. Where is your middle ground between satisfying the expectations of that demographic, while making a game that's accessible to gamers who've never played a System Shock, or who are primarily shooter fans?
Ken Levine: If you look at BioShock from a hardcore gamer perspective, it's everything that we wanted both System Shocks to be in terms of visuals and depth; it's just that we didn't have the resources possible back then to do it. I don't know how far you got in the first demo, or with Arcadia, but the amount of depth is where we want it to be. There's the idea, not just of numbers and polygons and what's under the hood, but what you can do in battle.
The fourth game in the ‘BioShock’ series has been in development for more than a decade
Bioshock is one of my favourites franchises. I love all 3 games and have played each several times. I even have a room in my house that is loosely decorated around the theme of Bioshock (with a Lighthouse, coral models and postcards styled as though they are from both Rapture and Columbus).
And yet I am going to find it extremely difficult to get even remotely excited about any future episode in the series after all the problems this has had in its development cycle.
Leave the franchise alone. Remaster them again if you have to. Then put whatever talent you have to use on something brand new.
Since ken levine isn't involved i'm not surprised what's going on. i'm more excited for his next game which looks like bioshock. Yet he still works under take2 and they are making bioshock 4 without him, strange situation.
Yes. Judas. Looks brilliant, but it's one of those games that seems to never have had a release date. Instead it's had release windows that keep getting pushed back.
Once it's ready, I'll be there for it though. Ken Levine is an excellent developer.
I get the feeling he dissolved Irrational Games simply so that 2k couldn't tell him what to do. It seems it will pay off, but I feel sorry for those who worked as part of Irrational before it was dissolved, who hadn't independently made a name for themselves.
"Remaster them again if you have to"
Well apparently they were doing a remake but that got cancelled
It sucks this game is in development hell because I love BioShock and would love a 4th game. I hope it turns out great, but I guess we'll see.
It's been in development hell since 2014. This is nothing new. It saddens me because it's one of my favorite series. At this point, Judas may end up releasing first.
Bioshock 4 (if it ever comes out) will probably still look and play like a Bioshock game, but without Kevin, it might miss that spark that made the originals so special. Honestly, Judas might end up feeling more like the real spiritual successor.
Learn where you can get BioShock Remastered for free and enjoy playing it on your devices, including the Steam Deck.
Console Creatures writes, "The BioShock film at Netflix is still happening but with a reduced budget."
Remember there past attempts at game based show's i do heck i still remember that teenage resident evil trash fire.
It's 10 years too late for a BioShock film. The world of Rapture would have been perfect for a film. It's actually a good candidate for proper utilization of 3D, for increased depth rather than bullshit popping out of the screen. It could really show off the underwater city that way. But BioShock as a brand is so irrelevant these days that a film just doesn't make sense. Especially considering it would need a big budget and top notch effects to really take advantage of the IP.
i agree on the bigger budget. all the cgi they'd need for the background.
but i think it would work better as a show. a movie would be too short to establish the story
Netflix greenlights anything, so that shows me very little faith in the project. Enough to just crap something out as they're, more and more, known to do.
its where b movies go to live, its run by democrats , dont expect anything good from netflix
I'll laugh if it turns out to be better then the Borderlands movie
