Bioshock Infinity +1

[IamLEAM1983]

Thematically, I think the "Shock" series is over and done with. I wouldn't mind a remake of the first and second System Shocks, though. Different level designs just so we can't rely on ages-old muscle memory, maybe slightly more clement chemical storage room placement so there's a little less backtracking, and hopefully the same incredibly modular approach to gameplay.

The first two "Shock" titles felt very akin to Deus Ex in how you could apply very minute alterations to your character's stats. You essentially had deep RPG-style character progression mechanics in an otherwise standard horror FPS. I'd kill to have that back, seeing as consolization has made it so most devs are afraid of asking their clientèle to stare at numbers for a bit.

If there's hacking involved, I hope to God it'll be tied to a minigame of some sort. Fire-and-forget mechanics are great for twitch gamers, but I really like deliberate pacing. Infinite didn't feel deliberate, it felt like a very successful first-year philosophy student with a hyperactive disorder who would've forgotten his meds.

It had interesting points to make and a great world to flesh out, but I kept feeling that the gameplay was leading me by the hand, taking a painstaking amount of care to make sure I'd never go for more than three minutes without firing my guns at someone.

 

[FourCartridge]

I'm agreeing with the people that say Irrational should put the Shock series to rest. We've seen the two extremes of Earth in a city, and to be honest, with the ending's meaning about sequels;

Spoiler

"There's always a Man, a Lighthouse, and a City."

That tells me right there we already know how all these city ideas end; a broken husk ruined by their extreme philosophies. There could be little twist that comments on an element of video games, but that's come to be expected too.

 

[Nouw]

Honestly the setting isn't that important to me anymore, I know they can create beautiful and dark-twisted settings with interesting enemies and characters to boot. What I'd like to see them do is move on from that and start working on the gameplay, make it fun. Infinite fell flat on gameplay and honestly if they had taken a few tips from Bioshock 2 it would have been a much better game; I dare say it went backwards from Bioshock 1. Failing that, I wish they would discuss the themes they tackle. Xenophobia and all that stuff was there but it wasn't ever really delved into. They can nail story, characters and worlds, it's time for them to pick up their gameplay and begin to go deeper into the issues they present in the world they create.

 

[EzraPound]

Holocaust deniers in a space colony. Ernst Zündel could be the final boss.

 

[wizzy555]

Infinity + 1 is still Infinity so it would just be Columbia all over again.

 

[TBman]

A matriarchal underground society where men are oppressed and have no rights.

The technology has been developed to artificially manufacture sperm, so the leaders of this society declare men redundant and have them killed upon being born. You play as a woman who fights for the life of her baby son.

I would play that

 

[Souplex]

Infinity + 1 is still Infinity so it would just be Columbia all over again.

...How do I put this delicately...

 

[Professor Lupin Madblood]

A society of academics living underneath one of the Artic poles.

They prize learning, development education and invention but any frivolity or waste is banned. Thus the society is highly advanced and the people are really smart logically, but lack any social skills, street smarts or intuition. Passion and love are so maligned as to be practically illegal. Everything is sterile and bland. In such a hostile environment efficiency has gone from being originally necessary to survive to becoming a central ideology of religious fervour. Autonomous robots do all labour so while the people understand how everything in their society works in theory, there is no practical knowledge of how to do anything.

Then something happens and all at once the machines that create the electricity stop. The lights go out.

Were they sabotaged or was it an accident? Can the ideology survive without the mechanical autonomous technology taking care of all their practical needs, or will the need to return to physical labour, increased social interaction and the heightened frantic emotions that erupt from a civilization staring into the void of destruction tear the unfeeling system apart by it's nerves?

Hey, I really want to play that now!

That actually sounds really good. Hell, I'd buy it.

 

[soren7550]

Hmm... how about a bunch of Muppet fanboys take over Manhattan?

I dunno, sounds good to me at the moment (which is pretty sleepy).

 

[roushutsu]

A matriarchal underground society where men are oppressed and have no rights.

The technology has been developed to artificially manufacture sperm, so the leaders of this society declare men redundant and have them killed upon being born. You play as a woman who fights for the life of her baby son.

I would play that

I would too! Man, it'd set off so much controversy, but dammit that sounds like an interesting idea and I'd love to see it be explored. Hell with all the gender discussions and arguments that pop up in the gaming industry all the time, this is the kind of game that could attempt to explore and challenge some of these issues.

 

[VanQ]

A society of academics living underneath one of the Artic poles.

They prize learning, development education and invention but any frivolity or waste is banned. Thus the society is highly advanced and the people are really smart logically, but lack any social skills, street smarts or intuition. Passion and love are so maligned as to be practically illegal. Everything is sterile and bland. In such a hostile environment efficiency has gone from being originally necessary to survive to becoming a central ideology of religious fervour. Autonomous robots do all labour so while the people understand how everything in their society works in theory, there is no practical knowledge of how to do anything.

Then something happens and all at once the machines that create the electricity stop. The lights go out.

Were they sabotaged or was it an accident? Can the ideology survive without the mechanical autonomous technology taking care of all their practical needs, or will the need to return to physical labour, increased social interaction and the heightened frantic emotions that erupt from a civilization staring into the void of destruction tear the unfeeling system apart by it's nerves?

Hey, I really want to play that now!

Just take my money. No really, that sounds freakin' fantastic. You should think of some mechanics to make the game unique and start working on a design document.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Naked child-abusing naturalists on a zombie island. That should deliver some giggles and plenty of jiggly physics.

No captcha, no. No string cheese.