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BioShock Infinite sales pass 4 million
Take-Two Interactive chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick has revealed that BioShock Infinite has sold more than 4 million units since its release last March. This comes hot on the heels of the first-person shooter's new DLC and the announcement of an impending return to more nostalgic, sub-aquatic pastures. "BioShock Infinite is North America's best-selling multiplatform release so far this year, according to NPD," Zelnick said during an investor conference call following the release of Take-Two's financial results for the first quarter of its fiscal 2014. "The title has crossed the 4 million units selling mark, and we expect it to become the top-selling release in the BioShock franchise."
BioShock Infinite returns to Rapture in Burial at Sea
BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea will take players in a bathysphere back to the emerald city of Rapture for a noir-styled adventure. The second and third pieces of downloadable content for Infinite offer a more narrative experience than today's Clash in the Clouds. The first episode places Infinite protagonists Booker and Elizabeth in Rapture, the underwater city Andrew Ryan built so kindly in the original BioShock, around 1958, two years before the fall. Players will experience the city through Booker's eyes in a time before it became the leaky dream under the sea, with new weapons, new "Plasmids/Vigors," tears, Big Daddies and ... some sky-lines, apparently. The second episode will have players taking on the role of Elizabeth. She won't be the bullet-absorbing tank that Booker DeWitt is, as Irrational Studios head Ken Levine explained it'll be a different type of experience. The two packs have been priced at $14.99 apiece (included in the BioShock Infinite Season Pass) with more details and a release date coming soon. %Gallery-194988%
BioShock Infinite: Clash in the Clouds out today
The first piece of BioShock Infinite downloadable content is an arena combat mode called Clash in the Clouds. Available for $5, the DLC will launch around noon today on Steam for PC, with the Xbox 360 and PSN versions being pushed to their respective marketplaces as soon as possible (could be today, could be shortly). At its core Clash in the Clouds is arena mode. Players gain access to four different maps, fighting 15 waves of enemies in each, earning varying amounts of money based on how they fight (headshots give a slight bonus, along with chain kills). Between each wave, players are able to restock. There are also "blue ribbon challenges," which require defeating a wave in a particular way (eg. shotguns only). The cash earned is banked and can be used to open up items in The Columbian Archeological Society, which is the hubworld for the mode. Players can unlock and display concept art, character models, Lutece backstory Voxophones, Kinetoscopes and more. This trophy room is the highlight of the DLC. From my brief experience with the mode yesterday, I was able to break it a couple times. After failing a blue ribbon challenge I decided to "restart checkpoint," but it turns out you can't restart a wave, so you'll be dropped back to the hubworld. After that I couldn't access the world and required a restart. After restarting I bought a vigor, which didn't show up in my menu. Overall, the DLC features four maps, 15 encounters per map and a ton of unlocks for $5. It may not be the BioShock DLC that season-pass holders were expecting out of the gate, but it's good if you're looking for combat challenges in the world of Columbia. Burial at Sea is likely more in (sky)line with what season pass holders are hoping for.
Irrational to unveil BioShock Infinite DLC in late July
Information on upcoming BioShock Infinite DLC is expected to arrive in late July, Irrational Games tells Joystiq. It's unconfirmed if the as-yet-unannounced DLC is part of the BioShock Infinite's season pass, which grants guaranteed access to three DLC packs for the game. The game's "Columbia's Finest" DLC was recently made available as a separate download on Steam.
BioShock Infinite Premium DLC now available separately on Steam
Steam has released the BioShock Infinite "Columbia's Finest" DLC as a separate download, available now for $4.99. This DLC was initially included with the Premium and Ultimate editions of the game at launch, and adds 500 Silver Eagles and 5 lockpicks to your stash, along with six exclusive gear items. You'll also get two weapon upgrades: Comstock's China Boom Shotgun, and Comstock's Eagle Eye Sniper Rifle. This content is not part of the season pass that Irrational Games announced back in February, which promises access to three separate pieces of downloadable content in the future.
Ken Levine is writing Logan's Run remake for Warner Bros.
BioShock creator and Irrational Games boss Ken Levine is making a return foray into films by taking on the screenplay for the Warner Bros. remake of Logan's Run. According to Deadline, the move is very much a unique and temporary one for Levine, who will continue on Irrational Games, but Logan's Run has long been a "passion project" for him. Levine first pursued a career as a film screenwriter before being hired by Looking Glass Studios and going on to found Irrational. There's no word yet on when Levine's take on the iconic 1976 sci-fi film and the book it's based on will hit screens. In any case, a tweet from the man himself would suggest he's thrilled with the move: "I think the 10 year old me gave the 46 year old me a high five."
