That’s right. I admit it. Little girls with knives scare me.

ANYWAY, enough true confessions. I bring you three bad ass screens from E3 of BioShock 2. They look just as scary as the first game [maybe scarier] and are sure to wet your BioShock 2 appetite.

Enjoy.

Images|2K Games

Post from: EveryJoe

BioShock 2 E3 Shots

And, little girls with knives are scary.

Anyway, BioShock 2 is just around the corner and I know that there are some die hard BioShock fans out there.

So, here. Have a video. Maybe that will tide you over a bit until you can get your hands on the real [scary] thing.

Edited to add:

Um…the video was working and now it’s not. So for the time being, here’s the link [http://www.gametrailers.com/player/41898.html]. Hopefully I’ll get the glitches worked out soon.

Post from: EveryJoe

First Bioshock 2 Video

So Bioshock is finally coming to the PlayStation 3 on October 21st. Gamers unable to play Bioshock’s earlier iterations on the PC and Xbox 360 get their chance when the survival-horror shooter makes its way to Sony’s console next month. Like other multiplatform releases between the two rival consoles, comparisons are made. Watch the video and see for yourself which one looks prettier.

First impressions say the Xbox 360 looks prettier with cleaner graphics overall. Interestingly, other comparisons made by GameVideos have provided the same result. But you know what trumps these two versions handily?

The PC version, hands down. Of course, this would still depend on what’s under the hood of the PC.

Post from: EveryJoe

Which Bioshock is prettier? PS3, Xbox 360 versions duke it out

After what seemed like an eternity, Bioshock finally has a release date for the PlayStation 3. Mark your calendars, PS3 owners, because the critically-acclaimed FPS/horror game is coming in North America on October 21 and internationally on October 24.

Interestingly, Bioshock’s PS3 version comes with new content. This includes the Survivor difficulty mode, and Trophy support, among others.

Also mentioned in the press release was the addition of challenge rooms, which “will test the mettle of new and seasoned gamers by requiring them to utilize the knowledge and skills they have learned while traversing the halls of Rapture.”

Think Portal.

The first Bioshock challenge room will be viewable by appointment at Games Convention 2008 (CCL, Level 0, A02/1 + A02/2) from August 20 to August 24 and will be available for download shortly “after launch.” Strangely, there was no mention if the challenge rooms would be released as an add-on for the Xbox 360 and PC versions.

Image for Bioshock is courtesy of 2K Games.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bioshock gets a release date for the PS3

ScrewAttack came out with its own list of “top 10 FPS of all time.” Off the bat, let me tell you that this is extremely difficult to put together. There are many terrific FPSes out there, so limiting it to a mere 10 is no easy task. Frankly, I think it’s actually quite unfair.

If I were to come up with my own list, some parts would be similar to that of the video, but it would be completely different—especially when it comes to the ranking of certain games. For instance, why is Bioshock even in the list? Fighting the same enemies ad nauseam should be reason enough to give a game a bad review (or disqualify it from the list) no matter how pretty it looks.

And a console FPS as the best one of all time? Of course, GoldenEye is one fantastic game that changed the way we all looked at console FPSes. However, the control scheme alone should be enough to disqualify the game from being within the top 5.

My reasons for disagreeing with the ScrewAttack video could go on, but I’ve decided to cut it short because it’s a moot point. Everybody is going to spout off a different list when asked, and their reasons would be as good as mine. My point? There is no definitive top 10 best FPS of all time.

Funny thing is—ScrewAttack’s list would surely change a couple of years down the road.

Instead of limiting it to 10, why don’t we just come up with a list of the best FPSes of all time and they’d be ranked in no particular order? There’s no need to quantify how many shooters should be in the list—if there’s an excellent new shooter that should probably make the cut, all we need to do is add it. Problem solved.

Post from: EveryJoe

ScrewAttack proclaims 10 best FPS of all time

If you’re as cheap as I am, then you’re probably holding off on that PC upgrade for years. A couple of months ago, I probably would’ve said that despite the age of my current rig, it has yet to disappoint. While it can still manage to run Mass Effect, I noticed that I can only install a couple of games on my hard drive because of space restrictions.

