Ken Levine Talks BioShock
A look back at the VGA acceptance speech we didn't get to hear and more!
 As Sam commented on, an ill-conceived publicity stunt by GameCock (for which they did apologize) at the Spike VGA's threw the show off and left Ken Levine without a chance to say anything as he accepted the award for Game of the Year given to BioShock. While he's off enjoying some well-deserved vacation time, he took a few minutes out to give us his acceptance speech and answer a few questions looking back at BioShock.
1UP: It's been a good amount of time now since BioShock's release. Two million copies sold and heaps of awards are proof-positive people loved the game. Looking back, what do you consider BioShock's greatest weakness, and what might you have done differently?
Ken Levine: In short, I underestimated how much people would care about the story. The 3rd act of the game is the weakest part. I just never realized how much people were going to invest in the climactic Andrew Ryan scene, and I think the remainder of the game can not equal that.
1UP: The moral choice presented with the Little Sisters forced people to pick a side pretty early on -- but still have a chance to change. When you play BioShock, how do you approach the dilemma of whether to save or harvest the girls?
KL: a total wimp. I (outside of testing) have never harvested. My favorite story comes from a journalist whose fiance caught him harvesting. He apparently had to spend a night or two sleeping on the couch.
1UP: Tell us something we may not know about BioShock or its development.
KL: The twist about the player's identity came fairly late in development. I'm way more focused on gameplay early on than I am on the story. Most of the best BioShock story stuff came in the final months.
1UP: If 2K Marin is working on BioShock 2, what's going on at 2K Boston...development on another new IP?
KL: Sorry, can't comment on rumors or speculation.
1UP: Going forward, what are going to be the biggest challenges to continuing the franchise with a BioShock sequel?
KL: The first game set a pretty high bar. Sequels are always going to be a challenge because expectations are way up there.
1UP: The Northeast ain't exactly the hotbed of game development. Where are you finding your talent?
KL: Having a hit game makes recruitment a lot easier. I remember the early days of recruiting on System Shock 2, we'd get some pretty depressing resumes. But we're extremely selective. It took us ten years to build the team that made BioShock.
1UP: Which game are you most looking forward to playing in 2008, and what was your GOTY for 2007
KL: I may disappoint some people with this, but the game I'm looking forward to in 2008 is Smash Bros. Now that I finally managed to crack my way into Outland, I'm now psyched for the next WOW expansion. In terms of Best of '07; that's a tough one.
My friend Andrew Mayer, who's also a game designer, said that '07 was kind of like 1939 in Hollywood, when the nominees included Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and a bunch of other all-time classics. So, I'm gonna stay away from the traditional favorites here and go with J'eanne D'Arc on the PSP. That said, Portal was amazing, as was Rock Band, Galaxy and too many others to mention. What an insanely great year.
1UP: During E3, we caught you walking the streets of Santa Monica reading comic books-so we figure you're at least something of a fan. If you could turn any comic book into a videogame, which one would it be and how would you do it?
KL: I'd love to make a tactical RPG out of last summer's Marvel Civil War. I totally fanboi'd out on that one.
1UP: What was going through your head during the Gamecock incident at the VGAs? Since the incident, Gamecock has publicly apologized, but still, that must've been a bummer for you and your team.
KL: All I really gave a crap about was that the judges (who were all top journalists) chose us from the field. The rest is kind of gravy.
1UP: Still, it must have been a pretty exciting moment. What were you hoping to have a chance to say?
KL: I had a tireless, amazing team who was on a mission to make BioShock great. We didn't have 300 people or five years. We had an insane amount of passion. I'd like to thank the people who made it with me, the families that patiently waited while we did our thing, the publisher with the guts not to make us change it, and the fans who showed that gamers have a much broader range of interest and intellect than anybody in certain parts of the media or the political space is comfortable giving them credit for.
1UP: Grilling aside, what're your plans for the holidays?
KL: More Galaxy, more Rock Band, cracking open my newly arrived signed copy of Mass Effect (Thanks Ray and Greg!), more WOW, more Uncharted, more Call of Duty, more sleep.
|
