Irrational Games “From The Vault”, May Edition

This month’s “From the Vault” feature on the official Irrational Games website actually contains scans of the original booklet used to pitch the idea of BioShock to publishers. Interestingly enough, it sounds as though they intended for the game to be more of an action RPG than it turned out to be:

BioShock is the spiritual successor to System Shock 2, 1999’s game of the year. Irrational Games, the creators of Shock 2 and Freedom Force are about to introduce the definitive interactive world simulation. Harnessing the key minds behind Thief, System Shock 2, and Freedom Force, as well as the rendering powerhouse that is the Unreal Warfare engine, Irrational is poised to re-invent the first person action RPG.

BioShock is a modern day nightmare of the terrifying nexus between religious fanaticism and unbounded science. The player must come to grips with the remnants of a dangerous cult and the technological and biological horrors they’ve created in their giant underground and undersea complex that lies beneath the sands of a seemingly deserted island.