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Rumor: BioShock movie murmurs in Hollywood
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. %Gallery-3725% %Gallery-6604%
Rumor: Rapture will fall in BioShock prequel
Over the weekend, Czech gaming website Hrej.cz claimed that their 2K insider told them that a sequel to BioShock is already in pre-production by an unnamed 2K studio (2K Czech?) and is on track to release Summer 2009. Which isn't all that surprising seeing that BioShock has earned like, what, 328 GOTY awards. But that isn't all. Hrej.cz then claimed that the BioShock sequel isn't really a sequel per say and will instead be a prequel with a storyline based on events that occur prior to Rapture's eventual fall. This would allow players to experience the glamorous life of Rapture prior to everyone going crazy.So what does 2K Games have to say about this latest BioShock prequel rumor? Well, not too much. In a response to Videogamer.com, a 2K spokesperson told them that they have "nothing to announce at all" which sounds eerily similar to Microsoft's stance on rumors. We'll just have to wait a bit longer for official details (or more concrete rumors), but we'll be the first to raise our hand and tell 2K that a BioShock prequel not only sounds interesting, but is pretty much the only place you can take the story. Bring it on![Via Joystiq]Read - Hrej.cz's BioShock prequel rumorRead - 2K Games' response to the rumor
Joystiq's Top 10 of 2007: BioShock
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.%Gallery-3725% And the lie goes to... ->
Take-Two opens 2K Marin, former BioShock devs reportedly on staff
Following last month's rumors which saw former 2K Boston BioShock developers starting a new studio in California, Take-Two has officially announcing the formation of 2K Marin. And that's pretty much all the company had to say. Take-Two fed a standard line that the new studio will focus on creating original intellectual property, but will also help in other established 2K brands.The terse announcement of 2K Marin's formation will be followed up with game announcements early next year according to insiders we've spoken to, most likely on or before GDC in February. Aside from knowing that 2K Marin exists, everything is still hush-hush.
2K to toss their own boxing game into the ring
Looks like Wii Sports: Boxing and Victorious Boxers aren't going to be the only sources for some boxing action on the Wii, as 2K Sports is set to bring Don King Presents: Prizefighter to the Wii. Venom Games will be taking up development duties. You might remember them from other boxing games Rocky and Rocky Legends.Don King had a couple of things to say regarding the game, stating "In all my years working in professional boxing, I have never seen anything come as close to recreating the thrill, the intensity, the courage and the spectacle of the sport." He goes on further to say it is "more than a game -- it is a glimpse at what life is like in and out of the ring for these incredible athletes."The game is currently slated for a release of spring 2008.[Via Joystiq]
BioShock patch, free DLC due next week
The Cult of Rapture has posted an update regarding the status of the, erm, update scheduled to seep into your PC and Xbox 360 copies of aquatic anarchy sim, BioShock. A patch (or "title update," as the Xbox Live euphemism goes) is expected to arrive next week, bringing with it free but as yet unspecified downloadable content. The undersea DLC will be bundled with the PC patch's TLC, and should be easy to see (provided you're not still on PCP) via the Xbox Live Marketplace. Expect to read an exuberant and overwrought post on this very website as soon as we ascertain the nature of the mysterious downloadable content. New plasmids? Likely! Goomba skins for Big Daddies? Decidedly not.[Thanks, DiddlyKong]
BioShock creators form spinoff Bay Area studio
Upon completing BioShock, Irrational Games was transformed into a lumbering Big Daddy 2K Boston and 2K Australia, and now, according to an altered job posting (preserved in Google's cache), a third corporate entity has spun from the crew: 2K Novato? As yet unnamed, the new studio formed by "some of the creators of the award-winning BioShock" (not Ken Levine) is setting up shop in the Bay Area and hungry for a Lead Animator with at least 8 years of experience. Meanwhile, 2K Boston is still hiring artists for its next project, which is bound for Xbox 360 and PC -- additional job postings call for PS3 familiarity. Many of the listings cite Unreal Engine experience as an advantage, suggesting that 2K Boston will continue to work with Epic's engine on what will likely be the next installment in the "BioShock franchise" (more like the 'Shock series). Deep space has been done before (twice), and the deep sea tackled most recently -- where to next?
