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Rapture's musical melodies await your download
When playing through BioShock you can't help but notice the intense, emotional and ever so fitting orchestral score that chimes in throughout the game. These subtle musical tracks help set the mood and make your visit to Rapture all the more immersive. And today 2K Games is making it so you can carry these lovely orchestral scores wherever you. Over on the Cult of Rapture, the 2K Games crew is thanking the BioShock community by offering up all twelve BioShock orchestral tracks as a free download. Simply click the read link below to download 23MBs of pure BioShock musical bliss. Now we just have to figure out why exactly 2K didn't offer these tracks on the limited edition soundtrack CD.
BioShock PC patch, other fixes on the way
Cult of rapture indeed! Some may have been having small doubts about paying their membership dues up front after some BioShock issues have poked their relatively insignificant heads up over the past few days. Now, after an announcement that all of those problems are either fixed or being worked on by 2K, the cult is really living up to its name.Fans have probably been the most vocal about the field-of-view issue, which had widescreen players seeing less than those with fullscreen displays. Though 2K said that the choice was an intentional one, they've taken complaints into consideration and are working on a PC patch for the problem. (If you're in a rush, an unofficial hack is available here.) A similar update for 360s is "under investigation." Also an issue was a copy protection measure that limited the number of PCs a copy of the game could be installed on. That number is being upped, and machines will soon be able to be delicensed to free up a key. To help with these and other issues, a new team of support staff is being brought on to assist in the 2K forums. [Via Shacknews]
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.
2K addresses BioShock widescreen issue
You might have read yesterday about complaints regarding BioShock's method of generating widescreen, which seemed tantamount to cutting the top and bottom off the fullscreen image without actually adding to the field of view at all. An article on The Cult of Rapture website, entitled "The Truth About Widescreen", has addressed the issue in lieu of "fixing" it. It states that the optimal mode for playing the game is in widescreen, the mode that 90% of 2K's development stations employed. Team members chose a widescreen field of view "that best reflected their intentions with respect to the way the world is perceived" and instead of cropping it for 4:3 displays, they "slightly extended the vertical FOV for standard def mode: we never wanted to have black bars on people's displays." In other words, the original widescreen mode lost nothing while the 4:3 mode was extended.While that sounds like a "same difference" situation, 2K feels they made the right decision. If, however, you're still not pleased, the developer is looking into ways of allowing users to manually adjust the field of view. Alternatively, you can have your memory erased and play the game blissfully unaware of issues you wouldn't have noticed had someone not pointed them out to you.
Borderlands on the 360 will require a HDD
Concluding a Games Convention demo of the 2008 release Borderlands (that Diablo meets Mad Max shooter), the president of Gearbox Randy Pitchford confirmed with 1UP that when the game releases, it will require a HDD if played on the Xbox 360. Pitchford is fully aware of Microsoft's opinion on HDD required games, but still sticks to his studios' development guns stating that Borderlands needs a caching HDD due to the unique nature of the game and all its randomly generated missions of randomness. Honestly, we're just curious to see how Microsoft will handle games and developers when talk of HDD required games begins to bubble up. Cue death stare!
Levine responds to BioShock widescreen complaints
Yesterday, we reported on the numerous complaints that have been filling the internets surrounding how BioShock handles widescreen displays. In short, to display widescreen BioShock pulls in the 4:3 aspect ratio and cuts off the top and bottom giving 16:9 ratio players a much smaller game view. So, last night 2K Boston big man Ken Levine hopped on the 2K Games forums to ease the hostility and acknowledge that their team is looking into the issue. Levine explains that he has been trying to wrangle together people to look at the problems and find answers, but the time difference between here and their Australian dev team coupled with vacationing employees has made it difficult to get answers. So, Levine wants everyone to know they do care, that they are looking into the BioShock issues and asks that we have a "bit of understanding as to the time scale that software development issues must occur in".Even though Ken didn't give us any answers to our widescreen woes, we suddenly feel a warm fuzzy feeling tingling through our toes and into our heart. We'll be patient Ken Levine ... for a little while.
