Get Back to Basics…
Throughout the course of the series, many mechanical innovations were added to the BioShock games, with varying degrees of success.
Few would argue that the introduction of dual-wielding in Bioshock 2 was anything short of fantastic. The ability to fire off both plasmids and firearms at the same time was incredibly satisfying, and actually one of the reasons I find the original game harder to return to.
Less popular was the introduction of a rechargeable shield in the third iteration. It might seem innocuous enough at first glance but it fundamentally changes how the game is played.
Suddenly firefights were more reminiscent of Halo than of earlier BioShock games, and you could simply duck behind cover to recharge your shields, lessening the importance of resource management.
This makes encounters far less engaging and takes away some of the elation you would feel when finding that all-important restorative item after or during a big fight. Immersive sim games can be hard to define, but few would disagree that scrounging through bins and cupboards are an important and essential aspect of them.