Are the size of current games really growing? I decided to do a little more digging.

I looked at the games installed on my hard drive. What do Gears of War, Bioshock, and Mass Effect have in common? Yes, they’re “shooters,” but not in the strictest sense. Notice anything else?

The three games are all powered by Unreal Engine 3. Interestingly, each game consumes almost 10GB of hard disk space. Gears of War gets 9.96GB, Mass Effect eats up 9.87GB, and Bioshock in the neighborhood of 8GB.

In comparison, Clive Barker’s Jericho, another current shooter, requires a mere 2GB of space. Jericho and Gears both came out in November 2007.

What is up with Unreal Engine 3, Epic? Why can’t you be like other developers and design a game that can look as purdy and manage to stay smaller than 5GB? Are you turning into Microsoft? Can’t you trim your humongous engine? Who knows, maybe your games would run much smoother in older systems, translating to even better sales.

To be fair, Mass Effect is running quite well in my aging PC, which doesn’t meet the RPG/shooter’s minimum system requirements. However, my PC can also run Gears of War handily at medium detail settings. Strangely, my rig is having a more difficult time running Mass Effect even if both games use the same engine.

Bottom line: Cliffy B. and company should try a bit harder to optimize their game engine. Yes, it’s already running relatively well, but I believe it could get even better. Games may have to be delayed a bit, but trimming Unreal Engine 3 to around half its original size would do wonders to performance and even sales.

Image of Mass Effect for the PC is courtesy of EA.

Post from: EveryJoe

Rant: Unreal Engine 3 games eat up too much space

We finally had our “told-you-so” moment when Bioshock was confirmed for the PlayStation 3. Now that it’s out of the way, we’ll tell you when it’s coming out. According to a 2K Games press release, Bioshock for the PS3 will be available in October 2008.

The press release also mentioned that there will be new content included in the PS3 release. However, there were no other details revealed. I guess it’s safe to say that the DLC that 2K Games released sometime last December ’07 would be included. Question is—would there be more?

Image of Bioshock is courtesy of 2K Games.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bioshock PS3 release date revealed

Post from: EveryJoe

Penny Arcade looks at PS3 Bioshock “hate”

Here’s something that would leave you thinking: Epic Games announced that its Unreal Engine 3 will be used for unannounced games in development by 2K Games, the publisher of recent bestseller Bioshock.

As you know, Bioshock uses a modified version of the Unreal Engine 3, so this news doesn’t come as a surprise at all. However, the most perplexing part of this tidbit is about those “unannounced games in development.”

What are those games?

You mean aside from rumors of Bioshock making its way to the PS3, 2K is coming out with another game that uses Unreal Engine 3? I guess they are.

Remember when we discovered that 2K Boston/Irrational Games is looking for PS3 programmers? Perhaps Irrational are the developers tapped by 2K to work on these unannounced games, and that said games are going to be multiplatform.

Whatever the case, we’re all looking forward to hearing more about these unannounced games. When 2K Boston is in charge, good things happen.

Post from: EveryJoe

2K Games licenses Unreal Engine 3

Looks like Crytek isn’t the only major developer looking for PS3 programmers. 2K Boston (they’ll always be Irrational Games to me), the brains behind Bioshock, is looking for a tools programmer with “PS3 and production experience using Python or Ruby,” and a senior console programmer.

Interestingly, the comments at PS3 Fanboy lean towards a new IP. They don’t seem to get that this is further confirmation that Bioshock is indeed coming to the PS3, like I’ve already mentioned before.

For starters, remember that there’s this bit about limited exclusivity, with 2K Games stating that Bioshock would “hit next-generation consoles.” Not “console” (singular) but “consoles” (plural).

Now tell me, do you really think this plurality refers to the 360 and the Wii?

Post from: EveryJoe

More fuel to fan the Bioshock-for-the-PS3 flame?