BioShock: Infinite Message Board older than one year ago

Tomorrow marks a big day for world-acclaimed studio Irrational Games with the release of Bioshock Infinite, so it’s only suitable that we mark the occasion with something special. For the first time, we are partnering with a game developer to deliver a specially crafted audio experience exclusive to PlayStation. Tonight at midnight, we are launching a new audio mode for the PULSE-Elite Edition Headset designed especially for BioShock Infinite. Better still, it will be free.

Why a custom audio mode? Irrational Games wanted to elevate the dark world of BioShock Infinite to a new level by providing a richer gameplay experience. We worked with them to take advantage of our new BassImpact technology embedded in the Pulse-Elite headset to create a sound profile that enables players to feel gunshots and explosions in a much more dynamic and powerful way.

Engineers on both teams worked together to tie the pulses from BassImpact to key audio elements in the game, creating a more immersive experience as you fight your way through Columbia as Booker DeWitt. We examined characteristics of sounds such as frequency and amplitude as well as gameplay data like attack times, then tailored the strength of the BassImpact actuator responses to complement those in-game sounds. This means that the pulse you feel from a gunshot will be different than the pulses you feel from an explosion. Irrational’s audio director Patrick Balthrop was overheard remarking that the game sounds “excellent” on the Pulse-Elite. You can download the BioShock Infinite audio mode at no cost from the free Pulse-Elite Manager App which launched in December. You can find both on PlayStation Store.

For those of you who don’t have the Pulse-Elite Edition headset yet, we have something for you as well. From March 26th (midnight Pacific Time tonight) to April 9th, 2013, when you buy Bioshock Infinite you’ll get $20 off the purchase of the Pulse-Elite headset at participating retailers*.

Stay tuned for more news about game-specific audio profiles from your favorite franchises. Now get out there and find Elizabeth!

*Participating Retailers: GameStop, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Hastings, Transworld, Nebraska Furniture Mart

When BioShock Infinite launches on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 tomorrow, players can choose to unlock the game's difficult '1999 Mode' early by using a modern variation of the classic Konami code.

By default, Infinite only has three available difficulty settings: Easy, medium and hard, with the 1999 Mode - which tunes Irrational's latest game to a difficulty best suited for those looking for a classic shooter experience akin to System Shock 2's campaign - hidden away until the game is complete. If players decide they want an immediate challenge, using the Konami code will allow them to unlock it at any point.

• On PC (with keyboardmouse): Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, (Cancel key), (Confirm key)
• On Xbox: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A
• On PS3: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, O, X

For more on BioShock Infinite make sure to read the Joystiq review, which called the next installment in the franchise "one of the best told stories of this generation."

It's a good day for the team at BioShock Infinite developer Irrational Games, with the game receiving nearly universal praise. Our review couldn't help gushing either, saying Infinite is "undoubtedly the finest game crafted by Irrational Games" and "one of the best told stories of this generation. It simply cannot be missed."

• Eurogamer (100/100): "BioShock Infinite doesn't blur the lines between your reality and the game's to quite the same extent as its predecessor, but it's a more complete and polished story, and that's the thing you'll remember. "
• Game Informer (100/100): "Infinite is more than a new setting, story, and characters; those elements are seamlessly integrated with complex themes, a mysterious plot, and entertaining combat to create an amazing experience from beginning to end."
• PC Gamer (91/100): "Elizabeth herself is nice. I liked her. If you were hoping for something more - perhaps even the fabled Strong Female Character[TM] - you might be disappointed. When you're together, she's relegated to the role of caddy, limited to passing you a new weapon when you run out of ammo, and only ever using her own abilities when you command her to."
• Edge (90/100): "Sadly, as the combat opens up, the story begins to slowly unravel. There's no golf club moment, no singular twist around which the tale turns. Instead, Infinite provides a series of revelations that have you replaying earlier sections with a more enlightened, inquisitive eye."
• VideoGamer (80/100): "It is fascinating, and also boring. It is important, yet forgettable. Its world is enticing and unappealing. It attempts to move things forward, yet is in places stuck in the past. For a game that has the potential to open the franchise up to a multitude of different ideas and interpretations, BioShock Infinite can feel curiously limited."

