'All I can say right now is that 1999 is the year we released System Shock 2, our first game, so that's at least part of it,' Gardner said, laughing evilly. Either way, these improved controls will make your experience on the Von Braun a much more.

Nostrums - equivalent to gene tonics of previous BioShocks - will be permanent in the normal game modes and in 1999, but the effect on overall fighting style is what puts the hardcore in 1999.ġ999 Mode doesn't follow a separate narrative or setting, Gardner said, although he hinted there may be some surprises still to come. System Shock Infinite continues the story of System Shock 2. System Shock 2 comes from a golden age of PC gaming: after true 3D engines had arrived, but before the all-action shooter had shown the world the commercially safe thing to do with them. 'The second you pick up a sniper rifle, because you haven't been specializing in long-range weapons, you're going to be pretty gimped,' Gardner said.ġ999 Mode won't add any new abilities to enemies, but re-tunes the game with scarce resources, health and accuracy adjustments, and the ability-permanence handicap. After conducting a survey of BioShock-player preferences, Irrational decided 1999 Mode would add a layer of difficulty drawn from the hardcore structure of System Shock 2, particularly its permanent-upgrade mechanics.įor example, if you decide to upgrade a shotgun in BioShock Infinite's 1999 Mode, you're committing to a close-range play style for the rest of the game, Irrational Games Design Director Bill Gardner told Joystiq. Take sides in a three-way battle between SHODAN, the Many and Von Braun. Return to the game's climatic finale to discover that SHODAN's reality lives on.

Developed by Christine Schneider, some consider the mod an unofficial sequel or DLC campaign. Turns out BioShock Infinite's 1999 Mode isn't a parody of a Prince song, but was inspired by Irrational Games' classic PC title System Shock 2, which was released in - wait for it - 1999. System Shock Infinite is a fanmade mod for System Shock 2, containing elements of BioShock Infinite, one of the System Shock series successors.

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