After its extensive work on an enhanced edition for System Shock, Nightdive Studios has announced that it’s developing System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition. Other details weren’t provided, but the developer’s tweet indicates that the title is “coming soon”. A release in 2019 or early 2020 wouldn’t be the biggest stretch.

Acclaimed as one of the best games ever made, System Shock 2 is a futuristic FPS/RPG where players navigate a spaceship overcome by infection. Considering it was released in 1999, an enhanced edition would be perfect for first-time players interested in seeing what the big deal is. Of course, Nightdive is also working on a remake of the first System Shock, which is a ways off.

System Shock 3 is also in development at OtherSide Entertainment. A pre-alpha teaser was showcased earlier this year at GDC 2019, but no release date has been announced. The sequel will see the return of diabolical AI SHODAN and is set for PC and “other platforms”.

https://twitter.com/NightdiveStudio/status/1160740078685057025

Fresh off of making System Shock: Enhanced Edition, Night Dive Studios has announced that it will be remaking the first game in the series and that conversations are currently on-going for a third System Shock.

CEO Stephen Kick recently revealed to Fast Company that Night Dive had “acquired the full rights to the franchise” and is currently working with concept artist Robert Waters to bring his designs to the remake.

“Seeing the difference between his artistic abilities back then compared to now, and his ability to reinterpret those ideas, its just been really exciting for us.”

Head of business development Larry Kuperman also added that with regards to System Shock 3, a third party might be roped in. “To really do another game in that series is going to take resources and time and commitment that we don’t have, and it’s really not our core business.”

Would you like to see a true sequel to System Shock 2? Let us know below and stay tuned for more news on the remake.

The official list of D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) award nominations has been released be The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, and Naughty Dog’s The Last Of Us has swept the board with 13 nominations for outstanding achievement in the field of gaming. This puts The Last Of Us in the league with more nominations than any other game release in 2013.

The official award ceremony where the winners are announced will take place at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on February 6th.

Some other games that have received a large number of nominations across multiple categories (although none come close to The Last Of US) are Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V, Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Irrational Games’ Bioshock Infinite, and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.

Stay tuned to Gamingbolt for both the full list and to see who gets the most actual wins.

Former Gears of War producer quit Epic games back in 2012 and joined Irrational as VP of development on BioShock Infinite. Ever since the game shipped, Fergusson stated that he’s “done what I set out to do here”.

Furgusson spoke and explained to Polygon “”During my departure from Epic, I learned that Irrational was in need of a ‘closer’ to help finish BioShock Infinite.

“I’ve been striving for better storytelling in the games I’ve worked on and I saw this as a great opportunity to learn from Ken and his team on how to build a truly story-driven game.”

He continued on, “”I am very proud of the work that I did and of the team and what they were able to accomplish on Infinite. Now with the game shipped successfully, I’ve done what I set out to do here and now I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my life and career.”

Furgusson’s next destination is unconfirmed at this moment.

BioShock was released on March 26th and received fantastic review scores across all video game sites.

Stay tuned on GamingBolt as this story develops, leave the comments below.

Source – CVG

Bioshock Infinite is number 1 for the second week in a row, followed by Tomb Raider at number 2. Defiance debuted in the past week at number 3, while FIFA 13 remains in the top 5 at number 4. Finally, Nintendo’s 3DS sequel Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is at number 5.

Infinite has been getting rave reviews from critics across the world since its release. Tomb Raider, meanwhile, has already sold, according to projections by Square Enix, an estimated 3.4 million copies. Both games helped lead a surge in the UK in which 743,045 boxed units were sold over the weekend. This marked 47 per cent increase retail video games over the previous week and made Easter weekend the busiest in the UK this year.

Bhatia stated that, “Our recent channel checks have increased our confidence in the potential for success of Take Two’s upcoming title BioShock Infinite. The title has been generating good buzz for some time. With less than three weeks before launch on March 26, we sense growing retailer optimism for this title.”

Amazingly enough, the limited edition which retails for $150 reportedly “appears to have sold out at most places.”

In the long-term, Bhatia thinks that Infinite will cross the 4 million unit mark. Given that the game is due to release on March 26th for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, we’d say there’s plenty more time for the hype to build.

Source: GIBiz

So according to a new revelation in a video interview with Gamespot, Ken Levine revealed that some religious content was altered because a staff found it really offensive and was about to resign.

The game was then altered a little but the core message was same.

“There was a scene in the game at the end where one of our artists got to a point in the game, played it, turned off BioShock, opened up his computer, opened Microsoft Word, and wrote a resignation letter, it had offended him so much,” he told the site.

“It occurred to me that I had to figure out why people follow him. That was the key to his character. Why do people follow him? What does he provide to them?

