BioShock Infinite “Columbia is Icarus” Trailer: If So… Get Off That Floating City!

Posted on January 28, 2013 by geelw

Funny, you’d think that comparing an fake alternate past colonial steampunk-inspired floating mega-metropolis being compared to that mythological dope who made himself a nice set of wings for flying to the sun that weren’t heatproof would be a dead giveaway that Columbia would be a pretty awful place to visit. But, nope… we’re all headed there as gamers in BioShock Infinite and both 2K Games and Irrational Games are going to be counting stacks of bills and probably trying to make wings out of them as well. Hopefully, they won’t use the same adhesive as poor Iccy did. Then again, I say let them. Just as long as I get a flight schedule and a big ass butterfly net. I’m not saving any lives from a fall at that height, folks – I just want to scoop me up some of that free money when it comes raining down…

A Few Minutes of BioShock Infinite: Starting Off on the Right Foot (and Way Up In the Sky)…

Posted on December 19, 2012 by geelw

Just in case you were wondering how the heck Booker gets all the way up to that fancy, falling apart steampunk sky city called Columbia, Irrational Games presents about five and a half minutes of gameplay from the beginning of their upcoming game. If you’ve played the first BioShock, you’ll note a few parallels to how things get rolling, but this new game certainly takes things in its own direction, that’s for sure. I’ll stop writing right about now, as that trip up to the clouds has made me a bit queasy. I do hate flying, especially when it’s more or less straight up with a few too many twists. More in a bit. 2013 is going to be quite interesting to say the least…

Gallery: BioShock Infinite Cover Art – Ash, Is That You?

Posted on December 1, 2012 by geelw

Provided the world doesn’t blow up in a few weeks as some would prefer (jerks), It looks as if we’ll be seeing Irrational Games and 2K finally get BioShock Infinite out on store shelves (and digitally, for those that prefer not owning their AAA games). That delay in its initial release date should help the dev team iron out any problems and hopefully the single player story will be memorable and compelling. And yes, I got an Evil Dead vibe from that cover image (I do wonder if this is intentional, or perhaps I’m just reading too much into things)…

Personally, as much as I’m a fan of this franchise, I’d LOVE to see irrational do something entirely different as a follow-up… perhaps even revisit their long-canceled game The Lost for consoles and maybe a handheld system or two? That’s one of those games that was looking quite innovative before it died an untimely (and unnecessary) death. Well, I did get to see it in action at the first E3 I went to (and I still have an asset disc around here somewhere in the vaults) it did pop up completely reworked in India as a PC game called Agni: Queen of Darkness… but that’s a long story (and yes, I’ve been looking for a legal copy the game for a few years now with no luck).

BioShock Infinite Drops Its Multiplayer Modes. I Am Happy As Hell It Did So.

Posted on August 9, 2012 by geelw

Yes, and Yes! and thank you, Irrational Games. Sure, running around and shooting each other in the face would have brought in more of that crowd who loves this sort of thing in other genres, but for my money (and despite the second installment’s inclusion of MP), the BioShock series has ALWAYS been about the solo experience and the story. Period. This latest move in a game that’s currently in a rather bumpy development cycle/delay phase will in fact, be a MUCH stronger game experience now focused on storytelling and pure immersion in the world Ken Levine and company want to create. The primary issue with most all MP modes in a story-driven game such as this is they require a much larger suspense of disbelief than the single player campaigns (why am I running around shooting other people in the face? Where does this fit into the overall plot and why should I care if it has nothing to do with the main narrative and reason i bought the game in the first place?).

Additionally, as much fun as multiplayer modes can be, in the case of games such as this, Hal-Life, or Dishonored, they can be seen as a pure waste of resources if you consider the overall power of each game’s storytelling. This is especially valid if the main game suffers because of a multiplayer focus that’s unnecessary and only designed to boost sales to a crowd that has a huge variety of games focused on their needs. Of course, some will disagree entirely with my happy dancing ways, but I’m betting that the end result of all this rejiggering will be worth any additional delays added to the game’s development schedule. Off to find something appropriate to dance around the room to…

BioShock Infinite’s Delay Of Game Is Actually GREAT News…

Posted on May 10, 2012 by geelw

…Especially IF you’re Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks, that is. Dishonored, the absolutely gorgeous and innovative upcoming first-person stealth action game (which some are unfairly over-comparing to Irrational’s game), is coming later this year, and as it’s equally well-crafted and also shares a few MINOR similarities with BI (both games take place in fictional worlds based loosely on 19th Century America or a Victorian-themed pseudo London setting, both have a steampunk aesthetic to them, and both look amazing), it SHOULD be on your old-timey radarscope thingamajig too, I say.

