Bioshock – Does it need a sequel?

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Sequelitis – Curable Ailment or Terrible Epidemic?

I was checking out Twitter this morning when I came across this article from Planet Xbox360. I agree with most of the points Ivone Alexandre has written about in the article but there are a few that I feel are a little off point. Yes, last year’s tops games were for the most part sequels but they were as good and in some cases better than their predecessors. Here’s the sequels that were part the 10 Top Selling games of 2008:

1. Grand Theft Auto 4 – Amazing story, and almost perfect recreation of NYC.
2. Call of Duty: World at War – Not a bad story and the online multi-player is almost as good as COD4.
4. Gears of War 2 – May have surpassed it’s predecessor in story, gameplay, and multi-player.
6. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – Perhaps the only shameless cash in?
7: Fable II – Peter Molyneux possibly paying off most of the promises he made regarding the first one?
8. Rock Band 2 – Boxed awesome, ’nuff said.
10. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 – Ok, maybe the other shameless cash in.

Ranking Courtesy of NPD

I am quite fearful of the over saturation of the market with humdrum sequels but if they’re quality experiences that only help flesh out the original world like some of the games listed above, why not? Sequels no longer have to be farmed out to subpar 4th squad developers who’s primary purpose is to reuse assets with as little story as possible stringing together the events of the original game with the new narrative.

2k Marin is NOT some inexperienced 2nd stringer hoping to make it’s name by riding the Bioshock “gravy train.” They’re a group of extremely competent individuals who have for the most part been under Ted Levine’s tutelage for quite some time and I trust Ted’s choice of handing the reigns over to them. I look forward to Bioshock 2 for the simple fact that my first visit to Rapture was one of the most amazing experiences of my gaming career, here’s to my return trip hopefully being just as good.