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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Square Enix and Tri-Ace have announced that their classic style RPG, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, will be heading exclusively to the Xbox 360 on March 3, 2009. This latest title in the Star Ocean series will now feature 4 party members, and be more team-oriented and will also feature more of a sci-fi emphasis than past titles, with the ability to control your own ship. The ship is quite large, and will be able to land on at least 5 planets or other space-based destinations. The game will also take place a few centuries before the original Star Ocean which had gamers trying to solve a mystery on the remote planet Roak.

This time around, the hero Edge Maverick and his female counter part Reimi Saionji are thrust into adventure as humans look for a new planet after destroying the Earth during World War III. Using the same real-time battle system as the previous Star Ocean games, the latest installment will include a Rush gauge which will allow gamers to use certain abilities to attack or to make a preemptive strike against their enemies. The Rush gauge status will be unique for each character and a new Sight in/Sight out feature will allow players to target any enemy open to being targeted within their line of sight– this will help out loads when you are in the throws of battle.

Once again, fans of the Star Ocean series or just RPGs in general can look forward to playing the game come March 3. Hopefully, it the long wait will pay off for them.

Microsoft has actually managed to accumulate some semblance of success in Japan recently with the Xbox 360, thanks to titles like Tales of Vesperia. Early in September, Microsoft held a media briefing in Tokyo where they outlined goals for the 360 in Japan, announcing price cuts and showing off a number of games. From what we’re piecing together, however, it seems like Gears of War 2 won’t be one of those games releasing in Japan — which is utterly bizarre considering that even Madden NFL 09 was released over there.

A recent entry on a user blog at unofficial Gears of War website Gearheads of War by Michael “3Suns” Guenter claims that a local retailer in Japan didn’t have the game listed in its computer and an employee managed to only find the game on Xbox.com with no announced release date. But that’s not all:

“The story isn’t over. As I am walking out of the store, I notice the Xbox 360 2008 Autumn Catalog (Take Me I’m Free). So, I thought, this is great! At least maybe I can get some info out of the promotional literature. Guess what? Gears of War 2 is not listed ANYWHERE in the book. NOWHERE! Not even in the back index. They have games ranging from Too Human (old), Infinite Undiscovery (released a couple of weeks ago), to Star Ocean (2009). Even Gears of War the original is listed in there, but no Gears of War 2.”

It’s a peculiar omission, regardless of the location we’re talking about. We contacted Microsoft regarding this issue, but they didn’t have much to say: “We have no announcements to make about Gears of War 2 releasing in Japan at this time.” Depending on how you look at that, you could simply get the impression of your typical ‘no comment,’ or or you could read it as a suggestion that there are no plans to release Gears of War 2 in Japan.

You’re free to draw your own conclusion, but based upon what we currently know, Guenter probably summed it up best: “I guess Japan is just SOL.”

Mythic Entertainment has announced that 750,000 subscribers are currently hacking their way through Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. During the first week, it already had half a million registered accounts and had topped the PC sales charts at launch – and with this latest bit of news, the numbers are are continuing to escalate.

Currently only available in North America, Europe and Oceanic territories, the MMORPG’s three-quarter of a million players are apparently enjoying Realm vs. Realm play and sacking cities all over the map. The game should prove to be even more interesting and immersive once Mythic starts restoring some of the maps cut for launch and some of the classes like Blackguard (Dark Elf), Choppa (Greenskin), Hammerer (Dwarf), and Knight of the Blazing Sun (Empire). They also need to tweak some of the rubber banding that goes on and fix a few bugs, but sadly gamers have come to expect a few flaws in newly released games – not that it acceptable, just that it is a fact.

With World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online getting expansions in November, and Age of Conan starting to feel the pressure of maintaining its core players, Fall is definitely going to be the season of the MMO. Who do you think will be the big winner in the end?

Today is GameTap Thursday, like most Thursdays here at Gaming Today, and just look what the folks over there have in store for you:

• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory: Yes, Sam Fisher is once again out to save the world in this third installment in the stealth-action series. Against the background of rising tensions in the East, protagonist Sam Fisher (Michael Ironside) is once again called into action, utilizing brand new stealth mechanics and close-quarter combat techniques to diffuse the situation before it’s too late. And with major graphical and lighting improvements, Splinter Cell looks better than ever.

• Ocean Express: This puzzle game from Strategy First has you working on the docks so to speak. There’s ships to load and money to be made! But filling those big barges is more complicated than it sounds, and only the most efficient shippers can possibly hope to earn a profit. You’ll start with just one barge and grow your shipping empire, one crate at a time.

Added to the ever growing roster of free games this week is none other than the illustrious Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Anniversary which will be free-to-play for an entire week. Should you not be interested in this game or if you already own it, take heart because they have 143 other free games to play which is enough to keep even the most hardcore gamer busy for more days than one would care to mention.

The full list of free games can be seen after the jump or you can head on over to GameTap yourself and see what hoops you have to jump through to become a gold member. Personally I recommend doing a few summersaults and maybe a back-flip with a full twist. Okay, I am kidding, all you have to do is register and you will be guided through the process from there. If you are strapped for cash and just want the freebies, you still have to register.

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Mythic is reporting over 500,000 subscription over the first week of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. So far WAR is only available in North America, Europe and the Oceanic territories but you wouldn’t guess by the numbers. They have a good solid start. If the WAR team can keep the bugs fixed and restore the cut content as promised, they should be able to keep their numbers formidable.

Square Enix announced today that Infinite Undiscovery for the Xbox 360 has shipped to retailers across North America.

