As the most stubborn person alive, you've already dismissed BioShock's numerous awards and rapturous reception, chalking it up to a juvenile and easily swayed media. "They'll stick a ten on any old thing these days," you say, rolling your eyes at all the games-as-art debates arising in the first-person shooter's wake. The word-of-mouth may be exceedingly positive, but the word coming from your mouth is, "No."
"No, I'll play the demo first," you declare, "and then I'll make my decision." You flip your official and slightly unsavory Big Daddy calendar to the October page. "Ah, October 2nd. That's when the PlayStation 3 demo is due to arrive on the PlayStation Network!" You circle the date in one swift, confident stroke ... but suddenly feel a tinge of unease trickle down your spine.
"Wait a minute ... how did I know that? It's like ... someone else is putting these thoughts directly into my mind, dictating my very character from afar. Oh crap, was that a hyperlink?"
Well, that was easy. 2K Games has complied with our subliminal request that it release the PlayStation 3 version of sublime, submerged shooter BioShock in North America on October 21. There was some mental resistance to our suggestions of a worldwide release, however, so you international folks will just have to make do with October 24.
BioShock comes to the PlayStation 3 sporting the same aquatic utopia-turned-dystopia that made the game one of 2007's best, along with Trophies, a new "Survivor" difficulty level and challenge rooms, to be released as downloadable content "shortly after launch."
2K Games has announced a partnership with Dark Sector developer, Digital Extremes, to aid in the completion of the PlayStation 3 version of superb submerged shooter, BioShock. Digital Extremes is the fourth studio to join the project -- 2K Marin, 2K Australia and 2K Boston have already dove in -- and aims to give PS3 players a "fully optimized experience," complete with new features and content. And trophies, probably.
James Schmalz, CEO and founder of Digital Extremes, noted that the decision to work on the critically acclaimed project didn't even require a brain. "When 2K approached us to assist with development on BioShock for the PLAYSTATION 3 system, it was a no-brainer," he said. "You really can't ask for a more exciting, technically impressive world to work in than Rapture, and the incredible knowledge and talent between the 2K studios and our team at Digital Extremes is unprecedented." Apparently, when it launches this October, BioShock will make the PS3 "sing with Big Daddy goodness and Little Sister 'thank you's'."
While BioShock's October release on the PlayStation 3 may bring visual parity with versions already available, news from the official PlayStation blog teases that the upcoming descent into Rapture may come with a few unexpected surprises.
According to 2K Marin exec Alyssa Finley, the game is being handled by four different studios, with 2K Marin sharing kitchen space with 2K Australia, 2K Boston, and another mystery partner "with some outstanding PS3-specific coding chops." In addition, Finley notes that the devs at 2K Boston are currently banging out code for the version's "as-yet-unannounced components," while simultaneously refining the game's physics to take "maximum advantage" of the PS3's inner voodoo. All said, we're more than interested to see how this latest take on one of last year's landmark releases measures up, even as platform zealots prepare to sling mantra to the effect of 'my Big Daddy can beat up your Big Daddy!'
2K Games has released the first (teeny-tiny) round of images from BioShock on PS3, following up on this morning's official announcement of the game. And ... it looks like BioShock. On Xbox 360.
As mentioned in our previous post about the game's PS3 debut, developer 2K Marin is looking into ways to enhance the game for Sony's platform, but stopped short of providing any hard details. The latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly reports that the game essentially looks indistinguishable from the 360 original, and that the only "enhancements" at present are the plasmid additions and bug fixes that were pushed out to the 360 release via Xbox Live. 2K Marin has told EGM that it is working with Sony on more substantial enhancements, but at present they remain as murky as the sea enveloping Rapture.
During the month of Halloween, you PlayStation 3 owners will finally have the opportunity to wield blunt instruments and bludgeon a pack of masked weirdos. Especially if they're between you and a PS3 copy of BioShock, which has been slated for release in October.
Having wrenched free from its Xbox 360 and Windows exclusivity, the waterlogged dystopia sim hopes to win those Game of the Year awards all over again, especially with the aid of "new features and content that will make this a must-have game for its new audience, as well as for those who enjoyed it on the other platforms." We're not sure what developer 2K Marin plans to add, but we hope it's less upsetting than our idea of SixAxis-powered Little Sister shakin'.
As predictable as adapting moody, atmospheric shooter BioShock into a movie is – hell, if they're squeezing a mobile game out of the "franchise" a movie hardly seems far-fetched – we weren't quite expecting to hear that owner Take-Two is considering a BioShock MMO as well. (Also listed as an "MMOG/Online Gaming" opportunity: Civilization.)
Maybe Take-Two's just really into alliteration and thought the two extra Ms made slide 24 – titled "Potential Untapped Opportunities" – of chairman Strauss Zelnick's presentation at the 2008 Smid Cap Conference today that much more attractive? Or maybe it wanted to show shareholders that Take-Two has everything it needs to compete with the likes of EA in-house, including big-name brands that can be milked to exhaustion. Might we suggest sure-to-be-lucrative BioShock Big Daddy mittens ... or perhaps BioShock "Plasmid brand" malted milk balls ...
