180°

Ken Levine: We Cut "Two Games Worth" of Material for BioShock Infinite (Video Interview) - AusGamers

In a video interview AusGamers conducted with Irrational Games' Ken Levine, the revered designer spoke about the team's lengthy development process, not only revealing that "the script of BioShock One could easily fit into one of our levels in Infinite", but that in the editing process they stripped back so much stuff, it was essentially two games worth.

"I can’t tell you how much of this game... we probably cut two games worth of stuff out of the game, and I say that just in terms of content," Levine told AG.

"Finishing and polishing is a whole other matter, but this is just the raw amount of content, we cut tonnes and tonnes of stuff."

He also talked candidly about his relationship with the Elizabeth character saying that he's "probably a little bit in love with her" but that he "has to be" adding that "she's the heart of the game". He also openly talks about going into a depression after shipping the first BioShock, being finished in his capacity now on Infinite, his thoughts on DLC, multiplayer, voicing and fleshing out the player-character, Booker, and much, much more.

This is a meaty interview, but one well worth a read or watch for fans of the series, Irrational, or game development in general.

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ausgamers.com
Godchild10204150d ago (Edited 4150d ago )

It's not always a good thing to talk about cut content prior to the release of a game. It will leave consumers with a bad impression. If it was after the release of the game and people had enough time with it, then it wouldn't come off as bad.

I'm not worried, I know Ken Levine will not let Bioshock Infinite disappoint us.

Jinkies4150d ago

I'm only going to be mad if theres DLC coming out for this...if there is and they are pretty big THEN I will be ticked off because then I would know it was cut for it to be turned into DLC.

adorie4150d ago (Edited 4150d ago )

If this game is big and the DLC is big, I will not feel cheated. I want a 9-12 hour experience on the hardest difficulty, for my first play through. This will be trying to obtain everything in the game, which could bump my time up to 15 hours or more.

Hopefully they add supplementary DLC, that adds or sheds light to more of the story, without feeling as if it takes away or should have been left in. An extra ability or two wouldn't hurt, either. Something fun that could be OP'ed and accessible after being the game once and buying said-theoretical DLC.

I think Irrational will deliver enough to make UPS jealous, tbqh

ForgottenProphecy4150d ago

@adorie Only 9-12 hours? In my opinion, you have low standards. I feel like 14-20 hours is good, 20-25 hours is great, and 25+ is too much for a main story.

RuperttheBear4150d ago

The only people who will be left with a bad impression are people who don't read full interviews and only concentrate on a small aspect of the interviews.

Look -

'Any of the content that I talked about, there’s nothing that we could pack together and ship. A, it’s cut for a reason: we didn’t think it fit, and B, it’s left in a state that is completely... there’s a term that we have called “rot”, in the games industry.'

CalvinKlein4150d ago

well the way I see it it took them years to get the content we will get so if they wanted to include the rest of the "cut content" we would be waiting till the end of ps4 and xbox3's life to play the game.

saladthieves4150d ago

Agreed, but be glad he's at least telling you some content was cut. What others do is, cut content, wait few weeks, no, few days when the game is released then proudly announce to everyone how they've been hard at work on the new upcoming DLC. :/

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4150d ago Replies(1)
CaptainYesterday4150d ago

I guess theres going to be a ton of DLC :P

LOGICWINS4150d ago

Or ideas that will be saved for the next Bioshock title.

soundslike4150d ago

Or ones that simply did not fit the pacing and structure of the game they were building towards, or things that just weren't fun.

Cut content doesn't imply GOOD content. If anything it implies that it wasn't.

BanBrother4150d ago

Not necessarily. I know that is what first comes to mind, but every game 'cuts' content. Just that 'some' of them re-package it as DLC, EA being one of the worst offenders.

No-matter what game you have played, content is cut for quality purposes. This generation though, some developers/publishers think that selling it after the game has released is fair.

I trust Ken Levine won't let that happen, at least if it is within his powers.

sdozzo4150d ago

How's that vita version coming Ken...liar.

Kalowest4150d ago

He was never making the vita version.