Watch the Songbird pursue Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth as they try to make a desperate escape from the sky-city of Columbia.

BioShock Infinite Costume Pack Coming to LittleBigPlanet

The highly anticipated BioShock Infinite is out this week and we’re excited to tell you that you will also see Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth heading to LittleBigPlanet this week in the BioShock Infinite Costume Pack.

Not only will you see our two heroes arriving on LittleBigPlanet, you will also find that Handyman, Motorized Patriot and even Songbird are not far behind them! The costumes will be $1.99 each, or you can grab the whole pack for $5.99.

The new costume pack will be compatible with all of your favorite LBP titles, with LBP, LBP2 and LPB Vita rolling out tomorrow. The update for LBP Karting will be here very shortly and we’ll keep you updated on a launch date.

So it looks like Booker and Elizabeth will be having plenty of adventures on LittleBigPlanet!

We have a couple of great new wallpapers over on LittleBigPlanet.com to commemorate the release of BioShock Infinite this week, so be sure to head on over and pick them up!

LittleBigPlanet 2: Mm Picks

This week’s LittleBigPlanet 2: Mm Picks sees Sackboy travelling across two great adventures, one set in an industrial factory and the other set in space. Meanwhile we also get to meet the loveable Jump Bot as we join him on his own 8-bit platforming adventure!

Two Much of a Good Thing is the first of our Mm Picks which sees Sackboy armed with a Creatinator with the power to shoot goo that can stick to any wall and will give Sackboy the ability to climb that wall as though it was Attract-O-Gel!

This comes in very handy for Sackboy in this factory setting but be careful to only fire a limited amount of goo pellets at a time or the effects will wear off if you stick around for too long! So be on your toes at all times and you should be able to make it through this level safely!

Sackboy infiltrates the UFO Factory in his next platforming adventure.

It’s just a flying visit though! A quick tour through the factory!

Be careful though, there are plenty of chances for poor Sackboy to get squished or burnt during his tour of the UFO Factory!

Well, it would be rather dull if the factory had to adhere to some silly safety regulations…

Our last stop this week is with Jump Bot and his charming platforming run that sees him double-jumping and wall-jumping in this wonderful 8-bit experience that has a true retro feel to it.

Hop on over to LBP.me and check out these great levels and the latest LittleBigPlanet 2: Mm Picks!

Community Picks: LBPCentral Spotlight 107

Our Community Picks this week come from the LBPC Community Spotlight Team over at LBPCentral.com

The Spotlight Crew have put together a great selection of levels they think you should check out this week, so be sure to queue up this level and hop right into it when you next play LittleBigPlanet 2!

Community Highlights

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita was released last September and even after our first six months, we are still absolutely amazed by the creativity and amount of skill present in the LittleBigPlanet community!

To celebrate we made a short video showcasing just some of the highlights created by the LittleBigPlanet PS Vita community. Take a look!

That’s just a small sample of some of the amazing levels that have been published in LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, that you can download today and take with you wherever you go!

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita: Team Picks

This week, we have a couple of new LittleBigPlanet PS Vita: Team Picks for you. The first Team Pick is The High Life. In this level, Sackboy is for some inexplicable reason stuck on a swing and you have to guide him through the level using touch and tilt.

Next up is Los Alamos! In this colorful platformer we get to see what would have happened if Oppenheimer had met Sackboy before the Trinity test.

We have these levels and even more great community levels for you to download in the LittleBigPlanet PS Vita: Team Picks, so head on over to LBP.me Vita to queue up some of these great levels to download or play when you’re next online on LittleBigPlanet PS Vita!

BioShock Infinite is Now Available on Steam! Check the game page for the release time in your territory.

