The developers of Bioshock 2 invited a group of press to call in for a huge Q&A. GDN was represented by Chris Cesarano who contributed questions and reported back with the results. Here’s Part 1 of the 4 part series we will run this week.
Overview:
Bioshock 2 takes place 10 years after the first. Players will take control of a prototype Big Daddy, Project Delta. You awake ten years after losing the Little Sister you were supposed to protect. Altruist has taken over. The multiplayer component is a prequel between 1959 and 1960 between the citizens of Rapture. Grow character through combat in the classic Bioshock play, but in a war torn Rapture.
How does the sequel expand on the original story?
It focuses on choice. The player is defined by the moment that he is granted free will. Delta is not enslaved to the city and capable of making ethical decisions that shape the plot. Andrew Ryan is dead, and in place is Dr. Sophia Lamb. A different thinker, based on John Stuart Mill and Karl Marx, unwilling to compromise her vision.
What elements were most important to keep and improve?
Focus on choice and playing the sort of game you wanted to play. Big story and its underpinnings, especially with moral choice. Trying to make the game more accessible, hence dual wielding of plasmid and guns. Tonics are more open-ended. Growth of the ecology of the world. Expanded upon with its self-sufficient system. Improving on what is already there, while also making it more acceptable to a wider audience.
How are the actions in Bioshock reflected in Bioshock 2?
We respect anything the player might have decided, so the Little Sisters are saved either by Jack or Tenenbaum. Ryan is dead. Jack eventually left Rapture. A massive power vacuum opened up and there was a fierce religious debate amongst Splicers about the acts of the protagonist.
Does the game soley rely on after Delta has awakened?
Story is mystery driven, a sort of “who am I?”. A sort of family triangle, more to offer than just that question toward the end.
Any returning characters?
Tenenbaum definitely, though in an abstract way Ryan himself because Rapture is his (recordings, etc.).
Why not bring back Jack?
His arc resolved in a satisfying way. It is the end to his tale. It was a tale of conquest and redemption. We chose to let it conclude. In a sequel we felt playing a Big Daddy offered a different perspective.
Many found Ryan an intriguing character. Has the presence of time or Lamb erased him?
Lamb has tried to block him out. Early on there is a level that shows Ryan’s goals from a child’s view in an amusement park. You get the fire and brimstone, but from one of his native children.
