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Sims 3 expansion beats Star Trek Online in February's PC top 20

by Mike Schramm { Mar 17th 2010 at 5:00AM }

NPD has released its monthly list of the top 20 PC games, and while Star Trek Online made a valiant showing in the month of its debut, landing at number two for the main game and number four for the collector's edition, it was beaten in the end by the Sims 3: High End Loft Stuff (yes, "Stuff") content pack. The Sims juggernaut of a brand continued to rock the top 20, claiming six spots total, and perennial favorite World of Warcraft continued to place almost all of its current editions on the list in three different spots.

Other big titles in February were Bioshock 2, the Everquest II: Sentinel's Fate expansion, and Mass Effect 2. Aliens vs. Predator appeared at a miserable number 19, below something called the Mumbo Jumbo Assortment. Full list after the break. We'll say this about PC game players: They know what they like, and they stick with it.

[via Big Download]

Continued →

NPD: BioShock 2 Feb. PS3 sales just shy of 200k mark

by James Ransom-Wiley { Mar 12th 2010 at 11:30AM }

Having printed and shipped more than 3 million copies of BioShock 2 across the seas, publisher Take-Two is clearly leaning on its sequel to provide a strong sale wind to push the company through another successful quarter. Following its February 9 release, the Xbox 360 version of BioShock 2 cruised up the US sales charts, anchoring in the peak position, according to the NPD's monthly report. For the PS3 version, the journey was not such a breeze, as it appeared to have come up against some bad weather.

Despite the Xbox 360 edition's #1 ranking in US February game sales, the PS3 version of BioShock 2 was curiously absent from the top ten listing. An NPD representative told Joystiq that the PS3 game recorded roughly 190.5k units sold last month, "just outside the top 10 at #11." If anything's to blame for this somewhat modest debut month, it's Heavy Rain. In just one week of retail availability, the PS3-exclusive "Western Interactive Novel" had enough of an impact, with 219.3k units sold, to seemingly alter the sales course of BioShock 2 for PS3.

Now, just imagine how much trouble a rampaging "murder carousel" could stir up for BioShock 2 PS3 sales this month!

PSN Thursday: Mega Man 10, some BioShock 2 'Sinclair Solutions'

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 11th 2010 at 9:40PM }

The Blue Bomber -- who is inconveniently red in the pic above -- returns in the retro-centric Mega Man 10. Those who returned to Rapture with BioShock 2 can also pick up the "Sinclair Solutions Test Pack" for $5. There's also the fourth episode of The Tester -- how's that going? Oh yeah, for those with an interest in baseball (it's a game played with a stick), there's a demo for MLB 10: The Show. For those with a PSP, it's another solid comic book update. Check out the full PSN update after the break.

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:

(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

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February NPD: Xbox 360 and BioShock 2 sales heat up

by JC Fletcher { Mar 11th 2010 at 7:02PM }

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg is thrilled with February's NPD numbers, and for good reason. The Xbox 360 took the top spot in home console sales last month, despite not being a Wii. According to the NPD, it's the first time this has happened since the Halo 3 launch in 2007.

BioShock 2 seems to have had something to do with the boost, with the Xbox 360 version topping the software charts (and the PS3 version absent from the top ten). Other notable software milestones: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is now the third best-selling game of all time, and Just Dance seems to have made a better pact with Satan than even Dante's Inferno did. See the software top ten after the break.

-DS: 613K

191K (45%)
-360: 422K

89K (27%)
-Wii: 398K

68K (-15%)
-PS3: 360K

83K (30%)
-PSP: 133K

33K (33%)
-PS2: 102K

60K (143%)

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Hey, you got your BioShock in my Doom 2!

by Griffin McElroy { Mar 7th 2010 at 10:00PM }

Professional level designer J.P. LeBreton's creativity can't just be contained by the BioShock franchise which his work has appeared in for the last three years. So, he recently exercised his craft in a fairly peculiar way -- by designing a Doom 2 map modeled after the two areas on which he served as lead designer for 2K's underseas adventure: Arcadia and the Farmer's Market.

You can download the map directly from LeBreton's site. It comes bundled in a handy little .ZIP file which includes instructions on how to get it up and running on your modern gaming rig. If you're having trouble, just put the original BioShock in, and smear a thick sheen of petroleum jelly on your monitor.