Get $20 to $25 off BioShock Infinite on Amazon today
Today's Gold Box deal of the day on Amazon is BioShock Infinite. Downloadable PC versions of the game are $25 off ($35), whereas boxed copies of the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are $20 off ($40) for today only. Meanwhile, $35 Steam codes through Groupon for the game appear to still be available until the end of the day. What we're trying to say is, today might be a good day to buy a new game. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Groupon for $25 off BioShock Infinite on Steam
Unlike other Groupons for BOGO grow-your-own nagchampa kits and 15 percent off the first 30 minutes of your dog's Le Cordon Bleu certification lessons, this Groupon to get the PC version of BioShock Infinite for $35 is actually worth spending money on.
BioShock Infinite air-mails 3.7 million units
BioShock Infinite has shipped over 3.7 million units, according to Take-Two interactive's year-end financials released today. The company noted the game experienced "significantly" higher first-month sales than any other BioShock release. The company also mentioned it has seen solid demand for the BioShock Infinite Season Pass, but did not share any numbers. The Season Pass will include the game's three coming DLC packs.
PSA: System Shock 2 on Steam, 30 percent off until May 17
System Shock 2 is now available on Steam for $6.99. The first-person survival-horror game is 30 percent off until May 17. System Shock 2 found its way to the platform courtesy of Night Dive Studios, the outfit who picked up the rights as the game's publisher in February, when System Shock 2 also launched on GOG.com. To those of you that have yet to play this game: You're running out of excuses.
BioShock Infinite Songbird plushies now up for pre-order
Is your tower loft/prison missing that certain something? Irrational Games hopes a Songbird plushie, now available for pre-order through the BioShock Infinite developer's web store, will fill that need. The plush Songbird is sits seven inches tall, has a wingspan of 14 inches and is made of metal, wire and polyester. Each Songbird costs $55 and will take flight from Irrational's warehouse and ship out to customers in September. The Songbird is the bodyguard of Elizabeth, the coin-flinging counterpart to game protagonist Booker DeWitt. If you're looking for other ways to express your love of BioShock Infinite, you could also print out some different cover art, get a new ringtone or head down to your local buffet.
BioShock Infinite hides Shakespeare quotes in Possession Vigor
How to transform a Shakespeare soliloquy from a gorgeous ballad of love and loss into the chilling stuff of nightmares: Whisper it Play it backwardBioShock Infinite features hidden dialogue in its Possession Vigor, both in the scene where players first encounter the stuff, and when it's used to possess enemies. It's a line from Romeo and Juliet, played backward and whispered: "Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow'd [night] / Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die / Take him and cut him out in little stars."
BioShock Infinite's Columbia, rebuilt in Minecraft
Of course somebody built BioShock Infinite's floating city of Columbia within Minecraft. Sights such as Battleship Bay and vistas of floating skyscrapers are all meticulously recreated in Mojang's sandbox, all available to peruse in one convenient photo album.
Rod Fergusson preps to leave Irrational Games
Rod Fergusson, former Director of Production at Epic Games, is soon to be the former VP of Development at BioShock Infinite developer Irrational Games, Polygon reports. Fergusson joined Irrational in August to help finish up work on BioShock Infinite, a game that shipped to widespread critical acclaim on March 26. Now he's in the process of leaving Irrational."I am very proud of the work that I did and of the team and what they were able to accomplish on Infinite," Fergusson says. "Now with the game shipped successfully, I've done what I set out to do here and now I'm looking forward to the next chapter in my life and career."When Fergusson joined Irrational, he followed a trail of major departures from the studio, including Art Director Nate Wells and Design Lead Jeff McGann. There's no word on what Fergusson's next move will be.
BioShock Infinite alternate covers available for printing
Irrational Games now has eight pieces of alternative cover art for BioShock Infinite available on its site. The bland original cover already comes with artistic opposition, which was chosen by 38 percent of participants in an online fan vote.Now, all the original designs up for the vote are available for printing, along with a few more custom designs, like the one we chose above. Covers are available in PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. Irrational warns fans to follow the printing instructions and do a test run before wasting glossy paper. So many pretty covers to choose from.
