Irrational Releases Original BioShock Pitch Documents

In Irrational Games' regular behind-the-scenes series "From the Vault" the team reveals tidbits of unreleased development information from their hit titles. Last time they gave us a peek at original concept art depicting BioShock baddies that only made the cutting room floor. This time around, the team released pages from their original pitch document revealing the initial concept for the first BioShock that was presented to publishers. After perusing through the pages, it's safe to say it was a completely different game.

Not quite the plane nosediving into the ocean scene we remember. Though the "unfamiliar chemicals moving within you" part does sound like the early makings of Adam and Plasmid use.

Religious fanaticism, unbounded science, technological and biological horrors, and the undersea complex still played a role in what would eventually become Rapture. Aside from upgrading weapons, looks like building your own was eliminated. Other thing of note, multiplayer was originally in the equation in "Story Based Deathmatch."

"Scare the hell out of people." Remember the first time you fought a Big Daddy? Done and done.

Our character had an identity from the outset. His name? Carlos Cuello. His quest? Infiltrate a religious cult on a remote island and rescue an heiress.

Early concept of weapon customization eventually morphed into upgrades using what we now recognize as Power to the People machines. Varied bullet types are also still available. Security hacking is still in place, though it looks like you originally would've been able to control bots directly from their perspective.

We could've been able to manipulate the environment! Obviously got cut. The only floor electrifying we can do now is Electro Bolt-ing a pool of water. Flooding rooms didn't happen until BioShock 2.

Sacrifice humanity to become the ultimate fighting machine with genetic enhancements! This certainly stuck around through the end of the production cycle and is the most recognizable feature of the series. What didn't stick: Crustacean and electric eel genotypes. Also note: Enemy robots.

For the full suite, check out Irrational's official website. What do you think about the original pitch? Would you have preferred this version or do you prefer the final version that we all got to dive in to?