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110°

Judas First Details: How Ken Levine Is Building on BioShock With 'Narrative LEGOs'

IGN: "We spent six hours playing a recent build of Judas, the next game from BioShock creator Ken Levine, followed by a lengthy conversation with the renowned game designer to discuss the long wait since BioShock Infinite, bringing the "narrative LEGOs" concept to life in Judas, what the game is all about, and much more."

RaidenBlack28d ago (Edited 28d ago )

YT video : https://youtu.be/aIqmnoo8Ui...
with new gameplay segments

Psychonaut8528d ago

I’m tentatively hopeful for this. Love Bioshock. As far as the narrative Legos we shall have to wait and see. The early trailer for Infinite showed off a lot of stuff that didn’t make it into the finished product, and Levine is notoriously difficult to work for, so if this narrative stuff makes it into the came will be curious to see how impactful it is. I’d be fine with something more in the vein of the first Bioshock. Not much like that now, especially since Arkane’s fall from grace.

Psychonaut8528d ago

I didn’t realize Levine’s new studio was under 2K Games just like Irrational was. What was the point quitting Irrational and then 2K dissolving the studio only for him to open up a smaller studio still under 2K? Why not just downsize Irrational, keep operations going and have the brand recognition. Cuz it’s not like Judas is a departure from his normal style. Must be a story there

RaidenBlack28d ago

Cloud Chamber, under 2K, is the new studio developing the next Bioshock (4?) game.

toxic-inferno28d ago

I imagine he had a negative experience building Bioshock Infinite, due to the pressure on the team. As you pointed out in your other comment, lots from that game was cut out or changed before release. I suspect he wanted the opportunity to step back and create a game in a timescale that allowed him to deliver the product he wanted.

Irrational may have also been locked into certain contracts under 2K, and opening a new studio may have allowed him to negotiate new terms.

300°

Top 10 Rarest Xbox 360 Games That Are Worth a Fortune

Twinfinite: “War may never change, but the prices of rare games do!”

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twinfinite.net
Christopher273d ago

"And lastly, famous Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling helped to create the action-RPG’s setting. What’s really fascinating, though, is that the game was partially financed by taxpayers from Rhode Island (which allegedly lost the state millions of dollars). Yikes!"

1. Now infamous Schilling
2. No allegedly, it did. And they couldn't pay it back.
3. What really lost the money wasn't the SP release but the MMO they were working on. This was supposed to be an introduction into the MMO world.

Soy272d ago

I hate counting limited editions for these lists. I mean, they're made to be rare and expensive. It's far more interesting to hear about the NCAAs (even if most people know that one already) and the El Chavos than some massive hit that came with a $200 statue at retail.

gamerz272d ago

Me too. Here's the best I can do:

El Chavo Kart $90.14
NCAA Football 14 $87.72
Spiderman: Edge of Time $75.94
Spiderman Web of Shadows $75.09
Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions $67.76

Christopher272d ago

Wow, El Chavo Kart is not at all what I expected by the name. 100% looks like a Sackboy Kart game.

Soy271d ago

It's so odd that so many Spider-Man games are seemingly given lower print runs, even if they're not the best games.

jznrpg272d ago (Edited 272d ago )

Most Xbox games don’t hold as much value compared to other systems. Kameo, Blue Dragon, Last Remnant , and a handful or 2 of other games that I kept.

sadraiden272d ago

Fallout 3 and Bioshock Infinite are the rarest games of all time.

100°

8 Best Games Set In A Multiverse

One of the biggest TV and movie tropes in the last decade has been the multiverse, the idea of exploring multiple dimensions to uncover alternate versions of existing ideas. From both a business and creative perspective, it makes sense why established franchises are shaking things up in this way.

However, there aren't many video games latching on to this trend, as rendering multiple worlds in real-time is a difficult feat and the medium is relatively young in comparison to its contemporaries, making crossover opportunities more difficult. Still, there are a few great titles that manage enough to overcome these challenges, and here are some of the best examples.

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thegamer.com
Christopher292d ago

While I love someone mentioning Planescape, not really multiverse. Planes and dimensions, yes. But, they are typically their own locations and are very rarely tied to another 'verse' let alone another plane. The only things that are directly tied are the ethereal and material planes. Otherwise, they are dimensions created of their own design and goals by the creator/owner and not comprised of 'their own version of another dimension'.