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Check out this new HD video footage of BioShock on the PlayStation 3.

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According to Takashi Sensui, Microsoft's Xbox-related go-to guy in Japan at a recent Spike, Xbox 360 New Year's party, more and more (Xbox 360) western titles will be making their way over to the gaming capital of the world, and those being third-party titles at that. The first three games include Battlestations: Midway, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, and 2K's ever-popular Bioshock.

It's an interesting move, with Xbox 360 sales lagging behind... everything else (hard to top those Nintendo DS's). It's possible that offering western-style games to Japanese gamers via the 360 might boost unit sales, but it's equally possible that the audience doesn't give a damn. But if Bioshock, one of 2007's premier titles in the west, can't move 360s over there, then what can?

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The Game Developers Conference 2008, which is currently scheduled for February 18-11 in San Francisco, has published a list of featured speakers and topics under discussion for each. Here are some big names for the curious:

Peter Molyneux (Head of Studios, Lionhead Studios), on (surprise!) Fable 2 - The Big Three Features Revealed.

• Peter Molyneux's stated ambition as a designer is to make FABLE 2 a landmark game. In order to achieve this three big design features have been added. The inspiration and rational behind these features will be discussed along with their evolution throughout the development process. The wider context of their impact and influence on the RPG genre with also be examined as the ambition is also to evolve the genre itself. The talk will be supported by retrospective videos as well as live game examples.

Ken Levine (President/Creative Director, 2K Boston) on (bigger surprise!) Storytelling in Bioshock: Empowering Players to Care about Your Stupid Story (sign me up).

• Game stories can matter, even in first person shooters. But first we're going to have to give up a lot of our preconceptions about what people care about when playing a game. For too long, games (especially first person shooters) have been stuck in a "game sequence followed by story sequence" mentality. Ken Levine will tell the tale of how the BIOSHOCK took a pointy-headed idea about a pseudo-objectivist utopia and turned it into one of the most compelling and succesful game worlds in recent history. What were the tools used? What compromises had to be made? Where did the shooter end and the story begin? How did we make people give a crap? How did we use story and narrative to become perhaps the most talked about game at the super-crowded E3 2006? What does this all mean for stories in games? And must of all, what hell does "Mise En Scene" mean?

Chris Butcher (Engineering Lead, Microsoft/Bungie) on E Pluribus Unum: Matchmaking in Halo 3.

• The online multiplayer mode of HALO 3 features an automatic matchmaking system to place players into games. Players may join individually or with parties of friends, and are quickly matched into groups. This presentation describes the algorithms behind the peer-to-peer matchmaking model, and its implementation over Xbox Live. It examines the impact of matchmaking on the HALO online community, and provides techniques for shaping the player experience and discouraging cheaters. The tradeoffs of an automatic matchmaking system compared to traditional multiplayer game browsers will be discussed, and illustrated by some results from the first months of HALO 3's operation.

Cevat Yerli (Managing Director, Crytek) on Crysis in the Making.

• This session will offer a look into key areas of CRYSIS development that markedly depart from Crytek's first project, FAR CRY. Main topics include Nanosuit design and gameplay, creating a rich, destructible/non-linear world, and peopling it with dynamic, believable AI enemies that challenge and entertain the player.

You can view the full list of featured speakers here. If you're interested in the keynotes, however, you can find that here.

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Here's something that gives a little more credence to the Bioshock 2 rumors, as this 2K Games (2K Boston) job listing page now boasts several position openings (the newest being a tools programmer) that all just happen to mention the success of Bioshock and that the team is in the pre-production stage of their next "AAA" title... which may or may not be the anticipated Bioshock 2.

Also note that they're interested in people with Unreal/PlayStation 3 production experience which isn't unusual in itself but does leave the mind to wonder if this next game could be a surprise PS3 exclusive (highly unlikely) or if they're just looking to improve the PS3-side of their newest gem.

I know it's a huge leap, but one can certainly ponder the possibilities.

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Following word of a Bioshock 2-prequel being in development, it now seems that a Bioshock film is also under consideration at a "major film production company".

If the film is a go, according to a secret inside source, it'll rely on advanced green screen technology to animate the physically (and mentally) corrupted denizens of Rapture. Sounds wicked.

No word on a storyline or where the project would fit into the actual timeline of events (assuming that Bioshock 2 rumor is correct), but we're all ears.

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Those of you who enjoyed Bioshock will be interested to know that rumors are now flying that Bioshock 2 is both currently being developed by 2K Games and is a prequel, rather than a sequel, to this popular Game of the Year title.

According to the rumor now being reported on forums across the Net, a source within 2K is confirming the game's development. While it's only a rumor, considering the huge success Bioshock was for 2K it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it were true.

The original Bioshock received runner-up for GameBump's own Best Shooter of 2007 award.

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Why It Won: Call of Duty was already an established series by the time Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came around. After Treyarch's Call of Duty 3, many had thought the series had caught the "sequel syndrome" that plagues almost any big studio franchise that gets a new installment each year, each game becoming just another iteration of the previous with one or two features interesting enough to be mentioned on the back of the game's box. Boy were we ever wrong.

Call of Duty 4 isn't a greatly ambitious game. It didn't have the mega-millions advertising budget of Halo 3, it didn't have the Ayn Rand-ian objectivist overtones of BioShock, and it didn't really require that you go out and buy a new $4,000 computer to run it like Crysis. The scale of the game itself is somewhat large but it's no Earth-vs-Aliens. What the game lacks in scope, however, it makes up for in pure quality. Call of Duty 4 is a fun game, a well-made game, and a rewarding game. From the first mission you're sucked into the world of modern Special Forces and you're never let go.

Continue reading...

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The 5th annual Spike Video Game Awards show doesn't air till tonight at 9pm EST, but the winners have "somehow" made its way into my inbox this morning. The show is being held in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Events Resort and Casino. I honestly thought Halo 3 would hit the Game of the Year, but I never expected Skate to be in the best Sports game category.

But anywho, check out the full list below!

GAME OF THE YEAR
BioShock

STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Harmonix

BEST SHOOTER
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision/ Infinity Ward)

BEST RPG
Mass Effect (Microsoft Game Studios/ BioWare)

BEST MILITARY GAME
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision/ Infinity Ward)

Continue reading...

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Bioshock sales are doing incredibly well and that's what happens when you make a good title unlike Kane & Lynch. At least the review scores and advertisements are right. Well, the folks over at 2K Games just informed us that downloadable content for Bioshock is now available via Xbox Live Marketplace and a PC patch.

New downloadable content includes:

• Four Plasmids and Gene Tonics
• Sonic Boom: Hurls creatures and objects back with a blast of force
• EVE saver: Enables Plasmids to use less EVE
• Vending Expert: Reduces prices in the vending machines
• Machine Buster: Increases the amount of damage players deal to cameras, bots and turrets

Achievements (exclusive to Xbox 360):

• Xbox 360 players can gain 100 points for “Brass Balls,” by beating BioShock on the “hard” difficulty setting without dying

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Our good friends over at CBS GameCore just posted their annual holiday gift guide that features everybody's top 5 along with the top 10 overall listings. Some of the games in the top 10 include:

• Bioshock
• Assassin's Creed
• Super Mario Galaxy
• Halo 3
• Guitar Hero 3

What are your picks for this holiday season? Post them in the comments of this story! For the time being, head over to GameCore's website for the full listings.

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