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Unlock hard mode in the BioShock demo
So, you've downloaded the BioShock demo. You've plumbed its glorious depths, defeated its grisly baddies, and you thought to yourself, "Self," you thought, "that was easy." Well fear not, avid BioShock fans, for we have one more way to stay your undying hunger for underwater dystopia. The fine fellows at DCEmu have uncovered how to play the BioShock demo in hard mode. When you start the BioShock demo, you'll notice that the hard mode option is there, but cannot be selected. The workaround for this is actually very simple. Before you start up the demo, open up your gamer profile and edit the default game settings. Under "general," simply set your default difficulty to hard. Now start up the BioShock demo and, voilà, hard difficulty will be highlighted. Just don't move it or you won't be able to reselect it without restarting the demo.Enjoy.
BioShock demo available for download NOW!
The highly anticipated sixty second BioShock launch trailer just debuted on Spike TV and if you missed it we're wondering, why? It's not like we didn't give you a heads up or anything, jeez guys, stay on the ball next time. Anyhoo, for those who did get a chance to see it we think we can all agree that the best way to summarize the new BioShock trailer is by using adjectives such as "awesome", "amazing" and "super-duper". It's truly that good. For those who haven't seen it yet, we've embedded it above for your convenience. Just promise us you'll be a little more punctual next time, okay?But we're sure everyone is a tad bit more excited to hear the uber-hyped surprise announcement, which we must say is a doosy. Right after the trailer concluded on Spike TV, Geoff Keighley popped up to announce that a 1.35GB BioShock demo is available right now (yes, this very second) on the XBLM! Hurry fanboys, your first chance to experience BioShock awaits you on the Marketplace!
BioShock goes gold, special surprise tonight
That's right kids, the highly anticipated underwater adventure that is BioShock has officially gone gold and is off to manufacturers to be pressed to disc. Elizabeth over at The Cult of Rapture announced BioShock's gold status with plenty of excitement and the occasional "WOO!". Also announced was that tonight, Sunday, August 12th at 9:00PM eastern, they'll be airing an exclusive 60 second BioShock trailer during Spike TV's "The Kill Point". And, from the sound of things, it'll be the debut of a never before seen, brand new BioShock trailer. But we can't be sure. Oh, Elizabeth also mentioned that Game Head's Geoff Keighley will be making a surprise announcement right after the trailer airs. What oh what could the news be? ...
Video: the ecology of BioShock
BioShock is, without a doubt, one of the most highly anticipated Xbox 360 games this year. If, by chance, you've been wondering what all the fuss is about, you should probably check out this video. Of course, genuine BioSchock fans will find plenty to love in the video, too. Posted by GameTrailers, the video features the folks at Irrational Games discussing the ecology of Rapture, the underwater world of BioSchock. Put simply, it is this world that makes BioShock so intriguing. The world really is alive. The characters within it will go about their own business whether or not the player decides to interfere (of course, some of the characters' "business" is to attack the player). Honestly, this is the kind of thing we should be seeing in the current generation of gaming: worlds with real, believable characters capable of pulling gamers into another reality. Everything leads us to think that BioShock will do just that. Watch the video after the break (you can also watch it in HD).
Today's most emergent video: Ecology of Bioshock
It'll be about two weeks until we'll be able to take a trip down to Rapture and experience the ecology of Bioshock first hand, so in the meantime we'll have to make due with drooling all over this glorious new footage. The developers at Irrational Games take a timeout and explain some of the finer points of their upcoming shooter that has been described as "dope" by our very own James Ransom-Wiley. That kind of mastery over the English language is why we pay him the big bucks.There is an HD version available as well, should you feel like flexing your bandwidth.
BioShock gets reviewed and it's perfect
The first BioShock review has rolled in coming from UK's OXM and, according to them, they think the game is nearly perfect. Over on meta critic they've posted UK's OXM review from the September issue where the gaming magazine gave BioShock a perfect rating translating to 100 on the website. And if this review hints at things to come then we're thinking BioShock just may have lived up to the hype and the team over at Irrational Games just might have nailed the formula of great gameplay mixed with a great story. Though, we'll just have to wait a few more weeks until we get our greasy mitts on the game or until we see more reviews roll in, but we must say that the UK OXM review leaves us more than optimistic. Honor thy Big Daddy!
