A lot of people are starting to ask when we’re going to see new consoles from Sony and Microsoft, but not Ken Levine. The creator of Bioshock says that he’s “not aching for new consoles” and that the current ones still have “a lot of juice.”

“It’s clear there’s still a fair bit of juice left in these machines,” he said. “You look at Arkham City, Uncharted and Gears of War and you’re starting to see that these games don’t look old to me. They look very current. I was playing Batman the other day and he’s flying over this huge city, the snow is landing on the wings of his cape and you can see it hitting and melting… they still retain the power to visually amaze me.”

Levine is currently working on the hotly anticipated Bioshock Infinite which is set to release next year.

“From a gameplay standpoint absolutely there’s a tonne of juice left [in current consoles]. There are lots of things to explore. That doesn’t mean it’s not challenging to build on what you’ve done – obviously Infinite is a very large step up in terms of technology from BioShock 1.”

Check out the entire interview here.

I’m currently on a cruise in Hawaii (my first real vacation in a few years) and I promised the girl that I wouldn’t be working but this was too cool to pass up because tonight I dined in Rapture from the game Bioshock…well, sort of.

Our dinner on our first night aboard Norwiegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America ship, the newest in the fleet was held in the Skyline room. Sure, the restaraunt, made to resemble the Chrysler building has enough charm by day, but by night it takes on another personality entirely.

The art deco walls and crystal chandaliers sway with the motion of the ship, almost in time with the 40′s big band music and of course, we’re at sea so the underwater feeling is there. Perhaps the best part was the paintings on the wall of the NY City skyline in a pop art style, made to look like windows, you could easily see Andrew Ryan’s failed paradise.

Perhaps it was just me, maybe my photos dont show it but The Skyline looked remarkably like Bioshock, and it served as a case of video game art meets real life beauty.

Return to Rapture once more, the home of one of the most highly regarded games of the last decade. Bioshock 2 was greeted by both cheers and worry when first announced. Cheers because, well, people wanted a sequel to the grand original. Worry because the sequel wasn’t being developed by Irrational—who made not only the first game, but some of the greatest PC games ever (Thief, System Shock 2, and many others).

The good news is that despite its maze-like development involving four different development studios, Bioshock 2 is excellent. Instead of playing the prodigal son as in the original, you’ll take on the huge diving boots of the first Big Daddy—known only as Delta. It’s 1968—ten years after the death of Rapture’s megalomaniac founder, Andrew Ryan—and Delta awakes to find a very different place than he might have remembered when first created.

The vacuum of power among the mostly insane, plasmid-addicted populace of Rapture has shifted to Dr. Sophia Lamb, a psychiatrist detractor of Ryan who emerges from prison after Ryan’s death to push a policy of socialism and equality for the remaining denizens of the undersea city. Lamb is so obsessed with the idea of community over the individual that she doesn’t care about individual life at all—even her own daughter.

For Delta, however, Lamb’s daughter has a much greater significance. She was his little sister, and he’s hardwired to protect her. As it turns out, she needs to be rescued and Lamb will try her damnedest to make sure Delta can’t get to her. It’s an intelligent and even poignant set-up for the sequel, and the story builds in the same way as the first Bioshock. Mysterious allies will aid you, voice recordings spread throughout the levels help flesh out what happened before you got there, and there’s always some new task to complete to continue onward.

Although Bioshock 2 is, on the whole, not far removed from Bioshock, there are several key differences. First of course is that you take the role of a Big Daddy. Granted, he’s not as massive and powerful as the mindless lunks roaming through Rapture. Delta is more maneuverable, but not nearly as tough as the garden variety Daddy. Add in new rumbler-type daddies, and Delta feels positively light weight.

Combat feels a lot more integral to the game as well. Although always a focal point in Rapture, Delta faces hordes of splicers at a time, most of them with firearms. As it turns out, guns hurt Delta nearly as much as a regular man, and even melee weapons seem to hurt him rather unduly. Granted, you’ll be upgrading yourself through the entire game, so Delta gets tougher.

Another seemingly minor, yet ultimately important difference is the ability to use plasmid powers with your left hand and weapons in your right. This makes one-two attacks like an electrical stun followed instantly with a well-placed shotgun blast or grisly drill easy and amazingly satisfying. Laying traps is another tactical element. You can set explosives, electric lines, and hack turrets and cameras, along with security bots.

Tactical thinking is often incredibly important here, especially in regards to the Little Sisters. There are two ways to handle Little Sisters. The first is heartlessly harvesting them for ADAM—the substance that enables everyone in Rapture to have super powers. The second way is to carry them to safety, thus saving them. Along the way though, these creepy, glowing-eyed girls can sniff out ADAM-loaded corpses. Once you set them to task of siphoning out the substance, however, the ADAM-addicted splicers start coming out of the woodwork.

