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Released on 09/02/2010

• Hopes for Bioshock movie sinking fast

  
  Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski has been talking to film site ComingSoon, explaining why pre-production on his planned Bioshock movie has ground to a shuddering halt.

  
  According to Verbinski, the film's potential R rating is the biggest stumbling block for investors, the helmer failing to secure the $160million he apparently needs to recreate Rapture in cinematic form.

  
  "I couldn't really get past anybody that would spend the money that it would take to do it and keep an R rating," he sighed. "I wasn't really interested in pursuing a PG-13 version. I just wanted to really, really make it a movie where, four days later, you're still shivering."
  "It's a movie that has to be really, really scary," Verbinski continued, "but you also have to create a whole underwater world, so the price tag is high. We just didn't have any takers on an R-rated movie with that price tag."

  
  If a large-pocketed Hollywood bigshot dug deep enough to fund the film, Verbinski reckons Rapture would look best in 3D. "I'd like to go into that world wearing a pair of glasses, I think in general, gaming is perfect for 3D. Anything where you're the protagonist. The kid in The Shining on the big wheel, going around corridors - that's what 3D is perfect for. To make people feel on edge."

  
  A Bioshock game in 3D? Now that would be worth investing in. Let's hope Ken Levine, currently working on Bioshock: Infinite, is listening.

• Batman helps to inspire Bioshock Infinite

  When we finally get our grubby mitts on Bioshock Infinite in 2012, you can thank a certain caped crusader for some of the game's structure. That's because Ken Levine, head honcho of developer Irrational Games and Bioshock creator, has admitted that 2009 blockbuster hit Batman: Arkham Asylum tickled his creative reflexes and made him reconsider some of the choices he made in the original game.

  Talking to Eurogamer, the man responsible for seminal PC game System Shock confessed that he was impressed with the way Arkham Asylum changed things around whenever the story took the player back through a previously explored location.

  ne of the things that's great about Arkham Asylum is that it's similarly structured to BioShock in some ways but also one of their great innovations is when you come back through an area they establish an entirely different narrative he said.

  "I think we're very much inspired by that. In BioShock 1 we just had respawning when you came back through an area, so I think when we put you back through an area we want to do it in a way that feels different and meaningful."

  A true Bioshock sequel with a Metroid-style gameworld that evolves as you move through it? Next year can't come soon enough.
  

• New Year Revolutions: The games of 2012 that we want to play now

  New Year Revolutions: The games of 2012 that we want to play now

  Towards the end of last year, we saw veritable avalanche of amazing games roll over us, leaving us swamped but happy with top-notch titles such as Modern Warfare 3, Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim, Super Mario Land 3D, Assassin's Creed Revelations, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Saints Row The Third and, oh, you get the idea.

  Surely that's more than enough new games to leave even the greediest gamer feeling stuffed and satisfied? Well, yes, but don't pretend you can't hear that little voice whispering in the back of your mind. What's next? it says.

  Here's the answer: our guide to the big games of 2012 that we can't wait to play.

  GTA V (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  The genre-busting open-world crime caper makes its long-awaited return, with an all-new tale set in the pseudo-L.A. of Los Santos. Details are limited to one cryptic trailer, but where Rockstar is concerned it's safe to set expectations high.
  

  Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Bioware brings its grand space opera to a cataclysmic finale, as the world-devouring Reapers declare open war on Earth. The game adds optional multiplayer modes, as well as Kinect voice features for Xbox 360.
  

  Halo 4 (Xbox 360)

  Who seriously thought that Halo 3 would be the last we saw of Master Chief? He's back for the start of a brand new trilogy, which will find the Spartan super soldier confronting his own destiny as well as an ancient evil poised to destroy the universe. No pressure then.
  

  Bioshock Infinite (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Swapping the bottom of the ocean for the top of the world, this continuation of the smartest sci-fi shooter in recent memory casts you as a Pinkerton agent in 1912, trying to escape a dystopian city in the clouds. Expect gorgeous views and gruelling terror in equal measure.
  

  Borderlands 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Return to Pandora for another round of co-operative role-playing mayhem. The game promises more dynamic quests which will alter the path of the story, as well as smarter enemies and more independent non-player characters. Bring it.
  

