BioShock 2 PC widescreen support patch available now

by Griffin McElroy on Feb 23rd 2010 3:40PM

Folks who elected to resubmerge themselves into the world of Rapture using a computer have had to suffer a pretty serious display issue -- due to a last minute bug fix, the PC version of BioShock 2 shipped without proper widescreen monitor support. The game would simply slap a letterbox on the 4:3 display, limiting the player's field of view. Fortunately, a patch released today adds 16:9 and 16:10 resolution support to the game's repertoire, meaning you'll finally be able to see that Splicer that's been creeping alongside you for the past few days.

The patch also fixes an issue in which "holding the M1 button would not register in Multiplayer gameplay," which sounds equally serious. Those are the only two fixes in the available update; however, 2K community manager Elizabeth Tobey promises "a larger, more extensive patch" is currently in the works.

[Via Videogamer]

Source

Tags: 2k-games, 2k-marin, bioshock-2, display, monitor, patch, support, update, widescreen

Reader Comments (48)

Didn't the original Bioshock have the exact same problem at launch?

No, I think it had widescreen but it was just the 4:3 view cropped, when games do that it feels like tunnel vision and defeats the main benefit to having widescreen.

Its pretty pathetic that a game launched in 2010 without widescreen support. Id be pissed if I bought this for PC and had to use 4:3.

Yeah the original just chopped the top and bottom of the 4:3 veiw to make a 'widescreen' (Thats also how they butchered the original transformers movie to make a 'widescreen version, thank god they included the normal movie too). They should have extended it to the left and right instead, so it was eventually patched.

...and that's exactly what happened again. The widescreen modes existed but were made by cropping the 4:3 image. Which isn't wrong by itself, but not what a lot of gamers wanted.

Isn't Borderlands for the PC like this as well, I always feel like im looking through a can when I play Borderlands.

I don't get why people complain about this. It seems like people are just taking the wide-screen movie argument ("You see more with in the wide-screen version") and applying it to games without thinking about if it actually makes sense.

Even in movies, that argument isn't quite right. The real argument isn't "I have a wide screen so I deserve to see more than those standard-def suckers", it's "The director intended for this to be seen in 16:9, so that how I want to see it." This is why many film-buffs prefer to watch the 4:3 cuts of Stanley Kubrick's films, since a lot of them were originally shot in 4:3, and were cropped for the theatrical release. (That's right, you actually see *less* in the wide-screen versions!)

So if the developers think that the game is most atmospheric with a 45-degree field of view, then that's how wide it should be for all monitors!

That is one patient Splicer.

Isn't this exactly what happened with the first Bioshock PC and it took months of shouting to get fixed?

Back then it was "artistic presentation".

In 2010, if they can't get widescreen support figured out on a supposed AA(A?) title, then it needs a delay. It's that simple. There's no reason it should have been released in that state.

Seriously, I think developers are using the ease of distributing patches as a crutch when developing games.

haha man game publishers just don't give a s#!t about the PC anymore.

Agreed.

Not seeing how you get that out of fixing a bug for the PC VERSION.

Sure, it happened in the first, but at least they fixed it. Shows they care, not the other way around, dumbass.

Valve, Bioware, and Blizzard say otherwise. =D

Hey LordPoncho, I appreciate the name-calling and all. Really classy.

My point is just that this is a pretty big issue, and it happened with the first game, and somehow it happened again. Like...come on.

For an example on the console version...I believe Dead Rising's small text vs. Dead Rising 2 ALREADY going out of the way to say "the small text issue will be resolved".

I think that's a good example. And of course they fixed it. They probably just sent out the same patch they did for the first game...haha

Is that why PC has the most third party developers? Because they don't give a shit about it? Because they do not have to lose money on royalties when developing on PC?

Patching a game within 2 weeks of its release says they don't care, especially when it took some months to patch the first game? If patching a game quickly says they don't care, then does that mean they completely loathe the PC by releasing the sequel on there?

I would rather be mad then to be wrong.

If using common sense makes a person mad, then so help me god, I'd be mad 24/7.

Yeah, that movie is so not going to blow chunks, and even if it does, we can always rely on a flawless and down to the cartoon sequel in case the first one sucks.

lol how do you ship a game without widescreen in the year 2010

Release it on PC.

Read again. They did support widescreen. It's just that the widescreen modes did not have a wider field-of-view than the 4:3 mode, which is a valid design decision. If the game didn't have a 4:3 mode and worked as-is in widescreen, no-one would have ever reported a problem.

I stopped playing this game on 360 because of a game breaking bug in single player. I managed to lock a certain boss out of a room. So I'm stuck in this room and can't progress until that boss dies, but he's locked safely in the next room. And my last save was 3 hours before that. I don't feel like playing that 3 hours again, so I've just put the game down and I might pick it back up if they address it in the patch (I've read of a few others running into it too). The game is ripe with bugs.

