Irrational announces, details BioShock Infinite's 1999 mode

Irrational's announced and detailed something called 1999 mode for BioShock Infinite.

The new mode will challenge players in ways that will require a fair bit of skill, and with it come "permanent consequences of in-game decisions" that will be "unforgiving".

Those who do play 1999 mode will get tweaks and features unavailable in a normal playthrough. Miser Levine reckons the new mode will allow old-school players to "go back to our roots."

"I’m an old school gamer. We wanted to make sure we were taking into account the play styles of gamers like me," said Irrational's creative head.

"So we went straight to the horse’s mouth by asking them, on our website, a series of questions about how they play our games. 94.6% of respondents indicated that upgrade choices enhanced their BioShock gameplay experience; however, 56.8% indicated that being required to make permanent decisions about their character would have made the game even better."

BioShock Infinite launches later this year for PS3, 360 and PC.

A teaser image of Elizabeth was released today as well, and it's posted below.