BioShock On The Approach
BioShock, the long-awaited “spiritual successor” to what is perhaps my favorite PC game of all time, System Shock 2, is due to hit the street in just two more weeks. Today, I’m here to tease you with snippets from two reviews set to debut in next month’s trade publications:
Amazingly written and beautifully constructed, it’s a complete emotional rollercoaster which we can’t draw any parallels with…You’ll be playing this game for months to come, exchanging story elements to build up the bigger picture, and arguing about what it all means. [Sept 2007, p.88]
Official Xbox Magazine UK
A dark and astonishing masterpiece…I spend my career, and my gaming life, waiting for a moment when a game just astonishes me, when I can’t believe what I’m seeing, what I’m doing. BioShock has five. [Sept 2007, p.66]
PC Gamer UK
And because I’m a total nerd case, here’s a blast from my personal past:
I got this really hoppin’ game called System Shock; you gotta play it, it’s majorly cool! [October 31, 1994]
Classic Oddball Update
Thirteen years later, can Irrational Games top themselves yet again? I’ll find out for myself on August 22nd — watch this space for my impressions.
Categorized as Games/Console, Games, Games/PC
I’m rather interested in hearing what the soundtrack CD will be like. And the Big Daddy figurine will go nicely with SD Captain Gundam and all the other crappy plastic and pewter figurines I have on my bookshelf. But yeah, I can’t wait for the game either (though I think it’s rather sad that I already put down $20 on my pre-order, and thus still will owe $50 when the game comes out).
As an aside, it seems every time I go into a GameStop anymore (since EB no longer exists, even as a brand name), the clerk asks me if I want to reserve a game, and I tell him (since it’s always a guy when I go), “No, I’ve already pre-ordered the one game I really want.” And every single clerk, without fail, then replies “Halo 3?” And then I punch them in the face (actually, no, I answer “No, BioShock.” Then I punch them in the face.)
I’m also interested in the soundtrack CD, being a soundtrack geek. If the background music on the BioShock website is any indication, it will be some pretty spine-crawling creepy stuff.
Hehe, I know what you mean about the preorders. Seems like they’ve gotten really aggressive with pushing them lately. I preordered BioShock Collector’s Edition and Halo 3 Legendary (yes, the one with the MJOLNIR helmet…I’m a damn nerd), but that’s not enough — when they find out I’m already set in the Halo department, they then move right along to Grand Theft Auto IV. Which of course I want, but…um, I’m not made of money? And besides, that title is still too far out to call a release date.
Nevertheless, the stores always have imaginary release dates. Last time I was in Gamestop, the clerk looked astounded that I didn’t want to preorder GTA4. “Are you sure? It’s coming out this fall, man!” he says. Pssh, like that’s set in stone. Sure enough, the other day I read that Rockstar pushed back the release until Q1 2008 at the earliest. I won’t commit until the date’s pretty firm.
Damn, BioShock is gonna be so fraggin’ good.
Heck, BioShock itself had an imaginary release date; when I pre-ordered it, EB was listing the first week of June as the date the game came out (of course, the date was probably bumped to accommodate the Collector’s Edition — hilariously enough, when I went to upgrade my pre-order to the Wowie-Zowie Edition, the clerk had no idea what I was talking about, and had to look it up on the store computer).
Fortunately, I haven’t been pestered about GTA4 yet. Also, fortuitously enough, I haven’t been pestered about the spending an extra buck or two per game for the “Game Play Guarantee” at all lately. And since I barely go to GameStop anymore, you’d think they’d try to shove that down my throat like it was nobody’s business when I am in there.