“And I struggled with that for a long time because obviously an ecstatic religious experience is something that a religious leader provides but I don’t have a connection to as a writer. And it’s always hard when you’re trying to write something that you have never felt. And that would feel dishonest to me.”

The game comes out on March 26th and is shaping up to be a terrific game. Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Ken Levine loves the Vita and he came on stage at E3 2012 and announced support for the system. But after that we haven’t heard a lot about the game.

It still hasn’t started development, according to him, and Sony and the respective IP holders still have to negotiate a deal. In other words, Sony needs to pay.

We know Vita is floundering worldwide when it comes to sales, and such a game can really give a boost to the system, but it’s up to Sony to ensure that games like these are made.

“I’ve got my fingers crossed that that’s going to happen because it’s something I want to do but until somebody starts signing the cheques, there’s nothing I can do,” he said during an IGN podcast.

The game comes out in March and is something a lot of people are excited for. You can check out our complete coverage of the game here.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

I sat down, the giant TV in front of me and an Xbox 360 controller gripped firmly in my hand. The wire on the controller didn’t lead to an Xbox though, and I can only guess the specifications of the monster whirring away inside the cabinet it was housed inside.

It’s 1912, and you’re back in the sea. But this time you’re safely aboard a boat, with a man/woman double act ferrying you to the lighthouse, looming in the distance. The male announces that Booker (the protagonist) doesn’t row, and something feels off.

The odd couple in the boat have a surreal aura about them, and there’s a definite sense of ‘Twilight Zone’ about the affairs unfolding in front of you. The story instantly grabs you by the face and shoves matchsticks in your eyes, enthralling you in its mysteries.

Booker doesn’t row.

It’s not only the conversations that draw you in, however. Every scene is crammed with an abundance of detail. The waves wrestle with one another, as a thousand crushed diamonds glisten on its surface.

Every texture is like fast relief Prozac for your eyeballs.

The aforementioned lighthouse functions as an elevator to the floating city of Columbia, much like the elevator that took you into the depths of Rapture, but ascension is a more impressive spectacle.

Columbia is the perfect contrast to the apocalyptic Rapture. The amount of detail in every scene puts many games to shame and you can absolutely tell that it’s a labour of love. People mill about, engaging in conversation, whilst hummingbirds hover near the flowers in the long, flowing grass. Light beams through the clouds and dissipates through every small gap in the trees, as fireworks explode all around you. Buildings, adorned with balloons and propaganda, shift and float into place in front of your very eyes, as far off islands linger on the horizon.

Red, white and blue adorn absolutely everything and the city and its denizens are exploding with a sense of misplaced jingoism.

Extreme patriotism isn’t the only vibe you get from Columbia, though. The citizens are brainwashed by the propaganda that bedecks every street corner, like the Kinetiscopes, which essentially play you a silent movie – one of the most aptly named being: ‘How To Deal With The Irish Problem’.

Propaganda like this litters Columbia.

The themes of racism are dealt with subtlety and maturity, which is important to note. And I found it refreshing that a game was willing to tackle such a controversial and adult theme.

‘Mature’ is a word that many games throw around in PR blurb, usually because of breasts and decapitations, so it’s exhilarating for a game to tackle proper adult themes, such as racism, chauvinism and children bearing arms. It’s not just thrown into the game for the ‘shock factor’ either, as these themes sit comfortably within the game’s timeline.

There is one scene in particular, that I won’t spoil for you here, but it shocked me to the core and I’m surprised it wasn’t censored. I’m glad it wasn’t, though.

The similarities between Columbia and the ill-fated Titanic, which sank the very same year, are notable. In another parallel twist on reality, that same year a patent was applied for, to synthesise the drug MDMA. Much like the drug-like Vigors that the Columbian citizens drink to imbue them with supernatural abilities, but we’ll go into that later.

Time plays a huge role in the labyrinthine plot.

Not long after Booker’s arrival in Columbia, I was strolling around, soaking up the ambiance and noting every incidental detail that I happened to stumble across. I came across the ‘Bee Sharps – Columbia’s gayest quartet’ and I stood and listened for a while, aurally devouring their dulcet tones. Then it hit me. They were singing a Beach Boys song and the more astute among you will notice that this song is from the swinging sixties.

Do you think Ken Levine and co. made a period error? I certainly don’t.

As in the original Bioshock, the technology on display is far ahead of what we had at the time and the mechanisms run via alternative power sources. There are robotic vending machines and gun turrets, as well as robotic horses, so no fear of them ending up in your lasagne, I suppose.

This game has ALL the vistas.

Once I had finished wandering around in awe, I decided to play some carnival games. These are essentially cleverly disguised (and completely optional) tutorials – teaching you the basics of Vigor and firearm usage.

The first Vigor that you acquire allows control over machines, allowing you to turn turrets into allies and make the robotic vending machines spit coins at your feet. This power is extremely handy when things inevitably kick off. The build up to the action scenes is quite a long one, made even longer by my procrastination, but the build up was something I enjoyed and I wanted to be saturated by it.