Go visit a Big Daddy near you
If you want to touch one of those massive, huge and fanboyalicious Bioshock Big Daddy statues that we mentioned a few days ago then we've got a few places you can go to get your touch on. The Cult of Rapture posted the six locations in the US that the Big Daddy statues will be on display and you can almost guarantee that hardcore Bioshock fanboys will be making the trek. No matter how far or how daunting the trip to one of the six Gamestop/EB Games is, you can bet that certain fanboys will treat the trip as if they were headed to Mecca. Go fanboys, go get your picture with a Big Daddy at one (or all) six locations we've posted after the break. Your Bioshock fanboy'ness is at stake.
Now that's what we call a Big Daddy
Bioshock fans don't look above! We must warn you that the image you see above just might make you wet yourself. Okay, go ahead ... look. It's a giant Big Daddy statue (possibly life sized?), it is teh awesomeness and just by giving the photo a look over we know some Bioshock fanboys just wet themselves. The badass Big Daddy statues are being installed in certain retail outlets and the photos came from the flickr'ing skills of the gang over at technabob and we must say, we want one in our living room now. Right now. Okay Bioshock fanboys, put on a clean pair of pants and make the jump to see a few more photos of this big Big Daddy. And just to be safe, keep an extra pair of jeans nearby.[Thanks, O B M]
Bioshock's eerie musical score gets analyzed
Classical music lovers or Bioshock fans who are desperately in need of a news fix should head over to Music 4 Games to read their interview with the game's talented composer Garry Schyman. In the interview Schyman talks about how the eerie, sad, and dark atmosphere Bioshock projects helped inspire him to create some of the most amazing music of his career. He also talks about his choice of instruments and said that he leaned towards a variety of string instruments including the cello and violin to get the 20th century feel just right. It's quite the interesting read and insight into how video game music is decided upon, recorded and finally implemented. But sadly there are no music samples to download as we'll have to wait for our trip into Rapture to get the full auditory experience.
Video: BioShock open-ended gameplay
So, are you getting sick of BioShock footage yet? We hope not, because GameVideos has posted a video with Irrational Games' Ken Levine, who walks us through a gameplay scenario. In order to display the many options available to the player, the video runs us through the same scenario three times. On the first try, it's played as a straight up FPS with guns blazing (hint: this won't get you very far). The second time through, the player uses forethought and all the Plasmid skills available. The third time, he takes on the Big Daddy. Unfortunately, the battle with the Big Daddy is cut short, so we don't get to witness the whole thing (you may recall that it takes a lot of firepower to bring these guys down).Also, we noticed what appear to be enemy health bars in the video too. Hopefully that's a feature that can be turned off. Kind of ruins the suspense, you know?
BioShock preview reveals tasty gameplay info
GameSpot has posted a lengthy preview for BioShock, the upcoming first person shooter from Irrational Games and 2K. We've seen our share of BioShock previews, but this one really focuses on the actual gameplay experience. In particular, the preview highlights the borderline survival horror aspect of the game, noting the literally insane AI of your enemies. If you've been wanting to get a feel for the things you will actually be doing in BioShock, it's a pretty good read. Be warned though, there are some minor spoilers contained in the preview, though there is nothing drastic.If you've dismissed BioShock as "just another shooter," you should definitely check out the preview. August can't come soon enough.[Via Evil Avatar]%Gallery-3532%
Video: BioShock developer diary
GameTrailers has posted a developer diary video from Irrational Games, makers of BioShock. Of course, if you're going to talk about BioShock, you might as well talk about the Big Daddy. It seems that he (it?) has wormed his way into every bit of BioShock promotional material out there, and this video is no different. Specifically, the video deals with the relationship between the Big Daddy character and the Little Sister. The two are always together and will work together when confronting threats. It's really an interesting look at how the pair interacts with each other. It's almost heartwarming to see the Big Daddy affectionately pat the Little Sister on the head, though the feeling is somewhat sullied knowing that he most likely drilled someone into a wall only moments before. Watch the video and tell us what you think.
Video: BioShock plasmids aplenty
It's true. We loves BioShock. Loves it. With the impending release only months away, we were pleased to see a mountain of video coverage on GameTrailers. We had meant to post it earlier, but we were distracted by lolcats. The series of videos covers the many plasmids available in BioShock. Some are fairly simple, like the Winter Blast plasmid, which freezes your enemies. Others are a little more complicated, like the Security Bullseye plasmid, which automatically makes your enemy the target of nearby security bots. All in all, the plasmids look to add a considerable degree of strategy and fun to BioShock. Check out the videos after the break.