Oblivion gets final DLC next week: Fighter's Stronghold
But you'd better get it while it's still free. Bethesda has announced the final bit of downloadable content for its latest time-swallowing RPG, Oblivion. Entitled "Fighter's Stronghold," it gives fighter characters a spiffy new castle to lounge around in. Within this castle, players can upgrade the furnishings, find the secret treasure vault, hire a taxidermist to create trophies, and much more. Players can even hire a vintner to make special ability enhancing wines. It has everything a fighter could want, including your own personal knights that patrol the premises (we wonder if you get XP for their kills). The best part of all is that it's free starting October 15th and will remain free for one week thereafter. Really, it sounds almost perfect. We have discovered one weakness though: no wenches. How can you have a fighter's paradise without wenches?[Via Joystiq]
Today's ridiculous rumor: Bioshock for the Wii
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/nintendo_wii/Today_s_Ridiculous_Rumor_Bioshock_for_the_Wii'; Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey is of the mind that 2K's much-hyped game Bioshock could find itself on the PS3, Wii, PS2 and handhelds sometime in the future. Hickey says this won't happen for quite some time, though, stating that he believes the game could make its way onto these platforms sometime in 2009.While we've seen Rockstar's own RAGE engine adapted to the Wii in the Nintendo console version of their Table Tennis game, we wonder if the Unreal Engine III that powers Bioshock could even be augmented for use on the Wii. We've heard Epic's Mark Rein state that he doubts the system can handle it on multiple occasions, so we wonder if 2K could even get it to work with the Wii.
Civ Rev interview discusses new features, old features
While long-time Nintendo fans might not be all too familiar with the franchise, Civilization has managed to constantly impress and push the envelope iteration after iteration. And, it should have came as no surprise that once it was revealed for the Wii, we were immediately smitten (the inclusion of online play helped). But, this isn't your grandpa's Civilization title, now is it?During an interview with CVG, Firaxis's Tim McCracken points out that this is a totally new Civilization game, built from the ground up for consoles. It should be noted that there is no shortage of nations on the consoles, either, as Time points out players can play as 16 different nations. From "Alexander the Great, to Bismarck, to Cleopatra - you can play as them and against them." Also, the addition of army creation (where the player takes three of same type of units, places them into the same square, giving that particular army three times the power of the single unit alone). Sounds great to us!That's not to say some of the other aspects of the franchise didn't make their way into Revolution, as players can still win by making it off the planet to Alpha Centauri, as well as through this blogger's preferred method of victory: global domination.
MLB Power Pros Japanese site launches
If you've been looking forward to the U.S. debut of the Japanese baseball franchise MLB Power Pros, the Japanese site for the game has launched. Within you can find tasty morsels of content in the form of screens and artwork. And, being the baseball enthusiasts that we are, you can bet we're dying to get our hands on the titile.[Via Go Nintendo]
BioShock gets the Zero Punctuation treatment
Man, are we sick and tired of the cavalcade of praise being heaped on BioShock. "You will never look at a blah blah blah the same way again." "It's one of those monumental blah blah you'll never forget." OK, OK, we get it, the game's amazing. But surely it must have some flaws, right?Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw sure thinks so. He goes off on the game in his own inimitable web video style in the Escapist's latest Zero Punctuation feature. While Croshaw thinks that the game is overall pretty good, he points out some flaws that tend to get glossed over in the media lovefest. Among the major gripes: Familiarity -- While inspiration is one thing, Croshaw argues that BioShock "isn't like System Shock 2, it is System Shock 2" only "everything that was cyberpunk then is steampunk now." It's way too easy -- "You trip over ammo, money and medkits" and "dying is a momentary annoyance" with all the free vita-chambers strewn about. The moral choices aren't very interesting -- The controversial decision to save or harvest the creepy Little Sisters pretty much becomes a choice between "Mother Teresa or baby eating," with nothing in between. Despite all the bellyaching, Croshaw still admires BioShock for it's looks, writing, atmosphere and imagination, even going so far as to say it's "probably one of the best games of the year." Blah blah blah. Check out the video after the break.