  Hitman: Absolution (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  It's been five years since Agent 47 last graced our joypads in Blood Money, and his latest adventure will take full advantage of the updates in technology since. Expect to be able to set up more elaborate assassinations, as well some form of multiplayer.
  

  Max Payne 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Rockstar's other big game for 2012 finds the dual-wielding anti-hero cop disgraced and working as a bodyguard in Brazil. Of course, it all kicks off when the family he's guarding are targeted by gangsters, and slow-motion shooty-diving is the only way to settle the score.
  

  The Last Guardian (PS3)

  The latest game from Ico and Shadow of the Colossus creator Fumito Ueda follows a young boy attempting to escape from a grim castle with some help from his friend, a giant griffin-creature called Trico. Action, puzzles and beautiful loveliness ensue.
  

  Tomb Raider (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  After drifting out of the spotlight, the first lady of gaming returns with this series reboot which follows a more vulnerable teenage Lara Croft, as she grows into the confident adventurer we all know and love.
  

  PlayStation Vita

  Sony's incredibly powerful handheld drops in February, bringing next-gen muscle to the portable gaming market. With 3G and Wifi-enabled models available - and boasting exclusive Uncharted, Wipeout and Call of Duty games - it's the console to watch in 2012.
  
  

• Bioshock Infinite to party like its 1999

  Bioshock Infinite to party like its 1999

  Gamers who like it tough will be clapping like seals at the news that Bioshock Infinite, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2007 smash hit, will be getting what developer Irrational Games has called 1999 Mode.

  That's the year Irrational's cult action-RPG System Shock 2 was released, a major influence on the original Bioshock. Now, players who want a more challenging experience will be able to play Bioshock Infinite as if it was designed back in those less forgiving times. Upgrade decisions will be irreversible, and it will be impossible to backtrack and work around the consequences of your actions.

  I'm an old school gamer, explained Irrational boss and Bioshock creator Ken Levine. We wanted to make sure we were taking into account the play styles of gamers like me. So we went straight to the horse's mouth by asking them, on our website, a series of questions about how they play our games. 94.6 percent of respondents indicated that upgrade choices enhanced their BioShock gameplay experience; however, 56.8 percent indicated that being required to make permanent decisions about their character would have made the game even better. In BioShock Infinite, gamers will have to sweat out the results of their actions. In addition, 1999 Mode will demand that players pick specialisations, and focus on them.

  BioShock Infinite swaps the undersea city of Rapture for Columbia, a floating city in the sky, but retains the same sharp political commentary and nerve-wracking horror feel. It's due for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC later this year.

• BioShock Infinite to include challenging 1999 Mode

  Hardcore gamers will welcome news that the upcoming BioShock Infinite will include a new mode that brings a new level of old-school challenge to the experience.

  Dubbed 1999 Mode, the new difficulty setting has been incorporated based on fan feedback and harks back to a more punishing era of game design, in which player choices and tactics are more likely to have permanent consequences.

  Gamers will really need to think about any decisions they make for their characters in 1999 Mode, both in terms of narrative development and customisation specialisations, as they will not be able to reverse them later.

  The mode will also feature much more demanding weapon, power and health management elements, while respawning will be much less frequent, meaning players could be confronted with the dreaded Game Over screen if they are not careful enough.

  Irrational Games' creative director Ken Levine said: "I'm an old school gamer. We wanted to make sure we were taking into account the play styles of gamers like me."

  BioShock Infinite is due for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC this year and is developed by the same team behind the multi-award-winning original BioShock.
  

  Published: 23/01/2012

• Bioshock 2 - Review

  
  

  

  You's the Daddy!

  Let me begin by laying down a rather 'shocking' fact... I have not played the first BioShock! So the first question that I wanted to find an answer for is: do you need to have played the first BioShock in order to enjoy the second one? And that answer is... no. The plot in BioShock 2 doesn't particularly follow on from the first and gives you enough information to understand what is going on.

