Remember kids, splice responsibly!

Getting a little bit depressed with the number of games pushed back to “Q1 2010″?  Well good news everyone, you can cross one ambiguous date off your list, as it was announced today that BioShock 2 has finally confirmed it’s release.

The big day? February 9, 2010.

Here’s a cut from the press release:

Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the halls of Rapture once again echo with sins of the past. Along the Atlantic coastline, a monster has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city of Rapture. Players step into the boots of the most iconic denizen of Rapture, the Big Daddy, as they travel through the decrepit and beautiful fallen city, chasing an unseen foe in search of answers and their own survival.

Multiplayer in BioShock 2 will provide a rich prequel experience that expands the origins of the BioShock fiction. Set during the fall of Rapture, players assume the role of a Plasmid test subject for Sinclair Solutions, a premier provider of Plasmids and Tonics in the underwater city of Rapture that was first explored in the original BioShock. Players will need to use all the elements of the BioShock toolset to survive, as the full depth of the BioShock experience is refined and transformed into a unique multiplayer experience that can only be found in Rapture.

BioShock 2 is currently in development at 2K Marin in collaboration with 2K Australia, Digital Extremes and 2K China for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows® LIVE. BioShock 2 will be available worldwide on February 9, 2010. This title is not yet rated by the ESRB.

So in other words, Mark Meltzer has about five months to figure out where his daughter disappeared to.

While the big date is still a little ways off, we can only assume that (barring a major accident) there won’t be any further delays in the game’s release.  So now all we’ve got to do is wait out the time, and if you live where I live, hope that Australia isn’t banning it for being too aggressively underwater.

In the meantime, the Cult of Rapture has posted up the first in a series of articles showing off the game’s multiplayer characters.  The first is a welder by the name of Jacob Norris.  Take a look, and start counting the weeks!

I know what most of you are thinking: “Well duh, pirates get lots of free games”.  But we’re actually talking legitimate games here, folks, and behaving like a salty sea dog while you’re doing it.

To celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day (this Saturday, mateys!), Telltale Games will be giving away the first episode of their brand spanking new Tales of Monkey Island series: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal.  All you’ll need to do is download the demo and then visit Telltale’s Play Like A Pirate site to collect a code to unlock the entire episode.

At the same time, anyone wanting to pick up the whole season will be given the discounted rate of US$29.95.  Gamers who already have the whole season ordered will apparently also be getting a special present, but we’ll just have to wait to find out what it is.

And while you’re all having fun acting like a pirate this Saturday, don’t forget that it’s also a Pastafarian holy day.  If you’re of the atheist persuation, reach out and get touched by His Noodly Appendage!  The more people willing to adopt the ways of the pirate, the less of these natural disasters we’ll have about the place.

In the meantime, camp out the Telltale site, if you’re waiting on your free copy.  You may want to download the demo first, so you’re ready to go when the countdown ticks over!

Guitar Hero would have made itself top of the bill

Let’s face it. Rhythm games are over-saturated and, if you’ll excuse the pun, played-out. There is never really much new gameplay-wise to enjoy in a new release, long time players have lost most of the challenge by practicing too much, and the song catalogues accompanying most new titles are uninspiring at best. Drop on top of this a full retail price every time a developer feels like grinding out a new game, and it’s not really very hard to see why many gamers are over the entire music game trend.

Which is why, amongst this slowly composting genre, it’s lovely to recieve the breath of fresh air that is provided by The Beatles: Rock Band.

Now, before I gush (and gush I will, trust me), let’s do a little checklist on my list of gripes above.

Technically, there isn’t much new gameplay-wise in TB:RB. There are a few new mechanics that I’ll get to in a second, but overall there isn’t much changed here since Rock Band 2.

The difficulty also won’t exactly challenge any experienced player, with the exception of maybe a few of the trickier songs. If a player is comfortable alternating 3-button chords, then there isn’t much to seperate them from 5 starring every track.

