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Take-Two: Bioshock franchise "really important for us"; series 25M, Infinite 11M

I know a lot of people bash on it but the ending of Bioshock Infinite is still in my top 5 endings for any game of all time. Blew my fucking mind the first time I played it.

I want more Bioshock badly, and we are somewhat due for an announcement for the next one soon. If we don't get it this E3 I could see it getting announced at E3 2016 then.
 

Meaty

Member
I'm glad Take Two is still interested in the series.

I honestly don't care about Ken Levine. I thank him and his team for providing such great overall experiences with BioShock (introduction to Rapture!) and Infinite (hands down some of the best art direction from last gen). However...

BioShock 2, the one NOT involving Levine, is the best game in the series. Best overall gameplay. Best weapon selection. Best selection of plasmids. Best enemies -- the Big Sister alone beats any other enemy in the BioShock series in terms of encounter design and difficulty. Best story. And -- this is going to be controversial -- Sofia Lamb is a much better antagonist than Andrew Ryan.

Lastly -- and this is at least a point most of us agree on -- Minerva's Den is not just the best DLC of the series, it may be a strong candidate for best DLC of all time. Period.

Bring on more BioShock, Take-Two!

EDIT: poster right below me knows what's up! :)

Maybe sofia is a better villain, but I think ryan is the better character. I was fascinated with him through the whole experience
 

Steveo

Banned
Is it weird for me to be excited about a Ken Levineless Bioshock? Maybe it means we'll get a BioShock that plays well.
 

Wensih

Member
I know a lot of people bash on it but the ending of Bioshock Infinite is still in my top 5 endings for any game of all time. Blew my fucking mind the first time I played it.

I want more Bioshock badly, and we are somewhat due for an announcement for the next one soon. If we don't get it this E3 I could see it getting announced at E3 2016 then.

A story is more than just an ending. I think it's telling that the only thing that gets played up or talked about is the revelatory ending.
 
. And -- this is going to be controversial -- Sofia Lamb is a much better antagonist than Andrew Ryan.

giphy.gif


It's ok, opinions and all, but nothing can beat this intro for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J47ENHSomc8
 

Ralemont

not me
Maybe sofia is a better villain, but I think ryan is the better character. I was fascinated with him through the whole experience

He's also only in the game for 2/3 of it, though. B1's last third is pretty uncontroversially underwhelming.

Sofia Lamb is a much better antagonist than Andrew Ryan.

I don't really disagree, but I also think Sofia Lamb only works so well because of Eleanor.

Eleanor is, in my opinion, the best character out of all the BioShock games.
 
giphy.gif


It's ok, opinions and all, but nothing can beat this intro for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J47ENHSomc8

It's OK, opinions and all.

Funny thing is, I actually agree with you the intro. Andrew Ryan blew me away on that intro. But the intro being that good was a problem, as it was all downhill from there. A lot of anti-climactic shit after that.

Sofia Lamb didn't start out with the bang that Ryan did, but she got much better as the game went on. I like how they made her a psychiatrist, because she definitely had that "I'm gonna get in your head and phuck with you" thing going on almost the whole game. Also, her "Rapture family" cult was creepy as hell, and added to the atmosphere of a broken-down rapture perfectly.
 

HK-47

Oh, bitch bitch bitch.
Sofia Lamb has her whole tacked on nature working against her. We are suppose to believe she was this big shit in rapture but we dont here about her at all until the 2nd game. Also I dont see how Ryan goes downhill. The confrontation with him is the last high point of the game and the moment where most detractors of the game say it goes downhill.
 
It's OK, opinions and all.

Funny thing is, I actually agree with you the intro. Andrew Ryan blew me away on that intro. But the intro being that good was a problem, as it was all downhill from there. A lot of anti-climactic shit after that.

Sofia Lamb didn't start out with the bang that Ryan did, but she got much better as the game went on. I like how they made her a psychiatrist, because she definitely had that "I'm gonna get in your head and phuck with you" thing going on almost the whole game. Also, her "Rapture family" cult was creepy as hell, and added to the atmosphere of a broken-down rapture perfectly.

I don't know she just didn't have any memorable scenes for me.
Ryan had the intro and the twist, yeah the twist was dumb but it was still a memorable scene.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
But Hangar 13 was opened in December and his statement was in May of 2014. It could have been planned since then, though.

