BioShock PS3 Impressions

[Da Ill One]

My inaugural trip to E3 started this afternoon with a demo of 2K Marin’s PlayStation 3 port of the Xbox 360 hit BioShock. Actually, it started with a couple hours of wandering around in a jetlag- and sensory overload-induced haze, but that’s not why you’re reading. And images of me gawking at the likes of Killzone 2, Fable 2, LittleBigPlanet and more just doesn’t make for good copy.

So! BioShock PS3. Prepare for a shock: it looks an awful lot like BioShock 360. Virtually identical even. Okay… that’s not so shocking. What will come as a surprise is the fact that the PS3 version features console-exclusive content. Xbox fan community, commence your muttering. In fact, stop reading all together: we’re talking about some fairly substantive stuff here.

Click through for the goods.

The new addition was introduced to the gathered room of journalists with the image of a 50s-styled comic book cover bearing the title “Sander Cohen’s Chamber of Thrills.” It basically boils down to a standalone challenge mode – “pulp adventures in Rapture,” as our 2K rep referred to it – in which players must complete a series of tasks using the unique tools available to Rapture’s travelers. The new content will also be entirely separate from the story, to the point that it must be accessed from the game’s main menu.

Each challenge is a discrete environment, completely separate from the main game but obviously maintaining Rapture’s unique architectural style. The one challenge we saw was set in an amusement park-type area – complete with working carnival games and EVE Hypo prizes – with the goal being to rescue a Little Sister stuck at the apex of a stopped ferris wheel. In order to do this, a nearby control panel needs to be hit with electricity a total of six times.

Unfortunately, each challenge comes with its own set of available plasmids and weapons; in this case, Electro-volt was nowhere to be found. A conveniently placed shotgun and electric buck round got the party started, but from there the hunt was on. A locked-up crossbow and trap bolts got us a little further, but it wasn’t until we came across the Static Discharge plasmid that the outcome seemed certain. Unfortunately, the demo ended as Splicers moved in for an attack… and a “shocking” surprise of course.

There’s no word on how many challenges will be featured in BioShock on the PS3, but it will definitely be more than one. We do know that the add-on content will feature Trophy support, with players being measured by how long they take to complete each challenge. Given the unpredictable nature of the game, this new content could prove to be very challenging indeed.

Live from E3 BioShock PS3 Impressions | Games Blog | UGO.com

[Deltahawk12]

Let's just hope that the "new" supposed content that will be in it makes it worthy to buy as a majority of the gamers that planned on playing already have on either the 360 or the PC