You’ll have to fend off splicer attacks from all directions until your Little Sister is done, and preparation for the battle is key. Once you’ve rescued (or harvested) all the girls on a level, a so-called Big Sister hunts you down. Despite all the hype about these new creatures, Big Sisters are actually an incredible let down. Aside from there being no explanation about who (or even what) they are, they are amazingly cheap and over-powered. Flinging weapons and plasmid powers at a far faster rate than Delta can, you’ll inevitably have to rely on the regeneration chambers to enable you to continue to chip away at their health.

Depending on the location, there are occasions where even these battles shine—such as luring them into a pool of water and shocking the daylights out them, or hacking a camera and sentry gun. and then getting them in range for extra firepower. Big Sister problems aside, as long as frantic combat doesn’t bother you, there’s little to complain about. Bioshock 2 really doesn’t feel much different on the whole from Bioshock. In fact, it just feels like a beefed-up version of the original. Your character is bigger, enemy battles are more intense, and thanks to the occasional trip into the open waters Rapture feels more expansive too.

Finally, there’s the multiplayer. It seems extraneous on such a pitch-perfect single-player saga, but 2K has managed to add a remarkably interesting gimmick. Multiplayer matches are mechanically much like any other team and free-for-all game. The hook is that you can choose from a variety of characters, augment them with weapons and plasmids just like the single-player game, and engage in a setting that takes place before the fall of Rapture. It works well, and it’s fun, but time will tell if it catches on.

Beyond that, Rapture still looks beautiful and offers an incredibly immersive audio experience. In the end, the only real complaint is that this return to Rapture feels all too familiar. Delta offers only a marginal change in playability and the environments themselves are much the same as before. In a lesser game, this would be a real problem, but here the familiar is entirely welcome. So enjoy another stay in Rapture, soak in the surroundings, and cause plenty of carnage. You’ll be glad you did.

Blast Factor: Bioshock 2 is a welcome return trip under the sea. Gameplay refinements and a new character help make it feel fresh again, but Rapture itself is still the same den of insanity it has always been. Collecting an array of new and old plasmid powers, combined with newer, more powerful weapons gives combat more bite. The oppressive feeling that the entire world is against you adds even more great atmosphere. While Bioshock 2 doesn’t feel like an entirely new experience, it’s just what a good sequel should and well worth your time and money.

A copy of the game was purchased for review purposes.

If some is good….

A recent interview with 2K Marin’s Kent Hudson confirmed the studio’s plans to support the underwater-first-person-shooter with add-on content and the team is currently working on “aggressive” DLC plans.

“We are working on pretty aggressive plans for DLC and that’s actually something that is already underway. That is something that is mostly being run out of the Marin studio because like I said the Australian studio is already ramping up on the next big thing.”

We have no idea right now what this additional content will actually be. But hell, I’d like to actually play the damn game before we even discuss this, but that’s just me.

More of this.

Bioshock 2 will have a multiplayer component so the possibility of extra maps, weapons, characters, plasmids, etc. is there, but at this point, it’s anyone’s guess.

Source: Xbox Insider via Destructoid

Brand names are a big deal. These names associate either negative or positive feelings about a product and can be as outlandish as Piranha Bytes or as normal-sounding as Platinum Games.

Today, 2k Boston, makers of the original Bioshock, changed its named to Irrational Games, the title the studio went by before 2k Games, the publisher, acquired the development studio.

Kind of a dull logo if you ask me.

Irrational Games launched a Web site today, but all it has on it is a countdown clock, ending sometime on Tuesday.

What’s it mean? Hard to tell, but the February Game Informer issue will have, within its pages, a feature on the studio. Read up, gamers!

Source: Game Informer

Microsoft continues to add to its “Games on Demand” digital download service today with the addition of the award winning underwater FPS BioShock and the epic strategy game Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution.

Both titles will set you back $29.99 and about 5GB of hard drive space, but if you’re sporting a brand new $299 120GB Elite Xbox 360 model, you’ll have no problem fitting them.

With the addition of these two titles, the “Games on Demand” section has some exciting titles among its ranks including Assassin’s Creed, LEGO Star Wars: TCS, Kameo, Battlefield: Bad Company, Mass Effect, Burnout Paradise, The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Need For Speed Pro Street and Carbon, and many more.

BioShock, Civilization Revolution added to Games on Demand

The full-on digital revolution is undoubtedly upon us. Anyone caved yet? Or do you still support brick and mortar retail outlets like Best Buy, GameStop and the like?

