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Joystiq Giveaway: SteelSeries Stratus XL iOS controller times 2
So you're playing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on your iPhone and you're thinking, "Man, it sure would be a lot easier to slice this Dark Jedi directly in their stupid cowled faces if I was using a controller." Than you're playing BioShock on your iPad and you're all, "Stupid Big Daddy wouldn't have drilled a giant hole in my abdomen if I were using a controller." The thought comes again and again while you play Limbo, XCOM, and myriad other games. Don't worry about it! Joystiq has your back. We're giving away two, that's dos, SteelSeries Stratus XL iOS controllers. These babies work with any iOS device with a Lightning connector and running iOS 7 or higher. Here's how to get the prizes: Just use the Rafflecopter widget below between January 23 and January 30. Winners will be selected at random and contacted via email (so make double sure you use an email we can actually contact you at!) Full rules and details after the break. SteelSeries Stratus XL iOS controller times 2 [Images: SteelSeries]
BioShock lead designer joins Orcs Must Die! studio
A recent blog post written by Robot Entertainment CEO Patrick Hudson reveals that Paul Hellquist has left Gearbox Software to join the Orcs Must Die! developer as its new lead designer. Hellquist then confirmed the news in a tweet a few hours later. Along with his work as lead designer on Irrational Games' Randian undersea shooter BioShock, Hellquist later worked at Gearbox as lead designer on that studio's well-liked story-driven shooter, Borderlands 2. What Hellquist will be doing at Robot isn't yet clear, though Hudson's blog entry does say that he expects Hellquist "to have a profound impact on the games we make, starting with Orcs Must Die! Unchained." [Image: Robot Entertainment]
BioShock on iOS is, unfortunately, exactly what you'd expect
Let me start by saying that I never in a million years would have thought that BioShock -- one of the most atmospheric and gorgeous shooters I've ever played on console and PC -- would ever make its way to iOS. The fact that it exists at all is an achievement, and while I'm about to sort of tear it apart before your eyes, 2K and Take-Two deserve a lot of credit for having the guts to try it. That said, it's not great. It's not even "good" most of the time. If it had never been released on any other platform, I might feel differently. It might be easier to overlook the many things that are very, very wrong with it and see it as an exciting new IP. But it's not a new IP, and unfortunately this is the worst version of it you could possibly choose to play. The visuals suffer tremendously in the move to iOS. Textures are super blurry and pixelated, character models are stiff and ugly, and any kind of special visual effect like fire, sparks, or electricity looks cheap and cheesy. In short, it's nothing like the past versions of the game, even on the lowly Xbox 360. The opening scene, which sets the stage for the entire rest of the game, was plagued with weird graphical glitches, flat black textures that stood out like sore thumbs, and odd lag that caused the camera to jerk around. At several points during the story, characters got stuck in doorways, debris on the floor and walls disappeared and then reappeared, and objects shook violently as they interacted with other pieces of the game world. It's not pretty. I honestly don't know if the lackluster visuals and glitches are simply due to a poor porting job -- which is entirely possible -- the limits of the hardware itself, or the constraints of fitting a game this big into an app that meets Apple's limits for size. Whatever the case, it's a very rough-looking game, and when visuals impact the atmosphere as much as they do in BioShock, that alone is a deal-breaker. In terms of audio, it's a faithful reproduction of the original, and the retro tunes and voice acting that everyone loves remains intact. It's obviously a much better experience if you equip a pair of headphones, but that's just part of mobile gaming these days. Then there's the controls. First person shooters on touchscreens are inherently at a disadvantage, because this genre of game requires precise movements and physical feedback. That's just the way it is. The touchscreen controls in BioShock are adequate for moving around the world, but the fact that you can't aim your weapon and fire at the same time without lifting your finger makes combat feel odd and clunky. As does the plethora of tiny buttons that pop up when interacting with objects in the game world. Playing the game with an MFi controller helps out a great deal, and the SteelSeries Stratus felt particularly comfortable. There's no input lag, which is a big deal, and being able to search objects with a single button press -- and of course shoot while aiming -- is a huge bonus. In the end, this is BioShock crammed, cut, and wedged onto iOS. It's the full story, and all the amazing characters are still there, but as I mention above, this is quite literally the worst way you could choose to play the game. If you absolutely have no other way to enjoy BioShock -- that means no capable computer, no Xbox 360, and no PlayStation 3 -- and you're never planning on getting one... ok, play it on iOS. But if there's even a sliver of a chance that you'll one day be able to play the game as it was meant to be played, please save yourself the $14.99 cost of the iOS version and enjoy it some other way. You'll be glad you did.
