Bioshock demo now available on Xbox Live [Update]

155 Comments by Jared Rea Aug 12th 2007 10:18PM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

Not that it needs much explanation outside of the headline, but a demo for Bioshock is now available on Xbox Live, weighing in at a modest 1.35 GB. The demo was released alongside the televised launch trailer, as seen above. GameTrailers has the commercial in HD, should you want to enjoy each and every pixel of it.

Completing the sudden onslaught of Bioshock goodness is the latest episode of the Major Nelson podcast, appropriately titled, "The one about the Bioshock demo," starring Ken Levine of Irrational Games. We wish you luck, dear readers, as both Xbox Live and Major Nelson's site are being positively crushed by our collective downloading might.

Bioshock ships out to retailers on August 21st.

[Update - For those in search of a PC demo, the official site says that one is "in the works and will be out later this month" and that further details will be issued tomorrow. Thanks, faceless coward!]

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Tags: bioshock, breakingnews, xboxlive

Source

(Page 1) Reader Comments

SIP YEK NOD: Aug 12th 2007; 10:24PM

it started out blazingly fast, but has now slowed, and i am slowly creeping through the 30% range. i suspect by the point in which my download has completed, the entire intrarwebs will have screetched to a complete halt, all our tubes stuffed with the magnificence that is bioshock.

Todd: Aug 13th 2007; 2:27AM

That seems to be the universal case. I started downloading an hour ago (or so) and have only managed to snag 26% of the demo. I was hoping to play tonight, but I fear this one will have to wait for tomorrow night (hopefully!).

Fierce360: Aug 12th 2007; 10:27PM

where is my personal thanks guys? come on now.

Jared Rea: Aug 12th 2007; 10:37PM

Yeah, thanks to you and the other 10 or so people who woke me up from my nap. It's Sunday. That's nap day.

Now I'm cranky :(

DWells55: Aug 13th 2007; 3:22AM

No credit for you, Fierce. Apparently a bunch of people submitted this, so they're not going to list everyone individually. ;P

Anyways, I'm still waiting for this darn thing to download. Having a fast connection doesn't mean a thing when tons and tons of other people are all mauling the same server simultaneously.

kagai: Aug 12th 2007; 10:28PM

I wish I didn't have to sell my 360 a couple of months ago...hopefully, when the 65nm systems come out I can repurchase it, along with Bioshock! :.(

Mabui: Aug 12th 2007; 10:38PM

One more reason to buy a 360! Coming soon!

NukeAssault: Aug 12th 2007; 10:39PM

OMG DOWNLOADING NOWS! >_

Visionz08: Aug 12th 2007; 10:39PM

Downloading right now....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SeriousKriss: Aug 12th 2007; 10:40PM

When is the PC demo coming out?

curtis estridge: Aug 12th 2007; 10:41PM

WOOT cant wait to play it next week when its done downloading!!!

Kevin Larrabee: Aug 12th 2007; 10:42PM

XBOX Live has officially crashed. And I was at 90%!!!

BananaBoat: Aug 12th 2007; 10:43PM

The marketplace is down! I can't believe that the BIOSHOCK demo could do it. It didn't even crash for Halo 3 Beta!

ExMcloud: Aug 12th 2007; 10:44PM

ZOMG oh teh awesome....Download NOW!!!

Truepatriot: Aug 12th 2007; 10:46PM

its going blazing fast for me im at 2%!!1
/lie

BananaBoat: Aug 12th 2007; 10:48PM

It's back up! Praise be to Peter Moore! I mean...uhh...J Allard? Meh

Gross Greg: Aug 12th 2007; 10:55PM

Slow...

jynxycat: Aug 12th 2007; 10:56PM

it may be done downloading by the time the 21st comes around :l

rivaldi22: Aug 12th 2007; 10:58PM

I wish I didn't have so much work to finish before I can play this.

Curse my local Gastroenterology clinic and their heavy Friday patient loads!

Now that I think of it, I'll be done with everything I have to do before I die (including drawing up a will,) before it's finished.

So, basically, Hakuna Matata.

Project Ekim: Aug 12th 2007; 11:04PM

Everything is back up and running took them 7 minutes to fix jeese i could of died in that time

Myth009: Aug 12th 2007; 11:05PM

this game should be comin to ps3 soon!! i hope, it looks amazing!! same tging with elder scrolls!! 2k said it wouldnt then they released it on ps3!!

Zeus the God: Aug 13th 2007; 3:23AM

Elder Scrolls wasn't made by 2K, douche bag, it was made by Bethesda Softworks. Even if 2K had anything to do with the game, it was Bethesda's decision to do so anyway... Oh and fat chance getting this game- Windows and Xbox exclusive... SORRY! (board game)

Gregory Kimball: Aug 12th 2007; 11:08PM

Damn vidya game is clogging up all of them internet tubes. Ted Stevens is gonna have to wait days for his emails to arrive.

BananaBoat: Aug 12th 2007; 11:10PM

They're really breaking out the fat pipes for this download. I'm pulling in a MASSIVE 80 kb/s. This thing will be done downloading by the time my hair turns grey.

