After The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion’s release last year, Bethesda Softworks has been slowly releasing little nuggets of new content via Xbox Live Marketplace. Most of this content, while cheap, didn’t add much to the game. Unlike the previous downloads, the Shivering Isles is an expansion pack filled with content, adding roughly 20-40 hours of new gameplay for those still running around Cyrodiil.

The expansion begins when you hear news about a strange island that has sprouted up in the middle of Niben Bay. Upon inspecting the island, you are greeted by a soldier standing guard outside of a strange doorway. Apparently everyone that has entered the portal has either come back out insane, or has simply not come back at all. Being the brave adventurer you are, you enter to find that you have arrived at the Shivering Isles, the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. He has put a call out for a champion to help him stop the Greymarch; a sort of cleaning that happens at the end of every era.

The world of the Shivering Isles is divided into two regions: Mania to the Northeast and Dementia to the Southwest. Both areas are visually stunning and look absolutely nothing like anything that you have seen in Cyrodiil. Mania is very bright, vibrant, and oversaturated with plants like tall trees and large colorful mushrooms. On the other hand, Dementia is a very dark, foggy, and washed out swampland. The main city, New Sheoth, is also divided into two sections called Bliss and Crucible. The entire size of the Isles is about a quarter of the size of Cyrodiil, and is packed with tons of stuff to explore.

The main quest is pretty epic in scope and is easily on par with the one in the main game. The quests, of which many are memorable, will take you all over the Shivering Isles to complete various tasks. Your first job upon entering the realm of Sheogorath is to defeat the Gatekeeper. He is an extremely large and powerful enemy that is guarding the Gates of Madness, which is the only exit from the Fringe (a holding area of sorts that prevents those unworthy from entering the actual Isles). You can face him as is, but innovative players will find ways to tip the battle in their favor.

Another one of the early quests involves you reactivating Xedilian, which is an old dungeon that was used to deal with unwanted adventurers before the Gatekeeper was created. Once activated, the dungeon magically draws any visitors to it, at which point you can either kill or play tricks on the NPCs that find their way into its chambers.

Besides the main quest, the game offers a lot of interesting side quests, many of which are just as crazy as the people who reside in the Isles. One of the citizens of Bliss will explain to you that while he has perfected getting boats to float on the water, he has had less success in forcing the water to fly through air. Logically, a boat carried by flying water becomes a Skyboat. So he tasks you with searching everywhere for calipers and tongs to achieve the effect of keeping water airborne, and pays you gold for each caliper or tong you bring him. Another resident is afraid to sleep inside because he believes the walls will fall on top of him. So he asks you to find a safe place for him to sleep outside.

In addition to the new quests, the expansion also includes new weapons and armor, some of which you can craft from raw materials found in various dungeons throughout the Shivering Isles. Players will also get some new spells along the way, the most interesting of which are a few summons. Also, those who like to create their own potions will find a huge amount of new ingredients to experiment with.

Overall, the Shivering Isles is pretty good. It features all of the stuff that you would expect from an expansion pack: an interesting plot, a good amount of quests, new weapons, armor, ect. Not to mention that this expansion offers more hours of gameplay then other full priced retail games, making the Shivering Isles a convincing reason to revisit an already excellent game.

Bioshock is easily one of the most anticipated games coming out later this year. With all of the media released on the game so far, I think it is pretty safe to assume that most of you know what sets this game apart from all of the other shooters. Unique gameplay elements such as modifying weapons, different ammo types, hacking, plasmids and adam all promise to elevate the first person shooter genre to new heights. However, many gamers are probably unaware that all of this has already been done before. Irrational Games’ previous game titled “System Shock 2″ did a lot of what people today are calling revolutionary all the way back in 1999. Granted Bioshock is taking a lot of these same gameplay elements to a whole different level (such as with more interactivity with the environment) but a lot of the same core gameplay ideas are still there.

So I thought it might be fun to take a look back on System Shock 2 and see how some of the gameplay systems found in Bioshock were present in System Shock 2 eight years ago.

A few basic similarities that you might (or might not) notice in the video:

Plasmids/Cybernetic Modules & Money/Nanites:
In Bioshock, players can use Adam to purchase to purchase plasmids (abilities) for their player such as Electro Bolt or Winter Blast. To have “energy” for these abilities, you use Eve.

This works pretty much the same way in System Shock 2. Players can spend Cybernetic Modules on psionic abilities which are essentially Plasmids (however, the number of psionic abilities in SS2 is much greater then the number of Plasmids in Bioshock). Aside from psionics, System Shock allowed the players to also use Cybernetic Modules to upgrade other aspects of their character (such as strength, hacking, modifying, ect).

In Bioshock the player can use money to purchase items from vending machines such as health and ammo. The same is true for System Shock 2, except money is replaced with nanites.

Hacking:
Both System Shock 2 and Bioshock have hacking, which takes the form of a mini-game. Just as in Bioshock, players in System Shock 2 can hack security systems (such as cameras and turrets) to turn them on to their side. Bioshock has taken this feature forward by adding security bots that you can hack that will then protect you.

