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[BIOSHOCK INFINITE] Experience digital jingoism March 26th.
OmnomnomPancake
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
This is Bioshock Infinite. It is a sort of thing that is like Bioshock. Yea.
Announcement Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSZcCe_JPy4
Excellent E3 preview from Giantbomb
STEAMPUNK IN THE SKY
LESS PR SPEAK PLEASE
Excellent preview article by Rock Paper Shotgun
Bioshock was all an Objectivist/Libertarian thing, so what is this about?
What does the city of Columbia feel like?
Joystiq Interview with Ken Levine
Giantbomb VIDEO Interview with Ken Levine
Announcement Trailer
E3 2011 GAMEPLAY TEASER THING FUCKYEA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npBEzA6P3Js
10 MINUTES OF GAMEPLAY WHOOO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_DSfjAdhlUExcellent E3 preview from Giantbomb
STEAMPUNK IN THE SKY
BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter currently in development at Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BioShock (which sold over 4 million units worldwide). Set in 1912, BioShock Infinite introduces an entirely new narrative and gameplay experience that lifts players out of the familiar confines of Rapture and rockets them to Columbia, an immense city in the sky.
Former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt has been sent to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned in Columbia since childhood. Booker develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.
LESS PR SPEAK PLEASE
Columbia is the city of the future circa 1900, created as a sort of moving World Fair, travelling the world to show the sheer power and majesty of the rising newly technological America – the Moon Landing of its day. Levine argues that between 1880 and 1900 America transformed from this Agrarian backwater to a rising technological power that ended up claiming the 20th century as its own.
Inevitably, it goes wrong. The World Fair was secretly weaponized, covered in cannons which go and do what cannons are made for. It goes rogue, causes a terrible international incident and disappears into the clouds never to be seen again.
Skip forward a few years, where in a Chandlerian move, ex-Pinkerton, strikebreaker and general low-life Booker DeWitt is hired to find a woman. This Elizabeth is missing. DeWitt can handle this. It’s what he does. The only problem is that she’s apparently in Columbia… and the mysterious figure hiring you says he can get you there.
Excellent preview article by Rock Paper Shotgun
Bioshock was all an Objectivist/Libertarian thing, so what is this about?
If the main theme behind surrounding the first "BioShock" was objectivism, the main theme of "BioShock Infinite" appears to be jingoism. At the game's premiere, propaganda posters displayed racist stereotypes of other nationalities, with George Washington in the center, looking like a savior among savages.
This undercurrent matches real American beliefs at the time. Ken Levine read a quote from President William McKinley, talking about his decision to make the Philippines part of the US. It's basically the epitome of Manifest Destiny.
That's Columbia. It's a society which believes that America knows best. Always. It's also a society in turmoil.
What does the city of Columbia feel like?
When Irrational’s creative director, Ken Levine, stopped in the middle of the presentation to give us a brief history lesson – the state of America at the turn of the century and it’s empirical attempt to annex the Philippines – it was more than flavor text. Just as Bioshock explored the downfall of an Ayn Randian utopia, Infinite sets its sights high with an alternate history breakdown of America during its meteoric rise to superpower status.
Its world, a city in the sky known as Columbia, is thick with patriotic imagery. Take every bit of Victorian architecture you’ve ever seen, stick some balloons on the bottom, cover it in American flags, and you’re only scratching the surface. It’s vibrant, lively, even hopeful, and yet, the truth is revealed as soon as we meet Columbia’s inhabitants.
The in-game demonstration began with a brief stroll down the streets of Columbia. The first thing that stood out was the perfect visual density they’ve established. Similar to the original BioShock, Infinite is a game that invites players to become enthralled with the world around them. To Booker’s left, a horse-drawn carriage passed by, complete with a seemingly mechanical, or at least heavily-armored horse. Propaganda posters lined the streets, a statue grasped an American flag, and a politician dressed as Uncle Sam was the first person that attempted to murder Booker.
Joystiq Interview with Ken Levine
Giantbomb VIDEO Interview with Ken Levine
Sterica on
+1
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
It's set in a city in the sky called Columbia in 1912. I'm guessing it's not in the same universe as the original Bioshock.
Jingoism has been done so many times that nobody cares about it at this point. Objectivism was at least kind of new.
I mean, jingoism as a driving theme isn't nearly as interesting as objectivism, and I don't know how it will give them an opportunity to say something about games like Bioshock did, but at the same time, it looks cool, and the protagonist is a former Pinkerton agent
I can get behind that
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
This image doesn't even work with the whole "jingoistic America trying to show a good face" thing. It would make more sense for it to be something that is meant to be welcoming but really shows how racist and lacking an understanding of other peoples the people who made it are. For example, one of the makers quoted a stupid speech by McKinley (the stupid MTV guy calles it the epitome of manifest destiny, but it isn't that). None of that attitude is actually there in that screenshot. The sentiment that we must educate these poor souls even if we have to take their land and brutally suppress them (and ignore the fact that a lot of them are already Christian thanks to the Spanish) is separate from the attitude that we should conquer pretty much everything we can for ourselves and not for the good of the conquered.
The picture also doesn't make sense in the context of the purpose of the city. The city is meant to be a shining city upon a hill. Even if they think that, they wouldn't put it up on a billboard.
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Really? As far as themes go, I think totalitarian governments being dicks / shadow conspiracies pulling strings / megacorporations weaponizing crap = bad gets a whole lot more play in video games. Although I guess the Japanese are big on heart or something. What are the obvious "been there done that" titles here?
EDIT: A lot of these details they're giving out seem like they'd be more interesting to learn in the game instead of the initial press releases.
Columbia would be a nice subtitle. It is too much to expect them to drop the name even if the name Bioshock doesn't make much sense for this.
It's better than Bioshock 3, but not by much
I think that this really could have benefited from a different word before -shock, because there's no way there's plasmids in 1900, right?
I mean, there can't be, can there?
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
What about "Aeroshock"?
Okay.
Hey, RPS wrote about this.
But was that just it? I'm curious if they've also been pressured into having a crumbling city, main political theme, and super powers.
Still excited for what Irrational can do.
Also, people are forgetting that these dudes made Bioshock, so they're good at game making.
Yeah, needs more brown, of the Quake color palette variety.
I will miss the underwater setting myself. They could have done a lot more with it from a gameplay perspective. Room full of fire? Shoot out a window and flood the place. Would have provided a neat choice in shootouts too.
This new floating setting still has interesting possibilities. I predict an escape from a building that is plummeting to earth.
well
better than it did in Bioshock
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
That isn't very hard. New AI system: run straight at player while shooting at him. If you are in the air, run straight alongside player and shoot at him.
Man
That's pretty freaky
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Well worth reading if you haven't already. It goes into the ideas behind the actual setting, which is what I was most interested in. I mean Bioshock was all about Randian objectivisim, this was probably going to be themed on something.
From appearances this one seems to be themed more on imperialism, and the structures and thoughts behind it.
That sounds really nice. A lynch mob sort of feel is something you don't see often in games. The last game I remember with that was Call of Cthulhu. Too bad it will probably give way to regular boring combat about an hour in once you get most of the weapons and are loaded with ammo.
You're being cynical for the very sake of it.
Or maybe the one after this will be set in a city in a volcano
Or a city within a city
Kind of wish they'd go with a more straight-up steampunk approach to the abilities rather than relying on the same splicer magic as Bioshock 1/2.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
You mean a ghetto?
A city on the sun.
A city in cyberspace.
A city in the Earth's core.
Bioshock
but in space
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET