14 DAY TRIAL // This week we've been subject to a massive hype campaign orchestrated by 2K Games for the next iteration in the BioShock franchise, BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams. While the first game was a true masterpiece in the eyes of many reviewers and critics, the fact that the story was tight and offered closure at the end of the game meant that the possibility of turning it into a franchise was very weak.
But 2K decided that the story did allow it to make more titles and, as such, it got to work on this future iteration, which will be upon us at the end of 2009. What started off as a vague teaser trailer in the PlayStation 3 version of the first game has now turned into a massive campaign with a website that documents kidnapping cases where little girls are abducted by tall, slender characters with a red glow on their head and taken into the sea.
The confirmation brought by GameInformer that the new character in the next game would be the Big Sister prompted a heated debate on the Internet. Is this new character a worthy addition to the underwater city of Rapture? Will it attract new gamers which haven't yet played through the first one? Read on about the pros and cons of 2K's choice, but be warned that spoilers about the first game are present.
The Good Side
As you all know, the first title had two, arguably three, endings: one where you saved all the Little Sisters in the game, followed by a cut scene where you would lead a good life with them, and another one where you punished them and went out to destroy the world courtesy of a nuclear submarine.
The main reason behind the introduction of this new character is that the team at 2K didn't want critics to classify the next title as just a BioShock 1.5 version, but see it as a completely new one. Hopefully, this new character will be just the first step in the complete process of re-inventing the series. The Big Sister will probably replace one of the most iconic and tough characters in the first game, as the hulking Big Daddies gave you a run for your money by sucking up a lot of damage before they were defeated.
Hopefully, a more challenging adversary in terms of both agility and speed, like the Big Sister, will give players an even greater and more memorable experience. The lighter but more slender new character will be a breath of fresh air through the buildings of Rapture and may take the pace of the whole action to the next level.
Also, another good side to this character will be a new and interesting story. The Big Daddies were humans mentally conditioned to protect the Little Sisters no matter what. The interaction between them was something thought provoking and showcased the emotional and psychic link between the two iconic characters of the game. Without a doubt, the decision to add another presence and possibly replace the Big Daddy will mean that a new and even deeper story will unfold, pertaining to the relationship between the Big and Little Sisters.
The Bad Side
As good as another intricate character story would sound like, the possibility of never seeing the Big Daddies isn't something that has gone well with a lot of fans. The characters were iconic in their need to protect someone. They weren't evil, they were just doing their job, as was the player, who needed the ADAM that the Little Girls harvested from bodies in order to survive in Rapture. The boss battles were nothing compared to the more numerous encounters with the Big Daddies, which needed a lot of strategy and planning.
Another bad point to the introduction of the Big Sister is the fact that the action will still take place in Rapture. The end of the first game offered closure regardless of your decisions; it left you with a feeling of completion. Now BioShock 2 will take that feeling and twist it to create a likely backdrop for the new characters and actions. Whether they will be as good as the first game can only be decided after the launch.
Now I am asking you, are you happy or sad that the Big Sister will appear in BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams? Will it make you buy the game as soon as it appears, or will the mere possibility of another sequence of events in the time line of the game make you keep away from it? Let us know by leaving a comment.
