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With the latest flood of new game releases and with almost everyone around disappeared to either play BioShock, watch awesome videos, kick back on their Xbox 360 or otherwise write possibly spoiler filled reviews of the “Game of the moment” *glares at certain people*, it leaves those of us without systems or 360s or PS3s to contribute to the one niche that is still left open: random rants and raves.
As seen by the ever-awesome scenes from BioShock, Crysis and even Assassin’s Creed, games nowadays are becoming more and more realistic. As with the previous generations, each set of games coming out these days pushes the visual boundaries further and further. Sooner or later, we’re going to end up seeing games that are really, really hard to distinguish from the movies we watch everyday. Of course, this usually ends up coming at cost of system resources, money and time so high, that the line that defines ‘sane’ is so far away; it looks most akin to a dot to those individuals that would dare look back (I’m looking at you, id. You and your bloody 20GB of Rage textures! You want Rage? TRY HULK RAGE! *SMASH!*).
However, since this issue has pretty much been discussed to death time and again over a million of the internet’s websites, forums and other venues for discussion, I won’t touch on it too much. Such discussions are normally peaceful and more expressions of opinion. Usually they just start out as words, but then slowly descend into a madness from which everything from Ion Cannons to Tactical Nuclear strikes are deployed to bring about devastation upon the armies of tanks, planes and infantry that struggle for control upon a massive and varied terrain of jagged programming code, drivers and the occasional wreck of an old 486s or Amiga of yore.
Okay, kidding. So it usually doesn’t end up like that. But the flame wars that usually emerge can be ferocious in nature and were it to be mapped into an RTS of sorts, I bet it’d put even Supreme Commander to shame.
To focus back on the subject (do random rants even have subjects?) the realism of today’s games is nothing short of awesome, but it does have its drawbacks. Having been spoiled by F.E.A.R., Doom 3 and other new games, it is becoming incredibly harder to revisit the old retro-days of yore.
Upon seeing the old, dated graphics that came with many a DOS game, my mind cringes; as if demanding that resolution be higher than the mere 640×480 pixels that was once considered ‘king’ of gaming in its day and age. When I finally got a chance to play Turok 1 again – a game that, for the one level I played it back when it came out I thoroughly enjoyed, I couldn’t get through even half of the same level before giving up. The graphics, the sound…my mind simply couldn’t wrap itself around how something could be so awfully painful – even as it recollected memories of all the fun it had with it at one point of time.
Then came Turok 2; although a fair bit better (especially with controls) than its predecessor, once again half-way through the game I had to stop. I just couldn’t stand the low-poly models; the horrid textures. Although I had insane fun with the game play (very, very little can actually beat using a cerebral bore, or watching as your arrows impale an enemy dino in the neck), it soon got tiring – especially with the constant annoying “Turok! Help us please!” whining from those damn brats in their damn cages! I mean, seriously, when I open the cage they should at least, you know, stop whining and make a break for it. But nooooo! Idiots have to wait for Turok to come and rescue them so they can just ‘disappear’ into nowhere. If they could disappear before, why the heck did they even have to wait for Turok in the first place?!
I have absolutely no clue how I withstood and enjoyed the game to its fullest the first time around I played it. Perhaps the fact that I was a fair bit younger and more naïve might’ve done something to the lack of criticism. Back then, to get –any- game to run well on your systems was a miracle.
But there are some games, some which despite their age seem to have that sense of style that never grows too old to enjoy. This applies both to the game play and the visuals itself. It’s a sense of style – a uniqueness that somehow newer games seem to have difficulty replicating. Doom 3 and Quake 4 are good examples of this lack of style – both games are virtually identical when it comes to graphics and game play as a whole. Although Q4 did have a few (and somewhat cool) vehicles, there really wasn’t anything that set it apart; besides perhaps the story (which rode a lot on it’s predecessor actually). Something similar could be said about FEAR. Although visually, it’s far darker and the firefights more intense with the use of slow motion, it still strikes me as ‘just another FPS’ when it comes down to it.