Indebted to the wrong people, with his life on the line, veteran of the U.S. Cavalry and now hired gun, Booker DeWitt has only one opportunity to wipe his slate clean. He must rescue Elizabeth, a mysterious girl imprisoned since childhood and locked up in the flying city of Columbia. Forced to trust one another, Booker and Elizabeth form a powerful bond during their daring escape. Together, they learn to harness an expanding arsenal of weapons and abilities, as they fight on zeppelins in the clouds, along high-speed Sky-Lines, and down in the streets of Columbia, all while surviving the threats of the air-city and uncovering its dark secret.

BioShock Infinite weaves a complicated and intricate plot around ever-changing variables. Not only is it an evolving story that sees protagonist Booker DeWitt and the mysterious Elizabeth grow closer, but Irrational's latest deals with the hubris of a society built above the clouds, its ideals inflated with so much of the same hot air that propels it above the world below.

Though it touches on topics revolving around racism, religion, rebellion and revenge, these themes take a backseat to BioShock Infinite's primary topic: Love. Whether it be a society in love with its own patented brand of American Exceptionalism, a leader in love with his own self-appointed immortal image, or a pair of people that come together to care for one another, BioShock Infinite is a love story.

And it's an easy story to fall in love with.

#humor We've been playing BioShock Infinite, but we can't tell you about it just yet. In order to get our early copy, we agreed to stick to the embargo set by publisher 2K Games, which is up on Monday. More »

BioShock goes out of the ocean and into the clouds. Will it leave you floating on Cloud 9?

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We’re back! Today’s XL-sized show features two of gaming’s biggest daddies: Irrational Games Creative Director Ken Levine stops by to discuss BioShock Infinite‘s imminent launch and the secret to crafting a memorable game ending. Then PlayStation World Wide Studios America Senior Vice President Scott Rohde discusses how PS4‘s advanced hardware will empower PlayStation’s internal development teams. Then we delve into next week’s new releases for March 26th, 2013, new voice mail, listener questions, some light GDC talk and more.

Stuff We Talked About

• GDC
• BioShock Infinite
• PS4
• God of War
• The Last of Us
• PlayStation Worldwide Studios

Send us questions and tips: blogcast@playstation.sony.com

The Cast

• Sid Shuman – PlayStation Social Media Manager
• Nick Suttner – PlayStation Account Support Manager
• Scott Rohde – SVP of Product Development, Worldwide Studios America
• Ken Levine – Creative Director and Co-founder, Irrational Games

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

• Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. Special thanks to Astro Gaming headsets for providing audio gear.

As creative director Ken Levine discussed in his recent BAFTA talk, the Elizabeth character is much of what BioShock Infinite is built around. Levine, wearing a BioShock hoodie over a BioShock t-shirt, introduces in this video the women whose work created her.

On that note, one tidbit from BAFTA was Levine describing how he, to paraphrase his own words, had to act like a douchebag to voice actress Courtney Draper to help her reach the right low for an emotional line. We wish we had such good excuses for our douchebaggery.

#humor The next title from Ken Levine and Irrational Games finally comes out next week. But the hype cycle for the next BioShock game has been spinning for a long while and people have been spouting out opinions every since the very first glimpse of BioShock Infinite. This video animates a bunch of vulgar, misinformed and straight-up weird YouTube comments about the game, with hilarious, dead-on voice acting bringing the trollery to life. Can't wait to see what these folks think once the game is out... More »

Here's the full minute version of the BioShock Infinite commercial you should start seeing on TV in the coming weeks in 30- and 15-second versions. Hmmm, wonder if we'll get the full thing on Hulu?

Irrational Games posted the recent BAFTA evening with BioShock creator Ken Levine this weekend for your viewership. The 105-minute video sees the Irrational co-founder cover everything from the nearly-here Infinite to his self-described lucky break into the industry.

The first half is Levine's talk, in which he opens by discussing how Irrational Games came to be before focusing on how the studio's vision brought it to Infinite and the character of Elizabeth, who Levine says is the third BioShock game's Big Daddy. The second half, from the 41 minute mark onwards, is a Q&A session touching on several subjects, including how Levine "killed" the BioShock movie and why he "compromised" on Infinite's box art.