[Via Big Download]

BioShock 2 'Sinclair Solutions Test Pack' coming March 11

by David Hinkle { Mar 5th 2010 at 1:00PM }

Next Thursday, those entrenched in The Great Splicer Uprising of '59 will get a chance to beef up their arsenal in Bioshock 2's multiplayer mode with the Sinclair Solutions Test Pack on March 11. Here's what you'll get for your 400

($5) on Xbox Live and Games For Windows - Live, and $4.99 on PSN:

Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
20 new trials (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)
A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
Five additional masks (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)

Happy Splicer hunting! (Splunting?)

Bioshock 2 has shipped over 3 million units

by David Hinkle { Mar 3rd 2010 at 4:29PM }

Take-Two has revealed in its latest fiscal earnings report that Bioshock 2 has managed to ship more than three million units worldwide since releasing on February 9. The report also says the first game has now sold over four million copies worldwide across all platforms, "bringing the total sales of the franchise to 7 million units." Of course, the important distinction here is that "shipped" does not equal "sold," as Take-Two infers above.

Still, getting three million copies out there into the world is a pretty noteworthy feat. Get yourself a couple more million and you'll be able to finance construction on your own underwater metropolis -- not that any good could possibly come of it.

BioShock 2 special edition posters have hidden messages

by David Hinkle { Mar 1st 2010 at 6:30PM }

[BioshockFan52]

Those of us who have played BioShock 2 likely don't see anything out of the ordinary in the above image. Almost all of Rapture's propoganda has been smeared by Sophia Lamb and her followers in-game, so it only makes sense that 2K would do as much with the game's real world promotional items. And according to this thread on the 2K Games site, a black light is all you need to unlock this "hidden" feature in those neat posters you got with your Special Edition.

The forums users in the thread aren't yanking The Great Chain here, folks. Our sister site Big Download confirms the Easter egg in its Special Edition poster, as well -- there's even a gallery showing off all of the hidden messages to be found. Remember: a man chooses to display his BioShock 2 posters under a black light, a parasite complains about the increased electric bill.

[Thanks, Alex]

Swag Sunday: BioSwag!

by Kevin Kelly { Feb 28th 2010 at 7:00PM }

When you come right down to it, genetic engineering is about the only shot humans are going to have at developing real super powers. Which is why BioShock and BioShock 2 are more than just stories about some nifty underwater city gone wrong. When you have people that can move objects with their minds or blast fire from their hands and then stick them in a gorgeous dystopia, that's when you've got a story.

So what better way to celebrate that world than by bringing it into our own? With that in mind, we're offering up a mess of BioShock swag: one BioShock "Don't Wait! Incinerate!" women's shirt (size medium), one BioShock 2 Butterfly Hands men's shirt (size small), two different BioShock lithographs, and one extremely cool, handmade Splicer mask. Check out the prizes in the gallery below, and read the rules to enter.

Note: as a BioReminder, Rapture Radio is still active and broadcasting, and much thanks to Sony Legacy for supplying us with these nifty prizes. Their BioShock 2 soundtrack is still available in both Deluxe and Standard editions.

Update: We've chosen a winner! Thanks for entering everyone, and stay tuned for more Joyswag very soon.

Leave a comment telling us what plasmid power you'd want. Feel free to make up your own.
You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, mostly due to our exclusion from a "statut particulier" status in Canada).
Limit 1 entry per person per day.
This entry period ends at 7:01PM ET on Monday, March 1.
At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one BioShock 2 men's butterfly shirt, size small (ARV $10), one BioShock 2 women's "Incinerate!" shirt, size medium (ARV $10), two BioShock lithographs (ARV $15 each), and one handmade Splicer mask (ARV $50).
For a list of complete rules, click here.

What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition. For more info on our policy, click here.

Gallery: BioSwag

Here's that video of Jason carving a Big Daddy out of a tree you wanted

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 27th 2010 at 8:30PM }

It would be cool enough to see a ten-minute-long video showing a man carving an intricate statue of BioShock 2's Big Daddy out of a tree using a chainsaw. That coolness factor is multiplied by ten when the person doing the carving is dressed up like known overnight camp murderer, Jason Voorhees. A video like that would finally prove that the prolific butcher has a sensitive side, capable of creating lovely, intricate works of art with his manslaughter instruments.

Such a video exists, dear friends, and is posted after the jump. You should check it out, because, man, tree carving is surprisingly hypnotic.

