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New Darkness trailer emerges
If you can say one thing about Starbreeze Studios, it's that they know how to make a pretty game. Chronicles of Riddick stands as one of the best looking games on the original Xbox, and Starbreeze's latest, The Darkness, looks to do the same for the Xbox 360. GameTrailers has released the latest trailer for the game, featuring some impressive in game footage. Both the environments and the characters show off some serious polish. Everything is sharp, clear, and clean. Even better, the game looks like it might have a story that's worth seeing (the voice acting is top notch, too). Check out the trailer after the break.
Video: BioShock; Big Daddy; Big Game
GameTrailers has a very interesting BioShock video of going on the prowl for the game's Big Daddies. Melissa Miller, 2K Games' Content Producer brings us the walkthrough and gives us the rundown of what we'll be seeing. It showcases security hacking, and the teleportation, enrage, telekinesis plasmids. While there is a "Work In Progress" watermark at the bottom, it still looks very nice and sets the atmosphere with the ambient music and constant sound of water flow. Rather than spoil it for you, we'll let you see for yourself. So, can you take on a Big Daddy?[Via Xbox Way]
Fantastic Four: ROTSS preview is ... fantastic!
1UP posted an optimistic preview of Marvel's upcoming Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer game for the Xbox 360. In talking with the senior producer we learn that Fantastic Four: ROTSS will incorporate a fleshed out team system that uses "fusion attacks". These fusion attacks will allow characters in the game to team up and dish out the pain. We also know that the story will be 50% original and 50% from the movie sequel. We don't learn much more than that, as we'll just have to wait to see if the game is what 2K promises it to be. Until then, we have a few screenshots to keep your belly full and nothing but optimism on our end.[Thanks, Jonah]
BioShock slips past June, dated August 21
BioShock has been delayed beyond its unspecified, but previously confirmed June release date. According to the game's community site 'The Cult of Rapture' (operated by publisher 2K Games) BioShock has now been tagged with an August 21 street date.The short notice does not include further details. We have reached out to 2K Games for confirmation of the European release date and to verify that the PC and Xbox 360 versions of BioShock will be released simultaneously; we will update this post accordingly.Update: European release date is August 24; simultaneous PC & Xbox 360 release in both Europe and North America.
Time to get wet, Bioshock gets official release date
Bioshock fans can pull out their Sharpies and mark their calendars, because 2K Games just announced the official release date. Everyone will be jumping head first and getting wet on Bioshock's official release Tuesday, August 21. This of course contradicts previous reports that stated Bioshock would hit the streets this June, but who are we to say that the game didn't get delayed into August. No more rumors, no more guessing, Bioshock will be here in less than six months.[Thanks, AoE]
BioShock screen shot contest revealed
Irrational is holding a very interesting contest involving BioShock. Here's the premise, users are presented with a series of screen shots that outline a sequence of events inside BioShock. In this particular instance, you (the player) find yourself face to face with a grenadier. He has a box full of homemade grenades. You have one shell left in your shotgun, a telekinesis plasmid, and an electro bolt plasmid. The questions is: how do you take him out? Participants are asked to write out a solution in 1000 words or less. The best solution will be filmed in the game and posted in two weeks. Naturally, Irrational is looking for the most creative and interesting solution. All in all, the contest is a pretty cool way to get the community involved and show off video of the game in progress.Hit the "read" link for the full scenario and instructions for entry. If any of our readers make it into the top entries, we'll feature them here. Be sure and tell us if you make it.[Via Evil Avatar]
MLB 2K7 is going, going, gone gold
On Friday, 2K Sports announced that upcoming sports game MLB 2K7 has officially gone gold. In their press release, they also confirm the February 27th release date that we reported on earlier. Now discs can be pressed, no more bugs can be fixed, and those signature style animations cannot be tweaked, because baseball is upon us. We know this game has potential, but is anyone buying MLB 2K7 guaranteed? Though, if you're a MLB baseball fan you don't have much of a choice.[Via Game Stooge]
20 new screens emerge from The Darkness
2K Games has updated their official website for the comic book based shooter, The Darkness. There, you can find 20 new screenshots of the game. A few of the images we've seen before, but the vast majority of them are new. This game is looking extremely pretty, and given Starbreeze Studios' track record with Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, there's little question that the gameplay will be up to snuff. A neat little factoid for you fanboys out there is that Mike Patton will be lending his voice as the title character. Those of you who have heard "When Good Dogs Do Bad Things" should recognize that he is most definitely capable of providing a voice of something unearthly. With the critical acclaim of Riddick behind it, are you looking forward to The Darkness?[Via Xboxyde]
MLB 2K7 coming earlier than expected?
