New Release Date Info for The Last of Us and BioShock Infinite

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that one of the most highly anticipated games in recent memory has finally been given an official release date. The bad news? Another highly anticipated game has been delayed.....again. So what would you like to hear about first? The bad news? Well, in the words of the great farm boy/pirate Westley, as you wish.

The bad news is that BioShock Infinite has been delayed yet again, this time until March 26, 2013. This news came directly from Creative Director and Co-Founder of Irrational Games Ken Levine. In an interview about the delay, Levine was quoted saying, "When Rod Fergusson came on board, we looked at the game. He was there for about a month and he said, 'look, I've been looking at the schedule and looking at the game and frankly you could really benefit from another three or four more weeks for polish and bug fixing.'"

"We talked about it. I knew I'd probably get beat up in the press a little bit about it. But at the end of the day, if it's going to make a better game we're going to do it. So the new date is March 26. That's my bad news."

This marks the second delay for BioShock Infinite, as the game was originally supposed to be released in October of 2012. After the first delay was announced, two key BioShock Infinite developers left the company. Delays can severely hurt a game, though they can also do wonders for it as well. A game that is released later than originally announced can benefit from not having the bugs and having more polish, though the game has to be worth the wait. Interestingly enough, the original BioShock was delayed and it turned out just fine.

Now on to the good news! The good news comes courtesy of the Spike TV Video Game Awards. During the awards show, Naughty Dog released a brand new trailer for its incredibly anticipated action-survival-horror game The Last of Us. Ever since the first trailer for this game appeared, gamers have been chomping at the bit to know exactly when they will be able to play what could very well be 2013's Game of the Year. Well, aside from showing off a ton of new game footage, including more characters and our first real look at the mutants (is that what they are?) in the game, the end of the trailer debuted the official release date for the game, which is May 7, 2013.

That's right, about five months is all that separates you from playing The Last of Us. Needless to say I was giddy with excitement when I saw this trailer. I mean, this game actually made me go out and buy a PlayStation 3 for crying out loud. I, and so many others, have extremely high hopes for The Last of Us and I think I speak for everyone when I say it's about darn time we get a release date! Check out the Spike TV VGA trailer below. There's also a new gameplay trailer for BioShock Infinite from the VGAs as well.

BioShock Infinite Release Date Announced

On Thursday, March 1 2K Games announced the release date of the highly anticipated next installment of the BioShock series. BioShock Infinite will be released in the United States for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 16. It will be released internationally on October 19.

BioShock Infinite won more than 75 awards last year at E3. Among those awards was the Game Critics Awards’ Best of Show. The BioShock series is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed gaming series to date. It has sold more than 9 million units across the globe.

"After BioShock, we had a vision for a follow up that dwarfed the original in scope and ambition," said Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games, in a statement. "BioShock Infinite has been our sole focus for the last four years, and we can't wait for fans to get their hands on it."

The original BioShock game that started it all was released in 2007. It was then followed by BioShock 2 in 2010. BioShock Infinite takes gamers to Columbia, a floating city in the sky. The city represents a fictional America in 1912. Booker DeWitt, a special agent, and his side-kick Elizabeth battle their way through the game in an attempt to escape Columbia.

In August 2010 2K released the trailer for BioShock Infinite. After the release, Levine offered a few more details about the game.

"In order to explore the floating city of Columbia, we needed an entirely new engine. To bring Elizabeth to life, we had to build brand-new animation and AI systems," he said. "To create wide-ranging indoor and outdoor firefights at 30,000 feet, we had to rethink, rebuild, and expand the BioShock arsenal. The only thing gamers can be certain of is this: the rules of the BioShock universe are about to change."

Sources: Market Watch - 2K Games and Irrational Games Announce Street Date for BioShock(R) Infinite and PCMag - BioShock Infinite Release Date Set for October

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BioShock 2

Way back in a far away time known as 2007, Irrational Games drove gamers into a twisted nightmare known as Rapture, the philosophy-riddled Utopian society gone mad which was the setting for one of the greatest and most innovative games ever, BioShock. The new take on the first-person shooter genre was an instant hit with gamers but it was the world itself that kept you involved and hooked.

Well nearly two and a half years later, irrational Games is taking us back to Rapture thrusting gamers into a story that takes place nearly ten years after the events of the first game with a new main character, a new villain and a whole slew of new and terrifying enemies.

Rapture is now under the control of anti-individualist ideologue Dr. Sophia Lamb, the woman who played a min role in sparking the civil war that ripped Rapture apart. The player takes control of "Subject Delta", the very first "Big Daddy". If you played the first game then you know that the Big Daddies were formidable foes and the only ones you ran away from in the game. The main difference with being the first Big Daddy is that in addition to having all the benefits of the original foes, you also have the ability to use plasmids to enhance your combat capabilities.

To describe the plot in a nutshell, you are Subject Delta and after being separated from your Little Sister (the creepy girls with needles from BS 1) Elenore you awaken from a coma that you have been in for 10 years. You are then tasked with reconnecting with Elenore in order to save her, yourself and rapture from the evil Dr. Lamb.

The cast of characters is not as vast as it was in the first game. BioShock provided a gripping story through the characters of Andrew Ryan, Atlas/Fontaine, Tenenbaum and others. But even though the character number in BioShock 2 is lacking, the incredible voice acting that was displayed in the first game is still in full swing and some familiar voices from the first game will definitely bring back fond memories to fans of the first game.