[Via Kotaku]

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BioShock 2 for $49 at Newegg for just 72 hours

by Ben Gilbert { Feb 25th 2010 at 6:29PM }

We're not gonna lie to you -- we were initially tempted to write this post in full-on mid-'90s late night TV ad format, but we instead chose restraint in telling people about the BioShock 2 sale going on over at Newegg. For just $49, you can snag a copy of the (at least somewhat) critically acclaimed return to Rapture on either Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 over the 72 hours that Newegg's sale takes place (just under 60 left as of this writing).

If the recently detailed DLC wasn't enough to entice you to dive in to BioShock's sequel, maybe $11 off the asking price will do it, eh? (Because a man finds sweet sales, a slave buys at full price ... or something.)

Gallery: BioShock 2

BioShock 2 PC widescreen support patch available now

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 23rd 2010 at 3:40PM }

Folks who elected to resubmerge themselves into the world of Rapture using a computer have had to suffer a pretty serious display issue -- due to a last minute bug fix, the PC version of BioShock 2 shipped without proper widescreen monitor support. The game would simply slap a letterbox on the 4:3 display, limiting the player's field of view. Fortunately, a patch released today adds 16:9 and 16:10 resolution support to the game's repertoire, meaning you'll finally be able to see that Splicer that's been creeping alongside you for the past few days.

The patch also fixes an issue in which "holding the M1 button would not register in Multiplayer gameplay," which sounds equally serious. Those are the only two fixes in the available update; however, 2K community manager Elizabeth Tobey promises "a larger, more extensive patch" is currently in the works.

[Via Videogamer]

Bioshock 2 DLC kicks off with 'Sinclair Solutions Test Pack'

by David Hinkle { Feb 22nd 2010 at 12:00PM }

2K Games has announced that expansions for BioShock 2 are "slated to arrive over the coming months," expanding both the single-player and multiplayer facets of the game. The custodians of Rapture have yet to reveal what's in store for the single-player campaign, but have offered details on the first new multiplayer add-on: the Sinclair Solutions Test Pack.

Available "soon" for 400

($5) on Xbox Live and Games For Windows - Live and $4.99 on PSN, the pack will include:

Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
20 new trials (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)
A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
Five additional masks (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)

We just hope 2K Games takes care of those freezing issues before luring us back to the Circus of Values.

Aliens vs. Predator facehugs UK charts, Just Dance not going anywhere

by Alexander Sliwinski { Feb 22nd 2010 at 9:40AM }

Like seasoned hunters, Aliens vs. Predators quickly and efficiently concluded BioShock 2's brief dominance atop Chart-Track's UK all-formats sales chart. The prior week, BioShock 2 unseated Mass Effect 2. Meanwhile, Just Dance refused to give up that #2 spot. Ubisoft's dance-a-thon title saw a 55 percent sales increase as BioShock 2 took a 77 percent dive into third place.

Thanks to the Winter Olympics going on in the great semi-white north of Canada, Sega saw a ski-jump boost in sales for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, which made its way back into the Top 10 in the eighth spot. Anthropomorphic and mushroom-tripping Olympians weren't the only ones to benefit from the hype, as Vancouver 2010 received a 274 percent increase and broke into the Top 40 at 11th place -- which is, like, a tin medal? Perhaps one of those chocolates wrapped in gold foil?

Source – Aliens vs. Predator invasion [GFK Chart-Track]
Source – Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track]

NECA making action figures based on Borderlands, BioShock 2 and more

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 16th 2010 at 9:06AM }

[Image via Figures]

If you appreciated the handiwork of the National Entertainment Collectibles Association on the BioShock 2 props revealed a couple weeks ago, then you'll be pleased to know the company has revealed that additional video game-themed products are in the works. According to a Figures forum post, five franchises will receive replicas by early 2011: BioShock 2, Street Fighter, Gears of War, Dante's Inferno and Dead Space 2. Three other projects were mentioned, but not detailed: Assassin's Creed 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction and Borderlands (which includes an "articulated Claptrap with sound effects").

You can find a full list of the characters that the company will toy-ify on the Figures forum. Most of them are based on the aforementioned franchises' nightmarish enemies -- but hey, if you feel like lining your desk with Necromorphs and Unbaptized Babies, that's your prerogative.

[Via Big Download]