Ammo Types:
Both games have special ammo types that are good against different types of targets. For example, System Shock 2 has standard bullets, armor piercing rounds, anti-personnel rounds as well as many types of grenades, slugs, ect.

Weapon Customization:
In Bioshock, you can upgrade your weapons for effects like increased magazine size, faster firing rate, ect. The same is true for System Shock 2. Although System Shock 2 goes a bit further allowing multiple firing modes. Unlike Bioshock, the weapons in System Shock 2 degrade over time, requiring disposable maintenance tools to keep them in working order.

Audio Logs:
The story in both System Shock 2 and Bioshock is told primarily though audio logs found lying around the environment.

So there you go. If you are having trouble waiting for Bioshock to come out, you might want to try to get a copy of System Shock 2. Even by today’s standards it is a great game.

Well, I have been saying it for a long time, but now it looks like I am in good company. In an interview with Boot Daily for a piece on Intel’s Core 2 QX6850 chip, John Carmack said, “I am not a believer in dedicated PPUs. Multiple CPU cores will be much more useful in general, but when GPUs finally get reasonably fine grained context switching and scheduling, some tasks will work well there.” Well said John, there is really no reason that GPUs and multi-core CPUs won’t be able to do all the work needed for physics in future games.

At this point, I truly expect Bioshock to win Game of the Year from at least a few publications even though I have yet to play it. Every single preview I read is nothing but praise, which just makes the wait even harder. Hopefully this game will sell extremely well and make up for all of the copies that System Shock 2 should have sold.

1. BioShock



The biggest controversy during our post-show discussions erupted while deciding our game of the show. Our two contenders were Fallout 3, which emerged from this year’s show covered in post-apocalyptic glory, and Irrational’s soon-to-be-released BioShock, the spiritual sequel to System Shock 2 that wowed us at last year’s show. The heated “discussion” nearly resulted in a monkey-knife-fight between two editors and loud screaming from the rest. The fact that this was happening in a steak house in Culver City filled with families and now-traumatized children just out for a good time should attest to the depth of our passion on this issue. When the smoke cleared, however, it was BioShock that emerged victorious. We rounded up some of our editors to talk about what most impressed them in the game.

Allen ‘Delsyn’ Rausch, Associate PC Editor: One of the most tired debates in the gaming world is whether or not a videogame can be considered “art.” While I won’t presume to give a final answer on the topic, I will say that certain titles such as Planescape: Torment, Ico, Grim Fandango and System Shock 2 answer that question for me. Assuming the rest of BioShock holds up to the quality of the sections we’ve seen so far, then I’d say this game has every chance of joining that pantheon. It’s very rare for a game to truly transport you to another world but during the first 20 minutes of BioShock I had as much fun reading the ads on the walls and drinking in the luscious Art Deco design as I did fighting against the mutated citizens of Rapture. This is a game where the setting itself tells the story and it’s one I’m eager to explore more of.

Joynt: I don’t get shell-shocked by games very often, but BioShock, after a few hours of getting to actually play, has me blown away. From the game’s visual beauty to its subtle storytelling to its dedication to being a shooter but not being shoehorned into that genre’s weaknesses, this is a game that is ready to raise the bar on so many levels that I feel like it really has no competition at the moment. Its only potential downfall is if it can’t maintain the combination of artistry and visceral appeal over the course of the entire game, but I honestly don’t think that will be the case. Based on the pedigree that Ken Levine and his team bring to the project and the quality of the gameplay I’ve experienced, this just isn’t a game that I see stumbling.

The gameplay itself is so rich, with so many choices even in the very first and most linear level, that I see BioShock offering a lot of replayability. More importantly, the depth of the universe that has been built here is almost unbelievable. Details like where an underwater city would get its air isn’t forgotten; it’s been planned out and incorporated into the game as a mission, telling a story without clubbing you over the head with it. Although I love my long cut scenes, there’s no question now that BioShock tells a story with every frame. It’s going to be a long wait until August.

Sterling: Thank heavens for little girls. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lots of Adam to take on the army of howlingly desperate Splicers running amok in Rapture. The best thing I can say about BioShock is that it’s a very difficult game to explain in a few sentences or less. “You’re battling in a submarine Randian dystopia filled with paranoid mutants. Along the way, you’ll need to make mutagenic upgrades to yourself in order to survive. The best, and fastest way to those upgrades is by finding mutated eight year-old girls…” Hey, come back!

While I would’ve had few objections to either this game or Fallout 3 winning best of show, I’m a bit satisfied deep down that more people got the chance to see BioShock this year than last year, when it narrowly beat Gears of War. While multiplayer is always strongly considered in our evaluation processes, sometimes you get a title that’s indisputably great, single-player or multiplayer. This is one of those games.

Sluggo: Having already played through the opening levels of the game at a previous event on the Xbox 360, I was excited to finally check out the PC version at E3, which was conveniently sitting in the Microsoft games lounge where a ton of games like BioShock, Crysis and Gears of War PC were almost perpetually available to sit down and play. I was glad to see the PC version looks every bit as impressive as the 360 game — maybe more so. As the others have mentioned, the art design is so unique that fighting the strange denizens of Rapture almost becomes secondary to soaking up the atmosphere and figuring out exactly what went wrong in this would-be utopia.