And yes, you will be slugged (at least initially) full retail price for your copy of The Beatles: Rock Band.

But all that can be easily forgiven when you play the game, and discover the beautiful way in which Harmonix has collaborated with Apple Corps to make such a brilliant tribute to the life and times of the Beatles.

(more…)

Left 4 Dead 2 - Australian Edition

LAMENT! Lament once again every Australian gamer (or at least those of you who didn’t sign the boycott) as your country mercilessly “thinks of the children”.

The Australian Classification Board website recently posted up the results of a classification application for Valve’s zombie-centric Left 4 Dead 2. The long and short of it is: the game, in it’s current form, has been labelled RC (or “Refused Classification”). This means that while we’re all free to play and enjoy Left 4 Dead, and all the zombie shotgunning and exploding heads that entails, apparently the sequel strays so far from the subject matter that it can’t be allowed to reach out sensitive Australian eyes.

My guess is that this would be because of the new melee weapons. Shooting zombies with a bolt-action rifle through the skull is fine, because we all know in our heart of hearts that at least the zombie didn’t suffer (much like they don’t suffer when you proximity bomb a whole crowd of them). But throw a sledgehammer into the mix, and all of a sudden we’re in all sorts of trouble with morality.

I’m proud to be Australian, but there are just days you want double facepalm. Pay no mind however, all you Australians in the audience, because it won’t remain RC for long. A slightly gored-down version will be resubmitted (a-la Fallout 3) and we’ll be “allowed” to play again.

To be fair, it’s almost getting kind of dull hearing about every game that needs to go through the entire process down here.

But I’ve just got one consideration for all of you. If the Australian Government’s even more ridiculous plan for a mandatory internet censorship was in effect right now, it would technically be illegal for me to be talking about this now, considering the game’s current status. Under the proposed law, fines can be issued for promoting and supplying links to refused classification material.

Well I’ll just leave this here then, see if we get any emails from the AMCA.

Even more reason people should be supporting it’s downfall. And while your at it, can someone PLEASE fucking explain to KRudd that R classifications shouldn’t just be for movies?

[Addendum: Apparently I'm right, it's the melee weapons that tip the classification over the edge, as evidenced here on GameSpot, who have posted up the clarification from the Classifications Board]

Curse you, generous wives!

Oh it’s just a great day for puns, apparently.

Here’s an interesting little report from Industry Gamer.  Apparently demand for PlayStation 3′s new slimmer, svelt version could prove so high that we could see shortages by the end of September.

Our channel checks show that PS3 hardware sales remained strong in the second week of September following very strong sales in the first week of September. The first week of September saw a 300% lift at top retailers according to Sony. Our checks suggest stronger pent-up demand than expected.

-Arvind Bhatia, sales analyst

Now while the obvious course of action would be to blame my wife, and wives like her, for a possible shortage, it’s probably fairer to say that Sony underestimated the appeal of a price cut in it’s flagship console (something which many a gamer has been waiting for).

However if the shortages are going to hit, we certainly don’t seem to be seeing any signs of it in Australia yet.  We look to be having more trouble keeping copies of The Beatles: Rock Band available.  Still, it will be interesting to see how shelves look at the end of the month.  Take a read!

OH, THE HUGE-MANATEE

With less than a fortnight until the next Tales of Monkey Island episode, Lair of the Leviathan, Telltale Games has posted up three screenshots to tease the title.

At the end of the last episode, Guybrush had managed to get himself eaten by a gigantic sea cow while on the search for Esponge Grande. Lair of the Leviathan would appear to place Guybrush, at least temporarily, trapped inside the creature.

I suppose it’s not the first time he’s found himself trapped in a giant animal.

We’ve all got our fingers crossed for the next ToMI episode, as the last one ended up a little short and unchallenging. Head on over and take a look at teaser screens. They’ve also posted up some concept art to ogle. Why aren’t you ogling yet?

