20 Jan, 2012
Do you crave the days when games were simply…harder? The recent release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary definitely has shown us that upon first release a decade ago, the game was hard. Some might say it was an issue of level design, some say it was an issue of AI. One thing that gamers can agree on is that back in the day, games were simply harder.
There was no hand holding through a dungeon. Died in the midst of a tough area? Too bad — you had to go all the way back to the beginning. Save points? What were those things? Nope, you had to save at the entrance to the cave and pray you could make it all the way through. Or you know, you can just think of Dark Souls, and we’ll leave it at that.
Nowadays, games have become far more considerate to gamers. Save points are aplenty in dungeons, and games feature autosaves, if you happen to have that accidental case of death. There’s adjustable difficulty levels for the discerning player who doesn’t feel like raising their blood pressure.
Well, Irrational Games isn’t going to sit idly by and let the blood pressure come down. Their upcoming masterpiece BioShock Infinite will feature a mode called the “1999 Mode.” Designed to give older fans the “option to go back to our roots,” Irrational Creative Director Ken Levine describes the new mode as demanding.
“I’m an old school gamer,” said Levine. “We wanted to make sure we were taking into account the play styles of gamers like me. So we went straight to the horse’s mouth by asking them, on our website, a series of questions about how they play our games. 94.6 percent of respondents indicated that upgrade choices enhanced their BioShock gameplay experience; however, 56.8 percent indicated that being required to make permanent decisions about their character would have made the game even better.”
“1999 Mode” will have all of the permanent decision-making, but will also feature a demanding weapon, power, and health management. “In ’1999 Mode,’ gamers face more of the permanent consequences of their gameplay decisions,” said Levine. “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.”
Oh, and if you die, don’t expect to respawn so easily. Death means you get a “Game Over” screen if you don’t have the right resources to be brought back to life. Irrational, you better step away from nostalgia there. Or Dark Souls. Maybe even Zelda II: Link’s Awakening.
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