Unless you've been living under a rock, or some other overused expression that means the same thing, you may have heard of Irrational's 1999 Mode for Bioshock Infinite.
The so-called 1999 Mode is an attempt to bring back the challenge and difficulty of games released back in 1999—or in and around that period. It was back in the day when players had to conserve ammunition, pay proper care to the skills they chose to level up, or suffer the consequences of inattention. Games like Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Diablo 2, System Shock 2, and Deus Ex were of this generation of games.
Whether or not games have decreased in difficulty over the years is up for debate. Bioshock and its sequel were certainly on the easy side, but Dark Souls and Far Cry 2 serve to challenge that belief. Regardless, the concept of the 1999 Mode is laudable for what it offers.
In this article, I take a look at a number of rejected modes that Irrational Games held up for consideration and rejected for obvious reasons.
2009 Mode: Every action is a Quick Time Event.
2006 Mode: Every weapon is a DLC.
1993 mode: You can't look up or down.
1989 Mode: Game comes with a 2000-page manual and a code wheel for DRM.
1985 Mode: No saving, just passwords.
1983 Mode: The game is so bad the market crashes.
1972 Mode: You have to add various overlays to the screen to advance through the game.
1967 Mode: The game comes with a tab of acid that you'll have to ingest a half-hour before playing the game, which then bombards you with an array of wild colors and psychadelic music.
1965 Mode: In order to play, you have to sign up in advance for shared mainframe time at the university's computing office.
MacGyver Mode: Make the game from pieces of junk and some string.
Á La Mode: The game is topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Depeche Mode: The whole game is a reference Dave Gahan's struggle with drug abuse.
Big Bang Mode: If you wish to start a game from scratch, you must first invent the universe.
(Thanks @brunodion, @RowanKaiser, @Ludology, @tinysubversions, @HC_Jones, @Nintendo_Legend, @brodie_dg, @mkrpata, @Blastercast, @RDAwesome.)
