2K Games Makes a BioShock Tease

[Steven Bogos]

2K Games Makes a BioShock Tease

2K's UK Twitter account has Tweeted out an image from the original BioShock with the caption "what could this mean?"

The studio that made the original BioShock and BioShock: Infinite may have closed down [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/132317-Irrational-Games-to-Close-After-BioShock-Infinite-DLC-Update], but that isn't stopping 2K from agonizing fans with teasers from the series. 2K's official UK Twitter account just posted the picture you'll see to the right (an in-game advertisement for Eve's Garden, an "exotic dancing venue" from Fort Frolic in the original title), twice, accompanied with the phrases "discuss" and "what could this mean?"

What could this mean, indeed. Some fans quickly gained hope that the long-rumored (and apparently dead-in-the-water) BiosShock PS Vita port [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/136001-We-May-Never-Get-A-Bioshock-Vita-Game] may finally be about to get an announcement, while other, more optimistic folks believe a whole new title may be in the works.

Cynics were quick to point out that the image was only Tweeted out of the regional UK 2K account, and not its general account, assuming that whatever comes from this may be limited to the UK.

Last we heard of BioShock, 2K was assuring us that despite Irrational's disbandment, the franchise was not dead. Whether this means new titles, or simply it being used in other projects, is yet to be seen.

What do you think this mysterious Tweet means?

Source: IGN [https://twitter.com/2KInternational?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ign.com%2Farticles%2F2014%2F07%2F25%2F2k-teases-a-bioshocksomething&tw_i=492258386290171904&tw_p=tweetembed]

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[Zhukov]

Oh, don't do it.

I mean, they're probably bloody well going to, but I wish they wouldn't. Ken Levine's moved on. We all know how this goes.

I guess I can't blame companies for doing whatever turns a profit, but just for once I'd like to see one of them have the fucking dignity not to go around squeezing the juice out of corpses.

 

[Evonisia]

If the Vita port really is gone, then I'm assuming they're making another BioShock game for the sake of the money. Essentially they'll make another BioShock 2, maybe this one will be one that constantly tries to take Infinite's style and make it the property of itself.

BioShock has been a tragic series for me, every main instalment has just been worse than the last and 2K continuing the series doesn't look bright to me.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's an "HD remaster Uber super cool and other marketing words" collection for next-gen consoles.

 

[Exterminas]

Meh. Why not? Bioshock 2 was decent. Not groundshaking, but personally I don't see the harm in making decent games out of IPs that proved to be popular. The original Bishock is not going to become any worse by shoddy sequels.

 

[Shocksplicer]

The studio that made the original BioShock and BioShock: Infinite may have closed down [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/132317-Irrational-Games-to-Close-After-BioShock-Infinite-DLC-Update], but that isn't stopping 2K from agonizing fans with teasers from the series.

Agonizing in that we don't freaking want another half-arsed cash-in like Bioshock 2 and would frankly prefer if the franchise just died? Sounds about right.

 

[Kerethos]

I've only played Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite. Both had unsatisfying shooting mechanics, that didn't fit well with the general feel of the game, but I found the story (that ended firmly in Burial at Sea) very enjoyable and now done with.

Unless they're able to change up the gameplay, and make it more than a mediocre shooter (saved by a really enjoyable story), I'm not the least bit interested.

Which is pretty much how I felt about Bioshock 2 - more of the same mediocre shooting? No thanks.

 

[Benpasko]

"I know we said we were done with rapture, but then we remembered money"

Sounds about right.

 

[Me55enger]

The only thing this proves is that their cash cow is a Holstein Friesian.

Lots of milk, shit quality.

 

[erbkaiser]

My money is on a Bioshock trilogy 'HD upgrade' for the PS4 and Xbone. Or at least the first two games.

 

[EndlessSporadic]

The series should have died with Irrational. I don't want another Bioshock game that Irrational is not part of.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

Oh, don't do it.

I mean, they're probably bloody well going to, but I wish they wouldn't. Ken Levine's moved on. We all know how this goes.

I guess I can't blame companies for doing whatever turns a profit, but just for once I'd like to see one of them have the fucking dignity not to go around squeezing the juice out of corpses.

I'm fine with them continuing with the series. What makes me uneasy about it is based on that poster, I'm guessing the next game will be in Rapture.

I'm not sure the best way to continue the series is to go back to where it started, AGAIN.
It's probably time to move past Rapture.

After the last Bioshock game they made sure to make the possibilities for sequels pretty much, Infinite.