Arturo: Aug 12th 2007; 11:12PM

30% downloaded so far

Intellectualdiot: Aug 12th 2007; 11:15PM

Well, I guess I'll go turn on Adult Swim. I'm getting positively thrashed by this download. It's a good thing I downloaded the (surprisingly wonderful) Stranglehold Demo earlier this morning.

faceless coward: Aug 12th 2007; 11:19PM

Oh damn. I want to play BioShock so badly. I suppose it is for the best that I do not have an Xbox 360, considering that I have to finish Tess of the d'Urbervilles tonight and I still have about 15 tedious chapters to go.

faceless coward: Aug 12th 2007; 11:25PM

"For those of you who are looking for a BioShock demo on the PC, it is in the works and will be out later this month. I'll give you more details about it tomorrow." -from the Cult of Rapture website

Unless "later this month" means before August 21st, that means I'll be playing the full game without playing the demo first.

rivaldi22: Aug 12th 2007; 11:26PM

I would say something like, "Oh noes, my internets taste like slow!"

But it's actually trickling into my hard drive quite rapidly. Every time I look back, a bunch of Percents have been Completed!

LordMinogue: Aug 12th 2007; 11:27PM

I love these demos, they help me separate the wheat from the chaff before the game is even out! Keep em' coming!

Ace121212: Aug 12th 2007; 11:31PM

Downloading it now. That trailer is epic.

phattie: Aug 12th 2007; 11:32PM

How big is the download?

rivaldi22: Aug 12th 2007; 11:34PM

Bigger than your avatar.

cc123: Aug 12th 2007; 11:34PM

1.35 GB

Zeus the God: Aug 13th 2007; 3:06AM

Doesn't matter. A Halo fanboy like you wouldn't like a good game- or a good demo for that matter.

DWells55: Aug 13th 2007; 5:34AM

Zeus, as someone who plays Halo 2 every day for multiple hours a day, I have to take offense to your comment. I'm looking forward to trying out this demo once the download finishes, and I also enjoy a lot of other games. While I admit that Halo 2 does consume most of my gaming time, I definitely know what makes a good game and enjoy playing them.

clarkestar: Aug 12th 2007; 11:36PM

I'm currently at 50% complete and have been downloading for almost 20minutes, which isn't too shabby.

Anyone downloaded and played it yet?

Sir_Mal: Aug 12th 2007; 11:37PM

WHY IS MY XBOX BROKEN? ;_;

Curse you, red ring rico!

tlozwarlock: Aug 12th 2007; 11:38PM

What a lousy time to be a victim of the RRoD.

My 360 bricks FOR THE THIRD TIME RUNNING before the most anticipated game launch of 2007 (ok, outside of Halo 3) and now I learn that I could be playing it now...instead, I have to wait on Microsoft to send me that return-shippable box.

At least I still got my PS3 and its hot new game...

...

...

Chicken Egg Popper Puzzle Palace...or whatever it's called.

Neebs: Aug 12th 2007; 11:50PM

The trailer was pretty badass, I hope my friend is off work so I can mooch playing the demo off his Xbox.

Moofree: Aug 12th 2007; 11:52PM

12% and counting... after about an hour.
What will come first... sleep or bioshock demo?

Xbox live has become xbox dead.

rom: Aug 13th 2007; 12:04AM

I love your avatar, brings back memories. I think I still have my copy of Skullmonkeys sitting downstairs somewhere. I should play that while I wait for my 360 to come home from repair.

Moofree: Aug 13th 2007; 12:40AM

I still have my copy of The Neverhood... That game is so fun. But it's definitely one of the hardest games I've ever played. (despite there being only one way to lose)
I still have a notebook of notes around here somewhere.

Now Skullmonkeys... I've played that once at a video game store years ago. I don't remember what I thought of it...

rom: Aug 13th 2007; 12:55AM

You dastard! lol... I've never played The Neverhood since it's a hard game to find, but I've always wanted to. I should see if I can find it in an Abandon ware site or something.

Moofree: Aug 13th 2007; 1:04AM

If you do find it (i just found it on a cursory glance of some torrent trackers usenet) make sure you install the XP patch. http://www.momoshare.com/file.php?file=64b1f922694c7f152d0896f861d6b496
Put that DLL in neverhood's folder, and hex edit the neverhood EXE to use it. Instructions are included.

Without this, there are random problems saving on XP (and maybe win 2000?), it has to do with Neverhood saving games to the registry...
Losing your saved game would suck, so use that patch :)
Discussion here http://tennapel.nomoretangerines.com/viewtopic.php?p=101643

rom: Aug 13th 2007; 1:15AM

Wow man, Thanks for the info! Now I'm off to get my mitts on this game.

Thanks again!

Leo: Aug 12th 2007; 11:53PM

No PC demo D: ?

Moofree: Aug 13th 2007; 12:42AM

Yeah! Let fileplanet and a bunch of mirrors take the bandwidth hit!
Maybe I could get some sleep tonight then! ;P

cc123: Aug 12th 2007; 11:54PM

Word of advice for the people downloading right now, if you see anybody tell you that pulling the ethernet cord and then plugging it back in will get the dl going faster don't do it!

I went from 21% to 16% with this...bah