BioShock: Infinite Message Board older than one year ago

We of the gaming press have raved endlessly about the behind-closed-doors demo of BioShock Infinite at this year's E3. So blown away were we, that the decision to give it our Game of the Show award required little ancillary discussion. It was almost kind of a foregone conclusion.

Now, courtesy of GameTrailers TV the full 14-minute demo is available to watch online. A few notes up front: the version of the demo we saw at E3 didn't feature Geoff Keighley popping in at various intervals to introduce segments, nor did Ken Levine appear to give any background on the things that were occurring in the demo. In those regards, you may actually be getting the better end of the stick, depending on your personal fondness for both Keighley and Levine's divine speaking voices.

Also, and this might just be the result of my own tattered memory, but I do seem to recall that the demo at E3 was just a tad longer. It feels like a few segments in this demo are pushed through a bit more quickly than in the demo I sat in on. I seem to recall a few sections where the developer playing through it lingered a bit more in certain areas, especially where dialogue was more heavily featured. Or perhaps that's just my mind playing a few tricks on me. I'm perfectly willing to accept either answer.

Regardless, this version of the demo is no less impressive than what we saw at the show, and it's pretty awesome that everyone now has the chance to see what got the typically jaded journalistic lot to ooh and ah with such unguarded excitement. I actually envy you, seeing it for the first time. It's still good the second, third, and even fourth time around, but that first viewing... it's pretty special. Enjoy.

That’s a fourteen minute look at what’s going on in the flying city of Columbia, via GameTrailers. If yesterday’s huge interview with Mr Levine was anything to go by, this is worth paying attention to. The “tears” stuff – where things are dragged through from another reality – are shown off here, and they’re quite the thing. There’s so much in here: combat, airships, the skylines, crazy contraptions, decisions being made in an almost-RPG style, and lots more Elizabeth.

Frankly it looks insane and fascinating, and leaps forward Bioshock. The buildings bobbing up and down is quite a disconcerting thing, though. Hmm.(more…)

Since abandoning sitting in my underpants writing games journalism for the glittering world of sitting in my glittery underpants writing comics, it takes a lot to get me out of bed. That said, it always took a lot to get me out of bed. I’m lazy. However, a chance to chat to Irrational’s creative director Ken Levine about all things Bioshock Infinite counts as something that’ll have me tearing the duvet asunder. So when I was asked to do it. I – er – did it.

And then it was transcribed into written words…

Irrational Games have posted the first two minutes of the Bioshock Infinite E3 presentation. The footage is introduced by the lovely Ken Levine and covers a brief rummage through an old curiosity shop chock full of adventuresome period banter between Booker and Elizabeth and also features some remarkably creepy sound design. Comrade Dan Griliopoulos previously reported on the demo which you can rejigger in your mind-memory right here. Impressive-sounding stuff, and you can watch his words spring to life below! Seems like too much of a coincidence. My new theory? Maybe he’s a god. He’s got the chin.

(more…)

Though the nominees were announced less than a week ago, the clandestine cabal of award-bestowing Game Critics have narrowed the field and announced the Best of E3 winners. Those dudes work pretty fast, apparently.

To the surprise of essentially no one, BioShock Infinite took home all four awards it was nominated for, including Best PC Game, Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Original Game, and the most-covered Game of the Show award.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Battlefield 3, and Sound Shapes were the other multi-award-winners, with two apiece.

Elsewhere, the PlayStation Vita took home the award for Best Hardware, edging out the Wii U (which, to be fair, wasn't really showing any actual games), Sony's own proprietary 3D display monitor (we think they're okay with this loss), Ubisoft's guitar game RockSmith, and some Nyko-produced Kinect thing.

Among the few big games shut out entirely, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Batman: Arkham City, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 all went home empty-handed.

If you're really into seeing the words "BioShock" and "Infinite" repeated over and over again in a list-based format, you can check out the full roster of winners below.