'BioShock' arrives on iOS with a heavy price tag
It took 2K Games a little longer than originally expected, but the publisher has finally released its iOS version of the original BioShock. The mobile version of the popular title is compatible with newer iPhones and iPads, which means you're out of luck if you have, say, an aging 4S handset or an older tablet from Apple. Naturally, you can expect a familiar storyline, so be ready to shoot a lot of weird-looking creatures. For those of you looking forward to it, just be prepared to pay a premium -- BioShock for iOS is a whopping $15 on the App Store. There are no in-app purchases in sight, however, meaning that you'll get the full game experience from the get go, rather than having to buy add-ons here and there.
Bioshock now available for the iPhone and iPad
Ready to explore Rapture and fight Big Daddy on your iOS device? Then we have some good news for you as 2K Games has finished its port of Bioshock, and the the popular first person shooter is now available for the iPhone and iPad. Bioshock first debuted in 2007 with critical acclaim for its dark graphics, unique underwater setting and compelling storyline that places you in the middle of an abandoned Utopian colony. The underwater city was ravaged by a civil war and is now overrun with genetically enhanced soldiers and deadly security systems that hunt you down while you try to rescue a supposedly captured family. In an impressive port, 2K Games brought the full game experience to the iOS platform. As a result, Bioshock is compatible only with the iPad Air, iPad Mini with Retina display, iPad 4, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, and iPhone 5. The game will not run on slower devices and requires iOS 7.1 or later. You can download Bioshock from the iOS App Store for $14.99.
BioShock iOS available tonight, priced at $14.99
BioShock for iOS - a full port of the first-person shooter (minus DLC) - will be available starting tonight. Publisher 2K Games expects the game to be available around 9PM Pacific (Midnight Eastern, 5AM UK). It'll be a premium priced mobile app at $14.99, similar to the excellent XCOM iOS. BioShock for iOS is compatible only with iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, iPad 4, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, and iPhone 5. Would you kindly not try it with any other devices. Update: To bring Rapture to your tablets and smartphones, download BioShock at this link. [Image: 2K Games]
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]
Would you kindly consider BioShock on iOS?
Back when iOS gaming was still in its infancy, I recall seeing articles hypothesizing about a future where games would launch on home console and iOS on the same day. We're not there yet, but today's announcement of BioShock on iOS is an important step towards that eventual future. 2K Games has decided to port the 2007 first person shooter BioShock to iOS, in its entirety. That's a huge deal, considering BioShock is one of the most beloved games in its genre, and the game is still considered to be one of the prettier titles on PC and console. I'll get my hands on the game as soon as humanly possible, but while the screenshots released so far are quite impressive, the framerate and overall polish are going to be the real selling points here. The game is slated to come out later this summer, and will only be playable on higher end iOS devices including the iPhone 5 (and later iPhones) and the iPad 4 (and later iPads).
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.
2K is teasing something BioShock related
2K Games' UK branch has posted a teaser image recalling earlier entries in the BioShock series, sparking a new wave of fan theories and speculation. "Come bite the Apple!" reads a faux advertisement from Eve's Garden, an exotic dancing club featured in the original BioShock and BioShock 2's multiplayer component. The Biblical allusion accompanies BioShock's narrative focus on "ADAM," a liquid substance that allows players to equip new Plasmid superpowers. Developer Irrational Games wrapped up its DLC plans for BioShock Infinite with the release of Burial at Sea Episode Two earlier this year, and series co-creator Ken Levine recently reflected on the now-lost possibility of a turn-based BioShock game for the PS Vita. 2K itself, however, has not elaborated on the posted image's meaning. What do you think they're teasing? [Image: 2K]
Xbox Live Deals with Gold: Wolfenstein, BioShock series
Those that missed out on the final day of the Xbox 360 Ultimate Games Sale yesterday have more deals to look forward to this week on Xbox Live. Both paid and free Xbox Live subscribers can enjoy a 33 percent discount on Wolfenstein: The New Order for Xbox One as well as four XBLA games for Xbox 360 at half price: Quake Arena, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Doom 2. Each of these deals are good from July 17 to July 20 only. As for the rest of the week's deals, starting today through July 21 for Xbox Live Gold subscribers only, Xbox One owners can pick up Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare at 40 percent off. The BioShock series received major discounts on Xbox 360 this week, with BioShock and BioShock 2 now available at a quarter of their respective prices and BioShock Infinite slashed by 57 percent. Four pieces of DLC for the latter game are on sale this week as well; both the Clash in the Clouds and Columbia's Finest add-ons are half-off, whereas both Burial at Sea episodes are 33 percent off. [Image: Bethesda Softworks]
