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.
Read more

The PS2 version of Manhunt 2, Rockstar’s controversial horror game, has been leaked onto the internet almost two months before its release on October 31st. Not only will many people now be playing the game early and it could affect sales, but people in places like the UK will get a chance to play it despite the fact it wasn’t even rated for sale there.

However, what’s more interesting than just the early release is that it looks like a copy of the uncut version of Manhunt 2 leaked too - so if you don’t live in Holland and aren’t against illegally downloading games you can still play Manhunt 2 the way it was meant to be played.

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.

Read more

Looks like Manhunt 2 won’t be banned all over Europe after all. The game will have an exclusive uncut version of the game, only availble in Holland. The Dutch Ministry couldn’t ban the game at all.

Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin stated in a letter to the Parliament:

“The current law is based on the principle that every adult is considered capable of deciding for himself which games he wants to play, unless it contains illegal material.”

Anyone that is caught selling this game to a minor will be prosecuted.

[Via Next-Gen]

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.

Looks like Manhunt 2 is still going through some trouble before its release. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) group is trying to stop the publishing on the game.

The CCFC stated,

“Despite industry claims to the contrary, M-rated games continue to be marketed and sold to children under seventeen…We call upon Rockstar Games to allow the content of Manhunt 2 to be reviewed by an independent review board with no ties to the video game industry…We ask the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the process by which Manhunt 2’s rating was downgraded from AO to M.”

Looks like as if the CCFC really has a distaste for Rockstar Games, seeing on how they removed Grand Theft Auto: Vice City advertisements from being displayed from the Boston metro system.

Manhunt has been rated M for Mature and has been modified from its original AO rating to earn that rating from the ESRB. Just yesterday it was announced to be releasing on October 31. Let’s hope the game will still be releasing in time for Halloween.

[Via Joystiq]

Rockstar Games has confirmed that their controversial game, Manhunt 2, will release on October 31. The game, which will be available for the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PSP, has an M rating.

It was originally given an Adults Only rating by the ESRB back in June. If it had stayed with its AO rating, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and other North American retail chains would refuse to sell the game in its stores. The game is still banned from the UK, and the M rating comes with the content descriptors of Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, and Use of Drugs.

Sam Houser, Rockstar Games founder, commented on Manhunt 2:

“Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we’re glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience.” He continued, “We love the horror genre. Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it.”

The game has been modified to bring the content down and earn an M rating from the ESRB. I’m damn sure there will still be the same gritty and gruesome horror that the first game brought us.

[Via Aeropause]

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.
Read more