And of course, as the new tradition dictates, you can also check out Flash artist Majus’ thoughts on what’s going to happen in the upcoming episode.

Due the the fact that Rocktober isn’t far away, and the demo is being released quite soon, EA has released the full intro to Brutal Legend.

If you haven’t heard much about this title, then you will want to be the end of the intro.  In the role he was destined to be marketed to play, Jack Black voices Eddie Riggs, the world’s greatest roadie.  After suffering an accident caused by a falling stage set, Riggs is transported to a world of heavy metal, where his skills as a roadie translate easily into a force to be reckoned with.

When it comes down to it, it’s Tim Schafer’s baby, has a kick-ass soundtrack and voice acting crew.  It’s hard to think that a Schafer creation could go astray, so hopefully we’ll all be impressed with the demo, which should be available tomorrow for download.  I’m definitely going to give it a try.

Check out the intro, you know, while you wait.  The full game hits shelves October 13th in the US, and 16th for the rest of us.

Begin the entertainment unit reshuffling!

This afternoon after she got out of work, my wife gave me a call to tell me she was going to JB Hifi and asked if I wanted anything.  Having snagged my copy of The Beatles: Rock Band yesterday, I told her no and thought no more of it.

But apparently I did want her to pick something up for me, which was clearly evidenced whe she arrived home with a brand new PlayStation 3 Slim console.  So as a couple, we’re officially a part of that whole “6000% increase” in sales Sony has been enjoying since the Slim’s announcement.  I’m still in slight disbelief, but I’m reassured by the fact that everyone is right now wishing that they had a wife like mine.

So I’m a PS3 owner now.  I’m excited and dismayed all at once.  Excited that I have a new console to play and enjoy, and yet dismayed that I now have to pay attention to PlayStation news and hold opinions on things like the new firmware update (which I’m currently in the process of downloading!).  Who or what the hell was Unchartered and why is it’s sequel getting 105% review scores from the French?  Why is my X button in the wrong place?

I’ll get the site updated with my PSN details after I get it all set up.  I’m already thinking of picking up inFamous, as I hear it’s a better version of Prototype.  Any other suggestions on PS3 titles I really should try out?

The bigger they are, the harder they facepalm

With thanks to the mighty power of trolling, Bubble Bobble‘s Bub and Bob continue to be voted above every iconic challenger so far in the largely pointless GameSpot Greatest Hero of All Time poll.  Simply for the ‘lulz’, the duo of dinos have beaten both Master Chief from Halo and now Sonic the Hedgehog.

You’d have to think that Seamus from Metroid is sweating inside her power armour boots at the moment.

Feel like reveling in the victory soo far? Well then good news, everyone!  Always on the look out for ways to capitalise on a gamer’s short attention span, Major Nelson has announced that Xbox players will be able to download Bubble Bobble via XBL come Wednesday.  Although at 800 Microsoft, I don’t think quite as many people will be enthused with their return as they were with the arbitrary poll.  Also Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 Commander’s Challenge is out this week, which sets a new standard in game expansions with really god-damn long names.  A pity they didn’t suffix it with an X-1 or a Plus, they could have posted a high score.

View my source material for all you’re worth!

I’ve only just sorted myself out with a copy of The Beatles: Rock Band, but according to VG247 it’s already been blitzed by Guitar Hero 5 in the UK’s first week of sales.  Not only was TB:RB outsold by the already released Batman: Arkham Asylum, but also failed to rank over GH5 and Colin McRae: DiRT 2, debuting it at 4th on the UK game sales charts.

Having just played the game through, we be thinking that Beatles:RB ain’t getting the creedence it deserves, but that’s how the coo-goo-gachoob crumbles I suppose.  Guitar Hero 5‘s aggressive “buy a copy, get everything else we ever did free” marketing would appear to be working for them.

I’ll post up our TB:RB review soon, it’s in the draft stages.

Take a look at the statistics…