Oblivion's Shivering Isles coming to retail
Bethesda has announced that Shivering Isles, the expansion to the life-owning RPG Oblivion, will soon be making its retail debut. Previously available only as a download on Xbox Live Marketplace, the retail disc will offer up both the Shivering Isles expansion as well as another piece of downloadable content, Knights of the Nine. As we've reported before, Shivering Isles offers dozens of hours of additional gameplay with new areas, items, spells, enemies, and ingredients. The disc is set to hit retailers next month. No price has been set at this time, but we imagine the pricing will be on par with the downloadable version.If you've yet to step into the world of Oblivion, you might want to wait until the Game of the Year Edition ships this month. The GOTY Edition includes all the downloadable content for Oblivion including Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine. For the rest of us (especially those without Knights of the Nine) the Shivering Isles retail disc might be a pretty good deal.[Via Gamertag Radio]Update: The Game of the Year Edition does not include all downloadable content. It includes only Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine.
Civilization: Revolution to take it online, we squeal like little girls
News comes straight our of the Leipzig oven that Civilization Revolutions, the console port of the immaculate PC franchise, will have some features you might not expect. For one, the gameplay will not be altered for the Wii at all. So, it'll be the same game (just about, we imagine) you know and love. Also, we won't be getting the game until late in 2008.But, the best bit of news to come out for the game is that it will utilize Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect service, allowing players to compete online. This .. couldn't make us happier. We had to towel down our keyboard several times contructing this post, as tears of joy erupted from our face over and over again. There's even a possibility for downloadable content!%Gallery-4694%[Via Go Nintendo]
BioShock's Little Sister killing gets mainstream attention
We knew it was coming. Any game that features little girls as an enemy was bound to eventually draw the attention of the mainstream media. That attention has been brought by the Boston Patriot-Ledger, which argues that BioShock is "testing the limits of the ultraviolent gaming genre with a strategy that enables players to kill characters resembling young girls."Despite the shock-inducing lead, the article goes on to give a more or less accurate description of BioShock's choice between saving and harvesting the creepy Little Sisters. 2K Boston President Ken Levine defends the artistic vision of the game, of course, while a psychology professor tells the paper that young people who play violent games "had lower feelings of empathy and stronger 'pro-violence attitudes''' whatever that means. The conclusion tries to draw a link between BioShock's violence to a stabbing death allegedly inspired by Grand Theft Auto, but the connection is pretty weak.Regardless of any alleged real-world effects, we can't help but feel a little squeamish deciding on life and death for these poor, twisted little girls. So what's your decision? Have you been sparing your Little Sisters, or harvesting them for their sweet, sweet serum?
Like BioShock? Thank Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand isn't a name you typically associate with videogames. At least, we never thought it would come to pass before someone finally green-lit the long awaited The Fountainhead: The Video Game. And yet, Wired has taken up the headline that "BioShock owes more to Ayn Rand than DOOM." Given that the pursuit of personal happiness is the ultimate goal of Rand's philosophy, we'd be hard-pressed to disagree. After all, we can't imagine anything making you happier than escaping Rapture alive, right? Just remember, from a Big Daddy's point of view, nothing would make him happier than seeing you dead. In all seriousness, the point of the article is that there is more to BioShock than shooting everything that moves. In fact, if you've been keeping up with the game, you'll know that it is actually heavily influenced by Rand. Still, if you find yourself with an unexplainable desire to become an Objectivist after playing BioShock, now you know why.
BioShock LE busted Big Daddies abound
We're receiving reports that many of the Big Daddy figurines included with the limited edition of BioShock are broken. X3F reader SirUrza noted that he turned away 3 copies at his local GameStop, noticing that the tip of the Big Daddy's drill was broken. SirUrza also notes that the copies with broken figurines were put right back on the shelf, so be mindful when picking up your own copy. Luckily for those that have already purchased a copy with a broken figurine, 2K is aware of the problem and is planning to replace all broken figurines. As a consolation until the new figurines are manufactured, 2K is also doling out special printed copies of "Breaking the Mold," the BioShock art book, to affected customers.If you are one of the unlucky gamers affected by this, keep your eye on the official 2K page for updates on the replacement program.