Maybe the best thing about BioShock is its upcoming August release — rather than competing for our gaming time with 20 other amazing titles coming this holiday, we’ll have a few weeks to soak it all in. August 21 can’t arrive soon enough.

Warrior: Entering Rapture again after a year away was even eerier than the first time. Irrational has done a tremendous job of capturing the artistic feel of a utopia gone bad, from a dark brooding setting to enemies with insane personalities. The eeriness is reminiscent of System Shock and the calm, malevolent voice of Shodan following you everywhere. The echoes and other sound effects create an ambiance that nightmares are made of, and playing the game will have you jumping out of your seat. Add in the stylized gameplay elements of special powers and abilities to complement the traditional use of firepower and Irrational has created a game where goals can be accomplished in myriad ways. The same can be said for dispatching enemies.

No matter how you slice it, BioShock is deserving of the best game of this year’s E3. I can’t wait to get my hands on the final game in five weeks, after which you can bet that I’ll be a rare sight in daylight.

- Source

Starting August 16, Sierra Entertainment will be pulling the plug on mulitplayer support for 20 of the developer’s older games. One of my favorite games of all time, Starsiege: Tribes, is unfortunately on the list.

What this means exactly for the Tribes community remains uncertain. Is is possible to have a community run master server, but players would have to manually configure the game to get the server list from a new master server instead of the default Sierra run one.

The main Tribes community over at Tribalwar has been discussing it all day. One interesting post was when Rick Oman from GarageGames stopped by and asked how many community members would be interested in seeing GarageGames getting involved:

I came into “work” at GarageGames this morning and read the news, not a good way to start your day — Tribes to be Killed. Looked down and realized I was wearing my Tribes “Ski Team” Athletic Dept shirt …humm a sign.

I cannot make any promises, I have not even talked to anyone here about this yet although I am sure there will be supporters of the idea.

If you are interested please post here it will help us gauge demand.

–Rick

So, there certainly is some hope that with either a community run master server or some help from Garage Games, those of us who still play will still be able to do so. At this point there really isn’t anything to do but sit back, play tribes, and see what happens. Here is the official news post from Sierra:

Notice of Multiplayer Functionality Termination for 20 Sierra Entertainment Heritage Titles

Los Angeles, CA - July 16, 2007 - The sites and multiplayer functionality for the following products will terminate as of August 16, 2007:

• 3-D Ultra Cool Pool
• ARC (Attack Retrieve Capture)
• Lords of Magic™
• NASCAR® Legends
• NASCAR® Racing 2002 Season
• NASCAR® Racing 2003 Season
• NASCAR® Racing 3
• NASCAR® Racing 3 demo
• NASCAR® Racing 3 Trucks
• NASCAR® Racing 4
• Professional Bull Rider 2
• PGA Championship Golf 2000™
• Starsiege: Tribes
• SWAT® 3 demo
• Throne of Darkness™
• Field & Stream Trophy Bass 4
• Field & Stream Trophy Bass 5
• Field & Stream Trophy Hunting 4
• Field & Stream Trophy Hunting 5
• You Don’t Know Jack®: 5th Dementia

Thank you for your longstanding support of Sierra Entertainment’s products.

Sincerely,

Sierra Entertainment

- Source

For more information about Starsiege: Tribes, such as how to download it, go here.

America’s favorite animated family just can’t seem to make a decent game.

Overall, it was a pretty good show this year. Unlike the previous years, Microsoft focused completely on 2007, meaning every game shown at the event is coming out this year. The show kicked off with Peter Moore playing rock band and ended with a new Halo 3 trailer. A whole lot of cool announcements and great game footage was shown in between. This year I decided that instead of writing a short summary of what was shown, I should just post the entire conference for you guys to watch. It is almost an hour and a half long, but it is pretty entertaining. Also, don’t forget that there is an free HD version of the press conference available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

It has finally been release, so make sure you give it a try. You can download the client installer here. Also, watch for news and upcoming patches on Insurgency’s official website.

Insurgency (INS) is a total conversion modification using Valve Software’s Source Engine. Insurgency immerses you, as the player, into an intense and realistic online combat experience.

Set on the modern battlefields, Insurgency simulates modern infantry combat that doesn’t just encourage the use of teamwork and tactics, but makes it a requirement of survival. On the streets of Iraq it is not safe to be alone. Go head to head with guerrillas, insurgents and resistance fighters, simulating the extreme conditions faced on today’s battlefields.

Engage in urban warfare where every window, doorway or road block is a potential ambush point and every object on the street needs to be watched with care. Fight against the occupation from behind windows and burned cars, with your finger on the trigger and an unsuspecting patrol down the street getting ever closer. Whatever you choose to do, Insurgency is sure to get your pulse racing and make your breathing feel heavy while you engage in such a unique and original combat experience.

To celebrate our nation’s independence our favorite nerd is here to rip apart a game based on a movie based on the day.