According to SportsGamer.com, MLB 2K7 appears to be releasing a week earlier to compete with the Playstation's MLB 07: The Show. Gamestop changed the shipping date for MLB 2K7 to 2/26/07 which is the same release date as MLB 07: The Show. 2K Sports wants their MLB gem to be a success and maybe by moving the release date up a week will help deter possible MLB 07: The Show purchases. Cross your fingers and watch for the release of MLB 2K7 towards the end of the month.[Via Game Stooge]
New BioShock media from the deep
Our friends at Xboxygen have posted some new screen shots and concept art from Irrational's upcoming BioShock -- truly one of the Xbox 360's great exclusive titles for 2007. The screen shots in particular look fantastic. Just for that special group of people that demand that a flamethrower should be in every FPS, we picked the shot above. The other shots released evoke a more grisly and deranged feeling, but in a good way. There are also some interesting concept sketches that show off some of the early designs of the Protectors (the big guys with drills for hands). Hit the "read" link to check out more screens.
MLB2K7 no-go on Wii, fans forced to wait for MLB2K8 (update 1)
Ben Brinkman for Major League Baseball 2K7 recently answered some questions through a blog entry at 1UP. While followers of the game had their questions answered, the grim details regarding an installment in the franchise for the 2007 season on the Wii were hard to swallow. Turns out, the game won't be present on the Wii this year, with the company taking the extra time to perfect controls for the game's 2008 installment.For a baseball game, how many different gesture-based controls would you really need? Would it be that difficult to assign commands? Also, why not do what EA did with Madden 07 and just port the title over at a later date instead of abandoning the year's version altogether? [Thanks Jonah!]Update: Whoops, it's Ben Brinkman, not George Simmons.
Shivering Isles to get 250 Gamerscore boost
Last week the policy for Gamerscore and Achievements was standardized to make sure that gamers got a full 1000 points per retail game, with downloadable content able to bring in an extra 250 points. In Episode 2 of our podcast we mentioned Shivering Isles being a fine example of giving Achievements on top of the game's original 1000. Well, now it's official, Oblivion's Shivering Isles expansion will have an additional 10 Achievements worth 250 Gamerscore bringing it to a total of 1250. This marks the first game to have more than 1000 available Gamerscore, and hopefully will set the proper standard for other developers to follow. So, with the promise of more Achievements, are you more interested in getting the Shivering Isles expansion, or does it even matter?[Via Digg]
Of MLB2K7, Marketplace, and ugly trailers
If you were to look at the above image of Major League Baseball 2K7, you'd probably assume that the game has some serious graphical prowess. The cloth looks real, the face is well rendered, the stubble is nice and manly. All in all, it looks pretty good, right? Okay, now go download the latest trailer off of Marketplace. It's available today. Go ahead, it won't take long; it's barely 3 MB in size. Now watch it. It's okay, we'll wait ... did you watch it? What did you notice? That's right! It looks awful. Seriously, it looks like a poorly compressed CG movie from the PS1 era. Just a note to prospective content providers: Xbox Live Marketplace is not YouTube. At least give us 480p.We know, it seems petty to point out an ugly trailer, but the 360 was built with HD in mind. Next to so many great looking trailers, this actually makes MLB2K7 look bad by comparison. So far, people have good things to say about the game. We just want a good trailer to go with it.
BioShock images -- now with plasmids
Xboxygen has a fresh batch of BioShock screen shots for your viewing pleasure. The shots do a good job of showing off BioShock's impressive visual. If you look carefully, you can see some nice smoke, blood, and particle effects. Also visible in the shots are plasmids (items used in the game's upgrade system). In the shot above you can see the blue light coursing through the player's veins (plasmids are administered with injections). While we can only guess what this particular plasmid does, we're pretty sure the guy on the other end of the gun doesn't like it. Hit the "read" link for more shots.
