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A man chooses which looks better: BioShock on 360 or iOS
BioShock is coming to your iOS device - well, if "your iOS device" is an iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, iPad 4, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, or iPhone 5 - but if you're wondering just how well the city of Rapture translates from the big screen to the small, you might want to check out the above video from AppSpy. Comparing an Xbox 360 version of Irrational's underwater tale of genetic modifications and science gone wrong with footage of the iOS version, AppSpy illustrates the visual differences between the two and notices that, despite the power behind some of Apple's latest devices, the visual downgrade is a noticeable one. Lighting, particle effects and atmospheric effects like fog are the things most obviously missing, but textures appear a bit less crisp on iOS as well. Still, there's time for these things to change, so who knows what the final product will look like. In the end, it'll be your choice which system to go with. [Image: 2K Games]
BioShock port syncs Rapture to your iPad and iPhone
Get it? PORT? [Umm, no, the pun is on "sync." But that's still terrible. - Ed.] Oh. Anyway, Rapture is an ambitious city wrapped in the ocean but undone by the arrogance of its haughty, genetically naughty citizens. The stunning setting of Irrational's 2007 game, BioShock, along with its moody opening, zap-and-whack combat and notorious plot, is being ported to iOS devices by 2K China – the same team that handled the portable version of Firaxis' tense strategy game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
Civilization Revolution 2 charges onto App Store, out now
Civlization Revolution 2 is the first game in the series "developed and available exclusively for mobile devices," and you can get it now on iOS, priced $15/£10.49. Publisher 2K Games says Android owners can expect the follow-up to siege their storefronts "soon." Released originally for consoles back in 2008, the first Civ Rev garnered a warm reception by combining the series' core strategy with smoother, friendlier design that suited the platforms. A DS version was also released with top-down 2D visuals in contrast to the 3D look on consoles, and that was mirrored in an eventual mobile port. In the words of one Alexander Sliwinski, the iOS version "may not be all it could have been on the eyes, but it definitely pokes the organ it's supposed to properly -- your brain." Apart from a sleeker 3D look, Civ Rev 2 introduces new units, technology, buildings and wonders to the first game's arsenal, while Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy join the 16 returning leaders. However, according to multiple reports the mobile follow-up doesn't feature multiplayer, meaning you'll only be battling wits against AI opponents. That maybe isn't too surprising given 2K dropped multiplayer for the first game's iOS port, although it did introduce it in an update some years later. [Image: 2K Games]
Portabliss: Borderlands Legends (iOS)
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. Somewhere, at any given moment, I imagine the team at Gearbox is popping champagne and fiercely patting each other on the back after striking gold with Borderlands 2. Not only is the game a commercial success, but it's also a critical darling (read our review, for example!) – a far cry from the developer's previous major release.After loads of DLC and the inevitable three-quel, where can Gearbox go to capitalize on the money train that is Borderlands? A jaunt over to Apple's explosive iOS platform sounds like a good fit, and publisher 2K Games along with developer 2K China have done just that. The idea of playing the "mini-game" version of Borderlands didn't interest me right away, but Borderlands Legends turns out to be a perfect fit for the series and brings the franchise full circle to one of its biggest comparative franchises, Diablo.%Gallery-169067%
2K Games working on other mobile platforms for Borderlands Legends
Borderlands Legends, the top-down RPG in which you control the first game's four Vault Hunters, may expand to other platforms after it arrives next week. It's coming to the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch in a pair of separately priced apps first."We're working on other mobile platforms," a 2K Games representative told Joystiq. 2K China, the developer behind Borderlands Legends and other 2K mobile titles, is currently working on many projects, so the 2K Games rep couldn't give us any kind of timeframe or specific platforms for this endeavor. The list of viable mobile platforms isn't that large, however, so we can probably rule out WebOS.
Sid Meier's Pirates! for Wii reaches port October 5!
Continuing the never ending cycle that is The Pirate Game, The Ninja Game and The Zombie game, 2K Games will release its Wii version of Sid Meier's Pirates! on October 5 in North America. (No date for the West Indies, sorry.) The conversion was handled by 2K China and incorporates motion control for the game's ship-boarding saber duels, along with a couple new minigames (bombardment and lock picking). In fact, even the classic original (and its 2004 update) basically comprised a mixture of minigames, from nautical combat, to diplomacy, to land battles and ... ballroom dancing. Who said pirates aren't classy? Not the dead men -- they tell no tales!
BioShock 2 on sale for $30 on Amazon today
There are plenty of ways to get to Rapture: You could survive a plane crash in the middle of an ocean; or be abducted by one of its citizens as a child. Heck, if you're a really good swimmer and can hold your breath for a long time, you probably have a decent shot. We're in favor of a safer, more practical alternative: Buy a copy of Bioshock 2. We're also in favor of the most frugal alternative: Amazon's Deal of the Day. Bioshock 2 is half-off today from the online retailer, available for $30 on the Xbox 360 and PS3 -- and the PC version is even cheaper: $26. Now, there's our idea of the perfect summer vacation: babysitting our little sister.