BioShock Infinite clings to top spot in this week's UK Charts
Like Booker DeWitt on a skyrail, BioShock Infinite hangs high above the rest in this week's UK charts. Despite a 75 percent sales drop after its launch week, Irrational's clouds-based shooter is numero uno for two weeks in a row. Just below it is Tomb Raider, maintaining its own impressive grip on the UK top two; that's five weeks now it's not budged. Trion's shooter MMO Defiance marks its debut week by notching third place, and is the only new entry in the top 40. Gears of War: Judgment earns a third week appraisal of sixth, falling behind Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon in fifth. Meanwhile, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel and PGA Tour 14 endure second week drops to 15th and 17th respectively. After just three weeks, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is nowhere to be seen in the top 40, although there may be more here than meets the eye. After placing seventh in its debut week, MH3U plummeted to a surprising 37th last week. However, Nintendo of Europe chief Satoru Shibata took to Twitter late last week to apologize "for the current stock shortage" of the Wii U and 3DS game "due to high demand." Shibata said new stock will "hopefully be available" this coming week.
Rapturous deal: BioShock 1 and 2 for $4 from GameFly
Can't afford the trip to Columbia? Want to catch up on lore and ethos that define BioShock before diving into BioShock Infinite? GameFly has you covered, offering a BioShock and BioShock 2 PC download bundle for only five bucks. Throw in the code GFDAPR20 at checkout for an additional 20 percent off, knocking the price down to a piddly $3.99.
BioShock Infinite goes sky-high in this week's UK charts
It's infinitesimally surprising BioShock Infinite debuts at #1 in the UK charts, but more unexpected is that it's the country's second biggest launch of the year, despite being the biggest in the franchise's history with 9000 more sales than BioShock 2. The 2013 crown, however, still belongs to Tomb Raider. Crystal Dynamics' reboot makes it four weeks now in the UK top two - albeit helped by a 45 percent sales boost on the back of price promotions.Gears of War: Judgment, last week's number one, slips back to third. Below it, three other new releases join BioShock Infinite in the top ten to close what's been a busy March. 3DS exclusive Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon takes fifth spot, while Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 come in sixth and eighth respectively.Outside the top ten, the Wii U release of Lego City Undercover debuts at 12th, while Sly Cooper: Thieves of Time, which arrived for Vita and PS3 in Europe on March 27, is 31st.
Unlock BioShock Infinite's '1999 Mode' early with the Konami code
When BioShock Infinite launches on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 tomorrow, players can choose to unlock the game's difficult '1999 Mode' early by using a modern variation of the classic Konami code.By default, Infinite only has three available difficulty settings: Easy, medium and hard, with the 1999 Mode – which tunes Irrational's latest game to a difficulty best suited for those looking for a classic shooter experience akin to System Shock 2's campaign – hidden away until the game is complete. If players decide they want an immediate challenge, using the Konami code will allow them to unlock it at any point. On PC (with keyboardmouse): Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, (Cancel key), (Confirm key) On Xbox: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A On PS3: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, O, XFor more on BioShock Infinite make sure to read the Joystiq review, which called the next installment in the franchise "one of the best told stories of this generation."
Metareview: BioShock Infinite
It's a good day for the team at BioShock Infinite developer Irrational Games, with the game receiving nearly universal praise. Our review couldn't help gushing either, saying Infinite is "undoubtedly the finest game crafted by Irrational Games" and "one of the best told stories of this generation. It simply cannot be missed." Eurogamer (100/100): "BioShock Infinite doesn't blur the lines between your reality and the game's to quite the same extent as its predecessor, but it's a more complete and polished story, and that's the thing you'll remember. " Game Informer (100/100): "Infinite is more than a new setting, story, and characters; those elements are seamlessly integrated with complex themes, a mysterious plot, and entertaining combat to create an amazing experience from beginning to end." PC Gamer (91/100): "Elizabeth herself is nice. I liked her. If you were hoping for something more – perhaps even the fabled Strong Female Character™ – you might be disappointed. When you're together, she's relegated to the role of caddy, limited to passing you a new weapon when you run out of ammo, and only ever using her own abilities when you command her to." Edge (90/100): "Sadly, as the combat opens up, the story begins to slowly unravel. There's no golf club moment, no singular twist around which the tale turns. Instead, Infinite provides a series of revelations that have you replaying earlier sections with a more enlightened, inquisitive eye." VideoGamer (80/100): "It is fascinating, and also boring. It is important, yet forgettable. Its world is enticing and unappealing. It attempts to move things forward, yet is in places stuck in the past. For a game that has the potential to open the franchise up to a multitude of different ideas and interpretations, BioShock Infinite can feel curiously limited."
