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Posts with tag BioShock

Bioshock 2 dev posts job listing for experienced Wii and PS3 designers


According to a job posting over at Gamasutra, 2K Marin (the new Irrational Games) is looking for those experienced in the ways of Wii and PS3 design. Now, we've all seen these job postings never pan out into what we hoped they would before (confirmation that the game in question will release on the platforms in question), but sometimes these things pan out.

Rumor had it that the first Bioshock game was going to be ported over to the Wii, but the likelihood of that happening now is between none and, well ... none. But, could 2K Marin be developing the game with the Wii in mind from the get-go? It is a possibility. We hear 2K likes money. And putting your game on Wii gives you more of a chance to get precious money.

We'll just have to wait and see.

[Via GamePro]

Levine: Wii Bowling is the 'ultimate gateway drug'

Ken Levine, that dude who made that Bioshock game all of the kiddies went crazy over last year, recently spoke with GamesIndustry.biz about his stature in the industry now that he's made what most consider to be one of the greatest games of this console generation. But, Levine did take some time to touch on what he thinks about the casual market and how Nintendo is introducing new gamers into the fold.

You see, Levine is embracing the changes that Nintendo and their Wii console are looking to bring to the industry. "Wii Bowling is like the ultimate gateway drug and God bless them for figuring that out because there is no barrier of entry," he explains. "Hey, can you go like that?" [swings arm] That's what you do in bowling, that's what you do in Wii Sports."

Levine sees those that would otherwise ignore gaming as getting into it, commenting "I think there's a much better chance of people who wouldn't normally be interested in games going in and thinking "I'm interested in the history of Rome. I'll buy that strategy game," whereas before they would have been overwhelmed by the very concept of it." And, Levine, you're not the only one. We're excited about the future of gaming and how the Wii will help shape it, too!

[Via Go Nintendo]

Super Mario Galaxy gets a few GDCA nods


It's nice when your peers recognize your work. So, Miyamoto and co. must be beaming with happiness to hear that Super Mario Galaxy got the nod in several categories for the Game Developer's Choice Awards. If our opinion means anything (it doesn't), we liked the game a lot.

Overall, Super Mario Galaxy gets its hat tossed into two categories, although many* might consider them to be the best two categories: Best Game Design and Game of the Year. It's up against some tough competition, however, as undersea romp Bioshock and Portal, which has seemed to help pie's ugly cousin cake propel itself into the stratosphere of popularity, will undoubtedly give Mario a run for his coin (or stars).

Head past the break for all of the nominees.

Gallery: Super Mario Galaxy

Continue reading Super Mario Galaxy gets a few GDCA nods

Today's ridiculous rumor: Bioshock for the Wii

Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey is of the mind that 2K's much-hyped game Bioshock could find itself on the PS3, Wii, PS2 and handhelds sometime in the future. Hickey says this won't happen for quite some time, though, stating that he believes the game could make its way onto these platforms sometime in 2009.

While we've seen Rockstar's own RAGE engine adapted to the Wii in the Nintendo console version of their Table Tennis game, we wonder if the Unreal Engine III that powers Bioshock could even be augmented for use on the Wii. We've heard Epic's Mark Rein state that he doubts the system can handle it on multiple occasions, so we wonder if 2K could even get it to work with the Wii.

Croal: Metroid should never have gone 3D


The latest "Vs. Mode" exchange between Newsweek's N'Gai Croal and MTV's Stephen Totilo compares Metroid Prime 3 with BioShock (a.k.a. the game that people won't stop talking about). They're up to part 3 now, which mostly covers the morality of the two games. Almost in passing, Croal makes the following remark: "'Metroid' is a franchise that should never have made the jump from 2-D third-person to 3-D first-person."

He goes on to say that the first-person format works best for games involving forward motion (shoot, go through door, shoot, etc.), and that the Metroid games' trademark backtracking is most easily conceivable in a side-scroller.

And even though we can almost hear you rummaging in the closet for your Indignant Commenter hats, we mostly agree. While Metroid Prime is a great series of games, they aren't great Metroid games. The emphasis on storytelling (via scanning) and the reduced platforming required of a first-person game make for a fundamentally different experience from a real Metroid game. We admit we have big problems with the 3D maps, too, which hampers exploration significantly. For Croal, the change is enough to keep him from making progress in Prime; for us, we can enjoy both independently, but at no point do we really feel like we're playing a 3D Metroid.

August NPD: The view from on high

Even in a month when hardware sales are down, Nintendo's Straight Up Success bus just keeps on rolling. Let's hope this keeps on challenging Iwata and company to avoid "doing the easy." Even the re-priced Xbox 360 couldn't compete with the Nintendo juggernaut.
  • Nintendo Wii: 403K
  • Nintendo DS: 383K
  • Microsoft Xbox 360: 277K
  • Sony PS2: 202K
  • Sony PSP: 151K
  • Sony PS3: 131K
In software, however, the story was different. After Metroid Prime 3's moment in the spotlight, Bioshock's longer release window won out between those two. Nintendo games barely even struggled into the top five, with Wii Play and its extra controller snapping up that spot. Madden, which is its own juggernaut, dominated sales last month. To see the top ten titles, slip past the break.

Continue reading August NPD: The view from on high

Wii Warm Up: Games vs. movies

Since the Manhunt 2 debacle, there's been a lot of discussion about the differences between graphic games and graphic films. Everyone seems to have a different opinion about which is worse. In fact, two recent articles were not only completely at odds with one another opinion-wise, but they used some of the same examples! However, they did focus on slightly different subjects.

Seth Schiesel of the New York Times thought movies were far ahead of games on the gore factor, and he cited comparisons between Saw II and Manhunt 2. Since the most graphic moments in the latter were short, and of course, animated, Schiesel found the lengthy, almost loving shots of "torture porn" in Saw II to be much more disturbing.

Clive Thompson of Wired, however, thinks that games are much better than most recent films at creating a frightening atmosphere. Movies rely far too much on gore, he said -- citing Saw as both example and possible progenitor of this phenomenon -- while horror games can recreate the chilling, anxiety-inducing feelings of the best horror films the genre has ever offered, because (Roger Ebert would hate this reason) horror games take a very artistic approach to mood and atmosphere. While he talks mostly about BioShock, the principles can be applied to many other games; he mentions Silent Hill and Resident Evil as well.

So our question today is: where do you stand on this? Can games go further and do more, or are films still the benchmark for horror and intensity?

Hype isn't everything: MP3 punks down BioShock


Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and BioShock ... what a pair, eh? Both shooters, both with their own unique spin on the genre, both flagship titles for their respective systems, at least for a while -- since both are followed by even bigger titles soon to come. So what's the difference? Well, one (BioShock) was hyped to the stratosphere, and the other seemed to suffer (according to some) from a lack of attention until just before release. BioShock's other advantage was that the title "suffered" from controversy over content, which often boosts sales.

So which one came out on top in the sales charts last week, when Corruption debuted? The less-hyped Metroid pulled out the top spot. Big Daddies are no challenge for Samus.

It looks great for us, and will give the Wii some attention in regard to "hardcore" success, but it's not as simple as outselling a competing title. BioShock had a week's head start and is on two platforms to boot, so it's no surprise that a johnny-come-lately could sneak in and snatch the top spot. It doesn't make Metroid less awesome, but it's not a clear-cut situation. Still, let's take our moment in the sun and spare some time to bask in the Wii's success in all markets, casual and traditional.

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