Humble 2K Bundle offers up BioShock trilogy, The Darkness 2
Publisher 2K Games headlines today's newly launched Humble Bundle, offering Steam-redeemable versions of BioShock, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified and other featured games for a price of your choosing. All bundle buyers receive copies of 2K's undersea FPS BioShock, comic book-based action game The Darkness 2, and alternate-history shooter The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. Purchases that exceed the bundle's average purchase price will also receive BioShock 2, Mafia 2 and Spec Ops: The Line, and customers who pay $20 or more will get bonus copies of BioShock Infinite and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. A buyer-chosen portion of proceeds benefits the American Red Cross and Action Against Hunger charities. The Humble 2K Bundle will be available through July 22. [Image: 2K Games]
In a parallel universe, BioShock Vita is a tactics game that's real
Ken Levine stoked laments for what could have been when he took to Twitter last night to discuss the now-fabled BioShock Vita game. When asked what he had in mind for his pet project that never got off the ground, the Irrational Games president said, "I was thinking a Final Fantasy Tactics-style thing set in a pre-fall Rapture." Well, damn.
'BioShock' series lives on with help from the second game's dev team
The news that BioShock and BioShock Infinite developer Irrational Games was winding down was a punch to the gut for many last year, but it turns out there is a bit of silver lining. The franchise will live on with developer 2K Marin, the studio that handled BioShock 2, according to GameSpot. Someone at the Cowen and Company analyst conference apparently made a remark that the BioShock series hadn't quite reached its commercial potential yet, and Take-Two Interactive head Strauss Zelnick agreed, saying that the NorCal team would be responsible for its "shepherding going forward." BioShock 2 did pretty okay critically and commercially, but many (including myself) felt its tour through Rapture was little more than a retread and that it lacked the first game's magic. With how Infinite ended, it's anyone's guess where the series' fiction could wind up next.
BioShock gets an HD remake, sort of
When it launched almost seven years ago, BioShock was quite the looker thanks to its stylized aesthetic and the custom version of Unreal Engine 2 under its hood. The game has held up pretty well in terms of visuals (all that water!), but it's certainly starting to show its age. Don't get us wrong, we love the original. It's just that we wouldn't turn down a new version of the game running with all the bells and whistles that Epic's next-gen development tools offer, either. Well, as Kotaku has spotted, an enterprising indie dev has kindly done something along those lines.
Sony Pictures registers BioShock movie domains
The on-again, off-again BioShock movie adaptation appears to be on the move again, as Sony Pictures has registered three domains seemingly related to the ethereal film. As Kotaku points out, Sony Pictures now holds the rights to bioshock-movie.com, bioshock-movie.net and bio-shock.net. None of those URLS bring up any sort of content, suggesting a preemptive move to lock up the domains in the event that Sony Pictures has need of them later. While this does not necessarily mean that the BioShock movie has entered production, it should be mentioned that this isn't the first time we've heard about this project in recent months. An IGN report from March 13 claims that Courtnee Draper, the actress who lent her voice to BioShock Infinite heroine Elizabeth, has been badgering BioShock maestro Ken Levine for the same role in the event of a movie adaptation. This is especially intriguing, given that Levine claims to have killed the BioShock production that Universal Studios was attempting to mount with Gore Verbinski in the director's chair. If Levine is still kicking around the idea to the extent that he's discussing the movie with a potential lead actress, maybe he hasn't entirely turned his back on the idea. Our attempts to reach BioShock publisher 2K Games for more information were met with a boilerplate "no comment." [Image: 2K Games]
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Listen to full songs from BioShock: Infinite's Burial at Sea DLC
