And we have confirmation! Gamers will finally be getting to see the sleeker, more svelte female counterparts of BioShock's iconic Big Daddies in BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams (Xbox 360, PS3). Find out what they look like after the jump.

Watched the trailer to BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams yet? You should. It certainly gave us a lot to speculate on - an older "Little" Sister, an image of Rapture rising from the sand. Now speculate on this: a developer from 2K revealed that BioShock 2 is a prequel, but at the same time is a sequel. Think, think, think.

Speaking at the GDC in Paris, BioShock (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) lead programmer Chris Kline said that the game should gave failed from the get-go. This caught many attendees by surprise because BioShock was one of last year's most decorated titles. Why did Kline say this? Find out in the full article up ahead.

In general - sad as it may be - movies based on video games don't live up to their original counterparts. But why do we watch these movies anyway, even if we know they'd never live up to the game? Only one answer came to mind: because we love the game.

Thus the idea for this QuickList came about: what are the movies that we'd watch simply for love of the game? Read the five movies you might consider watching (even if they sucked) in the full article.

Does it really matter if it's Xenon, Cell Broadband Engine, or Broadway? Is it that important to have high RAM and big storage spaces? How is it that much of a deal if a controller is wireless, rumble enabled, and capable of motion-sensing? This generation of video games sure demands powerful hardware like we've never imagined, but what exactly is a "next-gen" experience?  Let's take a look at "next-gen" gaming, and this blogger's thoughts on the video game industry today. Hit that link below to find the full article.

 

If you're planning to enjoy a round of 2K Games' FPS that involves big men in diving suits and little girls with a macabre sense of fashion, Bioshock (Xbox 360, PC), on your Xbox 360, then you might want to sit up and pay attention. It seems a patch for the game that was recently released is causing all kinds of havoc on gameplay after its automatic download and installation, rendering the once silky-smooth experience into a glitch-filled and lag-infested ride. Ouch.

So what's the deal with the patch? No one knows for sure, but it's certainly causing panic amongst those who want to resume their Big Daddy-hunting, Little Sister-rescuing jaunt in Rapture. One player speaks of the update itself not having a blade pop-up or notification before it installs - it just does so on its own volition as soon as you sign on and slip the Bioshock disc in.

From then on, it's a nightmarish sequence of events - repeated sign-offs from Live, darkening screens, and the worst of the bunch, utter lag on gameplay, even while walking through empty corridors. Not a very good update, this.

What's the official word on this patch, then? Nothing from 2K Games yet, unfortunately. And to be fair, there are cases of users installing the patch and being able to play the game with no hitches at all. As tempting as it may seem to update, though, it's probably better if you held off from doing so, at least until the guys behind the critically-acclaimed shooter can come up with an explanation for the patch (as well as a patch for it). A patch for a patch!

If you've already installed the patch, simply clear your Xbox 360's cache to get Jack back in top form. Go to the Systems Blade, then Memory. Highlight the Hard Drive and hit Y. Then, press X, X, Left Bumper, Right Bumper, X, X. Choose Yes to perform System Maintenance, and every downloaded patch will be cleared (including the one for Bioshock). After that, it's merely an issue about avoiding the patch download.

Downloadable patches are always welcome, if they resolve issues that detract from the full enjoyment of a game - but not very much when they actually become that little annoyance. Here's hoping that 2K Games has a plasmid for this little quirk soon.

Thanks to nosushi4you for the tip!

Over at the 2K games The Cult of Rapture website, the orchestral score for BioShock (Xbox 360, PC) has just been released. The set contains 12 tracks from the award-winning composer Garry Schyman - a download that's only worth 21MB of your bandwidth time. Getting paranoid about seeing Little Sisters and Big Daddies everywhere you go is one thing. Hearing the music of Rapture while you're being paranoid is something else. Here's the tracklist:

1. BioShock Main Theme (The Ocean on His Shoulders)
2. Welcome to Rapture
3. Dr. Steinman
4. The Docks
5. The Dash
6. Step Into My Gardens
7. Dancers on a String
8. Cohens Masterpiece
9. The Engine City
10. Empty Houses
11. This is Where They Sleep
12. All Spiced Up

This musical score does nothing but relive the BioShock experience. If you're that masochistic enough (hey, that includes me), you might want to plug this into your mp3 player and invoke all those feelings you've experienced in the game: sinking below the depths and into the city, nuking it out with Big Daddy for the first time, and facing the decision of whether to harvest or save a Little Sister.