Bioshock PC demo config file hints strongly at a PS3 version
A member of the GameTrailers forum has found the best evidence so far that the critically acclaimed Bioshock will be coming to the PS3. While poking around in some of the config files for the demo, an interesting entry was stumbled upon: [Console] ;; Console (XBox360, PS3) specific settings ;; StreamingDynamicFloatingLimit: ;; If this is a positive number, then instead of using the fixed per-level ;; limits, the StreamingDynamic resource will use as much memory as is ;; available as long as the total memory allocated by the game is less than ;; the specified number. In other words, StreamingDynamic will grow and ;; shrink to fit to the available memory instead of being locked to a fixed ;; budget StreamingDynamicFloatingLimit=500 The file is locate at C:\Program Files\2K Games\BioShock Demo\Content and is called ConfigINI.IBF for anybody who wants to verify this on their own computers (we've verified it on ours). It will be interesting to see when 2k Games comes out and finally admits that Bioshock is coming to the PlayStation 3. Hopefully it will turn out to be a Q1 2008 release so we don't have to wait that long.[Via PSU]
What to do with a busted Big Daddy
Before most of you have even welcomed your BioShock Limited Editions into your loving bosoms, 2K Games is warning that the Big Daddy figurine contained within might just be busted. One reader report we received said that his Big Daddy, much like a drunk dad clumsily putting together a playhouse, had a broken drill bit. Luckily, 2K says that they're already on the issue and will have a replacement plan set up soon. While new Big Daddies are being churned out, those with broken figures are going to receive a printed edition of the BioShock art book, "Breaking the Mold." Oh, and 2K's picking up the shipping cost too. While it's an unfortunate circumstance, we're glad to see that 2K is doing the right thing. ... Now about that widescreen issue.[Thanks, Michael]
They cut it! BioShock widescreen issues reported
BioShock just released today (in the US) and already display problems are being reported. Over on the 2K Games forums, widescreen BioShock players have discovered (and are actively complaining about) how the game handles the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Simply put, the widescreen display is getting its top and bottom chopped off. You see, the game's widescreen display is generated by pulling in the standard 4:3 aspect ratio display, but then cuts off the top and bottom to create the correct 16:9 ratio. This is very noticeable in the screenshot above, which was taken from a 4:3 ratio display, where the red bars show what widescreen players wouldn't be seeing as it's being cut off. This is a very abnormal of handling widescreen where developers usually render for a wider FOV and create a 16:9 ratio, then creating the 4:3 ratio by cutting off the left and right sides. It's a very odd way of handling widescreen indeed. 2K Games has yet to respond to this display issue, but we're sure they'll have an answer soon ... unless they want a horde of angry fanboys at their front door.[Via Joystiq]
2K Games announces Mafia 2
2K Games has announced that it will be publishing Mafia 2, sequel to 2002's organized crime sim, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. Developed by Illusion Softworks for "next generation consoles" and Games for Windows, the game faces unbelievably steep and varied competition as it vies to be "the industry's most compelling Mafia title to date." It also promises to deliver "high octane gunplay with white knuckle driving and an engaging narrative," though we're not sure why you'd be driving a giant white hand or getting married in the course of the story. But hey, they had us at the high octane gunplay bit.As evidenced by the initial batch of screenshots, the 1940s tale of fine suits and illegal activities hopes to be just as cinematic as a Hollywood film -- preferably one involving mobsters and godfathers. If those offer any guidance, however, it may be wise to cancel any plans for Mafia 3.%Gallery-6189%
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.
BioShock widescreen issue causing complaints
On this, a day that many of you have been looking forward to for so long, we hate to squelch any of your BioShock joy, but we figured that this was something you'd want to know about. Some fans on the game's forums have been upset by the way the game handles widescreen. Or rather, how it doesn't. Apparently, the widescreen image is generated by just lopping off the top and bottom of the fullscreen image. Typically, a widescreen image is created by giving the player a larger horizontal field of view. You can see the part of the screen that widescreen gamers are missing out on in the red boxes above in a picture we took on our home setup.There was extra frustration from fans as Chris Kline, Lead Programmer on BioShock, had previously said in the forums, "You will see more in widescreen. We use a different projection matrix; there is no squashing or stretching of the image involved." A 2K staffer has said that they are looking into the issue and we hope to hear more soon.[Thanks, Scott]
BioShock PC demo is now available
Hey PC gamers, are you ready for 1800 MB of critically-acclaimed rapture? The BioShock PC demo is finally out, so you can now tell all your Xbox 360-owning friends to stop gloating.Our friends at GameDaily have the demo available to download here in case you need any more reason to wake up early tomorrow, call in sick for work and hit up your local retailer to grab a copy of the title.
