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Free BioShock artbook ready for download
Way back when Irrational Games asked fans what they wanted in the BioShock Limited Edition, one of the choices was an informative BioShock artbook. And, as we all know, it wasn't voted to be a part of the Limited Edition, because everyone thought a Big Daddy figurine was so much cooler. But that didn't sit well with the Irrational team, so they got all their goods together, compiled some information and made the BioShock artbook available free for download off of the The Cult of Rapture website. The art book, titled BioShock: Breaking the Mold, features all kinds of art and information about the game as well as a few concept ideas they had early on like making the Little Sisters be chipmunks instead of girls, no lie! The free artbook is available in low res and high res flavors and is a good "fix" that should hold you over until next Tuesday. But be warned, if you are afraid of spoilers skip Kevin Levine's foreword. Don't say we didn't warn you.
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.
The Joystiq Weekend: August 11 - 13, 2007
In honor of the demo, here's a shot of Bioshock's Big Daddy and Little Sisters as seen at Wizard World Chicago 2007. (Image credit: Anime Nut). Check out the highlights for this weekend:JoystiqueryJapanese hardware sales, Jul. 30 - Aug. 5: Generation gap editionPodcast Rodeo for August 12: Ear or farThe Political Game: The Mod SquadToday's most introductory video: Beautiful KatamariWeekly Webcomic Wrapup: expected response editionNewsRiddick's next-gen remake delayed until 2008Sega reveals The Incredible Hulk development teamsSony's Warhawk server farm is made of PS3sGameTap digs for readers with veteran writer line-upXbox Elite and HD DVD (plus movies) for $599 at AmazonRockstar Leeds tired of ports, working on new IPBioshock demo now available on Xbox LivePokémon Trainer joins the Super Smash Bros. BrawlMetroid is Shining in the Darkness of the Cratermaze on Virtual ConsoleNew games this week: Madden '08 editionThere is, apparently, more F.E.A.R. to be downloadedLotRO updates Aug. 20 with 'The City of the Kings'NY Times combines Halo 3 and RROD in volatile mixPlenty of publishers turned down BioshockThis Wednesday: Hexic 2 and Ecco the Dolphin on XBLASony kiosks hit Korean theater, bankWideload working on XBLA gamesBest Buy gouging on 360 accessory pricesSchizoid video is kind of puzzlingCodemasters seeks LTR with Clive BarkerResearch: 30% of Xbox owners don't know about XBLAAffleck and Damon MMO group goes game news huntingUbisoft goes Game 3.0 with user-generated game contentRumors & SpeculationRumor: New Xbox 360 bundles due for the holidaysRumorang: The brewing Apple/Nintendo "war"Duke Nukem could be on his way to XBLACulture & CommunityGameCritics.com and N'Gai talk art, criticism and censorshipSecond Life sex program lawsuitXbox 360 only 17% shooter games (22% of 'good games')Final Fantasy video retrospective: Part VMicrosoft's Dream-Build-Play contest fulfills a few indie devs' dreamsDS emulator on a PSP, just becauseAll about industry analysts on Bonus Round, part deuce
Free Bioshock artbook for download from Irrational Games
Elizabeth Tobey, the official site manager for Bioshock, always wanted to include an art book in the limited edition of the title but they just couldn't manage it. Probably because of the whopping Big Daddy figure taking up all the space, eh? So they're doing the next best thing by offering it up online and for free.Available in both low and high resolution packages, Bioshock: Breaking the Mold weighs in with over sixty pages of the most beautiful PDF files you may ever see. One warning for would-be downloaders: skip the foreword. Apparently, it contains spoilers direct from Ken Levine himself.For those still downloading the demo, we suggest snagging this first, creating a flip book and taking a bath with it. It'll feel just like Rapture![Thanks, Dan!]%Gallery-6604%
Plenty of publishers turned down Bioshock
While the unbearably long time it's taking to download the Bioshock demo (65% and counting, baby!) is pretty much excruciating to us who are hotly anticipating the game, one has to imagine there's at least one guy who's got a smile on his face: Designer Ken Levine. According to a new interview, he and his team have had quite the struggle to get the shooter to this point.Senior designer Joe McDonagh detailed the long journey for CVG, saying that Levine had taken the game to several publishers who decided that the cerebral FPS wasn't a fit for their company. McDonagh rails, "Something I realized very quickly was that as much as your boss won't ever know that you turned down a future game of the year, he will know that you signed up a turkey. You don't get fired for not taking risks." If the response to the demo is any indication of earning potential, there are a few execs out there who had better keep mum about meeting with Levine.
Bioshock demo now available on Xbox Live [Update]
Not that it needs much explanation outside of the headline, but a demo for Bioshock is now available on Xbox Live, weighing in at a modest 1.35 GB. The demo was released alongside the televised launch trailer, as seen above. GameTrailers has the commercial in HD, should you want to enjoy each and every pixel of it.Completing the sudden onslaught of Bioshock goodness is the latest episode of the Major Nelson podcast, appropriately titled, "The one about the Bioshock demo," starring Ken Levine of Irrational Games. We wish you luck, dear readers, as both Xbox Live and Major Nelson's site are being positively crushed by our collective downloading might.Bioshock ships out to retailers on August 21st.[Update - For those in search of a PC demo, the official site says that one is "in the works and will be out later this month" and that further details will be issued tomorrow. Thanks, faceless coward!][Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
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? ...