  You star as a Big Daddy, which if you were like me and un-Shocked, then you wouldn't really know who/what that was. You are an iron-glad genetically enhanced guardian of the Little Sisters, who in turn are genetically modified little girls who run around sucking ADAM soaked corpses. Nice.

  The setting is an underwater city called Rapture that was once filled with lots of cutting edge science, but has now turned into a ruined city where people fight over a gene-enhancing drug called ADAM, that ends up making you go a bit loopy.

  You begin BioShock 2 having woken up from a 10 year coma and your one mission is to find your Little Sister, Eleanor who has been taken away from you Dr. Sophia Lamb, her mother. Sophia Lamb is now running Rapture, and doesn't want you anywhere near Eleanor and will do everything in her power to stop you.

  Bio-shooter

  This idea of playing as a protector, desperately trying to find your lost counterpart is set out in a very interesting way. This type of character dynamic is not a new concept, but the Big Daddies seem to be portrayed as a kind of dumb brute following the Little Sisters' every move. You are like a giant teddy-bear with a machine gun. You were engineered for one reason; to protect your Little Sister. With all the carnage that surrounds you as you explore the city of Rapture, it brings a sense of innocence to the character that all you can think about is finding your Little Sister.

  

  You's the Daddy!

  BioShock 2 at its essence is a shooter. You will spend a lot of time in Rapture killing your doped up foes in different, equally savage ways. You start with a drill that you can use to mash the opposition into pulp. You also get to pick up other shooting equipment a bit more like you would usually expect to find in a shooter title. Alongside these weapons you get to use plasmids. These are abilities you get that have characteristics like lightning bolts, telekinesis and other things to cause damage to the inhabitants of Rapture.

  The battles themselves are much more tactical than your typical run-and-gun shooters. Utilising all of your plasmids and fire-arms, as well as the environments to your advantage is the only way to stay alive. Carefully planning the modes of attack brings out a more RPG side to BioShock 2. Going in guns blazing more often than not leaves you in a sense of panic - madly pushing buttons while trying to run away. Even on easy mode, none of the battles are a walk in the park.

  Look and listen

  This tricky combat system is enhanced by your characters apparel. Wearing an entire suit of metal is going to slow you down a bit. The sound effects as you walk and get shot at are brilliant. You can hear movement and screams from all over Rapture, which can add a certain sense of dread as you venture into uncharted waters. You will sometimes see other Big Daddies engaged in combat through windows which adds the idea that the world of Rapture is still going on around you.

  The overall graphical style of BioShock 2 seems to be very similar to what I'd seen of the first game. I get the feeling that although there is a lot of eye candy to be seen throughout Rapture, it is probably not a great improvement on the first outing. Saying that though, from a first time BioShock player, the world of Rapture is breathtaking. The world has been thoroughly thought out and digests well as a very stylised environment.

  

  Another thing that goes down very well indeed is the online multiplayer mode, which nods its head to the first game by taking levels from it, and making them the core focus of the multiplayer shenanigans. I've put a good few hours into this already, and have really enjoyed unlocking new weapons and plasmids and playing the very 'BioShocky' game modes. Adam Grab, anyone?

  Water-tight

  I have really enjoyed stepping into the world of Rapture. I think your overall enjoyment depends on how much you try and get out of your experience of the game. For example, there is a little yellow arrow that points you in the direction you need to take, and it can be quite easy to simply follow this without exploring too much. The same goes for finding and listening to the audio diaries. While mostly optional, listening to the tapes gives you a much bigger insight into the world and characters.

  Personally, I found it very easy and engaging to explore the depths that Rapture has to offer, rather than rush through the game as quickly as possible. I think that regardless of whether or not you have played BioShock 1, this is a very strong and enjoyable adventure that really explores the ideas of morality and devotion.

  An excellent emotional engagement into a genre soaked in shooters that often seem to be lacking in character development and feeling.

  The Good:

  • Immersive and tactical combat system.
  • Underwater Ironman taking on the world!
  • Multiplayer's really good fun.

  The Bad:

  • Sometimes manic and frustrating combat.
  • Could be seen as 'just another sequel'.
  • Where is the rest of the world?

  Words by Tom Hewitt

  Published: 17/02/2012

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