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2K Games released a new BioShock 2 trailer full of bolts, bullets, blood, and gallons of upon gallons of water. The hands-on preview embargo lifts Thursday so look for more in-depth opinions then. Sleep now … your day is done.

In perhaps one of the strangest videogame bundles since Beyond Good and Evil was packed in with some cheese, 2K and Behtesda have joined force to create the BioShock & The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Bundle. the deal will be released July 7 in the US, at $39.99 on Xbox 360 and $29.99 on PC. Considering that I got Bioshock on Steam for $5 and Oblivion is currently around $18 on Steam right now, this isn’t the best deal I’ve ever seen. My advice: buy the Orange Box instead.

Still, if you don’t already own these two games, I can’t recommend them enough. Oblivion holds my attention years after its release (in fact, I played it just yesterday for hours on end) and Bioshock’s heavy narrative was an industry wake up call (since they seemed to ignore that of Half-Life 2). Both are must-buys, but with a little sleuth you can get them for much better prices individually.

The big screen adaptation of Bioshock, which has been in pre-production with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski at the helm, has been put on hold by Universal due to a rising budget. Read more…

Although we’ve known about the existence of “Big Sisters” in Bioshock 2 for a little less than a week, (thanks to Bioshock 2’s teaser site) seeing the Big Sister now is still a sight to behold, thanks to the April issue of Game Informer. Who says print is dead?

The April issue of GI, while also chock full of Dead Space: Extraction and RE5 details, has a 10-page cover story on Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams details, including new information, new screenshots, and the first glimpse at the game’s Big Sister, who appears to be more slender and more threatening than the Big Daddies. (even with the cute wittle cage for the cute wittle sisters)

You can be sure that we’ll hear more about this game at GDC later this month. Click the image above for the full resolution cover.

Bioshock was one of 2007’s best games and best in my opinion, but the only thing it lacked was an online multiplayer of any kind, unlike Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip. But 2K Boston’s next game won’t have this pitfall, as it seems that the project 2K Boston is currently working on is a multiplayer first-person shooter.

In a resume posting for Lead Designers and Lead Engineers for 2K Boston, they detailed a few key points of their next project, which you can find after the jump. While it’s not completely out of the question that this listing is for Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams, I’m thinking it’s not likely. However, we do know that the FPS in question runs on the Unreal 3.0 Engine, and will most likely be released on the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360… whenever it appears. Read more…

Ah, rumors. They are the fuel that keeps gaming journalists buzzing, and though I’ve said many times that they tend to be crazy, this one seems a bit more realistic. According to Macworld (which, in this article, refers to the eponymous expo that was held this past week, though they have no affiliation) there was a booth at the Macworld Conference and Expo this past week for Feral Interactive. Apparently, the t-shirts Feral was handing out featured the iconic Big Daddy of Bioshock on the back. When Macworld questioned the booth holders about the shirt, they confirmed that Bioshock was coming to the Mac in the first half of 2009.

If you own a Mac (of a certain spec- unfortunately, my Macbook probably can’t handle it) and haven’t yet played Bioshock, this could be good news for you, as the highly-rated game is definitely something I believe everyone should get a chance to play. Of course, this is just a rumor, since it’s from Feral Interactive and not  2K. Of course, they could just be doing the port (akin to what Aspyr does for Infinity Ward in the COD series) but until we know more, it’s just a rumor.

Man, I hope the port is called iOshock.

Call me sick, but in my time with Fable 2, I’ve tried to kill kids. Multiple times. You see, my character’s evil. He’d do that. He seduces men and women and takes them under the bridge and puts a flintlock rifle in their faces and pulls the trigger without remorse. He soaks up the upgrades to evil and corruption stats like they’re candy.

But kids, no matter what you do, seem to have an invisible forcefield around them. Just like GTA IV, just like in Fallout 3. Games that are about moral choices, that seem to say – we won’t go this far.

In the case of Fallout 3, lead designer Emil Pagliarulo had this to say on the topic:

We began to think, really what benefit would there be in killing the kids in the game? It just seems gratuitous, unnecessary and cruel.

Some people would say it is necessary, though. Read more…

You may have been following our coverage of Bioshock PS3’s texture problems, in which case you will know that 2K have been doing everything they can to resolve the issue, including releasing a post-release patch to fix the texture problems.

Well, now that the game and patch are out, we can finally see what the fuss was about. Hit the jump to see the updated Big Daddy texture. Read more…

If you have been following our coverage of fan reaction to 2K’s PS3 Bioshock demo, then you are well aware of some gamers voicing complaints about a pixelated Daddy and unsatisfactory graphics (although I frankly find it a bit much), and you are also aware that 2K has responded to the collective cries for help.

