When you create an intense atmospheric game with an intriguing story how best do you continue that story?

Apparently 2K Games thinks you add useless multiplayer to the sequel.

Today 2K Games sent out a media blast revealing the multiplayer functionality of Bioshock 2 in the most marketing rich, vague terms possible. Supposedly the multiplayer game will allow players to experience Rapture before the fall as Plasmid test subjects. The release seems to indicate that a key aspect of this game mode will be combining Plasmids and weapons while discovering how everyday life progressed in the Utopian model society.

“The fans asked for a multiplayer experience and we answered,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “With Digital Extremes delivering a multiplayer experience for BioShock 2 that features all of the things that make BioShock unique, we’re holding ourselves to a high standard so that we can deliver the depth and variety that fans of the BioShock universe demand.”

I’m not sure why anyone was asking for a multiplayer component in Bioshock 2, but I guess I’m in the increasing minority of folks who can enjoy a single player title without feeling it is incomplete without some mindless online mode filled with Xbox Live! p0wning idiots.
The other thing that stands out to me is that they are trying to fill in backstory that we get by playing through the game.. is it really necessary to spell it all out when we know how and why Rapture fell(or at least a good portion of that tale)?

Maybe I’m being too harsh and with so little real information on what form the multiplayer mode might take. This could all be an interesting exercise, though the press release makes certain to point out Digital Extremes’ FPS shooter expertise which is worrying.

You can read all the lovely details after the jump.
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The Australian Classification Board has refused to grant a rating to F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin. Come on now. Tell me you didn’t see this one coming.

Project Origin is the fifth game effectively banned from Australia in 2008. While Fallout 3 and Dark Sector modified and resubmitted to eventually win approval, renegades Shellshock 2: Blood Trails, and Silent Hill: Homecoming are still MIA Down Under.

I think “Banned in Australia” could eventually become a recommendation for survival horror titles. I really can’t imagine Project Origin neutered enough to be given a rating in AU would be much fun no matter what the specific complaints against it are. Check out Games On Net for the official announcement.

Yikes. In a bit of a blow to Bethesda, Fallout 3 has been denied classification by the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification, which means that since it has received and “RC” rating, it is hereby banned from being sold in Australia.

Australia is very stringent when it comes to rating games, and if you have followed the history of such actions in the past, you may recall all the troubles Rockstar has has with the GTA titles, and more recently,  Dark Sector from D3P was cut to pieces just so it could be released in the land down under.

Australia does not grant games a rating above 15+, but allows movies to receive 18+ ratings, and to help you make sense of the classification system, here are the rules:

There are six classification categories for films (G, PG, M, MA 15+, R 18+, X 18+) and four classification categories for computer games (G, PG, M and MA 15+). The R 18+ and X 18+ categories do not apply to computer games in Australia. Films and computer games can also be classified RC (refused classification). RC films and computer games cannot be legally sold or distributed in Australia.

I suppose all the drug use, slavery and addiction references that were just recently revealed to be part of the game were the main factors in the decision. This means that Fallout 3 will have to be drastically cut to get the green light for our Australian brethren, which most likely will be the case because I seriously doubt Bethesda will just skip such a lucrative opportunity  to make money off Australian gamers.

Via: GamesIndustry.biz

The game’s only been out for several months now, so it’s time for some demo action! A demo of the third-person action game Dark Sector can now be found on the Xbox Live Marketplace. As Jonathan put it when he wrote up his impressions of the game, the game suffers from “Gears of War Syndrome,” which is to say that it tries and fails to do nothing innovative with the formula that Gears perfected.

Overall, the single player game can be fairly engaging, but only for about the first half of the game. The glaive itself is entertaining enough for a few hours, but once the novelty wears off, there’s really not much in the story to keep you moving forward. The whole “Soviet world domination” angle has become a tired cliche by now, and there’s not a whole lot to define Hayden as a character — aside from one defining act in the prologue. He’s just a very quiet man with a whispy hairstyle and an affinity for slaughtering without mercy. That’s kind of creepy by itself if you think about.

It might not be great, but it might be enough to distract you from thinking about Metal Gear Solid 4’s impending release, and you’ll be able to appreciate Gears of War 2 that much more once it’s released.

