2K Games has announced that they will be premiering the launch trailer for the upcoming FPS BioShock on Spike TV this Sunday. The trailer will air sometime during a new episode of “The Kill Point” on August 12 at 9pm/8c and will feature brand new footage from the highly-anticipated game. Following the trailer’s debut, there will also be a surprise announcement from Game Head’s Geoff Keighley. I know I’ll be watching it anyway though, trailer or no, just because that show has been pretty good so far. BioShock will be in stores on August 21 exclusively for the Xbox 360 and Windows.

To some game companies, Take-Two’s delay wasn’t so much a silver lining as it was a sunny day. Although, Sony might still have an umbrella in mind.

The effects for Take-Two were immediate: its stocks went down. But according to Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, other stocks have gone up. The shift in focus for the end of the year might have been just what other publishers were looking for.

“GTA was set to be another major blockbuster coming out right after Halo 3,” the WSJ article reads. “In short, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS), THQ Interactive (NASDAQ:THQI), and Activsion (NASDAQ:ATVI) may have just gotten one monkey off their backs.”

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As of now, the rumor is a very weak one, but Kevin Levine, a developer for the game, has not confirmed or denied that BioShock may come to the PS3 next year. Like I always say, anything in the gaming world is possible and I think it would be a great move for them to get the game on the Sony system next year. By then, I truly believe the PS3 will really pick up momentum and be in need of more games. The quotes follow the article break.
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With all the hoopla and fuzzy feelings of E3 2007 slowing fading away, news broke regarding the Game Critics Awards Best of E3 2007 winners just in time to get everyone interested again. Rock Band won three awards, Electronic Arts took home the most awards by coveting six of them, and the Xbox 360 had 11 different winning titles slated to appear on their console.

Here is a breakdown for you:

Best of Show
Rock Band
(Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Original Game
LittleBigPlanet
(Media Molecule/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for PS3)

Best Console Game
Mass Effect
(Bioware/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)

Best PC Game
Crysis
(Crytek/EAP)

Best Handheld Game
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
(Nintendo for Nintendo DS)

Best Hardware/Peripheral
Rock Band Instruments
(Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Action Game
Call of Duty 4
(Infinity Ward/Activision for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Action/Adventure Game
Bioshock
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, Xbox 360)

Best Role Playing Game
Mass Effect
(Bioware / Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)

Best Racing Game
Burnout Paradise
(Criterion Games/Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Sports Game
Madden NFL 08
(Electronic Arts for All Platforms)

Best Fighting Game
Virtua Fighter 5
(Sega for Xbox 360)

Best Strategy Game
World in Conflict
(Massive Entertainment/Sierra for PC)

Best Social/Casual/Puzzle
Rock Band
(Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Online Multiplayer
Halo 3
(Bungie/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)

Special Commendation for Graphics
Killzone 2
(Guerilla Games/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for PS3)

For the full breakdown, visit mmoabc.com.

2K Games has just released the second video in their Developer Diary series on BioShock. In this episode, Creative Director Ken Levine talks about some of the various power ups in the game. These are plasmids and gene tonics and both types can be used to give players some alternate options when dealing with enemies. Players can biologically modify their bodies with plasmids to give them active power ups like the ability to throw lightning bolts. Gene tonics are passive power ups and enhance stealth skills. To check out all the details, you can view both Developer Diary videos here at FileFront.

BioShock is scheduled for release August 31 for Xbox 360 and PC.

2kGames and Irrational Game’s upcoming spiritual sequel to the excellent System Shock series Bioshock is getting an International Collector’s Edition. After asking consumers what they most wanted to see in a Collector’s edition and deciding on the contents for the domestic American release details are finally making it to the surface regarding the bundled goodies in the European and Asian versions.

The Cult of Rapture, the Bioshock website has the first details including the list of countries that can expect the special version:

The Collector’s Edition will be available at selected retailers in Australia and New Zealand as well as most European countries including:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• UK

The BioShock Collector’s Edition is available for PC and Xbox 360 and contains the game in a limited edition embossed steel case, a Making Of DVD, Soundtrack CD, hand finished resin figurine (14cm height).