Bioshock Infinite regularly played with the idea of splicing together different decades, resulting in cool hybrids like a floating city of classic American architecture, and alternate-dimension takes of classic songs. The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" served as a dose of waveform-delivered culture shock in our initial moments with Columbia, translating the melody into a quartet group performance. Infinite's Burial At Sea DLC plays with music creation as well, but the efforts highlighted in this post from Irrational are less about covers and more about original takes. Community Manager "IG.J" posted three full songs from Burial At Sea Episodes One and Two, providing the story of how each song came to be and which musical styles the songs drew influence from. Among the selections is a promotional jingle for the Old Man Winter plasmid, pitching the substance's necessity like an old-time radio ad would. You can listen to the full takes of each song in Irrational's post, or you can allow Infinite's cover of Fortunate Son to transport you back to the war-torn streets of Columbia. [Image: Irrational Games]
PSN Spring Fever franchise deals include Call of Duty, GTA
If the seven games debuting on PSN this month at discounted rates don't spice up Sony's Spring Fever sale enough for your liking, the sale will also include sales on four different franchises. Games and DLC in the Call of Duty, Need for Speed, BioShock and Grand Theft Auto series are on sale at varying points in March for all PSN users. The sale spans five games in the Need for Speed series, each down to $9.99 ($5 for PS Plus subscribers) tomorrow through March 10. Those games include Need for Speed: Most Wanted on both PS3 and Vita, Hot Pursuit on PS3, The Run on PS3 and Carbon on PSP and Vita. The Call of Duty series continues on March 11 through March 17 and features a variety of game and DLC bundles for Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops and Black Ops 2. Both Black Ops games can be purchased together for $69.99 ($62.99 on PS Plus) as well as all three Modern Warfare games for $64.99 ($58.49 for PS Plus members). Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series rolls in next on March 18 with sales lasting through March 24. The sale knocks GTA 5 down to $39.99, GTA 4 to $5.99 ($4.79 on PS Plus) as well as a handful of other PS3 and PSP games in the series ranging from $5.99 each ($4.79 for PS Plus) to $2.99 each ($2.39 on PS Plus). Lastly, the first two games in the BioShock series will also be $9.99 ($5 for PS Plus members) March 25 through March 31. Those games are joined by BioShock Infinite's Burial at Sea Episode 1 DLC for $10.40 ($7.34 on PS Plus) as well as Columbia's Finest Pack and Clash in the Clouds for $3.49 each ($2.44 on PS Plus). [Image: Rockstar Games]
The studio behind BioShock Infinite is no more
The studio responsible for both BioShock and BioShock Infinite is breaking up, according to a note from creative lead Ken Levine on the company's website. Following the final content release this past month for Irrational Games' latest work, BioShock Infinite, the company's head (Levine) and a group of "about fifteen members of the Irrational team" formed a new, dramatically smaller venture within the parent company that owns Irrational (Take-Two Interactive -- the same folks who own Grand Theft Auto-developer Rockstar Games, among others). That's from a crew of nearly 200 at the peak of Infinite's development in Summer 2012. It's not clear if Irrational will still be the name of the studio; either way, Levine said, "I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it." Levine and his new splinter crew will focus on one goal: "To make narrative-driven games for the core gamer that are highly replayable." In that vein, he's "handing over the reins" of BioShock to Take-Two and going head down on his new, digital-only project(s). It's also likely that Levine needs extra time for his non-gaming work, such as helping pen the remake to Logan's Run. Though BioShock 2 was developed by another Take-Two studio (2K Marin), both the original BioShock and BioShock Infinite were crafted in-house at Irrational Games; it's unclear if the franchise will continue, but we've reached out to Take-Two for comment. Update: Take-Two told us, "At this point 2K and Take-Two are directing all inquiries to the Irrational Blog for details on today's announcement." Update 2: More from Take-Two just came in, somewhat confirming the continuation of the BioShock franchise: "BioShock is one of our most beloved and critically acclaimed franchises, and we are indebted to Ken and the talented team at Irrational Games for their contributions to the series with BioShock and BioShock Infinite; the latter being one of the most decorated games of 2013. The BioShock universe remains a rich creative canvas for many untold stories, and we look forward to exploring the next BioShock experience."
BioShock Infinite and Skyrim, Borderlands 2 and Dishonored retail bundles out today
Bethesda has launched a pair of multiplatform retail bundles collecting many of its best-reviewed games from recent years, including BioShock Infinite, Borderlands 2, and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Bethesda's first "Award Winning Games" bundle includes Gearbox's first-person loot-'em-up Borderlands 2 and Arkane Studios' stealth-action game Dishonored. Today's second retail compilation offers up BioShock Infinite and Skyrim, with a bonus copy of the original BioShock thrown in to sweeten the deal. The two bundles are available for Windows PC, in addition to previously announced Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions. Each package is priced at $29.99. [Image: Bethesda]