Best of Show

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Original Game

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Console Game

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
(Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Handheld Game

Sound Shapes
(Queasy Games/SCEA for PSVita)

Best PC Game

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Hardware

PlayStation Vita
(Sony Computer Entertainment)

Best Action Game

Battlefield 3
(DICE/EA Games for PC)

Best Action/Adventure Game

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Role Playing Game

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
(Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Fighting Game

Street Fighter X Tekken
(Capcom/Capcom for PS3, Xbox 360, PSVita)

Best Racing Game

Forza 4
(Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)

Best Sports Game

FIFA 12
(EA Canada/EA Sports for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Strategy Game

From Dust
(Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Social/Casual Game

Sound Shapes
(Queasy Games/SCEA for PSVita)

Best Motion Simulation Game

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
(Nintendo EAD/Nintendo for Wii)

Best Online Multiplayer

Battlefield 3
(DICE/EA Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Downloadable Game

Bastion
(Supergiant Games/WB Games for PC, Xbox 360)

You've probably heard Jeff talk a few times about E3 Judges Week, and the experience of being one of the illustrious 35 gaming editorial luminaries who gets to decide which games get fancy pants "Best of E3" stamps on their respective game boxes.

This year, it seems most likely that BioShock Infinite (Giant Bomb's own E3 2011 Game of the Show, as you may recall), and Uncharted 3 will be taking at least a couple of those fancy pants stamps, as they each lead the 2011 nominees with four nominations apiece.

Not far behind were Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham City, Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider reboot, DICE's Battlefield 3, Ubisoft's downloadable god game From Dust, Bethesda's latest Elder Scrolls sequel, BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Jonathan Mak's musical platformer Sound Shapes, with three nominations apiece. While Sound Shapes was easily the strongest small-studio performer, Supergiant Games' stylish action RPG Bastion, and thatgamecompany's Journey both made a strong showing with a pair of nominations each.

The bulk of the nominations fall into the realm of the expected, with the biggest--and, honestly, many of the best--games getting proper recognition. A few weird picks certainly floated through the nominations process, such as the fighting games category, which is the only to feature six nominees, effectively encompassing every fighting game seen at the show. It's as if someone said, "Look, do you want to be the guy to tell Namco that Soul Calibur V is the only fighting game at the show not to get nominated? Or THQ that a wrestling game in this list kinda sticks out like a sore thumb? No? Okay then, let's just do six and be done with it."

Also slightly odd is the handheld game category, which features Super Mario and Mario Kart for 3DS, but in one of the great injustices of our time, not Luigi's Mansion 2. No love for Luigi? Really? Man, the world is full of haters.

Check out the full list of nominees below, if you're into that sort of thing.

Game of the Show

• Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady/WB Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog/SCEA for PlayStation 3)

Best Original Game

• Bastion (Supergiant Games/WB Games for PC, Xbox 360)
• BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• From Dust (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Journey (Thatgamecompany/SCEA for PlayStation 3)
• Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/SCEA for PSVita)

Best Console Game

• Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady/WB Games for PS3, Xbox 360)
• Mass Effect 3 (Bioware/EA Games for PS3, Xbox 360)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PS3, Xbox 360)
• Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix for PS3, Xbox 360)
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog/SCEA for PlayStation 3)

Best Handheld/Mobile Game

• Contre Jour (Mokus/Chillingo/EA for iPad, iPhone)
• Mario Kart (Nintendo/Nintendo for 3DS)
• Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/SCEA for PSVita)
• Super Mario (Nintendo EAD Tokyo/Nintendo for 3DS)
• Uncharted: Golden Abyss (SCE Bend Studio/Naughty Dog/SCEA for PSVita)

Best PC Game

• Battlefield 3 (DICE/EA Games for PC)
• BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC)
• End of Nations (Petroglyph Games/Trion Worlds for PC)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (Bioware Austin/EA Games for PC)
• Torchlight 2 (Runic Games/Perfect World for PC)

Best Hardware

• PlayStation Vita (Sony Computer Entertainment)
• Rocksmith (Ubisoft San Francisco/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Sony 3D Display (Sony Computer Entertainment)
• Wii U (Nintendo)
• Zoom for Kinect (Nyko)

