If you’re a fan of the older days of videogames when games were less forgiving than they are now, you’re on Irrational Games’ radar. The developer announced today that they’re including a “1999 Mode” in their upcoming Bioshock Infinite.
Irrational say that Bioshock Infinite’s 1999 Mode will feature difficulty tweaks that won’t be present in the game’s regular mode. The most notable change is that 1999 Mode will have more permanent consequences based on your choices, and if you make a bad choice that makes your game harder, you’ll have to live with it.
Resource planning is an important part of 1999 Mode. You’ll need to plan resources and develop combat specializations effectively to survive. Any weapon you possess will be “useless” unless you have the specialization pertaining to it. Difficulty has been ramped up, too, and there are changes to player health as well.
Irrational Games Creative Director, Ken Levine, says that 1999 Mode is a nod to the company’s oldest and most committed fans that allows them to re-visit the developer’s roots, and also a feature for “old school gamers” like himself.
Bioshock Infinite takes place in 1912 in a floating steampunk-esque city named Columbia, where two factions are at war for control. You start the game out on a mission to rescue a woman named Elizabeth who has been held captive in Columbia since she was a child. She’ll be your companion in the game.
Bioshock Infinite is slated for release in 2012 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