There's also the rumour that they are working on Mafia.

I don't think we can be sure for now. 2K Marin's site is still online (but so is 2K Australia's). I guess we will have to wait and see.

Regardless of the studio that picks it up, none of the former leads will work on it, so it will be an entirely new direction.

It's been open since September 2013: http://www.polygon.com/2013/9/26/4774148/new-2k-studio-rod-fergusson-san-francisco-bay-area

It just wasn't renamed until more recently.
 
What about when she
smothered Eleanor with a pillow as you, her Big Daddy, watched helplessly? I don't know, that scene got me in a way the "Would You Kindly" scene never did.

I don't know too me it was just evil gu...girl does really evil stuff, but I never really bonded too much with Eleanor, so that was probably why it didn't leave too much of an impact.
I kinda like megalomaniac villains more, especially since I don't really care much about main protagonists in FPSs, especially in Bioshock games. Didn't really care too much about that whole doctor stuff in Bioshock 1 either.
 
And yes people pick the hell out of the ending of Infinite. There are definitely flaws, but Infinite did something that most games don't even attempt to do. That story was insane.
 
I don't really disagree, but I also think Sofia Lamb only works so well because of Eleanor.

Eleanor is, in my opinion, the best character out of all the BioShock games.

... And because of Delta. All three characters interact well with each other. BioShock 2 is secretly one of the better "family" stories in video games.

And yes, Eleanor rules. She was great on many levels.

Sofia Lamb has her whole tacked on nature working against her. We are suppose to believe she was this big shit in rapture but we dont here about her at all until the 2nd game. Also I dont see how Ryan goes downhill. The confrontation with him is the last high point of the game and the moment where most detractors of the game say it goes downhill.

I didn't pay much attention -- or care, honestly -- about Lamb's past in Rapture. What made her great was how much in control she had in Rapture, at the time of the game (1968?) and how she's using her professional background, combined with a spliced out Rapture population, to create this creepy cult to help her achieved some twisted end goal (which in her head was noble, but was more kinda messed up and sinister).

I don't know she just didn't have any memorable scenes for me.
Ryan had the intro and the twist, yeah the twist was dumb but it was still a memorable scene.

Fair enough, and like you said, everyone has their opinions. That's what you got out of the games and I respect that. But, to use an analogy, I think of them as two kinds of horror movies -- Andrew Ryan is the "jumpy" type of movie where you get some good, and maybe even momentarily intense, jump scares, but they're ultimately shallow. Sofia Lamb is more like a psychological thriller horror movie -- you don't get the exciting scares, but the movie will keep you tense throughout, and will leave you unsettled even after you're done watching it.
 

Boss Mog

Member
I would probably buy a Bioshock Trilogy HD Remaster on PS4 provided it came with all DLC and ran at 1080p/60fps. I hope 2K will consider it, I think it would be easy money and help with the wait for the next entry into the series.
 

Ralemont

not me
... And because of Delta. All three characters interact well with each other. BioShock 2 is secretly one of the better "family" stories in video games.

Definitely, which is why the ending resonated so much better than B1's did with me. The idea that Eleanor could
forgive Sofia based on your actions
is and was pretty powerful to me.

Also, let's not forget BioShock 2's Little Sister sequence, which blew my mind the first time I played it.
 
Also, let's not forget BioShock 2's Little Sister sequence, which blew my mind the first time I played it.

Yes, yes, yes... so much YES. Hands down one of the best sequences in the trilogy. It explains SO much -- the first BioShock does a poor job at explaining why they act the way they do and day the things they say. But BioShock 2 -- specifically that sequence -- clears it up.
 

jWILL253

Banned
So, if Infinite sold 11 million copies and was considered underperforming by 2K, I have to ask: What the hell was 2K expecting exactly?

COD numbers for a story-driven shooter is underperforming. This game industry, man...
 

roytheone

Member
I don't agree with people saying that BioShock 2 being pretty good proves that the series is in good hands. It proves that they can build a Pretty good game based in a world that was already created and established by Levine and his team. However, if they continue this series I want new worlds, and they haven't proven yet that they are capable to create world's on the level of irrational games. I guess we will see.
 
I want the trilogy remastered, now.

