Menu Close

The Art Of Bioshock Infinite For The Truly Appreciative Gamer

John-Shepard 5 Comments

All you art buffs out there should pay attention.

Bioshock Infinite is destined to be one of the most beautiful and artistically compelling titles of the generation, so what better way to celebrate that achievement than with a great hardcover art book?

Comics publisher Dark Horse has revealed The Art of Bioshock Infinite, which is slated to launch on February 27. It'll feature production and concept art as well as character designs (Booker, Elizabeth, Songbird, Heavy Hitters, etc.). We'll even get an introduction by the game's creative director Ken Levine. If you're totally pumped about this, you can pre-order it now at Amazon , where the price seems to have been slashed from $39.99 to only $26.39.

Bioshock Infinite will be a Game of the Year contender in 2013 or something went sorely wrong.

Related Game(s): Bioshock Infinite

Read more →

Don’t Lose Any Sleep Over the Status Of Bioshock Infinite

Ben-Dutka 8 Comments

It's always easy to get gamers all riled up.

So when the news broke about developer Irrational Games losing a few key members, questions began to circulate. More news came out this week concerning other employee shuffling, including the fact that former Bioshock Infinite art director has joined Uncharted developer Naughty Dog. So should you be worried about the current status and future of the next Bioshock entry?

The short answer is no. This isn't a game that has remained under wraps; we've seen plenty of media footage (much of which has been lengthy), and numerous behind-the-scenes features are easy to find. This is not a project that has clearly ran into roadblocks; it's one that seems to have been firing on all cylinders since the announcement. Compare this to The Last Guardian and you'll see what I mean. Only super huge projects that aren't continually in the public eye after being revealed are concerning to me.

Secondly, with a team like the one assembled at Irrational, I think they can afford to lose a few pieces of talent. On top of which, you've got Ken Levine, who is one of the great visionaries of this industry and will never let an inferior product out the door. He has also been frank, candid and outspoken throughout most of his dealings with the press, so there's no reason to believe he's hiding a floundering project. I'm sure they have to reevaluate some things with all this personnel shifting, but I have no doubt the end result will be nothing short of phenomenal.

Also, please don't forget that in the past, before LinkedIn and Twitter and other constantly updated sources, we never knew who went where or did what. I'm fairly certain big teams have gone through similar things in the past; we just didn't know about them, and the final product probably still impressed. All things considered, I really wouldn't lose much sleep worrying about Bioshock Infinite .

Related Game(s): Bioshock Infinite

Read more →

Bioshock Infinite Loses Multiplayer Modes, But Levine Mollifies

Ben-Dutka 16 Comments

Yesterday, we learned that a couple key members of the talented Irrational Games staff jumped ship .

With the hotly anticipated title set for February 26, 2013, those eagerly awaiting its release began to worry. After all, the game has already been delayed once…bad news?

But Irrational boss and Bioshock guru Ken Levine tried to appease those concerned fans when speaking to Kotaku . Unfortunately, it seems the team has been forced to cut some multiplayer modes (we're not sure if this means all multiplayer has been eliminated), but Levine says sometimes, people leave big companies. And they've still got some big-time talent hanging around.

"As far as the team itself, the lead artist, the art director, the creative director, the lead effects artist, the senior sound guy, the lead programer and the lead AI programmer from BioShock 1 are all on BioShock Infinite. I don't think there's a single senior BioShock team member that isn't here, which I think is amazing and a testament to their commitment to the studio. And there are a ton of amazing people who weren't on BioShock 1 that are on BioShock Infinite."

We also learn that Gears of War executive producer Rod Fergusson has left Epic to join the team at Irrational, so that's a big addition. So should we be worried? Well, the axing of those multiplayer modes is a little troublesome, but we believe in Levine's vision, and we also believe Irrational will make the requisite push to put Infinite on store shelves.

Related Game(s): Bioshock Infinite

Read more →

Bioshock Infinite Developer Loses A Couple Key Members

Ben-Dutka 8 Comments

Hey…where ya goin'? Isn't this a bad time to disappear?

As first evidenced by LinkedIn profiles and later confirmed by Irrational Games boss Ken Levine, a few key members of the development team have left the Bioshock Infinite project .

Director of product development Tim Gerritsen and art director Nate Wells have moved on; Wells had been with Irrational for the past 13 years. There was a rumor that he had joined the Uncharted team at Naughty Dog but there's nothing official about his new destination. As for Gerritsen, he previously worked at Human Head Studios before joining Irrational and there's no knowing where he went, either.

So does this affect the status of Infinite ? Well, Levine Tweeted about the situation, saying that the art director from the first Bioshock , Scott Sinclair, had replaced Wells. We all know Levine is one of those perfectionists, who had this to say about the game being pushed to February 26:

"I won’t kid you: Bioshock Infinite is a very big game, and we’re doing things that no one has ever done in a first-person shooter," Levine wrote. "We had a similar experience with the original Bioshock, which was delayed several months as our original ship date drew near. Why? Because the Big Daddies weren’t the Big Daddies you’ve since come to know and love. Because Andrew Ryan’s golf club didn’t have exactly the right swing. Because Rapture needed one more coat of grimy Art Deco. The same principle now applies to Bioshock Infinite."

Related Game(s): Bioshock Infinite

Read more →

Bioshock Infinite Delayed Until February 2013…And We Cry

Ben-Dutka 17 Comments

Damnit, our most anticipated title of the year has just become one of our most anticipated titles for next year.

Bioshock Infinite was supposed to arrive on October 16, but publisher Take-Two Interactive has announced that the hotly anticipated game has been pushed into next year; February 26, 2013 is the new date.

Irrational Games boss Ken Levine tried to explain the reasoning behind the delay.

"When we announced the release date of BioShock Infinite in March, we felt pretty good about the timing. Since then, we've uncovered opportunities to make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Therefore, to give our talented team the time they need to deliver the best Infinite possible, we've decided to move the game's release to February."

Furthermore, Bioshock Infinite will not be presented at E3 or GamesCom this year. Levine said this so the next time we see it, "it will be essentially the product we intend to put in the box." He added that preparing for such events actually takes time away from development, and they're obviously not interested in wasting time.

We have no doubt that Levine and Co. want to produce the very best adventure possible, so we're not necessarily angry. Just a little sad.

Related Game(s): Bioshock Infinite

Read more →

Bioshock Infinite Vita Secondary To Console, PC Versions

John-Shepard 9 Comments

When we learned Bioshock Infinite was in the works last year, developer Irrational Games said a PlayStation Vita iteration was planned.

However, according to what Irrational boss (that sounds funny) Ken Levine told Wired , we might have to wait a while. Currently, the team is working hard on the console and PC versions of the hotly anticipated game, and until they're further along in that process, they won't think about the Vita installment. Said Levine:

"These games really are all-consuming endeavors. You do want to keep the ball rolling but it is tough to give it your full attention before you finish what you have. But we're getting there with Infinite. So yeah, we're not as focused on the Vita game as we will be."

Levine has gone on record saying he wanted the game to be "unique" and something that's a "little different." Right now, he's saying there's a possibility that he may outsource the Vita version to another developer, although he is a little hesitant to just hand off his creation to someone else. For now, though, we're happy if we just get Bioshock Infinite for PS3, 360 and PC; it's slated to arrive on October 16 and we can't wait .

The Vita has other games coming, anyway, and many are designed specifically for the unit. Those usually turn out well.

Related Game(s): Bioshock Infinite

Read more →