As video game music goes, this one's a keeper. As musical pieces in general go, this one's still a keeper (given that you're really masochistic and brave enough). Personally, it reminds me a bit of the Lost soundtrack (Michael Giacchino FTW!) coupled in with the chill factor of the first and second Silent Hill albums. If that's not your cup of plasmids, it won't hurt to give it a shot. Enjoy the music! Play it loud!

Download: BioShock Orchestral Score

Buy: [Bioshock (Games for Windows)]
Buy: [Bioshock (Xbox 360)]

We're hoping you guys saved up enough money for this week's releases. There's quite a lot of eye-catchers hitting the shelves and every single major platform out there - PS3, 360, Wii, PC, PSP, and DS - has at least one good title to offer.

Those who were able to try out the demo of BioShock can finally dive into the full game. Don't forget to take your daily dose of plasmids when you're there. Meanwhile, GRAW 2 will roll out for the PS3 and PSP as well. Tactical shooting has never been this orgasmic.

Handheld gamers get a heavy dose of RPG treatment with the release of Jeanne d'Arc and Dragoneer's Aria for the PSP. Whether you want to go for turn-based or SRPG, we'd still suggest you get both. DS owners get some bite-sized fun with more Brain Age 2 training and Turn It Around - another "mini-game collection" title that'll surely get heads spinning.

Let's get ready for the plunge! On Shelves This Week include...

BioShock. Take a dive into the not-so-dead underwater city of Rapture as you FPS your way through the horror of Big Daddies and Little Sisters. Hone your skill on controlling the destructive powers of the plasmids to fight for your survival.

• Xbox 360, PC - August 21, 2007
• US$ 59.99 (Xbox 360), US$ 49.99 (PC)
  
• ESRB M (Mature 17+)
• 2K Boston/Australia and 2K Games

Jeanne d'Arc. Another RPG heading to Sony's handheld platform, but this time in the form of a tactical RPG. The game is a historical-fiction retelling of the times of Joan of Arc. And because we know Milla Jovovich reincarnated the said heroine on the silver screen, this title will probably also have some of us awake at night seeing holy visions.

• PSP - August 21, 2007
• US$ 29.99
  
• ESRB T (Teen)
  
• Level-5 and Sony Computer Entertainment

More titles behind the Full Article link below!

* Originally posted at 06:34 AM, August 20, 2007

While we know that the combat system in 2K Games' horror FPS, Bioshock(Xbox 360, PC), is multi-layered and lets us tackle any hostile situation in countless different ways, it's certainly good one way or two being carried out in picture-perfect execution. It's the same here in this latest gameplay video of Bioshock, with the player toying with one of the machine gun-equipped doctors of Rapture before sending him into a crispy, soggy death.

The video runs at about 49 seconds, but it's 49 seconds of perfect timing, nerves of steel and just a tiny hint of sadism. In this brief moment of videogame goodness, we see the player force the doctor back into a waterlogged part of a room, before shocking him with the electrocution plasmid again - and again - and again. Yours truly nearly laughed as the player waited for the doctor to recuperate, before slamming a thousand jiggavolts or so back into the water to resume the frying process. Awesome.

Embed's below, you know what to do. Enjoy!

Those waiting for BioShock (Xbox 360, PC) to launch on August 21 will have another huge reason to go out and get it as soon as they can. Along with the Limited Edition package of the game comes a free three-track CD featuring remixes of the soundtrack done by Moby and Oscar The Punk.

Beyond the Sea, God Bless the Child, and Wild Little Sisters are songs from the 40s and the 50s which echo throughout the length of BioShock in their original form. Their tappy nature has become an inspiration for developers 2K Boston and 2K Australia to have them remastered to better suit the game's tone.

From the initially light songs, Moby and Oscar The Punk transform the tracks into twisted beats which will capture anyone who's ever played the game in an atmosphere which will make them feel like they never left Rapture.

Along with the game and the remix soundtrack, a Big Daddy figurine will be included as a collector's item. To complete the pack, a behind-the-scenes DVD will be right in the bundle, too.

BioShock Limited Edition will be available in GameStop and EB Games nationwide. The game takes place in an eerie world under the sea where mutants and technology hunt players down. To survive, one must create modified weapons, alter his bodily structure, and devise deadly tactics. BioShock is rated "Mature" by the ESRB and is published by the Microsoft Corporation.

Buy: [Bioshock (Games for Windows)]
Buy: [Bioshock (Xbox 360)]