What gripped me about FEAR was not its dark, brooding hallways, or the scary girl ghost jumping out at me from the dark corners when I absolutely least expected it to the point where my heart skipped a beat every time I saw a little girl wearing red (oh my god did that shadow just move?) or such. What gripped me about FEAR was, rightfully, the story – which still does. However, despite this the fact that it really just looked like another shooter on the market sort of made it slightly less…unique, as it were.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for realism and awesome graphics – the two easily make up some of the best games around. But in the strive to better graphics, for some reason developers seem to be moving more and more away from having unique styles to those graphics.
By styles, I don’t mean completely cartoony or even cell shaded stuff. Team Fortress 2 is an excellent of how going on with style and cell shading works to make something unique. Yet, at the same time having everyone do that would just be counter-productive.
Its just that when every game that comes out looks incredibly real, where does the true difference lie? In the lighting? In the models or scenery? In the textures and artwork?
Whenever I see concept art for any games, it’s simply mind boggling just how good the artists of these various developer companies are. Then one compares the art to the actual in-game models themselves and then it ends up somewhat…underwhelming. Although no doubt that in certain cases the models come out far cooler than the art; many times the art itself just looks better. Be it colors or lighting, there is something about the way the artist made it – the style of the entire thing as it were, that appeals to viewer.
To take another example of such style – Defcon.
Its colors are simplistic, the details to a minimum. Yet it is this simplicity; this denial of any details that seems to flow with any player’s perceptions. The nuclear missiles are little but simple icons, yet it does not matter – the entire visual theme blends into that of the game play, creating in essence, a style hard to replicate by many other games.
It is by far not the only example. Many of us have heard of the addictive fl0w. I had the pleasure to play this simple, almost beautiful game’s limited version on the PC. Despite being rather short, its visuals merge well with the soft chimes and sound, and in turn merge with the game play again to make something different; unique almost.
Then there are older games, from the era where realism was not very possible. Games in this era relied on impressive artwork, visuals and impressive action to draw in the gamer. A few good examples could be like Crusader: No Regret and maybe even to a lesser extent Mortal Kombat and the street fighter series.
Yet another recent example can be Battleships Forever – a successor to the hit classic Warning Forever. Indeed, one could quote a myriad of examples of games with their own unique styles – but such wishful thinking is really futile.
The market’s prevailing attitude rests more on realism than anything else right now, dictating where the majority of publishers wish to aim their content. Although developers do move to the whims of the majority of their collective audiences, the trend is thankfully not universal. Team Fortress 2 will come out, while Starcraft 2 seems to hold some promise as well. Other good, fun games to look out for is perhaps Little Big World on the PS3 or alternatively, one could just go to the Xbox Live Arcades for a dose of nostalgia.
After rumors burned up the official Cult of Rapture forums that a number of Big Daddy figurines in the Limited Edition of BioShock were broken, 2K Games has decided to not only replace the figurines for free, but also offer a printed version of the recently released BioShock art book. The only catch is that is it will take quite a bit of time for your replacement figurine to get back to you, since the production is just starting to gear up. And yes, they will also bear all costs of shipping and handling in the event that you find your precious Big Daddy in a couple of pieces. Well, at least they’re not suggesting you use Superglue! And oh, in case you live anywhere outside of North America, you might have a teensy problem, since 2K has not confirmed whether this offer is valid only for North American customers or for the entire world.
BIG DADDY FIGURINE ISSUE
2K Games has identified a small percentage of Big Daddy figurines that have been damaged in transit to US and Canadian retailers. We are in the process of setting up a replacement program to ensure customers who are affected by the damaged figurines are issued replacement figurines as quickly as possible.
Since redemption will not be immediate as replacement figurines are currently beginning production, we will be also sending affected customers a complimentary special printed edition of the BioShock art book, “Breaking the Mold,” to enjoy while the replacement figurines are produced and shipped. Additionally, 2K Games will cover all shipping costs for the figurines and art book.