Well, a few hours ago they responded again. This time, the post by 2K community manager, Elizabeth Tobey, promises a patch for the game. Anticipating that the public would want to know the exact release date of the patch, Tobey proactively stated:

I do know this will not be until after the game’s launch, and I will update you with details on that date as I receive them.

Tobey adds that a complete list of fixes has yet to be finalized, but assures the community that the texture/pixelation and white bar issues are definitely on the list.

Hit the jump to read her full statement. Read more…

From the dark recesses of my mailbox surfaced a copy of the recently released EA game, Dead Space. Readily equipped with poo-retardant pants, I prepared myself to be survivally-horrified. Read on to find out just how many turds I dropped. Read more…

A few days ago we reported that 2K Community Manager, Elizabeth Tobey, had responded to complaints voiced by gamers on their forum regarding the visual quality of the company’s PS3 Bioshock demo. Specifically, there were concerns that the textures in the PS3 version were not on par with that of the 360 version.

Last night, Elizabeth issued an update to her initial post, following up with readers and giving them some additional insight into what was being done to resolve the issues.

Her full statement, complete with in-game screens presented to help better illustrate the final state of the game, is available after the jump. Read more…

You may have read recently that there are some… issues with the PS3 version of BioShock, which at first seemed to only apply to textures on the Big Daddies (if not, it’s the very next story). 2K officially responded and owned up to the error, which is cool of them, but it now seems that the PS3 version’s overall graphical quality doesn’t quite match up to the 360 version, as evidenced by the included screenshots. Read more…

Some screen grabs from the recently released demo of the PlayStation 3 version of BioShock show some rather pixelated textures when compared to the Xbox 360 version. While this is just a demo, the retail release is just over two weeks away. Is that enough time to fix this issue?

Screen comparisons and 2K’s response follow. Read more…

Can’t decide on what video game character to dress up as this Halloween? Sick of wearing the same blue suspenders and red hat every year? Have you ever wanted to have a large, Styrofoam drill for an arm? Do you live in the New Jersey area?

If you answered yes to these questions, this man has a suit to sell you. This fancy, homemade Big Daddy costume can be yours for only $250. The drill arm does work, provided you stick a power drill in there, and you can string some Christmas lights up in the face mask for that extra “friendly” or “your death is imminent” effect. Make it a family affair and bring your little sister along for an added bonus. Just hand her a giant syringe and a dirty, 50s throw-back dress and you finally found a good use for the little brat!

While it is a refuge from last year’s festivities, don’t worry about appearing out-of-date. Just tell people you’re the PS3 version of the Big Daddy, and this costume’s relevancy gets an extra year, and you don’t have to worry about gluing on that fake, Italian mustache ever again.

Until 2009. Video of the suit in action after the jump. Read more…

Spoiler Alert: Your plane crashes.

After only having to wait a year and some change, PlayStation 3 owners will soon be able to experience the Rapture that is BioShock (see what I did there?).  Featuring all-new content and all of the DLC from the Xbox 360 version, BioShock is set to sweep PS3 owners up in its cheery narrative about the joys of life in only a few short weeks. Read more…

And here I thought the best of what I was going to get from PAX had passed. Ken Levine, the man largely credited for the success of last year’s BioShock hosted a panel about adolescent nerdery, Hollywood screenwriting exploits, and finding himself as a game designer. Read more…

October 21st will be the day BioShock for Playstation 3 and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (Nintendo DS) will be up for sale in North America; other countries, not so much. Thankfully, the wait they’ll have to endure will only be three and two days, respectively.

That leaves international launches for BioShock on October 24th and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia on October 23rd. Oddly enough, 2K has not announced any plans to launch BioShock in Japan, and conversely Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia has yet to announce a date for the inevitable European release.

Just to be clear, there is never enough BioShock related news. And with that we offer you more. At the Develop Conference & Expo, being held this week in the UK, Ken Levine gave a talk entitled “BioShock and Awe: Immersing the Gamer in an Alternate World Without Drowning Out the Gameplay” in which he aired some very interesting thoughts. Not least “I’m kind of a pretentious twat.” Read more…

BioShock was a game of the year for a lot of people last year, but a common criticism (and praise, in some circles) was its focus on the single player story, with the game having no multiplayer options. All that could change for BioShock 2. 2K Boston (the makers of BioShock) have started looking for a “Lead Multiplayer Designer”. Read more…

HEY. You there. Reader. Fancy yourself an artist? Do you like BioShock? If so, 2K Games has got a deal for you.

Now is your chance to win some sweet customized BioShock swag in honor of the release of the PS3 version of the deep sea dystopian adventure. Hit the jump for details on this awesome contest. Read more…