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Why I'm Not Playing BioShock 2
I want to make a few things clear right off the bat: I haven't played any of BioShock 2, I don't know any spoilers, and I loved the first game. So why aren't I excited to play the sequel? Trust me: It's a question I've been turning around in my brain with no clear-cut answer ever since I first started hearing about the game.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that the original development team is not making the game. I know that they have core members from the first BioShock in place at 2K Marin, and I certainly don't have anything against the developer. However, I always thought that there was something weird about Ken Levine and Irrational not handling BioShock 2. Moreover, having five studios work on the same game is a red flag in my book.
Getting to be a Big Daddy doesn't excite me either. I assume that the Big Daddy experience will be different than the one at the end of the original BioShock, but neither Big Daddies nor Big Sisters are what defines the BioShock world for me. Rapture is what made the first title so appealing, and one thing about the sequel's return to it years later has always bugged me. I heard a rumor early on that the game was originally going to be a prequel showing the iconic locale before it fell into chaos. Whether this was ever true or not is beyond the point. It's an idea that intrigues me to the point that I haven't let go of the speculation that it would have made a better setting for this sequel.
Despite all these supposed "logical" reasons for not being amped up for BioShock 2, perhaps a big reason is related to how I have started to view entertainment in general in the past few years. With TV shows like The Wire, The Office (UK), and even Arrested Development all taking place within a defined arc, complete with an ending, I've become more and more comfortable with finite entertainment. Maybe I'm not excited about BioShock 2 because when I ask myself, "Do I need another BioShock?" the answer isn't a resounding "Hell yes!" despite how much I loved the first one.
I don't always feel the need for more of something just to have more of it. There's nothing wrong with something standing alone. Perhaps this is analogous to the fact that I rarely replay titles. When I finished Fallout 3 I never thought about playing all the post-release DLC. I spent 40-some hours with the title and had my fill. End of story.
It may sound stupid to pre-judge a game like this, but with all the great titles to spend time and money on, I've got plenty of other games to keep me busy. Sure, if all my friends tell me I've got to play it, perhaps I'll throw it in when I have some free time just to see what all the fuss is about, but I'm not going to lose sleep over this decision.
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