"Details seem like the hard work, they seem like they important part, but they're not your friend. They really just drag you down."
It's a surprising message from BioShock developer Ken Levine, who spoke this morning at the GDC. But despite how intricate his game was, he said that plotting details are (with a few exceptions) best left out. He says that the best storyteller is the one that might seem the most benign: The world.
"What is he engaged in all of the time? What's right there in his face? He's engaged in the world," he said.
Not content with manhandling the Spike VGAs, the BAFTA awards, the AP game of the year (and we're sure other acronym-determined awards), BioShock has dominated the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' list of nominees for the Interactive Achievement Awards, to be held at next month's D.I.C.E. Summit. The underwater corridor crawler racked up a reportedly "record-breaking" 12 nominations, with Call of Duty 4 bringing up a close second place.
Though we doubt the winners will be announced to the world via a lineup of bare-chested women (ahem), the IAAs will be hosted by Jay Mohr for the third year running and broadcast by both GameSpot and Comcast (through their video-on-demand service). Previous Game of the Year winners have included the GoWs, God of War and Gears of War.
If you've got a Big Daddy figure who's been suffering from Drill Dysfunction, you'll be happy to hear that we've heard from several tipsters that replacements for the figurines are being sent out, just four short months after the game was initially released. Not that you've forgotten, but you'll also be treated to the BioShock-themed art book "Breaking the Mold."
Sadly, you'll no longer be required to send in your old Big Daddy as verification that he was, indeed, a DD suffer. We say sadly because we can't shake the image of a broken-drilled Little Daddy staring out the window while your new one flies around the room with cries of "To infinity and beyond!" Let's try to remember who was in your hearts first and make him feel included, OK?
Digging through all the praise heaped upon BioShock, you're sure to scrape your nails across several repeated phrases such as "engaging," "gripping" and "atmospheric." Some have even said it's "pretty good." The most common one, however, is sure to be "cinematic," a term that places BioShock and Hollywood in rather close proximity. A reliable source within a major film production company has told Joystiq that the two have been getting along famously, with a movie adaptation of 2K's successful franchise already being discussed by the Big Daddies internally.
The studio hopes to bring the fallen aquatic utopia of Rapture to celluloid life through extensive use of green screen technology, an approach not dissimilar to Legendary Pictures' interpretation of 300. If the computer generated approach is deemed feasible and fitting, the focus can then shift to capturing BioShock's secondary (and uninhabited) characters. While it's not guaranteed to move beyond these early stages, this project has our full support, if only so we can see M. Night Shyamalan's face when he gets out-twisted.
Of course, the potential film would do well to remember that while it's desirable for a game to share traits with cinema, the opposite situation will likely earn a thumbs down from most critics.
Even without a game set inside its beautiful – and totally unnerving – halls, the underwater city of Rapture alone would almost be enough to earn a spot on our list. The design itself told the story of a failed utopia, an underwater art-deco Eden gone sour. The pools of water and rusted metal juxtaposed with the bright neon signs and period music immediately set the tone and helped deliver one of the most memorable environments in video games or, dare we say, any entertainment field.
But of course, it wasn't just Rapture and the story of Andrew Ryan's failed utopia: it was BioShock, the spiritual successor to the System Shock series, and upon its late summer release, it held us, and the entire gaming world, in ... well, rapture.
And what a game! We think back to the epic battles with the gargantuan, golem-like Big Daddys and how often we stood motionless, waiting for the sometimes gentle caretakers to pass by peacefully. And let's not forget about their wards, the Little Sisters. When it was time to fight, upon winning you're presented with the macabre and more than a little unnerving choice of whether or not to kill a little girl. Is this choice essentially meaningless? Is every Little Sister an identical model and voice, removing much of their humanity and in turn the difficulty of your decision? Regrettably, the answers are "yes" and "yes".
Though we may not remember each and every Little Sister we saved, we do remember that one. And that's far more than most video games allow.
If you made it to the end of the Spike VGAs (and you weren't being paid to live blog it), we're not sure if we should be proud of you or pity you. You did, however, get to see one of the more interesting parts of the evening when Gamecock staffers (complete with red capes and combs) stormed the game of year award acceptance speech. It would have been funny, except the award was being accepted by the well-respected and liked Ken Levine for BioShock.
A day later, the company perhaps realized that it wasn't the smartest attention grab, with boss Mike Wilson telling us "the award acceptance they interrupted was the LAST one we would have wanted to interrupt, ("most addictive game fueled by mountain dew" would have been a wonderful choice) as we have the utmost respect and love for BioShock and all who were involved in it, and it totally sucks that Ken Levine didn't get to speak after making such a fantastic game." You can watch the video above to determine for yourself if Gamecock stepped over the line, just be aware: The video features near nudity, because the winners of all the awards were painted on actual naked women.