Learn more about MLB 2K7 from Ben
With MLB 2K7's release date rapidly approaching, many fans are frothing from the mouth looking for any information they can get. And that's where developer Ben Brinkman comes in. Ben just started a blog over at 1UP and is focused on giving fans updated information on everything happening in the MLB 2K world. He recently put up a stat tracker demo video which shows off MLB 2K7's 3D overlays, something that we'd only get to see if we bought the game. Not only does he promise cool insider videos like that, but we'll hopefully get an insider peak into what's going on in the studio every week. Oh, and did we mention Ben posted a pretty detailed biography? There's nothing like knowing more about a MLB 2K7 dev than your own grandmother.[Thanks, Jonah]
Live in NYC? Playtest Bioshock and get paid
If you live in the New York City area and are interested in getting your hands on Bioshock before its release, then we have an opportunity for you. 2K Games sent out an invite for applications to playtest Bioshock this week in NYC. You will get paid roughly $10 an hour, get to play for three hours a day, and will be envied by all your friends and enemies. Just fill out the application after the break and email it to the address on the bottom. This is the time where we envy all of you who live in the NYC area ... lucky fellas.[Via Joystiq]
NYC: Wanna play BioShock and get paid for it? [update 1]
[Update: 2K just let us know they've retracted the offer. We'll let you know if and when they reinstate it!]What a ridiculous question. Of course you do. In fact, many gamers would be willing to play BioShock without any sort of compensation whatsoever, finding reward in the moist surroundings of an underwater city and the the thrill of encountering terrifying scuba-men. 2K Games has sent out the call for playtesters in New York City, luring them with promises of payment and the opportunity to refine System Shock's spiritual successor (of sorts). If you can make it to SoHo and have 3 hours to spare each day from this Wednesday to Friday, answer the questionnaire (placed after the break) and send it to the indicated e-mail address. If chosen, you'll earn the princely sum of $10 per hour, along with nine wonderful (probably) hours with BioShock. The Xbox 360 game is currently slated for a June release.
Bioshock: no multiplayer, demo, or special edition
Answering questions via the 'Cult of Rapture' (Bioshock's community site), a 2K Games representative has confirmed that Irrational's under-sea epic will not feature a multiplayer component. The developers felt that multiplayer "would have compromised the story." Whether that compromise would have been the result of insufficient resources or simply (a fear of) disparate playing experiences is unclear; it could have been both. Despite plans to offer downloadable content, it seems as if Irrational has no intention of adding a post-release multiplayer update (à la Valve's Half-Life 2: Deathmatch release).2K Games also revealed that there are currently no plans for a Bioshock 'Special Edition' box set or pre-release demo.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
BioShock: no multiplayer, no demo planned
In a recent question and answer session on the Cult of Rapture, BioShock's community site, several details about the game are confirmed. Chief among these details is that BioShock will not contain a multiplayer component. The reason for its omission is that the developers are focused on a single player story and that multiplayer would not mesh with the story. While many will no doubt point out that multiplayer doesn't really have to mesh with the story (Halo 2 for example), we're willing to cut Irrational a break, seeing as they're creating a game more along the lines of Deus Ex than Unreal Tournament. Worth noting, there are plans for downloadable content. The other tidbit revealed in the Q&A session is that there is currently no demo planned for BioShock. So, if you're not sure about BioShock, it looks like you may have to rent before you buy.[Thanks, PacoDG]
Scary new screens of The Darkness
It seems like The Darkness looks a little better every time we see it. Gamertag Radio got their hands on 21 new screens of the game, and they look sharp. The amount of detail and the use of lighting is very nice. Considering The Darkness is coming from the same people that brought us The Chronicles of Riddick, it's not exactly surprising that they're delivering a pretty game. More importantly, it looks like it will fun to play, too. Throw in some sweet multiplayer and we should have another great 360 title. The Darkness is expected to drop this quarter. Anyone got it on their wish list?
