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OK, looks like a lot of crap has gone down in the last 24 hours since we posted that the countdown timer for the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare beta will be going up this week. After details surfaced at the CoD4 website about registrations being “sorta” open for the beta at 5 PM, the Internet just exploded and the website, predictably, went down 60 seconds later. After putting up a maintenance page up and redirecting people to Activision.com, the traffic, unsurprisingly, blew up Activision web servers as well, and every news site that picked this up also obligingly went down with the whole crazy internet descending upon them like starving zombies.
With the official announcement going out that the beta registrations at the COD.com website would be delayed a bit longer, thanks to “logistical issues”, Microsoft certifications, the token handling systems, etc., IW’s very own fourzerotwo, (who you’ve seen in all the beta videos released so far) ran the first wave lotto of the beta invitations on his blog.
The idea, of course, was pretty simple. Simply fill out an email with all the required details, including the answers to the trivia questions and then send them back, hoping and praying that you get a token. The first batch of tokens have now started going out to people, and don’t worry, if you don’t get in now, there’s going to be a bunch of other ways to get in, including the big tickets at the official website later.
The beta is going to roll out in waves. Rather than just putting a million people in the beta and hope nothing goes wrong, we will ramp up the playercount over time.
As fourzerotwo mentioned, right now some friends/family are testing. The press will be joining in the next couple days — including those of you who make it into the first wave.
No worries if you aren’t in the very first wave (most won’t be), we should have a new wave of players every day or so as we ramp up.
And, oh, the answers to the CoD4 beta trivia questions that were asked in the first wave?
What is the current level cap for the beta: Currently it is at 11, but if you entered 20, it’s OK, considering that was the level cap that was previously announced.
What button do you press to activate your streak rewards (radar, airstrike, etc): Right on the d-pad
What button do you press to use your weapon attachments or explosives (m203, c4, etc): Left on the d-pad
Keep checking back here to get more news on the beta as and when it breaks. Toodle-oo!
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
Clive Barker is one sick bastard. After scarring us with the Hellraiser movies and inducing enough and more nightmares with Undying, the Master of Horror wants us slipping and sliding headlong into his newest “interactive nightmare” - Jericho. With a seriously creepy website unleashing its jujumagumbo on us a couple of weeks back, we were left wondering how we’re going to get through this game without a massive heart attack.
As if to make things worse, Codemasters recently announced that Cris Velasco, the hero of both God of War game soundtracks, has scored some spooky shit for Jericho. Now, considering Cris has won enough awards so far to fill the Grand Canyon, we’re sure his work will have our hearts leaping out of our throats right in the first level! And in case you were wondering, it was Clive Barker himself who hand-picked Cris, saying:
“Cris Velasco’s music for Clive Barker’s Jericho is exquisite. Filled with yearning, dark energy, threat and redemption, it is the unstoppable engine in the terrifying ghost train of Jericho.”
You know what that means. Keep your heart medication nearby as you play.
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.
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!