Dark Sector
Developer: Digital Extremes
Publisher: D3 Publisher of America
Price: $59.99
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Category: Action
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Intense Violence)
Release Date: March 25, 2008

Dark Sector unfortunately suffers from a gaming ailment that I’ve begun referring to as “Gears of War Syndrome.” You see, Gears of War really nailed the whole “third-person, cover-based shooter” genre over a year ago; so much so that any title with similar gameplay since can be labeled as being “good…but not as good as Gears of War.” Army of Two has this problem, Kane and Lynch has this problem (among many others), and Dark Sector also has this problem. Even while playing the game, I found myself trying to pull off some moves from Gears of War — like blind fire — and was disappointed when I couldn’t. That’s not to say Dark sector is a bad game; it’s just mostly all been done before and better.

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It has been a slightly busy week as far as game releases go, and while the majority of the more mainstream ones are reported, some have slipped through the announcement cracks. While Dark Sector, Viking: Battle for Asgard, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, Universe at War and Crisis Core: FF VII have been the media darlings of the week, included with these titles are some that you may have missed.

So without further ado, here is a list of all the games that hit between March 23-29, 2008:

DS
Backyard Baseball ‘09
Harvest Moon DS Cute
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword

PC
Australian Zoo Quest
Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath Expansion Pack
Command & Conquer 3 Limited Collection
Escape From Paradise City
Guild Wars Platinum Edition
Guild Wars Factions Platinum Edition

PSP
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Warriors Orochi

PS2
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3

PS3
Dark Sector
Viking: Battle for Asgard

Xbox 360
Dark Sector
Universe at War: Earth Assault
Viking: Battle for Asgard

Wii
Obscure: The Aftermath
Octomania
Opoona

The wait is over! D3Publisher of America has shipped their highly anticipated action-thriller Dark Sector to retail stores all across North America for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Utilizing the Evolution Engine, Dark Sector thrusts players into the role of Hayden Tenno, an elite black-ops agent sent on a dangerous mission into a decaying Eastern European city that hides a deadly Cold War secret. Attacked by an unknown enemy, he awakens to find part of his body altered by an infection that has granted him inhuman abilities; now he must learn to evolve along with his powers, to survive and to become a hero.

Dark Sector is available for the suggested retail price of $59.95, and is rated “M” for Mature.

For more information on Dark Sector, check out our previous posts and the official website. Press Release is posted after the jump.

Via: Press Release

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This Dark Sector enemy trailer featuring Nemesis, a latter-stage, Protoarmored Technocyte warrior who is first revealed on the Lasrian docks, working alongside Mezner. It doesn’t speak and barely reacts, serving as Mezner’s pit bull in his mysterious plans to both recruit or eliminate Hayden. The Nemesis armor is an impenetrable carapace whose weight and mass in no way inhibits the warriors’ movements. Able to contort and conform the organic metal into multiple stabbing weapons, the Nemesis proves far more than Hayden is capable of handling.

Yikes. How the hell do you defeat this monstrosity then? I guess we will find out when it ships on Tuesday, March 25 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

If you want more information on Dark Sector, look over our previous posts here and for more videos be sure and check out our FileFront page where there are over six pages of videos in every format you can think of.

D3 has revealed all the weapons that will be available in the upcoming Dark Sector game, excluding the signature glaive. Basically, imagine the usual guns you’ve seen in every other shooter (assault rifle, pistol, etc.). Now give those guns fancy, futuristic sounding names, and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect in the way of weapons in this game. Sawed-off shotgun? No, no; that’s called a “Spectre” now. Pistol? I believe you mean the “TEKNA 9mm.” RPG? Well, um, that’s still called an “RPG.” Good thing they’ve got the glaive to make this one stand out a bit more though. You can check out more weapons you’ve probably seen before by clicking the link below.

Via TheGameReviews.com

Every one of us who was around in the 80’s has learned to fear the word ‘montage.’ In an attempt to clear the good name of montages everywhere, this week’s 1UP Show features a montage of all of the following:

• A visit from Tony “Gimpyfish” Dennis, Hugo “HugS” Gonzales and Neal “Nealdt” Terrell of Smashboards and AllIsBrawl.com discussing the pros and cons of the US release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• A exclusive first-look at the upcoming Live Arcade title Braid. Jonathan and David Hellman speak to 1UP about the platform/puzzle game.
• A look at Dark Sector and all the unique twists it entails. Was it worth the wait? Ryan O’Donnell, Nick Suttner, and Greg Ford seem to agree that it was.

Check out the montage, which features original music from 1UP’s own Nelson Laut, at the links below.

• QT M4V (Podcast)
• WMV 640×360
• QT 640×360