This. And done fucking PROPERLY!

None of this sorry ass porting bullshit.

Take a year to do it, if need be. Just polish those three games up to a mirror sheen and then take my money.

The PS3 versions were all I had so I'd love to play through a properly realized version.
 
So, if Infinite sold 11 million copies and was considered underperforming by 2K, I have to ask: What the hell was 2K expecting exactly?

COD numbers for a story-driven shooter is underperforming. This game industry, man...

Infinite has actually had pretty good legs. 11 million is an impressive figure for sure but when they first commented on it under performing it was below that number by quite a bit. Granted most copies selling now days are hugely discounted so they aren't getting as much profit.

The main thing about Infinite that probably disappointed 2K was the budget. Game got delayed several times and from the rumored / reported numbers the game was expensive as all hell to make.
 

AgeEighty

Member
BioShock 2 is a good example of what happens to BioShock without Irrational calling the shots: welcome but formulaic technical improvements with absolutely no surprises and nothing imaginative brought to the table.

Sofia Lamb felt like what you'd get if a right wing person made a "response" game to counter the left wing views of the first title. "Oh, you thought Job Creator Andrew Ryan was bad? Well look what happens when someone far to the left takes over Rapture instead! She's just like Ryan, except even more dangerous, and she can be heard winning public debates against Ryan even though you never heard of her in the first game. She's Andrew Ryaner!" Just the easiest, most trite idea they could have come up with.
 

pizzacat

Banned
I can respect BS2 for giving me Minerva's Den, but that's it. I think this series can still be in rapture but for the small stories like Minerva's Den, no need to have some sort of rebellion for the lives of the little sisters anymore
 

Shredderi

Member
Put in me in the #Bioshock2_is_the_best_bioshock camp. It wasn't as magical as the first time going to Rapture and Sofia Lamb isn't as iconic as Ryan but it had a very different focus in it's writing. It was a lot more intimate with it's main character throughout the game and told a story that was smaller in scope and not as "epic" as the first one and I actually ended up liking that more than the first one. I'm not saying that the first one isn't better written, just saying that I enjoyed the second's one more because of the shift of focus it had.
 

Lakitu

st5fu
There needs to be a Bioshock: Collection for PS4/XB1. Frankly, I'm shocked there isn't and they've proved idiotic by not pleasing me.
 

Pooya

Member
Maybe they can get Levine to write it maybe? Bioshock is all about world building to me and without him it's pointless, good or bad it's the core of the series, the argument on quality of other elements is independent of this. Bioshock 2 has nothing to say, it's just retreading and a cash in. doesn't mean it's not a decent game. I don't think without him at the helm, a dev team would focus that much on world building like he did in Bioshock Infinite. It's what sets the series apart from being an average FPS.
 

Saty

Member
Oh right, PS+ copies. I was going to comment how it's an insane jump from the ~6-7M copies we knew Infinite sold from the last time they gave us a number (i think the game was a year or so old at that point). Selling 4M copies after that? Unlikely. So, PS+ copies.

I'm also curious how they count the DLC sales, especially Burial at Sea. Isn't it standalone? Do they count the DLC sales as a copy of Infinite?
 

Huggers

Member
I only really enjoyed the first Bioshock. Exploring and discovering Rapture, Andrew Ryan's Ayn Rand like philosophy. The
twist
. It was just an incredibly original game. The second felt like a slightly iffy encore and the third whilst an improvement on the second showed that certain mechanics hadn't aged that well.
 
I actually just platinumed Bioshock 1 last night. There is a common thread in all the Bioshock games that the world, characters, and story are all amazing/top notch. But, the actuall shooting/gameplay part is just so... bleh.

I mean, it's not terrible, per se, but having these games just be walking simulators like Gone Home would work just as well, I think.
 
To experience a world like Rapture or Columbia in VR, completely immersed for the very first time... I'd pay some good money for that, too bad that's not going to happen in the near future.
 
Didn't we not have numbers for Infinite before? I thought they were avoiding releasing them because they didn't meet expectations.

But shit, with that kind of number I'm surprised by the lack of re-release.
 
I don't understand this. Bioshock 1 + 2 sell 14 millions combined, Infinite 11 million alone, but it isn't enough so many people get fired ?

What were their expectations regarding the sales of infinite ?
 
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