Irrational Games chief, Ken Levine explains that the 1999 mode was added to include features and tweaks that would not be present in the standard playthrough.
There are a number of characters who stand out in every field for saying no to the system and do things their way. In the video game industry, there are many such characters and one of them is the boss of Irrational Games, Ken Levine who has been at the helm of the critically acclaimed BioShock series.
There is plenty of hype surrounding Irrational Games’ latest project, BioShock Infinite, which swaps the underwater world for one in the clouds. It seems staying at ground level just does not excite the creative team at the development studio.
To kick things off, the 1999 Mode is a throwback to the early days of gaming where respawns were limited and there was no real depth in terms of inventory management as compared to the game of today.
Levine took this idea and respawning in this particular mode requires the player to have certain resources without which the game would end with a Game Over screen.
Levine explained that, “We (Irrational Games) wanted to give our oldest and most committed fans an option to go back to our roots.”
One of the ways the developers are going about doing that is to impose a tougher weapon, health and power management system which will tax players more than the standard game. The decisions made there will also force the player to specialize in certain areas and have real game consequences based on their choices.
“In 1999 Mode, gamers face more of the permanent consequences of their gameplay decisions. In BioShock Infinite, gamers will have to sweat out the results of their actions. In addition, 1999 Mode will demand that players pick specializations, and focus on them.”
Levine also explained that he was an “old school gamer” and was looking out for the all the gamers who have their own unique styles and approaches. He did so by taking fan feedback on the matter, the result of which saw Irrational Games pursue the project.
According to the study an overwhelming 94.6% of people who took the survey stated that the upgrades made their gameplay experience in the BioShock world more enjoyable which over half of the respondents also claimed that having to make permanent decisions would “have made the game even better.”
All in all, it seems that an increasing number of games are going back to the hardcore roots as Infinite’s 1999 Mode and Dead Space 2’s Hardcore mode both remove a number of gaming comforts that players are used to and provide a more gritty, challenging experience.
Tags: