State of the Industry: Expectations and Bioshock 2

Expectations. Expectations define many things in how gamers approach games. Sometimes it is the hype built by publishers which can set gamers expectations awry. Other times it is the way a demo plays or how previews leave journalists after the first impression, but lately there is another way expectations can setup games for failure; their predecessors. The most recent example of this is Bioshock 2, which by all normal standards would be considered a great game, if not for expectations. When the sequel was first announced and it became apparent Irrational Games was not developing it (creators of Bioshock), the fans heaved a sigh of disappointment. Bioshock, which will forever be known as one of the most immersive single player experiences of this generation had created an expectation that no sequel could live up to. Maybe it was the idea of returning to Rapture, the setting from the original. Or it may have been the almost novel idea of returning as a Big Daddy, protectors of the Little Sisters and a most deadly enemy from the first one.

Personally, I played the original and harbored some of the very same feelings that many others did. I doubted my desire to return to Rapture and felt unsure about the whole concept. When 2k announced the games delay to develop a separate multiplayer component, the fans were up in arms. They wanted 2k's head. I personally did not care, because the number of games which have terrible & awesome multiplayer components has no effect on me either way. I rarely have time to play competitive multiplayer when I game. I am a more varied gamer and prefer to change up my experiences, rather than become exceptional at any one game. Plus I play a lot of RPGs which eat up 40+ hours of my life typically. So, when the reviews came in, I was excited to here many of the journalists I followed said it was great! I began talking about it around the house and for Valentine’s Day, Lauren bought me it as a gift (yeah, she is that cool). I put that in almost immediately, despite still being addicted to Mass Effect 2 and trying to finish up Bayonetta. Within the first hour or so, I was back in Rapture and loving every minute of it. So, why all the hate? How come almost every little comment I read about the game starts with "let me just say, this game is not nearly as good as the first one"?

Sure, there are things that still suck; like the Vita-Chambers are weird if you respawn in a place you don't remember or the shooting may still feel a little stiff, but look at all the new things they tried. Most obvious is the dual-wielding of plasmids and weapons. Second, the introduction of charged plasmids and the traps. Third, the mini-games involving little sisters, where now you have to protect them as they harvest corpses. Fourth, all new weapon types and so on and so forth. My point is that despite any shortcomings you could find, there are just as many new innovations. I don't think that we should fault 2k and the various studios who worked on this game, for not being able to provide you the same experience Bioshock did. You have to understand that the first time to experience anything is going to be much different than each additional visit. For me Bioshock 2 was a fantastic return to Rapture, which answered some additional questions and helps shed light on the splicers civil war. If you are at all interested in an atmospheric shooter, go give it a play through. You will be happy you did.

So, will we learn to be more open to sequels in the future? Hopefully, but it is going to be up to how we setup our expectations and what we define as acceptable. It is all about perception.

*Note: images are courtesy of a Google Image Search