After years of speculation, I’ve finally figured out what the ‘Infinite’ stands for in the new BioShock’s title. It’s the number of trailers that they’re going to release before the game comes out. The closer we’ll get, the sheer mass of the trailers they’ve made will start warping time. We’ll slow down the closer we get to the March 26th, and time will stretch on and on. We’ll never escape the trailer singularity, and the closer we the less chance we’ll have of playing. So I have another trailer for you, because I passed the event horizon a long time ago.(more…)

If you've done a solid job of avoiding BioShock Infinite details up to this point then keep on trucking. We're still waiting to see if jumping sky-lines in the final game will cause us to scream in panic like every time we see it in one of these trailers.

#bioshock Irrational Games, the folks behind BioShock, have just released this spectacular combat trailer for the series' newest installment, BioShock Infinite. Many of the weapons protagonist Booker DeWitt will get to use are put on full display. Look at that imagery. That statue. Those huge guns. Man, I think I'm in love with that minigun. More »

Booker DeWitt explains what led him to journey to the sky city of Columbia, and why nothing will stop him now he's there.

BioShock Infinite's lead combat designer explains how to use Vigors and weapons effectively in a brutal Handyman fight.

Irrational Games has dropped the details on the full BioShock Infinite soundtrack, which will be included in both the Premium and Songbird editions of the game. Series composer Garry Schyman returns to score the game. His work is also joined by some appropriate period music, including the Irish jig "Saddle the Pony," and the Scott Joplin ragtime tune, "Solace."

The soundtrack also features the hymn "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," including a version sung by Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper, who play Booker Dewitt and Elizabeth in BioShock Infinite (as seen in the video above).

Why are the Booker and Elizabeth voice actors singing a song?

#bioshock We all know Uncle Sam. The guy in the Old Glory-styled top hat and tails is the personification of the United States that American schoolkids grow up learning about. You probably know him from the famous poster strongly urging that you enlist and maybe you've seen him done up as a superhero. More »

European PlayStation Plus members who pre-order BioShock Infinite get extra bang for their buck, with a 10 percent discount on the Season Pass through launch day, and a round of in-game incentives when the game hits on March 26.

Plus pre-orders in Great Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand get a custom shotgun and sniper rifle, a 3x Tonics upgrade and additional in-game money for free one week after launch. Check it out in full on the PlayStation Blog.

Plus members in the US can pre-order BioShock Infinite now too, but without all those pesky free bonuses.

#opinion Each week it feels like the video game industry is coming up with new ways to get you to pre-order games. Packaged bonuses, collectors' edition cases, limited edition figures, in-game items, early access to betas, and more. More »

Irrational Games announced a Season Pass for BioShock Infinite this morning, granting buyers access to three "all-new" upcoming DLC packs. We've spoken to the boys and girls in our labs, and they tell us that means there are at least three pieces of BioShock Infinite DLC on the way.

The pass is priced $19.99 on PS3 and PC, or 1600 MSP on Xbox 360, and Irrational says it provides $10 worth of savings. So the three DLC packs come in at an average of $10 each, or 800 MSP.

A Season Pass purchase also pecks picks you up the Early Bird Special Pack, this giving you a machine gun damage upgrade, pistol damage upgrade, gold skin for both weapons, five Infusion bottles, and four pieces of gear, all for free.

#bioshock BioShock developer Irrational Games has just announced the Season Pass accompanying their newest entry into the franchise, BioShock Infinite. The pack will contain three pieces of post-release downloadable content—DLC which, so far, Irrational hasn't talked about. Their press release follows: More »

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See, if we were located in the country of that other Joystiq, the headline would have been: "BioShock Infinite serves 'Lamb of Columbia' trailer frenched."

See, if we were located in the country of that other Joystiq, the headline would have been: "BioShock Infinite serves 'Lamb of Columbia' trailer frenched."

The second part of Irrational's fictional documentary series explains the mysteries of Songbird and the Lamb of Columbia.