BioShock seems to be the go-to video game for storytelling comparisons these days, and according to Carlos Ferro, Gears of War 2’s story will be even more emotionally impacting than BioShock’s. Ferro does the voice for Dominic Santiago in Gears 2, and speaking to The Official Xbox Magazine he said that Gears 2’s storytelling goes “beyond” BioShock’s.

“It’s going to be more emotionally effecting than BioShock,” he says, “a lot happens.”

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As you now know, December 4th will forever go down in history as “Day of the DLC.” In addition to the Bioshock downloadable content released today, Rock Band will get three Black Sabbath songs available for download for 440 points total.

Content: Black Sabbath Pack 01
Price: 440 Points
Availability: United States
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) MILD LYRICS,MILD SUGGESTIVE THEMES] Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this game song track pack, which includes: “N.I.B.,” “Sweet Leaf,” and “War Pigs,” which are covers of songs made famous by Black Sabbath. PLEASE NOTE: this game song track includes three song game tracks at a discounted rate over individual purchases. Many Rock Band songs are available as both a multipack and as a single track. These songs are exactly the same (unless expressly noted as a special version or remix). Be aware that it is possible to download the same song twice so please carefully consider your purchases. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Does War Pigs sound familiar? Guitar Hero II, anyone? I wish they had released a different non-duplicate Black Sabbath song besides the one that had been covered earlier, but all in all this pack might be a good one for anyone who hasn’t played the second Guitar Hero.

By now, I’m sure that you know about my hatred for Bioshock. Dispel that for a moment in your minds and listen to what I’ve got to say; Take-Two just announced that the new Bioshock DLC (for Xbox 360 and Games for Windows) will be available today. The downloadable content, which is free to all users who have the game, includes new plasmids and gene tonics such as:

* Sonic Boom: Hurls creatures and objects back with a blast of force
* EVE saver: Enables Plasmids to use less EVE
* Vending Expert: Reduces prices in the vending machines
* Machine Buster: Increases the amount of damage players deal to cameras, bots and turrets

Additionally, the downloadable content will unlock another achievement, confirming the rumor and giving players who can beat the game on hard mode without dying 100 achievement points. Also, Take-Two has added a widescreen option for all widescreen tv users who had to deal with screen adjusting the first time through.

All in all, this looks like a very solid add-on to a *cough* verysolidgame *cough*. What was that, you ask? Nothing, I just had something in my throat.

[Via Kotaku]

From our friends over at Xbox360Fanboy comes a rambunctious rumor of a new, secret achievement to be released in my favorite game, Bioshock. Apparently, 2k Games plans to release this secret 51st achievement, possibly through way of Xbox Live’s downloadable content, which will rack up at a whopping 100 Gamerscore. The achievement shows up on this list, so the rumor does seem legit.

Nobody is quite sure exactly how to unlock this achievement, but there has been some speculation on the subject. Right now, the most probable way to unlock this achievement is to complete the game on hard mode without using a vitachamber. In other words, you can’t die. Secretly, I am hoping that it hints towards some new downloadable content that would make the game suck less.

There are times in games when you are just taken aback by how amazing a certain part is. An incredible moment that blends design, graphics, gameplay, story, and audio perfectly. A brilliantly executed moment that is the pinnacle of that game, and even gaming in general. Presented here, 5 of those such moments - but instead of just one writer’s opinion, each of us has selected the moment we remember most vividly as some of the best gaming we’ve experienced.

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Excuse me for the overly cliche title to this post; it’s been a long day of coveting Halo 3 and then realizing that I have to wait another four days to get it. To hold me over, I’ve been playing the Xbox 360 hit and Game of the Year candidate, BioShock. If you have not completed the game, I would recommend that you do so before reading any further, as there are limited spoilers as I dissect the many aspects of gameplay and story, including parts of the ending.
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BioShock is an amazing game, so it’s easy to get caught up in it and play for hours without a break. However, if you find yourself playing BioShock excessively, there are certain signs to look for to make sure you aren’t playing an unhealthy amount.

Users in the 2K Forums have made it easy for you, posting various conditions that you may suffer from if you spend too much time in the world of Rapture. I’ve selected the best below - hit the jump to check them out.

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The Big Daddies in BioShock must get bored and lonely constantly wandering around Rapture with their only company being a Little Sister and the occasional Splicer trying to kill them. However, one has found a way to make the time pass by quickly and have some fun too…

However, this isn’t an overly detailed rendition of the Big Daddy’s life or a perverted programmer’s idea of a joke…it’s one of the weirder of the various glitches found throughout BioShock. Because someone has way too much time on their hands, we get to see this odd “Masturbation Glitch” - some things are best left undiscovered.

In an interview with Next-Gen.biz about BioShock, Ken Levine talks about some of the problems they faced with the release, the controversy surrounding the Little Sisters, and lastly what the future holds for BioShock. While he doesn’t give much, he does admit that there could be more. He’s certainly interested in “continuing to work in the world,” and knows that there is popular demand for more. However, the most important question is whether the world and story have been exhausted or if there’s room for another game. Without a compelling and unique story that fits with the tale told by the first game, it would lack much of what made BioShock so amazing and popular.

However, if anyone could pull it off it would be him and the rest of the team that made BioShock. Let’s hope if they decide to do a sequel, they make sure to do it right and not just tack it on because the first one was so popular.

While you may not have had much time to concentrate on the music in BioShock with the amazing graphics and frantic gameplay already bombarding your senses, you now have another chance to hear it with today’s release of the BioShock orchestral score, composed by Garry Schyman. Best of all, it’s offered completely free at The Cult of Rapture - here’s the direct download. There are 12 songs and it runs about 17 minutes total, so check it out or just hit the jump for a track list.
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