BioShock PC demo is really coming Monday
PC gamers are going to have to do a lot of spiritual preparation this week. Just a couple of days before they spiritually prepare themselves to play the entirety of BioShock, they're going to have to spiritually prepare themselves to finally get their hands on the demo. Actual real word has come down from on high that the PC demo of the critical (and Joystiq) darling will go live at 7 p.m. EST on Monday. That's not all the soul prep though, as PC gamers will also have to brace themselves to have console gamer friends type countless "zzzzz"s as they attempt to share their demo experiences. Yes, 360 owners, we know you've been rocking the demo for a while, but why not pretend you've never heard about it? They've had a hard week.
Limited BioShock soundtrack features Moby remix
2K Games sent out a press release announcing that their musical homies Moby and Oscar The Punk will have their remix skills featured on the exclusive (and so very limited) BioShock soundtrack. The soundtrack, which is included in the limited edition of BioShock, will feature three remixed tracks including "Beyond the Sea", "God Bless the Child" and "Wild Little Sisters" with all the remixing done by Mr. Moby and Oscar The Punk. We're not sure if their remixing skills are good, noteworthy or warrant a press release, but we'll trust good old 2K and proclaim that we're ready to get our jam on! w00t! Ahem, other BioShock soundtrack track listings have yet to be announced, but we're nearly certain one of them will include the words "big" or "daddy".
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%
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)
Gearbox announces Borderlands: randomly generated FPS fun!
If you enjoyed the Brothers in Arms series of games, you're probably familiar with Gearbox Software. The developers behind those titles has announced, along with 2K Games, their new FPS called Borderlands. The game sports a sci-fi theme, which is always nice. Well, not always, but generally it's better than playing through more WWII battlefields.The game isn't due out until holiday season 2008, so we've got nothing else on the title for now, but we're sure we'll hear more sooner rather than later. We know the game will feature player customization, vehicles, and real-time physics ... the usual stuff. What's unusual is the randomly-generated missions that'll pop up. This presents almost endless possibilities each time you play. With 4 player co-op in the works, we know it'll be exciting to play with friends. We'll keep you posted as details emerge!
Gearbox's Borderlands to be published by 2K
Borderlands, the upcoming Mad Max-ish, Diablo-esque action game from Gearbox, has been picked up by publisher 2K Games (who are releasing a little game called BioShock next week, by the way). Known for their work on the Brothers In Arms series, Gearbox is crafting Borderlands as an action game with RPG elements and 4 player online co-op. In other words, it sounds like just the thing to cure what ails you (and a hell of a lot of fun to boot). President of 2K, Christoph Hartmann, notes that Borderlands will play host to "revolutionary new technology" that allows for the creation of "thousands of unique, randomly generated missions, weapons and situations." With such lofty promises in tow, Hartmann concludes that Borderlands "will raise the bar for next gen action games."We'll have to wait and see though, as the game isn't scheduled to release until the end of 2008. For more info on Borderlands, keep an eye out for the September Game Informer, of which the contents will no doubt be scoured for the benefit of X3F readers everywhere.[Via Joystiq]
BioShock gets Steamed, also heading Direct2Drive
If you need to play BioShock at the absolute earliest time possible and have exhausted your other options (e.g. Toys 'R' Us, Joystiq, X3F), both Valve's Steam and IGN's Direct2Drive service are offering pre-sales for downloading the anticipated title.Although Direct2Drive is offering a $5 coupon to be used on a later purchase, they also write that you will be able "download and play BioShock on approximately August 21." If the word "approximately" scares you, Steam lays out their plan more directly: "pre-load now, purchase when ready, play as soon as the game is available."European gamers can pre-order BioShock via Direct2Drive here, due out "approximately August 24."Pre-order from SteamPre-order from Direct2Drive%Gallery-3725%