Many games wouldn’t get away with such a creeping crescendo, but I just wanted to bathe in it and breathe it into my lungs.

With such an unconventional opening, it’s a good job then, that the action holds up to the same lofty standards. Your first encounter is based around melee combat, where you use the Skyhook (that you attain by brutal methods and is like a drill arm, but un-drilly) to pummel the faces of your adversaries.

These meaty hooks, uppercuts and hurried backhands, sometimes take the enemy’s head clean off.

Melee attacks are handled with a click of the right stick (if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it) and the attacks home in, semi-automated, straight into your victim’s face. It’s not long before you pick up a pistol, which functions with a snap-to aim when looking down the iron sights, and things start to get shooty.

By default, satisfying RPG-like numbers pop up as you damage your enemies, and also signify when your target is vulnerable to damage. I didn’t find these intrusive, but they can be turned off if you find them distracting, or that they take away from the immersion.

The Vigors, akin to the Plasmids in the first Bioshock, allow you to fight in a more tactical manner: laying traps and turning enemies to your side. More will be available in the full release, but the ones in the preview build all felt good to use, and gave you a specific, tactical edge.

It’s a good job that you have these supernatural abilities, because you’re not just here to sightsee, you’re here to save a damsel in distress. Elizabeth: the Lamb of Columbia.

When you finally arrive at the prison, masquerading as a gleaming statue, you enter through a web of labs and testing chambers containing research notes and audio logs. There is a room with subwoofers pulsating to an ethereal song and seemingly trying to harness some sort of power resonating from the young lady located deeper within the compound.

You feel like a voyeur, spying on her through one-sided glass as she wanders about in her chamber, blissfully unaware of your presence. She opens a rift in space-time, and you see a window into the future, with a cinema showing ‘Revenge of The Jedi’. The vision of times to come is cut short however, by a van careening towards the young lady, forcing her to close the rift in a panic.

Once the thimble fingered Elizabeth joins your company she never feels like a burden. In the calm moments she carves her own path, never forcing you to follow or to wait. During combat she stays out of the way and you have no need to protect her.

In fact, in combat she soon becomes weaponised.

She makes herself useful by throwing you weapons and ammunition as well as health packs. She calls to you when she has something of use and a timely button press prompts her to throw and Booker swing around and catch. She scavenges money outside of battle, too – flipping a coin to Booker, in a lovely touch.

Elizabeth is bad ass.

Her ability to open rifts also comes in handy during conflict, allowing her to pull things into existence through time itself. These seem to be varied, for example, in the section I played there was a turret that you could pull through time to aid you, complete with a defensive wall. The other option was to phase a balcony into the present, allowing you to gain a vertical advantage on your enemies, from where you can do a variety of things, like send a flock of crows to peck out their eyes.

The way you phase these into existence feels a bit fiddly at first, but this was shown near the end of the preview, so only time will tell if it gets better with practice.

One area of the game that does feel instantly intuitive, though, is the way the player uses the Skyhook for traversal. There are hooks dotted around the environment, and when you look at them they emit a haze, signifying that you may attach to them. This is done with a quick tap of the jump button, which sends you zooming towards the intended location, where you hang until you look at the spot where you want to land (often an enemy’s face) and jump again.

When used in conjunction with the rollercoaster-like Skyrails it provides a feeling of euphoria of which I’ve not felt in a game for a long while. These airbound tracks zip you around Columbia with grace and ease, even allowing you to jump mid-descent so you can speed up the traversal if you’re under fire. It feels intuitive, and more importantly for a game, it feels fun.

Fun isn’t hard for Bioshock Infinite to pull off when the intensity heightens, as it’s a game that manages to make exploration fun in itself. When I get my hands on the full game I’m going to crawl through it and bask in the rich universe created by Ken Levine and his brilliant team of visionaries.

Everything I saw in the preview just left me wanting more – it feels like a shot of originality straight to the main vein and for me, March 26th can’t come fast enough.

In an absurd bit of news, the single player game BioShock Infinite, has a season pass. Yup, it will give you a bunch of DLCs for free in case you decide to buy it. The cost is $20 which is a bit reasonable compared to some of the other games out there.

Three all-new add-on packs are in development that will provide hours of additional gameplay and continue the player’s journey in the sky-city of Columbia with new stories, characters, abilities and weapons.

The BioShock Infinite Season Pass will be available on March 26, 2013 when the game is planned to launch, and provide nearly £24 of add-on content for £15.99 or 1,600 Microsoft Points, on PS3, PC and Xbox 360 respectively- a saving of more than 30%.

People who preorder BioShock Infinite will receive Early Bird Special Pack and Industrial Revolution Pack for free.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.