The first full-scale, new generation RPG is a collaborative effort with tri-Ace and promises to draw players into a real-time world, woven of countless threads, where their choices will spin untold discoveries. Real-time battles are intertwined with the world map, and players can use the environment to customize gameplay and enjoy a number of play styles.

Infinite Undiscovery is the first of three major RPGs launching simultaneously around the world for Xbox 360 in the coming months. With The Last Remnant and Star Ocean: The Last Hope following on November 20, and in spring 2009 respectively, this is just the beginning of the RPG triple-whammy from Square Enix.

STORY: Deep in a forest, in one of the Order’s prisons, a young boy named Capell was being held captive. His captors called him the “Liberator,” though he had no clue as to what they meant. On the third day of his imprisonment, he was rescued by a spirited young woman named Aya. She was a member of a small band of brave warriors who had gathered under the banner of Sigmund the Liberator to free the world from the iron grip of the Order.  Upon meeting Sigmund, he was surprised to find a man who shared his very face and appearance. This meeting would change Capell’s life forever and shake the foundation of the world itself.

FEATURES:

• Discovery & Impact: The actions you choose to take based upon new discoveries will have a real-time impact on the world
• Situational Battles: Players will be confronted with a variety of dramatic situational battles such as executing a daring escape while a gigantic ogre follows in hot pursuit, or waging battle amidst towering tsunamis. The dynamic environments change and respond in real time, creating an entirely new experience never before seen in the genre
• A Seamless World and Real-time Action: Combat, exploration and other actions all take place within the same environment, seamlessly shifting between each game facet. Battles are carried out in real-time, bringing the vibrant fighting sequences of the STAR OCEAN series out of the traditional battle screen into a beautiful and lush environment
• Connect Ability System: 17 characters join the hero, Capell, with unique Connect Ability actions that allow the player to tap into their abilities and take direct control

If you were on the fence about Rock Band 2, this news may sway you. According to Entertainment Weekly, the sequel to the monster of music simulation games is getting some full albums that are pretty damn cool if you ask me.

On Sept. 14, Rock Band 2 will hit stores and by the end of the year, we should be expecting some 500 tunes to rock out to. A protion of these tracks will come from full albums expeted to hit in the upcoming months, and these albums are the following:

• Foo Fighters – “The Colour and the Shape
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”
• Jane’s Addiction – “Nothing’s Shocking”
• Megadeth -”Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying”
• Stevie Ray Vaughan – “Texas Flood”
• No Doubt – “Best of Collection” (complied for Rock Band 2 only)

These are all great albums as far as diversity. You have pop, alternative, blues-rock, and metal which should make everyone pretty happy. I know which ones I am getting: SRV, MD, RHCP and Foo FIghters… FTW!

For the full track listings (except for No Doubt), hit the jump below. MANY of these albums were re-released with extra tracks, b-sides etc, but most likely the ones offered through Rock Band 2 will be the original albums, so I have only included thoses tracks in the list.

We will be sure to let you know when you can expect each album to hit XBL or PSN. I just hope they do not run into any issues with these like they did with Rush’s “Moving Pictures” ablum – not that I really care about Rush, but I know some people do.

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EA and Mythic Entertainment announced this morning that Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning has gone gold, and is being prepped for shipping as we speak. WAR will open its North American, European and Oceanic servers on September 18 and will be offering players a variety of flexible subscription options, meanwhile, gamers who pre-ordered the game in North American will enjoy special benefits such as a live game head start, and bonus in-game items.

It has indeed been a long, arduous journey for the fantasy MMORPG based on Games Workshop’s tabletop game. The development process started back in 2000 when Microsoft and Climax, the original team working on the game, canceled the project in 2004 and handed the reins over to Mythic Entertainment in 2005. One year later, Mythic was purchased by EA and renamed EA Mythic – part of Electronic Arts’ plan to own or hold stock in every gaming company known to man.

Recently crowned “Best Online Game” at GC ‘08, WAR has been built to contain five years of content as well as the innovative Realm vs. Realm play where players meet upon the battlefield to decide whether Order or Destruction will reign supreme. With less focus on PvP and on constant raging wars instead, each fight you engage in will have both an economic and strategic impact on your faction so you need to choose your moves wisely. Both the Order and Destruction sides have compelling character classes with simple and straightforward choices, and it will bode well for player to explore every nook and cranny in the realms instead of just hacking and slashing your way to the top.

Despite the delays, some content hitting the cutting room floor and company name changes, WAR is finally headed our way folks. While you wait for it to go live you may want to brush up on your Warhammer lore and choose a side, because I have a feeling it is going to be one hell of a fun ride.

See you in The Inevitable City – last one there is a stinky Greenskin.

EA Mythic has brought another North American server online in anticipation of a huge turn out for the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning preview weekend.

War is everywhere as Preview Weekend gets underway!

To help you get into the action we’ve opened up a new North American Server – Isle of The Dead.

So if you’re just joining us we recommend starting here.

We have plenty of servers ready to serve you this weekend in our efforts to keep you playing instead of waiting.

Have fun…WAAAGH!!!

If anyone can empathize with how hard Mythic is going to be slammed this weekend, it would have to be Wizards of the Coast. It just doesn’t make a good impression with potential players if servers are so overwhelmed no one can move. WAR needs very much to make the right impression to compete. I fully expect Isle of The Dead to be just the first server opened this weekend.

The battles on the beta servers rage on Mad Dog Pass, Barak Varr, Gorfang, Kraka Drak, Blood Keep, Skull Throne, Darklands (Oceanic), Red Eye Mountain and Isle of The Dead. You can register for the closed beta to get in on the mayhem at the official Warhammer Online website.