BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Ep 2 plays nice in '1998' difficulty mode

If BioShock Infinite's gruelling 1999 Mode is too easy for a grizzled face-shooter such as yourself, why not take on an extra challenge? The second episode of its Burial at Sea DLC will introduce a new difficulty switch, 1998 Mode, where Elizabeth can only use non-lethal tools.

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If BioShock Infinite's gruelling 1999 Mode is too easy for a grizzled face-shooter such as yourself, why not take on an extra challenge? The second episode of its Burial at Sea DLC will introduce a new difficulty switch, 1998 Mode, where Elizabeth can only use non-lethal tools.

"In Burial at Sea - Episode Two we put a focus on balance and stealth mechanics," creative director Ken Levine said in today's announcement. "As we were developing this new style of gameplay, we started to see people self-impose non-lethal playthroughs. Given the fan reception of 1999 Mode, we thought it would be cool to give them another way to play Burial at Sea that challenged their mastery of stealth tools."

1998 Mode can be played on any difficulty setting, and even together with 1999. If 1999 Mode was a reference to the year System Shock 2 launched, then 1998 must be, uhh, an early build of SS2 before any weapons were added?

The second half of Burial at Sea will bring back all manner of beloved Rapture figures on March 25. It's Irrational's swansong before the studio is hacked down and all but 15 members laid off.

From The Chatty
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    February 27, 2014 11:30 AM

    Alice O'Connor posted a new article, BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Ep 2 plays nice in '1998' difficulty mode.

    If BioShock Infinite's gruelling 1999 Mode is too easy for a grizzled face-shooter such as yourself, why not take on an extra challenge? The second episode of its Burial at Sea DLC will introduce a new difficulty switch, 1998 Mode, where Elizabeth can only use non-lethal tools.

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      February 27, 2014 11:38 AM

      [deleted]

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        February 27, 2014 11:55 AM

        yeah, there were times in BaS when I felt like a cashier in a store that only accepts payment in bullets

        there you go, sir, two shotgun shells and five mahine gun rounds in change

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      February 27, 2014 11:39 AM

      1999 mode in Burial at Sea Ep. 1 seemed completely different from 1999 mode in the main game. I finished it in BI but gave up quickly in the DLC. Ammo wasn't just rare, it seemed non-existent. I probably just lacked the precision to succeed, but it was more frustrating than challenging for me.

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        February 27, 2014 11:43 AM

        [deleted]

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          February 27, 2014 11:52 AM

          I cleaned out rooms, emptied every container and still didn't have enough ammo to deal with many enemies. I tried sneaking around enemies but their paths rarely left any openings, and then you'd run into a forced encounter which attracted every guy I just avoided. Or I died and had to retry an encounter because I couldn't save.

          Kudos to you for getting through that. I ragequit pretty early.

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      February 27, 2014 11:40 AM

      duh, i just got it. 1999 mode = system shock 2. 1998 mode = thief.

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        February 27, 2014 5:29 PM

        Thief crossed my mind, but it does have murdering! You kind of suck at it, but still.

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      February 27, 2014 11:40 AM

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      February 27, 2014 11:33 PM

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      February 27, 2014 11:35 PM

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