The big deals about Dishonored are its stellar art direction and is its more flexible gameplay that allows players to possess people or certain animals or play the entire story without killing a single person, plus a lot more that has to be seen to be believed. Yeah, yeah – my preview is late, but that’s because I’ve been occupied with some other stuff. Still, stick around, as I’m going through my notes now and should have something up soon….

At First, BioShock Infinite’s “Motorized Patriot” Was A Bit TOO Timely For My Tastes…

Posted on March 8, 2012 by geelw

When I first heard the name “Motorized Patriot” last night before seeing the video, I laughed for a good two minutes or so. Thankfully, the actual enemy from BioShock Infinite isn’t amusing at all and packs quite a wallop with that “pepper mill” machine gun. Why was I cracking up, do you ask? Well, I instantly thought of footage from a few Tea Party events that had some cranky old people riding Rascal scooters or in wheelchairs protesting hard and getting it all WRONG about wanting the government here to get its paws off their Medicare benefits. They’d been so brainwashed and willing to believe anything bad about the current president that they thought (and still think) the Medicare and SSI payments they get each month are doled out by someone else (I have no idea who, by the way).

Of course, if you ask these folks who think the government is wasting too much money if they’d love to give that monthly check back to partially pay off the debt, they’d want to roll over your feet a few times. In a motorized patriot sort of way (ouch)…

A BioShock Infinite Twofer: More on Characters + VGA Trailer

Posted on December 14, 2011 by geelw

One of 2012’s most anticipated games is BioShock Infinite and it’s clear that Irrational Games has an(other)instant classic on its hands. Here’s a pair of videos to fill you in on a few things you need to know about the game’s characters (courtesy of the two actors in the lead roles) and another fine game footage trailer, this one from the Spike VGA show last weekend. Enjoy!

BioShock Infinite: Meet Booker & Elizabeth 1

Posted on November 8, 2011 by geelw

Irrational Games’ Ken Levine “hosts” this really cool video in which we get to see the faces behind the two main characters in 2K Games’ upcoming BioShock Infinite, set for release next year on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. It’s great to see two actors dedicated to bringing gamers such solid performances feel something about their work other than “It’s a paycheck…” Pay attention, especially if you’re thinking of getting into voice-over work yourself…

Ken Levine On Bioshock Infinite & PS Vita

Posted on August 19, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/3qtzQFUhFdQ?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

Super cool and informative video from the Playstation Blog that reveals Irrational has some major plans for Sony’s upcoming handheld. Right now, there’s not much to worry about in terms of Vita getting sunk by not having enough good games, that’s for sure. 2012 is certainly going to be a deciding year for “dedicated” handheld platforms. I think too much emphasis is being placed on pure casual experiences on devices over more well-rounded gaming experiences that might cost more, but deliver MORE for that money. Let’s hope that the core gamer base can prove me right while allowing Vita to also cater to those who want less “serious” games.

2K Games & Irrational Announce BioShock Infinite

Posted on August 14, 2010 by geelw

“Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” Er, nope, that’s the floating city of Columbia, the setting of Irrational Games’ upcoming entry in the award -winning shooter franchise. After the success of BioShock 2, I guess someone around 2K’s offices said something along the lines of “Well, we can only go up from here.” Ken Levine and the folks at Irrational took that literally and well, here you go.

Below are the first three screenshots from the newly announced title, scheduled to hit retail sometime in 2012. It’s nice to have that far of an advance notice, huh? Taking the action from deep underwater to the not-so friendly skies should be quite interesting and based on the early info, the game won’t just be the same old thing with an open-air setting.

We’ll keep an eye peeled on the game at it progresses.