Well, for starters...shame on you for not saving more frequently. 3 hours is a long time for ANY GAME (heck, it's an eternity when doing stuff with anything computer related)

Also, bite the bullet and reload the last save file. Learn from you mistakes, pay the price, and move on.

Cant you blow yourself up and respawn somewhere recent?

Had an issue on the 360 version where some annoying loud dramatic music kept looping over and over (I think it was intended to play once when I entered some area). It wouldn't stop until I reached a loading screen

It wasn't a bug per se for me, but I had a bit of dramatic music going over and over again at one point because I had apparently triggered it to start but was exploring a bit rather than going to the goal that the dramatic music actually went with. Annoying. And kinda atmosphere spoiling.

It also bothers me how quickly the game gives you, "Press M to get a hint" if you so much as take the time to look around a room.

What a RIDICULOUS Bug =P

More like 2005. I got a widescreen monitor back when widescreen started to gain major ground and become the new standard, its a 2005 model. A lot of games started supporting widescreen by then, the only high profile game that quite literally refused to support widescreen was Battlefield 2, DICE said it would be cheating if they enabled widescreen because widescreen users would see more than 4:3 users (yes CHEATING, they said that, that was their official reason, Im not making that up).

They really should be embarrassed for releasing this without widescreen. Its 2010 for gods sake.

I think some here misunderstand the issue. You could play the game in 16:9 or 16:10, but it would just take the 4:3 image and crop it down, and so you would lose viewing space.

This patch will take the 4:3 image and then add viewing space to the sides, making it a true widescreen image, not a "fake" widescreen by cropping down a 4:3.

Here's a screenshot to illustrate. (from Bioshock 1 BTW)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bioshock_widescreen.jpg

I think its ridiculous that they cut out 360 controller support from the game, considering it is a Games for Windows LIVE title, this is the 1st I believe to cut out 360 controller support. Their excuse was BS, just make two GUIs for keyboard/mouse and a gamepad. Not all PC gamers play all the time on a desk, they connect to TVs too! I guess the 3rd party modders will fix that.

and another reason why GFWL is still balls.

Oh MS promised it would be all good in W7, but here we are with another title not conforming to GFWL rules.

@nerdydesi
You call yourself a PC gamer and yet you want to play FPSs with a gamepad? What is wrong with you?

I play with BOTH. : )

I'm playing 16:9 and didn't even notice a problem to begin with, or notice that the game looked any different after today's patch. Must not be a hxc widescreen gamer or something.

There was no real problem. With the patch, you're going to get a slightly wider field-of-view, which may or may not be that noticeable to you. In both cases, you had a proper widescreen display.

I also remember that FEAR 2 and Mirror's Edge on the PC had it where you forced to play in a 16:9 viewing field. Even if you played on a 4:3 monitor, the game automatically cropped to a 16:9 aspect ratio. It was fixed later but still absolutely ridiculous.

I bought this and played in 1680x1050 without any problems. Wasn't stretched either...
I don't understand what the problem was

It wasn't stretching a 4:3 image to make widescreen to begin with. It was chopping off the top and bottom of a 4:3 image to make widescreen instead of adding more viewing area to the left and right, meaning you had less viewing area than a 4:3 TV/monitor. Nerdydesis link above you shows how they did the same thing in original Bioshock.

It's pretty amazing how long the patch takes to download, compared to the average Xbox Live patch. Same general interface, different experience.

So 2k still suks eh?
Im glad I spent only $5 on bioshock. Mouse controls were atrocious.

I honestly find it difficult to believe that t's 2010 and a state-of-the-art game was released last week that doesn't support widescreen monitors.

Developers need to stop doing this shit to widescreen PC gamers (most of us). Do a PROPER widescreen resolution without cropping the view, or GTFO.

Since I can't reply to the posts regarding controller support...

I'm hoping they renege and bring that in next. It was fine on mouse/keyboard, but I played BioShock on 360 and really missed having a controller to play it.

How is the multiplayer component of this game ? Is it CoD4-ish or more of a GTA type, mode oriented gameplay ? Is their any character progression, levelling up, etc. I wanna buy this game, but holding back since I didn't finish the first game ! :(

It's COD4-ish, leveling up unlocks things like weapons, plasmids, gene tonics, and accessories for your character. There are also trials which when accomplished contribute toward your leveling up.

Do any of you actually play with widescreen?

This problem wasn't even noticeable, and isn't really deserving of vitriol.

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BioShock 2 PC widescreen support patch available now

Reader Comments (48)

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