Koki on 14/8/2011 at 08:46
Quote Posted by Zooey
And on the alien side there's a hyper-narcissistic individual fighting a tech war against a communal biological hive mind creature.
Jokes aside, that
is true. It's probably not a coincidence that SHODAN and The Many are polar opposites. Of course SS2 never made a huge deal out of it, which is a good thing.
Now back to schedule... mmm Zoey in the bathtub
Roderick on 14/8/2011 at 19:19
Quote Posted by polytourist97
2k Games: Alright Ken, let's hear about this new direction you've taken with the project.
Ken Levine: First off, thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me, I know you're really busy. Now I know you were not crazy about our original concept of Bioshock, and that's totally understandable. I mean, a game that has an insectoid theme focused on AI hierarchy that touches upon the concepts of genetic engineering gone awry with the player character making choices about how far removed from humanity they want to become with real consequences for their actions? That's kid stuff. This game is for adults, and what do adults love? POLITICS. So we've come up with a new idea for Bioshock full of stuff that is just ripped from the book shelves of high school students who want to impress their friends with how thick the books they take to coffee shops are. I think you're going to be really impressed.
2k Games: Ok. Now what about all these complex features like an inventory, character stats, doors, and game events happening separately from the player's involvement? Don't you think that's going to confuse the mature, adult audience that Bioshock is being designed for? Not to mention the incredibly lucrative adolescent audience that is NOT going to be getting the game due to its agreed upon MATURE ESRB rating? *wink*
Ken Levine: Don't worry. We're removing all of these things so that our mature audience can focus on all the POLITICS we've beefed up the game with.
2k Games: Perfect. Oh, and would you kindly add in a few more "fucks" just to make extra sure that when people play the game there is no mistaking this is an ADULT game for ADULTS?
great post
june gloom on 14/8/2011 at 19:43
terrible post
polytourist's is pretty bad too
polytourist97 on 15/8/2011 at 03:49
Quote Posted by dethtoll
polytourist's is pretty life-affirming and awesome and I wish we could all be more like him
Aw, you're pretty swell yourself :D
june gloom on 15/8/2011 at 04:49
don't even try
Papy on 15/8/2011 at 08:44
Quote Posted by polytourist97
a game that has an insectoid theme focused on AI hierarchy that touches upon the concepts of genetic engineering gone awry with the player character making choices about how far removed from humanity they want to become with real consequences for their actions?
Are you talking about SS2? If so, your imagination is impressive. Just out of curiosity, what are you smoking?
Anyway, video games are made for kids. SS2 was no exception. If you think SS2 has any kind of depth only an adult could understand, you're delusional. Deus Ex was a more mature game, but even then the word mature is to be taken in the sense of "a fourteen years is more mature than a twelve years old".
As for BioShock, as I already said, the main reason why I think it's one of the most mature game I played is because in order for the story to have an emotional impact, the player has to be at an age where he care for children. Not "care" in the sense of "oh, think of those poor Somalian kids who have no food because of Islamic groups fighting for political power", but in the sense of "seeing a kid play and smile to you brings a lot more joy than having the latest high-tech gadget". In the sense of if you see a child hurt, you feel the urge to help him, even if you know you shouldn't care.
Teenagers and most young adults do not feel that way toward children, this is something which happens later in life. Because of that, they would simply miss the emotional impact of BioShock's story. So in a way, even though the gameplay of BioShock was not as interesting as the gameplay of SS2, I loved BioShock a lot more than SS2 for the simple reason that I played it when I was 38. If I had played the game when I was 25 or even 30, I don't think I would have liked it.
Edit : BTW, if you wanted to invent something meaningful out of SS2's story, you could at least have made the effort to pretend that Shodan was a metaphor for our intelligence and our desire to become gods ourselves. Don't you think it's more profound that way than simply saying it's about genetic engineering gone awry?
polytourist97 on 15/8/2011 at 10:11
Quote Posted by Papy
Are you talking about SS2?
No, I was referencing the gameplay and environment ideas that were in development for BS before the philosophical overhaul (i.e. the "Randian utopia" commentary).
I don't doubt the emotional impact BS had on you due to your personal connection with children as they related to the story. I can certainly understand that. However, I don't agree with your assertion that BS is more "mature" because it portrays children in the way that you describe.
Quote Posted by Dresden
I got a good laugh out of this.
What is being thrown? Magazines?
Koki on 15/8/2011 at 11:40
Quote Posted by Papy
As for BioShock, as I already said, the main reason why I think it's one of the most mature game I played is because in order for the story to have an emotional impact, the player has to be at an age where he care for children.
Oh get out of here. That's like saying Doom 3 is a mature game because for it to have an emotional impact you need to be a 92-year-old who might get a heart attack during one of the jump scares. ONLY THEN CAN YOU REALLY APPRECIATE THE GAME HURR.
That's even putting aside the fact that Little Sisters in BS had as much to do with real children as Splicers with real humans. Feeling empathy for them is not maturity, it's gullibility at best and being a slobbering vagina at worst.
