All I have to say is that is that this is ridiculous. They are calling the game "Bioshock" and continueing the franchise. "We want the game to be totally differant, but are using the name to sell more copies" pretty much summarizes everything wrong with the game industry today. If they want the game to be entirely differant and people to perceive it that way, then launch it as a new title as opposed to attaching it to an existing franchise! Also I don't want to hear them whine if they game IS extremely differant and a lot of gamers who don't follow the gaming news closely get all POed because "It wasn't a Bioshock game despite the name".
That said, the game doesn't look all that differant to me either. Retro future technology, a strong overriding left wing message (especially in the second one, the first one was slightly more balanced due to some of the reveals, the second one just made Ryan out to be a pure douche) that seems to be making stong statements about conservative American ideals (going by the vibe, the posters, and the state of the city... a sort of arguement against serious patriotism and an America First in America logic, with the characters being exagerrated to crazy extremes in how they take it to make a point).
I mean don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the first couple of Bioshock games, and this looks pretty cool. I'll probably try it, and am expecting a differant approach to things storywise and deeper gameplay going by the trailers. Unless those reveals were totally false, I am having some trouble seeing exactly where the developers are trying to go with these statements.
I'll also say that as much as I would have liked it to have been, I never saw "Bioshock" as survival horror, it was more "dark, retro future fantasy". It just wasn't all that horrific, being more in the vein of action/sci-fi. The hero was extremely powerful and heroic in both games, the situation fairly straightforward, and everything being resolved by action and derring do. I rarely if ever had to avoid monsters, felt overpowered, or had my jaded mind shocked (even briefly) by what I was seeing or was revealed. Even the "Big Daddies" didn't quite get into the horror thing (basically a retro future take on an enslaved super soldier), especially seeing as they rarely if ever pursue you and you can just leave them alone until your ready for them usually... and being ready for them isn't all that difficult since the "solution" is pretty much to employ the right super powers and heavy weapons... neither of which are in short supply. I killed pretty much every one of them in the game. I never felt a horrific fear of them, more like "oh goody, another loot pile and ADAM drop" at most figuring I'd have to backtrack a couple of rooms after I got more ammo and another healing kit.