The main thing developers try to do with a sequel is improve on the gameplay mechanics that didn't sit well with fans of the previous game and 2K Marine does just that. One of the best additions is the ability to duel wield Plasmids and weapons instead of having to quickly switch between each. It adds a great sense of real time variety to the fights you encounter. Another improvement is the exclusion of the hacking mini-game and the inclusion of a new hacking device that allows you to remotely hack devices while still engaging in a fight. In the first game players could use a camera to snap pictures of enemies which gave them research points, providing advantages in battle. The only problem was that you had to continuously collect film for your camera. In BioShock 2, you have access to a movie camera with unlimited film which also helps in keeping the game moving.

The enemies have received a redesign as well. The new enemies keep you from having total control in a fight which adds a new tension to the combat. When you set a Little Sister down to harvest Adam in this game, enemies come out of the woodwork requiring you to protect the little sister while simultaneously fending off multiple threats. Take that aspect and add in huge tank splicers, other Big Daddies and wall-crawling spider splicers and you have one hell of a combination on your hands.

One of the biggest things that had fans talking about BioShock 2 was the addition of a brand new multiplayer mode. This mode will not appeal to all gamers but the goo news is that it was developed by a completely separate team than the main story and in no way does it feel like a cheap add-on. The multiplayer takes place during the heart of Rapture's civil war and also serves as a narrative in explaining the plot and world of Rapture.

There are six modes in the multiplayer: Capture the Sister, which is capture the flag with a Little Sister instead of a flag. Survival of the Fittest, which is a free-for-all mode. Civil War, a team death match game. Last Splicer Standing, similar to free-for-all but without respawns. ADAM Grab, one player must control a Little Sister and harvest as much Adam as possible. Team ADAM Grab, ADAM Grab with a team. And finally Turf War, a king-of-the-hill style game. BioShock's interesting combat of weaponry mixed with Plasmids makes for an intense, crazy and unique multiplayer but not one that can compare with traditional online shooters. Still, if you love the game then you should try out the multiplayer.

BioShock 2 is a terrifying and intense game that has, like all sequels, its step-ups and step-downs from the first game. The innovations to the combat are great and add so much to the overall flow of the game but some players may find the narrative to be lacking compared to the first game. Overall BioShock 2 is a must play, especially for anybody who loved the first game.

BioShock 2 will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows February 9th, 2010.

Source: IGN

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Bioshock 2 Multiplayer Details

One of the most original and best games of 2007, Bioshock gained a following of fans almost overnight. Fans loved the game which had an immense and beautiful first person campaign with a gripping story and huge twists. The only thing the game didn't have was an online multiplayer game type. Many fans did not understand why there was no multiplayer and when asked developers said that they wanted to focus all their attention and man power on making an incredible campaign, which they did. But still, fans wanted a multiplayer game type and with the release of Bioshock 2 drawing closer each day, fans will finally get what they wished for.

What 2K Marine, developers of both games, didn't want to do was to have both game types not live up to the Bioshock standard so 2K Marine enlisted the help of Digital Extremes to create the multiplayer section of Bioshock. By creating this partnership, 2K Marine can focus their full attention on the campaign portion of the game as they did in the first one, making it just as incredible and unique where Digital Extremes can focus on the multiplayer.

The multiplayer in Bioshock 2 provides an immersive prequel experience to gamers which takes them deeper into the fiction and lore of the Bioshock universe. The multiplayer is set during the fall of Rapture, years before your character in the first game arrives. Gamers will take control of a Plasmid test subject for Sinclair Solutions. You will have all the weapons and tonics you had access to in the first Bioshock as well as the new ones added for Bioshock 2. Players will earn experience in multiplayer matches which will give them access to other plasmids, tonics and weapons, all of which can be put together into hundreds of different combinations.

Players will also get the unique experience of seeing the underwater city of Rapture before its fall and the dilapidated wasteland you see it as in the first game. Players will fight through many familiar locales from the first game as well as some new ones all of which have been given a remake to make them look like new. The player will primarily play as a citizen of Rapture though in the multiplayer trailer it was shown that you can also play as a Big Daddy. How this is achieved is unclear as of right now. My guess is that it is a bonus/achievement in the game.

All the tools you had available to you in the first game are available to you now. This includes plasmid usage, tonics, upgradeable weapons and ammo and the reemergence of the hacking mini-game. In the first Bioshock you were able to hack alarm systems, security bots and automated turrets to use to your advantage and in the new multiplayer you can also hack turrets and bots to fight for you as well as hacking first aid stations to injure others while they attempt to use it.

There have been some fear expressed with Digital Extremes making the multiplayer due to the fact that Digital Extremes are the creators of the less than popular Dark Sector game. However, upon seeing different trailers and info about the multiplayer, I have high hopes and I do not believe Digital Extremes will mess it up. Digital Extremes forte is really FPS games anyways, which is what Bioshock is.

I, for one, can not wait to get my hands on Bioshock 2 and I think the multiplayer looks like a great addition to an already amazing game franchise. Bioshock 2 is set to hit store shelves early 2010 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC so until then, watch the multiplayer video to hold you over.

Source: G4TV