Please check back at this page shortly for details on how to obtain a replacement figurine. We apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced.
2K Games
About freaking time. After waiting days and days, and screaming your, err, fingers off all over the Internet, the BioShock PC Demo is finally here. “So what?”, say the Xbox 360 owners who got to play it more than a week before, as they sigh with exasperation, thanks to the PC camp starting to posting their demo experience every which way. But don’t worry, you all should be able to get your BioShock goodness starting tomorrow, while, us poor Xbox 360 owners in India go into a month-long hibernation.
BioShock Demo HTTP Downloads:
SoftPedia
XtremPC
FilezArU
BioShock Demo Torrent Downloads:
GameUpdates
UPDATE: Here’s the official announcement by 2K on the demo. Looks like all you need to do is get the latest drivers once you get the demo.
WAIT FOR THE OFFICIAL DEMO DOWNLOAD TONIGHT AT 7 PM EDT
While there are versions of the BioShock demo available now on the web for download, I recommend you waiting until 7 PM tonight to download yours. The official release is timed so that you can optimize your system with the latest drivers that will make the game run as smoothly as possible. Running BioShock with outdated drivers may impact your performance, so if you do happen to play the demo before the 7 PM launch time, please be sure to check your system again after grabbing the latest and greatest drivers as a true measure of performance and quality.
We mean it! For real! Or at least the powers that be do. After days of screaming, abusing and outright rioting at the Cult of Rapture forums about the seemingly infinite delays the BioShock PC demo was facing, word has finally come down that the demo will be available today at 7 PM EST, or around 4:30 PM IST. The demo should be available across all major download servers including FileShack, FilePlanet, GameSpot, etc., in addition to good ol’ Steam.
For those bastards who don’t give a rat’s ass about the demo because they were lucky enough to pre-order the full version via Steam, well, you will get to play it in approximately 1 day, 13 hours and 21 minutes… while the rest of us rot silly waiting for the retail PC and Xbox 360 versions. Be warned, we’ve got voodoo dolls in your likeness and we’re more than happy to use ‘em! In the meantime, here’s some sagely advice from Ken Levine:
If you’re going to buy the game this week, I highly recommend you stay away from any forums that might have spoilers until you play the game through. Our goal in making the game was to thrill and, often, surprise you.
Please don’t ruin other people’s experience by revealing secrets in unmarked threads, and if you want to enjoy the game to its fullest, stay away from any threads that might ruin the fun for you. With a game like BioShock, it will really make a difference.
Best,
Ken
That’s right, spoil the game for us and we’ll hunt you down and strip every piece of flesh from your bones.
Sounds zany, huh? But that’s how BioShock started out apparently, according to senior designer Joe McDonagh, who spoke at length to CVG about his career - selling no-good games for a living, his stint at Lionhead and the really interesting way in which he landed it (think tea leaves, burnt matches and a letter in a bottle), starting his own company and then losing it all before heading over to Irrational to work on BioShock as a senior designer.
We all saw how BioShock was almost never made, but then, it was also a pretty crappy concept at first, according to Joe. A plot that involved an island and lots of Nazis, BioShock almost became Far Cry meets Return to Castle Wolfenstein, before they took the out-there idea of building a game based on Ayn Rand’s principles and what happens when you take it too far.
Read the complete Creative Minds interview at CVG and thank the stars that the game you enjoy is built so because people like Ken Levine, Nate Wells, Joe McDonagh, Melissa Miller and a hundred other dedicated individuals broke their collective backs for years making it so that we could enjoy the romp through the dystopia of Rapture.
So you’re either pre-loading the full version of the game on Steam/Direct2Drive or like me, planning to go into hibernation until the Xbox 360 version comes along. In either case, if you’ve got the munchies for BioShock, here’s some more stuff to brighten (or ruin) your day.