Threadless, purveyor of alternative clothing, today put the “Dead Sucker” Bioshock themed shirt up for sale on their popular online store for $18, but be warned… this shirt is f*ckin rad.

I’m a collector of video game tees and will maybe, just maybe add this bad boy to my collection, but for now, check out the screens of a tattooed bro, and an equally awkward lady sporting the thread.

Bethesda Softworks and 2k Games today announced a partnership to bring two of the Xbox 360′s finest games, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Bioshock to retail next month on Xbox 360 and PC.

Beginning July 7 the two games will hit retail as one mega-awesome-must-have bundle priced at $39.99 for Xbox 360, and $29.99 for PC gamers.

Together, over 80 game of the year awards have gone out to both titles, and in case you haven’t played either, in July you can’t go wrong with this new M rated bundle.

Oblivion and Bioshock currently retail for $29.99 and $19.99 respectively on Xbox 360, so you won’t be saving a ton, but every little bit counts if you’re like me.

While we’re on the subject of great bundled gaming, you might want to consider The Orange Box from Valve. Games included are Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode 1 and 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. That’s five games for $19.99 brand new. Wow.

At E3 this year, 2K Games and 2K Sports will be previewing a number of brand new titles behind the closed doors of the conference.

On the list include: Borderlands (PC/360/PS3), BioShock (PS3), NBA 2K9 (360/PS3/PS2), NHL 2K9 (360/Wii/PS3/PS2), and Civilization IV: Colonization (PC).

We’ve booked an hour and a half with these guys, so expect something hot and juicy.

Did you really think it wouldn’t happen?

This month’s edition of UK Magazine PSM3 drops what they are calling official confirmation that BioShock, last year’s critically and commercially acclaimed Xbox 360 blockbuster, will be heading to the PlayStation 3 by year’s end.

While neither Sony or 2K games has released any kind of information on the title going multi-platform, CVG — who publishes the magazine is standing by their cover story, promising multiple pages of exclusive previews and screenshots. Curiously, the cover-blurb hints at more content for the re-release, reading “Why Xbox’s best shooter is better on PS3.”

The new issue of PSM3 is scheduled to hit newsstands in the UK (along with select shops stateside) on June 4. Expect some kind of official word soon after.

A Sony Computer Entertainment America spokesman had no comment, calling the news rumor and speculation.

John Guilfoil of the Blast Magazine staff contributed to this report

The game development community has chosen Portal as Game of the Year at the 8th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards.

Valve’s genre-blending first person shooter/puzzler also took home two other awards at GDC. 2K’s Bioshock, Crytek’s Crysis and Nintendo’s latest Zelda chapter were also big winners.

“The Game Developers Choice Awards stand out from other game industry prizes by being open to all games of a calendar year and by recognizing the individual developers behind each celebrated game,” said Jamil Moledina, executive director of the Game Developers Conference. “We are thrilled gamers at home will be able to meet the people behind their favorite games when our first ever television broadcast special on the awards airs soon on the G4 television network.”

The recipients of the 8th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards are:

2007 Best Game Design
Portal (Valve)
Kim Swift, Realm Lovejoy, Paul Graham

2007 Best Visual Art
BioShock (2K Boston/2K Australia / 2K Games)
Scott Sinclair, Shawn Robertson, Andrew James

2007 Best Technology
Crysis (Crytek/Electronic Arts)
Cevat Yerli, Douglas Binks, Timur Davidenko, Martin Mittring

2007 Best Writing
BioShock (2K Boston/2K Australia / 2K Games)
Ken Levine, Emily Ridgway, Joe McDonagh, Susan O’Connor

2007 Best Audio
BioShock (2K Boston/2K Australia / 2K Games)
Eric Brosius, Pat Balthrop, Emily Ridgway, Justin Mullins

2007 Best Debut
Crackdown (Real Time Worlds / Microsoft Game Studios)
Ramon Gonzalez, Violetta Sanchez, Rafael Diaz, Jose Guerra

2007 Innovation
Portal (Valve)
Kim Swift, Erik Wolpaw

2007 Best Handheld Game
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo / Nintendo)
Eiji Aonuma

2007 Best Downloadable Game
Flow (thatgamecompany / Sony Computer Entertainment)
Kellee Santiago, Jenova Chen, Martin Middleton, Hao Cui, John Edwards,
Nick Clark

2007 Game of the Year
Portal (Valve)
Kim Swift, Erik Wolpaw

Recipients for the evening’s special awards were:

Lifetime Achievement Award
Sid Meier

Pioneer Award
Ralph Baer

Ambassador Award
Jason Della Rocca

For more information about the awards and all the recipients, visit: http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/