[sub][sub][sub]Yes. I did have to say it. ;p It's kind of why they called the game that.[/sub][/sub][/sub]

 

[Roxas1359]

I've only played Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite. Both had unsatisfying shooting mechanics, that didn't fit well with the general feel of the game

I will give BioShock 2 credit in this in that while the story, except for Minerva's Den, was really lackluster, the shooting was vastly improved from BioShock 1's. The upgrades helped with some of the guns, the hacking was improved, and you could really combine the Plasmids well with the gunplay. BioShock Infinite, when I played it, didn't really combine the Vigors with the gunplay that well, and I found myself using guns more often and not even caring about the Vigors after a while.

OT: Really I'm hoping they don't milk the BioShock cow, as I find Burial at Sea to be a good stopping point for the series. If it's some sort of HD collection or something for new consoles, I think it'd be pointless as I doubt people would flock the streets to purchase them, especially since the PC versions still exist and to my knowledge have had GFWL patched out of them. If it's some port to the Vita, then I wouldn't mind it really, but I highly doubt it's that since Kevin was just being optimistic about that port.

 

[Malbourne]

Seems likely that the team would want to get their toes wet with an HD re-release or a remastered version or something like that. As long as they've still got that creative spirit Levine left them, maybe they'll create a brand-spanking-new environment for a sequel.

 

[FootloosePhoenix]

This is obviously going to be a softcore porn spin-off.
...
In all seriousness, I'm one of the handful of people who would actually really like it if 2K made another game like BioShock 2. The gameplay was a blast and Minerva's Den had a very engaging if simplistic storyline, so there's some hope that they'd be able to conjure up at least a semi-interesting plot again. Heck, even the main game's story wasn't terrible. I feel like I'd enjoy another attempt by them a lot more than I enjoyed Infinite. But I don't think this teaser is related to anything like that. An HD port to the new generation seems a lot more likely, as some have suggested.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Well, my first thought that they are porting it too Mac ("Come bite the apple") but both the original game AND Infinite have Mac ports. So unless they are putting the first games Mac port onto Steam, or making a port for Bioshock 2, I doubt that is what they are announcing.

It might be a new port of the games too the newest consoles, although if that was it, I wonder why they would announce that NOW rather than at E3. It might be some Bioshock comic or something, exploring the world of Rapture further, or it might be that once thought dead film project finally moving forward.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

Ugh. I hope it's not a shallow next-gen remaster that does nothing but upgrade the graphics. If nothing else, BioShock 2 proved that you can greatly improve on the gameplay. Not just the quantifiable mechanics but the underlying programming. I watched Video Games Awesome play through the first game as a prelude to Infinite's release, and I had forgotten how frequently you would die from random bullshit caused by bad AI design. Big Daddies suddenly turning on you because they got caught in the crossfire of a turret you had hacked, powerful splicers spawning in behind you in the middle of a firefight and one-shotting you, that sort of thing.

On the other hand, I don't trust Levine to supervise a full-on remake either. He clearly hated BioShock 2 and thought making a two-weapon game with regenerating shields was an improvement. And he'd probably pull the same thing for a sequel, prequel, or any other piece of Rapture-related media that I might have been excited for before Infinite reared its ugly head.

Well, my first thought that they are porting it too Mac ("Come bite the apple") but both the original game AND Infinite have Mac ports. So unless they are putting the first games Mac port onto Steam, or making a port for Bioshock 2, I doubt that is what they are announcing.

Well, those weren't done in-house, and the first one isn't available on Steam and apparently has terrible performance, so... maybe?

Wait, I got it. It's an iOS port. Doy!

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

I could go for a new bioshock. Mix in some of system shocks openness and some stealth from burial at sea. Maybe make the overall game flow more metroidvania like. Something like if they did't give you any weapons or plasmids directly and let you discover your own ways to flip the power boxes and melt the ice. Bioshock actually had a very impressive system that let you do things like melt ice with flaming objects and flip power boxes with electric weapons. You just never got a chance to use this because of how the game was structured.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Well, my first thought that they are porting it too Mac ("Come bite the apple") but both the original game AND Infinite have Mac ports. So unless they are putting the first games Mac port onto Steam, or making a port for Bioshock 2, I doubt that is what they are announcing.

Well, those weren't done in-house, and the first one isn't available on Steam and apparently has terrible performance, so... maybe?

Wait, I got it. It's an iOS port. Doy!

That actually does make a large amount of sense. It wouldn't be too hard to scale back the graphics of the original, at least. Not sure making Bioshock an IOS game is a GOOD idea (due too how hard it is too actually control shooters on Iphones) but this would fit.

 

[Dandres]

I welcome a new game from the Bio Shock universe, hopefully some place new. I love the art style, game mechanics and stories but they are probably just going to remake them for the newer consoles.
We all know how well that did for the remake of Fables, that buggy piece of crap.