The Rise, Fall, Death, and Rebirth of the Immersive Sim

Channel:

Charlatan Wonder

Subscribers:

190,000

Published on December 14, 2019 3:00:15 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=449X0393m7w

Game:

System Shock 2 (1999)

Duration: 1:41:46

633,275 views

22,463

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Immersive sims are some of the best video game out there: System Shock, Bioshock, Thief, Dishonored, and a ton of others like “best PC game of all time” Deus Ex. Immersive sims come from a small family of game developers, most of which stemmed from Origin Systems or Looking Glass/Irrational games under the direction of gaming icons such as Warren Spector, Ken Levine, and Raphael Colontiano. Nearly all subsequent studios can trace their staff back to these studios and creators which is absolutely surreal.

Despite being a category of games that have a penchant for sweeping game awards shows and being nothing less than Iconic (we are still making Deus Ex memes nearly 20 years since it came out, aren’t we?) the immersive sim has had some rough patches and creating them is a long, hard process that can eat studios alive. Just look at what happened to poor Troika Games when they made Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. Most studios that make immersive sims tend to fold on themselves but the devs that make them always get back together to make more great games.

So what will become of Immersive Sims and the future of great games? Well, while the last few years haven’t been kind with the Deus Ex sequel cancelled, the system shock reboot rebooted, and the promising Atomic Heart being locked in turmoil, the future is full of hope. Within the next couple years we’re getting Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, System Shock 3, Bioshock 3 (or is it Bioshock 4? Game series naming conventions can get weird), and whatever the heck Ken Levine has been working on for the last 6 years. The only way for us to know is to stay tune, and play the games.

Here’s a list of all the games that are featured in this video with links to standalone videos I’ve done on them if you’d like to learn more about that game in particular. I’ll be updating this list as I make more videos so be sure to check this list every now and again to see what’s new:

Prey (2017) - Arkane Studios, 2017
https://youtu.be/U-OF9-U32SI

Deus Ex - Ion Storm, 2000
(coming soon)

Bioshock - Irrational Games, 2007 (2016 remaster)
https://youtu.be/AtQ200GC0GA

Bonus video on the cancelled Bioshock movie https://youtu.be/ymwzpoCfZPk

System Shock 2 - Looking Glass Studios/Irrational Games, 1999
https://youtu.be/7ZtAw6ilQaY

Thief: Deadly Shadows - Ion Storm/Eidos, 2004
(coming soon)

Underworld Ascendant - Otherside Entertainment, 2018
(coming soon)

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - Troika Games, 2004
https://youtu.be/yxeVoV43bD0

Thief (2014 Pseudo-reboot) - Eidos Montreal, 2014
https://youtu.be/e4XIi9RW6ag

Dishonored - Arkane Studios, 2012
https://youtu.be/e4XIi9RW6ag

Bioshock 2 - 2K Marin, 2010
https://youtu.be/5cKnRwwFsM0

System Shock - Origin Systems/Night Dive, 1994 (using 2015 enhanced editon by Night Dive)
(coming soon)

Ultima Underworld: The Stgyian Abyss - Origin Systems/Blue Sky Productions, 1992
(coming soon)

E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy - Struem-on Studios, 2011
(coming soon)

Bioshock Infinite - Irrational Games, 2013
https://youtu.be/6L2kdpVNgnA (okay I’ve made A LOT of videos on Bioshock Infinite)

Dark Messiah: Of Heroes of Might and Magic - Arkane Studios, 2006
(coming soon)

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Eidos Montreal, 2016
(coming soon)

Thief - Looking Glass Studios, 1998
(coming soon)

Thief II: The Metal Age - Looking Glass Studios, 2000
(coming soon)

Deus Ex: Invisible War - Ion Storm, 2003
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3vfsyFXSVg

Arx Fatalis - Arkane Studios, 2002
(coming soon)

The Outer Worlds - Obsidian Entertainment, 2019
(coming soon)

System Shock Reboot (demo) - Night Dive Studios, 2016
(coming soon)

Dishonored 2 - Arkane Studios, 2016
(coming soon)

Bioshock 2: Minerva's Den Expansion - 2K Marin, 2010
https://youtu.be/K7wKTy5XxtM

Pathologic 2 - Ice Pick Lodge, 2019
https://youtu.be/8wXYU5gyAP4

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