1. Play the BioShock demo on Hard:
So the musical menu in the demo isn’t allowing you to play it on the highest difficulty possible? That’s easily remedied. Before starting the demo, head to your Gamer Profile and edit the default settings. Under General, select your default difficulty setting to Hard and when you start up the BioShock demo, the Hard difficulty should be automatically selected. Just hit A to (presumably) play the demo on this difficulty level. Be warned - if you move out of the selection, there is no way to get back to Hard without restarting the demo.
2. BioShock + IDCLIP = Insanity:
The power of physics compells you! Let BioShock’s awe-inspiring physics engine propel you outside the map, so you can take a stroll underwater, go around the entire area and have dead corpses wave you goodbye long after they’ve stopped breathing.
3. Worship Ken Levine:
Print out a picture of Irrational, oops, 2K Boston’s Creative Director, Ken Levine and worship the rise of a new gaming legend by offering his photo a burnt biscuit. Or you could just go over here and read about the rise of Ken to cult status, possibly among the ranks of Shiggy Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima and Warren Spector. And yes, you can eat the rest of the biscuits yourself.
4. Stare the countdown timer down:
If you don’t have Steam on your PC, get it now or just go here to watch the hypnotic countdown timer that they’ve got going for the BioShock launch. Tick, tock, 4 days, 22 hours, 14 minutes and 40 seconds to go. No wait, 4 days, 22 hours, 14 minutes and 35 seconds… no wait, 4 days, 22 hours, 14 minutes and 20 seconds….
5. Spoil it for others:
Nothing helps a bad mood like spreading it around. That’s one of the most important lessons in life I learnt from Calvin. With a ton of jerks running around playing BioShock, it’s inevitable that they are itching to spoil it all for the others. Some are considerate enough to put up videos on YouTube, where I can choose not to watch them, or mark their posts with a spoiler warning. Others just spill their guts out all over the floor and leave a bloody, shitty mess for you to slip on and crack your head. In a case of the latter, one guy has just posted the “Secret” achievements from BioShock at a forum, which another (so-called) “friend” saw and decided to ruin my life by conveniently posting them in an IM conversation, where I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Since I’ve already seen them, it makes sense that I try to ruin more peoples’ lives by posting about it here. Hmph, with friends like these, who needs enemies…
There, that should keep you sane until the PC demo releases later today, or until you take a shotgun to the nearest store and demand that they hand over a copy of the game to you right the hell now (pump shotgun in hand, wearing dark glasses and say in a German accent: “I insist!”) or face eternal damnation.
Right, we knew this would happen, even if the folks at the Cult of Rapture kept denying it. With the release date SNAFU looming over their heads, 2K Games, Valve and IGN have confirmed that BioShock is now available for pre-load and pre-purchase on Steam and Direct2Drive right now! If you couldn’t manage to wrangle a copy of the Xbox 360 version from your local TRU store, then this is the fastest way for you to get to play the game. Although the game is selling for $49.95 on Steam and Direct2Drive, the latter is offering a $5 coupon that can be used for a later purchase. So, what are you waiting for? Start your preloads now… even as you wait for the demo to come out tomorrow on Steam, so that you don’t have to go through the agony of watching it fuck up on FileShack and FilePlanet at 99%.
Now since I don’t have a PC that can handle this game well enough, I am going to ask that none of you are kind enough to buy it for my PC friends with the Intel Core 2 Duos and the 8800 GTSs, just so they don’t lord it over me by playing the game before I do on my Xbox 360, thanks to Microsoft India that seems hell-bent on importing games a friggin’ MONTH after their US release dates, except for their own titles. Considering how long The Darkness took to release in India officially, I am guessing it will easily be another bloody month before I play the game, unless the folks at Microsoft India have pity on poor me. Thanks also go to the most honorable Vijay Sinha for smacking me upside the head with this news. There, happy now? Time to go and start unmaxing my credit card so that I can buy it for my lucky “friend” How do I hate the modded Xbox 360 owners, let me count the ways … ^%#*(@#&!%@^!@ Goodbye, you bastards. I hear they have a special circle in Hell reserved for you effin’ pirates. Gah!