BioShock 2 Interview, Part One
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What about the way the story is told - will Bioshock 2 still use the voice on the radio and audio logs, that sort of story development?
We're doing a couple of different things. On one hand we think that radio play is super important, to the type of game Bioshock is for a couple of reasons. First is that we never want the player to stop moving, we want you as the player to wrap the story around the experience that is owned by you, and so radio works really well as a writer on top of the interactivity. On top of that, the ear is very easily immersed. Your detection mechanisms for real vs. not real are nowhere near what they are with the eye, and as much as possible we want to make this world feel like it is textured, it is genuine, and so the emotion coming across from somebody's voice and sound effects in the background lend further credence to the world around you.
But! We did get a lot of feedback in Bioshock that "so, y'know, a lot of story took place over the radio and when I met those people they were turning away in shadow and going 'no interviews please!'" So with Bioshock 2 we're actually going to make sure that you have some strong and unforgettable encounters with unspliced characters that you can develop genuine empathy for, who will not be trying to hide their face from the camera. They're very much front and centre. So there's a blend between that audio drama that rides very well on top of the Bioshock experience AND those moments where you were meant to connect with somebody and you've finally found them and you really need them to be genuinely delivered.