1UP details first few hours of BioShock
1UP received some hands on time with BioShock and aren't afraid to spoil the first few hours of gameplay. Their BioShock preview article is more or less a recap of the gameplay and events of their play session. So, if you don't like spoilers, stay away from this BioShock "preview". But we'll sum up their overall impressions. 1UP feels BioShock is more of a shooter than anything else with solid controls and a great atmosphere all rolled up into a very fun free roam adventure. The encounters are memorable, the look is unmistakable, and they really enjoyed their time with the game (end summation). They also posted a few new screenshots of their underwater adventure, so be sure to check those out. And yes, we're just as excited to take down a Big Daddy ... we can't wait.[Via Game Stooge]
BioShock's Big Daddy box art unleashed
Fresh from the murky ocean depths, 2K Games just released the official box art for BioShock and what more can we say other than we're loving it! Anytime we see a Big Daddy, a Little Sister, or BioShock's lovely water our inner fanboy is instantly unleashed. And the cool thing is that the game's box art displays all three! Sweet huh? Take a look at BioShock's standard edition cover art after the break.[Via GamingTalkHQ]
Video: EGM previews BioShock
EGM recently got a chance to take a long look at BioShock and have been kind enough to share their impressions with the rest of the internet (how thoughtful). The video preview discusses the many aspects of BioShock, from its cinematic qualities to its accurate simulations of environmental effects. Irrational's Ken Levine notes that it was important for BioShock to perform according to a gamer's expectations. For instance, an enemy who is caught on fire should seek water to put it out. Similarly, shocking a pool of water with electricity should electrocute any enemies standing in the pool. Other topics discussed include BioShock's viability as an FPS, enemy AI, and the game's overall structure. Check out the preview after the break.
New BioShock footage, massive gallery
We just can't wait for BioShock. If you listen to the Fancast, you probably already know that, but it remains noteworthy. The game simply looks gorgeous and it has some promising gameplay to boot. The footage above is basically a mishmash of gameplay footage, assembled in no particular order. Give it a look and tell us what you think. Be warned though, watching all of these clips out of context may begin to make you feel a little ... insane.Also, we've uploaded a huge BioShock gallery, which you are free to peruse at your leisure. Find it below.[Via youNEWB]%Gallery-3532%
A closer look at BioShock's Little Sisters
Despite the many menacing characters found in BioShock, not the least of which is the Big Daddy, the creepiest character revealed so far is undoubtedly the Little Sister. These little "girls" run around the underwater world of Rapture collecting something called Adam from the dead (note the large syringe in the image at right. The player can decide to save these "children" or to harvest them, as the Adam they carry is useful to the player. In the latest BioShock podcast, Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games, discusses the moral conflict that the developers have created in the Little Sister character.The whole podcast is just shy of 20 minutes, and is exclusively about the Little Sister. Given the appearance and demeanor of the Little Sister character, the moral choice presented by her is likely to become a touchy subject, and the podcast attempts to clear the air about it. Levine discusses the challenges of creating such a character (originally designed as an insect) and forcing the player to make a moral choice about it. Among the juicier bits of info revealed in the podcast is the fact that players cannot physically harm the Little Sister. Little Sisters can be "harvested," but cannot be harmed by weapons or powers that the player possesses. It is made clear that harvesting will result in the death of a Little Sister, though Levine doesn't discuss specific details. The podcast is definitely worth a listen. If you've got the time to spare, we suggest you check it out.
Bioshock LE cover art design announced
Over on Bioshock's Cult of Rapture website they've wrapped up and announced the winning design for the Bioshock LE cover art contest. And out of over 150 entries, Adam Meyer's design (as seen to the right) came out victorious and will be etched onto the Bioshock LE metal cover for all to see. Adam will also cash in on the sweet reward, getting not only free copies of Bioshock, but also receiving an all expense paid trip to Bioshock's launch party. Congrats to you Adam, but about you choosing a friend to take with you on your trip. You know how to contact us, we're available anytime in August ... just give us a date.[Via Gaming Bits]
New Bioshock footage makes us happy
As part of last week's X-Play video game Summer Preview they received an exclusive look at Bioshock and got some new in-game footage. And what more can we say? Bioshock is fresh, unique, and one tempting Summer purchase. Hell, the water effects are worth the price of admission and we're not embarrassed to say that the electro-bolt plasmid makes us get all teary-eyed. Actually, our only reservation about the game is that there is no online co-op or multiplayer to speak of, but we're not sure if that really matters in the grand scheme of things. So, where does Bioshock fit on your video game purchase list?[Via Digg]