While the exact contents have not been completely confirmed, the list of contents is close to those included in the US and Canada versions.

Kristin Kalning of MSNBC brings up an interesting point in her latest article. Are the Vista games truly worth waiting for?

Vista shipped six months ago, but new titles for it and DirectX 10 have been slow in coming.
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Time flies.

Can you believe we are already more than halfway through 2007? The mind boggles. This year has been an amazing one for gamers, with the next-gen systems finally starting to spread their metaphorical wings. 2007 has already seen some amazing releases, but the best, it seems, is yet to come.

I mean, I am not sure if you have seen the ridiculous lineup awaiting us for the rest of this year. I use the term “lineup”, but consider this upcoming holiday season as more of a ravenous beast, bent on eating your wallet for breakfast. All you have to do is quickly list the titles that will be out in the next few months, and your nerd muscles basically explode with joy.

Titles like (deep breath) Halo 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Grand Theft Auto 4, Assassin’s Creed, Metal Gear Solid 4, Metroid Prime 3, Bioshock, Heavenly Sword, Crysis, Hellgate: London, Mass Effect, Alan Wake, World in Conflict, Skate, Army of Two, and many more. (Whew) I cannot recall in recent memory a holiday season with this level of magnitude.

It’s a lot to get excited about, but I am getting ahead of myself. First, let’s take a look back at what we have been through so far in 2007. Here are the awards for excellence (and negligence) in the gaming industry for 2007 thus far:

Best Reviewed Game of 2007: God of War II (PS2)
Notes: No big surprise here. God of War II has sold a bazillion copies, and anyone who has played it understand the reasons why.

Worst Reviewed Game of 2007: Pimp My Ride (PSP)
Notes: The handheld game based off the console game based off the show based off a rap song. What could go wrong?

The “John Romero” Award: David Jaffe
Notes: Calling All Cars is released. Just kidding! No wait, seriously this time… Fooled you! What’s that on your shirt? Two for flinching!

See the rest of the awards after the jump:

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I have been accused in the past of having a sycophantic devotion to the Resident Evil series, and while I can admit to being smitten with certain installments, I cannot readily say that I am a RE fanatic per say. Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, RE: Zero, RE: Code Veronica, and RE4 are phenomenal games. RE: Outbreak, RE: Nemesis, and RE: Dead Aim (blech!), were utterly forgettable in my book. So, don’t ever assume by my previous posts, that I am a fangirl – well, with Re:4 I am borderline. The fact that I am looking forward to the new title Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, means nothing. I am looking forward to many new titles (Overlord, Bioshock, Fallout 3, GTA IV), and I usually approach a RE title with caution as it has been hit or miss with the franchise in the past. Never the less, I am still pretty psyched that this new title from Capcom is on the horizon. No formal release date has been announced, but I am sure we will hear of something soon. Read the full article

It’s no secret that, traditionally, video games have crappy plots. It seems that more and more video games are full of Cliche protagonists, mixed with forgettable backdrops, and campy villains. There have been exceptions to the rule, and with the upcoming release of plot heavy games like Mass Effect and Bioshock, it seems that the gaming industry is making strides in the right direction. So what else can developers do to improve the entire game experience? Without hiring vast teams of writers, how can they portray a quality story? To find that answer, all they have to do is look towards the movie industry.

The movie industry is also known for cheap, unbelievable plots. So, how do they deal with it? They use critically acclaimed novels as the basis for their movies. It makes perfect sense. This method works well for the most part, but sometimes the true spirit of the novel gets lost in translation. Yet, those same movies that fail to grasp the spirit of the written literature are used as the foundation for video games. Titles like Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many others are guilty of failing to inspire the same passion as the original written works. So what you are left with is a game that was based off of a movie, based off of a novel. Why does the gaming industry need the middle-man?

So without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, here are my top 5 novels that should be made into games. Check the list after the jump.

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