• Battlefield 3 (DICE/EA Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer/ATVI for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Gears of War 3 (Epic Games/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)
• Prey 2 (Human Head Studios/Bethesda for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360)
• Rage (id Software/Bethesda for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360)

• Assassin's Creed: Revelations (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360)
• Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady/WB Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• BioShock infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog/SCEA for PlayStation 3)

• Dark Souls (From Software/Namco Bandai Games for PS3, Xbox 360)
• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (Big Huge Games/38 Studios/EAP for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360)
• Mass Effect 3 (BioWare/EA Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (BioWare Austin/EA for PC)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

• Driver: San Francisco (Ubisoft Reflections/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Forza 4 (Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)
• Mario Kart (Nintendo/Nintendo for 3DS)
• Need for Speed:The Run (EA Black Box/EA Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)
• Wipeout 2048 (Studio Liverpool/SCEE for PSVita)

• Skullgirls (Reverge Labs/Autumn Games for PS3, Xbox 360)
• Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition (Iron Galaxy Studios/Capcom for PS3, Xbox 360)
• Street Fighter X Tekken (Capcom/Capcom for PS3, Xbox 360, PSVita)
• Soul Calibur V (Namco/Namco Bandai for PS3, Xbox 360)
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Namco Bandai Games for Arcade)
• WWE 12 (Yuke's/THQ for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)

• FIFA Soccer 12 (EA Canada/EA Sports for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Madden NFL 12 (EA Tiburon/EA Sports for PS3, Xbox 360)
• NBA 2K12 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports for PS3, Xbox 360)
• SSX (EA Canada/EA Sports for PS3, Xbox 360)
• UFC Undisputed 3 (Yuke's/THQ for PS3, Xbox 360)

• Age of Empires Online (Gas Powered Games/Microsoft Studios for PC)
• End of Nations (Petroglyph/Trion Worlds for PC)
• From Dust (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Skulls of the Shogun (Haunted Temple Studios for PC, Xbox 360)
• Trenched (Double Fine/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)

• Dance Central 2 (Harmonix/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)
• Disneyland Adventures (Frontier Developments/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)
• Rocksmith (Ubisoft San Francisco/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Rhythm Heaven (TNX/Nintendo for Wii)
• Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/SCEA for PSVita)

• Dance Central 2 (Harmonix/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)
• Fruit Ninja Kinect (Halfbrick/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)
• Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster (Double Fine Productions/WB Games for Xbox 360)
• The Gunstringer (Twisted Pixel Games/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo for Wii)

• Battlefield 3 (DICE/EA for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer/ATVI for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Gears of War 3 (Epic Games/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (BioWare Austin/EA for PC)
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog/SCEA for PlayStation 3)

• Bastion (Supergiant Games/WB Games for PC, Xbox 360)
• From Dust (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (Fuelcell Games/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)
• Journey (Thatgamecompany/SCEA for PlayStation 3)
• Papo & Yo (Minority/SCEA for PlayStation 3)

Agent Dan stalked the halls of E3 until he caught up with Timothy Gerritsen, Director of Development at Irrational Games and Executive Producer on Bioshock Infinite. They then talked Heisenberg, Bader-Meinhoff, pulp fiction, psychoses… and sometimes even Bioshock.(more…)

We sent Dan Griliopoulos to take a look at BioShock: Infinite. It might have broken him. That’s the explanation we have for the opening story. But read on for a super-detailed preview of the third BioShock game, and why Dan suspects it’s going to be rather good.

(more…)

We sent Dan Griliopoulos to take a look at BioShock: Infinite. It might have broken him. That’s the explanation we have for the opening story. But read on for a super-detailed preview of the third BioShock game, and why Dan suspects it’s going to be rather good.

(more…)

It didn't take much discussion, so I'll keep it short. We've compared notes and decided to name BioShock Infinite as our Game of the Show for E3 2011. I'm sure you've already heard us talking about the game in various articles and podcasts, so I'll spare you the flowery language and instead point you to the interview we conducted with Irrational's Ken Levine during the show last week. It was probably one of my favorite moments of the show, and I'm not just saying that because it allowed me to sit down for a full half-hour.