Metareview -- BioShock (Xbox 360, PC)
It would be an understatement to suggest interest in BioShock is hitting critical mass. We've personally lost a few writers on staff who took advantage of the Toys R Us deal earlier this week to the city of Rapture. Furthermore, we'd have lost our own editor Mr. Grant if his Xbox 360 hadn't gone belly-up ... he's seething. The reviews for BioShock are flowing in and they've been overwhelmingly positive. It's going to be an early holiday season for Irrational Games 2K Boston. Now the game just needs to sell well. Game Informer (100/100): "Even if you play games strictly for the difficulty that they bring, BioShock is a title that needs to be played, simply because you will never look at an FPS the same way again. Of the 15 to 20 hours of gameplay that it delivers, there isn't a second wasted. Once you finish the game, there's little chance that you'll take it out before playing it again to see the second ending." IGN (97/100): "To call this game simply a first-person shooter, a game that successfully fuses gameplay and narrative, is really doing it a disservice. This game is a beacon. It's one of those monumental experiences you'll never forget, and the benchmark against which games for years to come will, and indeed must, be measured." 1UP (100/100): "The sounds of the vending machines, the demented rants of a housewife who has long lost her sanity, the ability to craft your own ammunition, the level design based on some beloved touchstones of horror (medical experimentation, a garden of evil, the performing arts), the optional photography research, the color palette, the scratchy rendition of "Beyond the Sea," the fire and lighting and water effects...everything is in its right place." And just for something numerically different... Xbox World 360 Magazine UK (94/100): "Criticisms? There are a few. The non-replenishable nature of Bioshock's many resources mean that poor players are often punished by the game becoming even harder. And the weird way that enemy health doesn't reset after you die means that if you're blessed with the kind of robo-endurance usually required for Boxing Day family get-togethers, you could hypothetically kill a Big Daddy with your wrench, if you had the time." %Gallery-3725%
BioShock soundtrack CD features Moby, Oscar the Punk and 'eerie aesthetic'
2K Games has revealed some of the tracks you can expect to find on the BioShock soundtrack CD that accompanies the Limited Edition of the game. The disc, also attainable with pre-orders at Game Crazy, will feature remixed period songs from a time when dinosaurs ruled the earth -- the '40s and '50s. The fellows functioning as the music remixsaurs remixers are Oscar the Punk and Moby, both tasked with updating the music "with the game's atmosphere in mind." So, something more aquatic and sinister then, perhaps with an eerie aesthetic?"While these classic songs from the 40's and 50's evoke a happier time, they take on an eerie aesthetic in BioShock's decaying art deco-designed underwater city of Rapture," says Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K Games. According to him, the three remixed tracks (Beyond the Sea, God Bless the Child and Wild Little Sisters) add a new spin to "indelible classics." Well, he certainly makes them sound fit for consumption despite being indelible. That means you can't eat them, right?(Oh, and if you've been trapped beneath an ocean of rocks for the last few weeks, you should note that BioShock is officially out August 21st in America and August 24th in Europe.)
Reminder: win BioShock, play it tomorrow morning! [update]
[Update: Apologies for the interminable wait, but we wanted to wait until we heard back from the four winners before officially considering the contest closed. Both winners on Joystiq have their games in the mail already, while one on X3F has yet to respond to our emails. If it goes unclaimed until tomorrow morning we'll have another random drawing, but the winner obviously won't have it for the weekend.]There's about one hour left to enter to win a copy of next week's biggest release, BioShock. Joystiq snagged four copies from their local Toys 'R' Us early, and we're overnighting them to four lucky winners who will, no doubt, spend the entire weekend kicking it underwater in Rapture.But remember, you have four chances to win! Looking over our four giveaway posts, the number of entries varies meaning some folks aren't maximizing their odds. Here's the four posts you can enter on but remember: if you leave more than one comment on any one post you'll be disqualified. Good luck! Joyswag: Win a copy of BioShock, get it overnighted (Part 1) Joyswag: Win a copy of BioShock, get it overnighted (Part 2) Fanswag: Win a copy of BioShock, get it overnighted (Part 1) Fanswag: Win a copy of BioShock, get it overnighted (Part 2)
