Bioshock 2 publisher 2K has confirmed a few key details about their upcoming sequel to the 2007 hit, first and foremost that the name has been shortened. Let's face it, Sea of Dreams is kinda underwhelming as far as titles go, sounding like something that would be better off adorning the entry to a Disney ride in some fancy script. Going forward, the game is just plain ol' Bioshock 2. A few other details have also been made public about the upcoming title. There will be multiplayer this time around, although no co-op mode is planned. The game is set 10 years after the events depicted in the first game, so those geared up for a prequel depicting the fall of Rapture are gonna be disappointed. The undersea city has crumbled, flooding some sections from the first game, while opening up new areas for exploration.
Perhaps most interesting is the protaganist - this time around you'll be playing as one of the Big Daddies, the iconic diving-suited giants from the first game. Little else has been revealed, but I'm sure that a lot of punters are going to be joining Hellbored in following the latest developments on this game as it approaches release. No date has been given, but the title will be available on PS3, XBox 360 and PC sometime in 2009.
2K Boston frontman Ken Levine talks about how BioShock 2 ended up at 2K Marin, his upcoming mystery project, and how his studio literally went underwater.
The recently announced sequel, BioShock 2, is being developed at 2K Marin, which was founded by a number of original BioShock vets in late 2007.
Meanwhile, Levine and the remaining 2K Boston group are still in Massachusetts, recruiting new talent for an unnamed project that the studio claims will be its most ambitious to date.
On Friday's Jonathan Ross show with guest Vin Diesel (Wheelman fame) they talked about Vins involvement in games from Dungeons and Dragons to World of Warcraft.
Ross admitted to playing WoW (a level 7 dwarf) but the revaluation that his wife is a level 80 in the game...
Watch the video and read the transcript....
Jonathan Ross: Do you play those games? Vin Diesel: Oh, how could you not? Jonathan Ross: What level are you in World of Warcraft? Vin Diesel: Oh ... I'm deadly. Jonathan Ross: What level are you? Bring it on Diesel. Because I'll tell you what you're looking at right here. You're looking at a level 7 dwarf. That's a very low level I should point out, but I haven't a lot of time. My wife is a level 80. Jonathan Ross: You're right to look amazed. Vin Diesel: Level 80 what? Jonathan Ross: I don't know ... [Diesel looks like he's thinking this is BS]. But she's green and rides a spectral tiger. Vin Diesel: Oh my God, you're not - He's not kidding. Seriously he's not kidding. No this is really, really serious.
There's something of a musical theme this month, with a nice spot of Mega Man remixing, some completely unexpected game-related songs and what we think is a professional Japanese Rhythm Tengoku concert.
Next time it'll be all food or cakes, if we can find enough of them. Or maybe shoes or scarves or papercraft or weapons. No promises, though.
Ah, so that time of year has come around. Mother's Day is here again.
If you haven't got a prepared bunch of flowers already, you'd better either be praying or about to head out to search for some. I don't fancy your chances though.
If the worst comes to the worst though, why not give them some games instead. Of course, ideally we'd recommend flowers, chocolates and games as the trinity of elements that guarantee a happy mothering sunday, so don't use us as an excuse not head on down to the florist.
The iPhone has a whole host of mother-friendly games, whether she's already an avid game hoarder or if she turns her nose up at the idea of fingering a D-pad. We've rounded up ten of the best. Consider it a life line in case the florist runs out of flowers. Read the full post here on Pocket Gamer...
Big bang mini is a fast-paced shoot’em up that puts a new spin on classic arcade style gameplay, all wrapped around a fireworks theme.
Your objective is to navigate your ship through a brilliant array of lights, dodging intense streams of firework debris as it rains down on you.
Defeat waves of challenging enemies by deploying fireworks and performing combo attacks.
Use the stylus to create fireworks in order to deal with waves of enemies that loom overhead, miss and you’ll be forced to tackle another challenge, avoiding falling sparks created by your missed explosions.
Ship movement and shooting are independent of each other so you can launch shots from anywhere on the touch screen, regardless of where your ship is positioned.
As the game progresses your stylus skills are tested further as the shots you make which destroy enemies will explode in a colourful spectacle, but shots that miss explode when they hit the edge of the screen and rain down dangerous debris towards your ship.
Each level brings with it a new jazzy presentation, from the comic book style version of the New York to the watercoloured ghost village of Kamakura, where the darkness plays a role.
Another level played out over the night time Parisian rooftops has you slowing down for a few seconds to get a better shot at the enemies by slashing downward on the touch screen with the stylus. The end of each level comes with a unique opportunity for would-be fireworks designers to make the Final Bouquet – a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that will proclaim your victory.
With over 90 levels to complete, Big Bang Mini offers players huge scope for its special brand of fireworks fun. In Versus mode you can challenge another DS owner to a shootout on one game card.
In Versus, you hold the DS sideways and shoot volleys of fireworks at your opponent on the other screen and the various power-ups and environmental hazards soon adds to the general chaos of the game.
Boasting bright and innovative visual games combined with the stellar music and quirky sound-effects Big Bang Mini is definitely one of the more desirable games currently available for the DS.
GAME: Big Bang Mini FROM: SouthPeak PLATFORM: Nintendo DS PRICE: £19.99 RATING: E (everyone)
Last month we had the honor of speaking with Game Freak director Junichi Masuda and game designer Takeshi Kawachimaru, the creators for the upcoming Pokemon Platinum.
Earlier this week Nintendo gave us another opportunity to sit down with the creative force behind everyone's favorite pocket monster game. We got to ask them a few more questions about Platinum, and quite a few more questions about their personal experience with the Pokemon games.
Mr. Masuda has been with Pokemon since Day One on the original Game Boy providing much of the audio. He directed the original DS games Diamond and Pearl, and composed much of the music in the design. Mr. Kawachimaru has been designing Pokemon since Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, and in Pokemon Platinum he served as the game's director.
Inching ever closer to the release of the Mythic Map Pack, we've got plenty to spout off about this week, from office reshuffling to our official Facebook page. If you came for a feast of information, break out the bib, there's bound to be crumbs this week. Halo 3: ODST
It's been quite some time since we've issued any kind of progress report on Halo 3: ODST. Our lips have been zipped for good reason. Heads are ducked down and new builds are being kicked out at a blistering pace. More on that in a moment.
The studio underwent some changes this week, with one of our more auspicious spaces once reserved exclusively for playtesting the new hawtness undergoing an abrupt and violent gutting. No worries, it's been born anew, the interior retrofitted for a new and paramount purpose.
What was a once a swank lounge boasting more monitors than most people could dream of is now the Official Halo 3: ODST War Room boasting slightly less monitors than most people could dream of. The Halo 3: ODST Project leads are locked inside with and won't return to the studio's fold until the All Clear has been sounded, signaling the completion of ODST's post-production.
New patches are now available for Warcraft III updating either the Reign of Chaos or The Frozen Throne to version 1.23a.
Bioshock 2 publisher 2K has confirmed a few key details about their upcoming sequel to the 2007 hit, first and foremost that the name has been shortened. Let's face it, Sea of Dreams is kinda underwhelming as far as titles go, sounding like something that would be better off adorning the entry to a Disney ride in some fancy script. Going forward, the game is just plain ol' Bioshock 2.
Big bang mini is a fast-paced shoot’em up that puts a new spin on classic arcade style gameplay, all wrapped around a fireworks theme.
The new video game shows some of the opponents you have to meet.
Last month we had the honor of speaking with Game Freak director Junichi Masuda and game designer Takeshi Kawachimaru, the creators for the upcoming Pokemon Platinum.
Kotataku are speculating on their site here...