'Sid Meier's Pirates!' plundering on Wii this autumn
Sid Meier's Pirates! will set sail this fall on Wii, keelhauling two new minigames for the console. Developed by 2K China, this latest port of the evergreen title features "streamlined controls" for the Wiimote, along with everything else that made this casual-core title a success for every platform it's been on -- speaking of which, we'd certainly appreciate an HD remake for XBLA and PSN. The two new minigames for the Wii version are "bombardment" (pictured) and "lock picking." The port wlll also feature "exclusive character and ship customization options." And now all we want to do is make the S.S. Kirby: a giant pink boat with eyes on its sails that gobbles up the treasures of the Caribbean.
PSA: P.B. Winterbottom now stealing pies on Steam
As anticipated, the most gentlemanly pie-napper imaginable, P.B. Winterbottom, is now stalking the windowsill of Steam. Valve confirms The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is now available for download for $4.99 -- complete with Steam achievements, leaderboards and Steam Cloud functionality. The title -- a puzzle-platformer Indiecade finalist developed by The Odd Gentlemen and published by 2K Play -- follows the titular Winterbottom, whose hunger for pie can only be described as insatiable. Offer the man a slice of cake and he may travel back in time to before you offered the cake and write you a pleasant note about how he never eats cake. %Gallery-32537%
The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom coming to Steam April 20
It figures. Just when we were starting to get excited about never having to type The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom again, 2K Play reveals that The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is jumping from XBLA to PCs via Steam on April 20. See, including the headline, that's three times we've had to type it already today, and this is still the first paragraph. The whimsical platformer, originally developed by The Odd Gentlemen, is being ported (with 5 new puzzles) by 2K China. If you've managed to stay ignorant of its monochromatic charms to this point, we've got a trailer for you right after the break. %Gallery-32537%
BioShock 2 'Sinclair Solutions Test Pack' coming March 11
Next Thursday, those entrenched in The Great Splicer Uprising of '59 will get a chance to beef up their arsenal in Bioshock 2's multiplayer mode with the Sinclair Solutions Test Pack on March 11. Here's what you'll get for your 400 ($5) on Xbox Live and Games For Windows - Live, and $4.99 on PSN: Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca 20 new trials (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher) A third weapon upgrade for each weapon Five additional masks (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher) Happy Splicer hunting! (Splunting?)
Bioshock 2 has shipped over 3 million units
Take-Two has revealed in its latest fiscal earnings report that Bioshock 2 has managed to ship more than three million units worldwide since releasing on February 9. The report also says the first game has now sold over four million copies worldwide across all platforms, "bringing the total sales of the franchise to 7 million units." Of course, the important distinction here is that "shipped" does not equal "sold," as Take-Two infers above. Still, getting three million copies out there into the world is a pretty noteworthy feat. Get yourself a couple more million and you'll be able to finance construction on your own underwater metropolis -- not that any good could possibly come of it.
BioShock 2 special edition posters have hidden messages
[BioshockFan52] Those of us who have played BioShock 2 likely don't see anything out of the ordinary in the above image. Almost all of Rapture's propoganda has been smeared by Sophia Lamb and her followers in-game, so it only makes sense that 2K would do as much with the game's real world promotional items. And according to this thread on the 2K Games site, a black light is all you need to unlock this "hidden" feature in those neat posters you got with your Special Edition. The forums users in the thread aren't yanking The Great Chain here, folks. Our sister site Big Download confirms the Easter egg in its Special Edition poster, as well -- there's even a gallery showing off all of the hidden messages to be found. Remember: a man chooses to display his BioShock 2 posters under a black light, a parasite complains about the increased electric bill. [Thanks, Alex]
Bioshock 2 DLC kicks off with 'Sinclair Solutions Test Pack'
2K Games has announced that expansions for BioShock 2 are "slated to arrive over the coming months," expanding both the single-player and multiplayer facets of the game. The custodians of Rapture have yet to reveal what's in store for the single-player campaign, but have offered details on the first new multiplayer add-on: the Sinclair Solutions Test Pack. Available "soon" for 400 ($5) on Xbox Live and Games For Windows - Live and $4.99 on PSN, the pack will include: Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca 20 new trials (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher) A third weapon upgrade for each weapon Five additional masks (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher) We just hope 2K Games takes care of those freezing issues before luring us back to the Circus of Values.
BioShock 2 washes up on shore Feb. 9, 2010
If you're planning the playoffs for the video game industry's intramural softball league, you may want to avoid the weeks leading up to Feb. 9. That's when the 27 different development studios involved with BioShock 2 (a full half of the world's developers) will be crunching to finish BioShock 2 for release. After waiting all this time, we're just happy that the game can finally ship, 2K can staff up just a bit more, and work can begin on BioShock 3: Now It's An MMO.
