In a recent interview with GameSpot, Ken Levine has admitted that the multiple endings to the game weren't his idea. The black and white endings were seen by many as a weak point for a game which focused on trying to pose moral choices to players and lead designer Ken Levine knows it.
"It was never my intention to do two endings for the game. It sort of came very late and it was something that was requested by somebody up the food chain from me.
"One of the reasons I was opposed to multiple endings is I never want to do things that have multiple digital outcomes, versus analog outcomes. I want to do it like the weapons system in the combat in BioShock. There are a million different things you can do in every combat; you can play it a million different ways. Looking into the future for the franchise, that's something I want to [figure out], that by the time you get to the ending of that choice path, you have a sense of your impact on the world through lots of little permutations rather than like a giant ending piece, if you follow my meaning."
Oh, like the Fallout games then? Sorry Ken, but it's already been done. Fallout 2 perfected the idea of branching endings long before BioShock was a twinkle in your eye.
The matter of how to write an ending to a shooter like BioShock ties in nicely with our recurring feature on video game writing and design, one of which focused on FPS games. The next instalment will be out soon and will examine the adventure game genre, with interviews from some of the leading figures in the industry. Keep your eyes peeled!
In the mean time, you can head to the forums and discuss BioShock a little more and tell us what you thought of the endings - but be sure to use the spoiler tags!
"It was never my intention to do two endings for the game. It sort of came very late and it was something that was requested by somebody up the food chain from me.
"One of the reasons I was opposed to multiple endings is I never want to do things that have multiple digital outcomes, versus analog outcomes. I want to do it like the weapons system in the combat in BioShock. There are a million different things you can do in every combat; you can play it a million different ways. Looking into the future for the franchise, that's something I want to [figure out], that by the time you get to the ending of that choice path, you have a sense of your impact on the world through lots of little permutations rather than like a giant ending piece, if you follow my meaning."
Oh, like the Fallout games then? Sorry Ken, but it's already been done. Fallout 2 perfected the idea of branching endings long before BioShock was a twinkle in your eye.
The matter of how to write an ending to a shooter like BioShock ties in nicely with our recurring feature on video game writing and design, one of which focused on FPS games. The next instalment will be out soon and will examine the adventure game genre, with interviews from some of the leading figures in the industry. Keep your eyes peeled!
In the mean time, you can head to the forums and discuss BioShock a little more and tell us what you thought of the endings - but be sure to use the spoiler tags!
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