BioShock goes gold, Irrational Games becomes 2K Boston / 2K Australia
2K announced this afternoon that Irrational's beautiful underwater FPS BioShock has gone gold and will be hitting Xbox 360s and PCs on August 21st. That simple reassurance is comforting amidst the pile of delayed games we find ourselves wading through lately. But that's not all!After acquiring Irrational early last year, Take-Two has undoubtedly enjoyed the litany of critical praise the still-unreleased BioShock has enjoyed. Furthering their journey into the corporate belly of the beast, it was also announced this afternoon that Irrational Games would now be known as 2K Boston and 2K Australia. Are you worried this means that the development studio formerly known as Irrational would be artistically compromised, reduced to making movie-licensed games for hire? Ken Levine, President and Creative Director of 2K Boston, assuages all of our fears saying, "We're proud to be part of the 2K Games family and enjoy the new opportunities and artistic freedoms this strengthened relationship provides." Let's hope so. Speaking of which, what's next for Irrational 2K Boston now that BioShock is locked down?Read – 2K Announces BioShock has Gone GoldRead – Irrational Games Renamed 2K Boston and 2K Australia
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]
Confirmed: A Bioshock demo will surface
With Bioshock's release less than a month away, the biggest question on most people's minds is whether or not we'll be seeing a game demo released before the game comes out. Well, thanks to our friends over at the German video game rating board (the USK), we can pretty much confirm one will be released. Over on the USK website, they've posted a rating for what is called a "Bioshock Demo" along with the standard Bioshock game. So, that pretty much confirms a Bioshock demo will be coming out and since it has already been rated in Germany one would think it would be releasing relatively soon, possibly before August 21st. We'll be waiting patiently on the Marketplace's blade, waiting for a glimpse of a Big Daddy, and waiting for our Bioshock demo.[Via 360gamer, Thanks Tom Coakes]
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.
2K Games' (Bio)shocking E3 2007 lineup
Watch out for the 2K Games lineup for this week's E3 2007; it's mighty massive. Despite the appearance of an already-released title (The Darkness), Irrational's BioShock will more than make way with Big Brother demanding your full attention ... or else. The lineup, and attached release dates: BioShock (Xbox 360; August 21) Civilization Revolution (Xbox 360, PS3, and DS in Spring 2008; Wii in Fall 2008) The Darkness (Xbox 360, PS3) All-Pro Footbal 2K8 (Xbox 360, PS3; July 2007) NHL 2K8 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2; Fall 2007) Those holding out to see (or have us see, rather) Manhunt 2 need not worry, as this does not include 2K parent publisher Take Two's E3 lineup. %Gallery-3725%%Gallery-4355%
Cult of Rapture gamer pictures winner
Our little Cult of Rapture gamer pictures giveaway has come to an end ... and we've found someone worthy enough to represent the cult. The winner of the exclusive Cult of Rapture gamer pictures, which cannot be purchased off the XBLM, is none other than andres. Our friend andres will be eating a Klondike bar while spreading the Bioshock word across the intertubes. Congrats andres and thanks to everyone who entered. And if you didn't win don't be bitter, because The Cult of Rapture are a caring bunch and we're sure they'd welcome you into their Bioshock loving cult. But watch out, the hazing process is brutal.
Win Cult of Rapture gamer pictures
The uber exclusive and Bioshock worshipping Cult of Rapture trusted us enough to giveaway a set of rare Cult of Rapture gamer pictures to one lucky fanboy. These gamer pictures are only available to the most honorable and fanatical of Bioshock fanboys and are not purchasable off the XBLM. Let's just say you'd be the belle of the Bioshock fanboy ball if you sport these gamer pictures.Anyway, the Cult of Rapture wants us to giveaway the gamer pictures to one worthy Bioshock fan and so, this is how you can win. From now until tonight at 9:00PM eastern, comment on this post telling us exactly why you're worthy of representing the Cult of Rapture and Bioshock. Tonight, we'll randomly choose a winner and send them the code. And, if you're curious, you can preview said gamer pictures over at the Cult of Rapture's website. Only the most hardcore of Bioshock fanboys need apply ... comment away.
New BioShock video appears, narrated by Ken Levine
Every time that a new video from BioShock is released, it does more than just promote the game, it further inflames our desire for the invention of time travel ... and we doubt we're alone. To that end, we'd like to make a bold proposal: That BioShock continue to be delayed until some FPS-crazy inventor creates the technology to leap into the future and snatch it from Ken Levine's hand.Does this request pain us? Of course it does. Look at that video, you think our heart doesn't ache when we see the player using telekinesis to reposition a tripwire? Do you think we don't cry a little bit when a dude gets frozen and then shattered with a wrench? As hard as it is for us though, perhaps, much like Russia nipping at America's heels in the race to the moon, we need the inspiration of BioShock being at some point in a time that we can not reach to lead us forward to greatness.
