Bioshock Infinate E3 2011 Demo: 15 Minute Gameplay Video

Hey, remember that Bioshock Infinate game that I was on about? You know, the one that won game of show at the E3 Critic Game Awards? Do you remember me saying they had that crazy demo behind closed doors which had everyone running around going crazy, shitting candy and everything? Well here it is. Enjoy!

New Bioshock Infinate E3 2011 Demo

Did you want more Bioshock Infinate footage? Strangling your newborn puppy out of excitment? Well put the puppy down and relax! Ken Levine has your back. This is the first two minutes of the demo that was shown behind closed doors at E3, Enjoy!

Bioshock Infinate Demo: Real Play Through or Scripted?

Irrational's BioShock Infinite E3 2011 demo was enthralling, exhilarating, and any other word you can pluck from the cavalcade of adjectives that convey astonishment at how a city in the sky and its residents sprang to life and instantly captivated audience members sitting slack-jawed in the 2K Games booth. It was a memorable moment in a show peppered with memorable moments, but it was also a vastly surreal one whose conclusion prompted an unexpected question: What did I just see? Surprisingly, it wasn't the content that ignited some lingering doubt, but rather the method used to display it.

The brief tour through Columbia revealed social upheaval, a blooming relationship between Booker and Elizabeth, and a semi-mechanical monstrosity whose affable name stood in strong contrast to its shrill, and suitably disturbing, cry. And to quote every movie review from Rolling Stone, Infinite proudly brandished its shooter chops with an "action-packed roller-coaster ride" shoot-out amid the city's unique form of transportation. But what was ostensibly a normal demo gave way to something different. Each successive whiz-bang set piece tightened a thread that, if stretched beyond its well-rehearsed limits, would cause the entire illusion to come crashing down.

This wasn't a game demo. It was a movie with in-game actors who performed some approximation of the gaming experience. There were intense firefights; there were charming exchanges of dialogue; and there were even button prompts--all suggestive characteristics of an interactive medium, and yet this was distinctly not. There was no specific moment when this revelation occurred. If anything, it was a combination of things--an almost contrary use of deliberation in firefight scenes, in which shots were aimed, fired, and dodged with mechanical efficiency, versus character development scenes where Booker's perspective was carefully orchestrated to enhance the dialogue and its dramatic impact while it simultaneously attempted to make it look improvised.

This was all wonderful for showcasing the game's malleability, an expectation created by the original BioShock and the way it transcended traditional shooter conventions while retaining the genre's better qualities. In that sense, the demo was a complete success, but for any person sitting in that audience, there was no clear indication of how this same set of events pans out under normal circumstances. In fact, it raised countless questions: How scripted was the interaction between Elizabeth and Booker? Does she always say the same things? How is it possible to navigate the skylines with no sense of danger? What happens if Songbird sees Booker earlier? Is Elizabeth ever really in danger? What happens when a player does something that wasn't just laid out with such exacting means?

These were but a few questions that sprang to mind, and while answers are forthcoming as Irrational and 2K loosen their protective grip, teaser trailers usually generate these kinds of questions--not playable demos. Still, some might be wondering why this was even an issue when games like Modern Warfare rely heavily on similarly scripted demos.

The answer is twofold. First, scripting is a dirty word. It conjures images of enemy soldiers that run to their designated spots in the environment regardless of what's happening around them. Scripting is suggestive of an experience where the player has no real impact on what goes on in the world. Over the past few years, the Modern Warfare series has familiarized and popularized this experience.But there's no such expectation (or more specifically, anticipation) for a similarly structured BioShock game and that's the second part of this equation. The original touted freedom on varying levels, and while some choices admittedly didn't have as much of an impact on the gameplay as originally advertised, the illusion of freedom was still significant and important in differentiating it in a market clogged with first-person shooters.

The E3 2011 BioShock Infinite demo projected no such illusion. It was a tightly controlled and highly entertaining spectacle that inadvertently conveyed the prospect of a BioShock that falls outside the purview of its forebears. At any rate, all of this will probably change as the months go by and we see more of the game. Once Irrational releases a video of the demo, be sure to check it out. It won't produce quite the same disconnect, since it will be a movie at that point, but it will give greater context to the aforementioned rambling from a fan.

The Best and Worst of E3 2011

E3 definitely had its downs this year. Mr Caffeine single handily making a nation of gamers want to rip his voice box from his throat at the Ubisoft Conference, Countless number of ridiculous, pointless Kinect support from Microsoft and the now infamous AT&T announcement. There were also some fantastic pieces of software on show to give us fans hope. Battlefield 3, Bioshock Infinate, Elder Scolls: Skyrim impressed immensely, Just to name a few. Then there was Nintendo, Who for me, Truly saved what was the hugely important Press Conferences. Not only did they announce the Wii U, they also treated us to some top quality games for the 3DS including Mario Kart 3D, Luigi's Mansion 2 and possibly Super Smash Bros in the future. Also a treat to see Miyamoto grinning from ear to ear at the sound of the Zelda Orchestra. Yes there were definitely ups and downs, So here are the best and worst of E3 2011.

The Best of E3 2011

The Worst of E3 2011

Everything You Need To Know About The Wii U

A very detailed, in depth article into what exactly the Wii U is. I don't know about others but I was a little bit confused with the presentation, So this article should explain a few things, if not everything.

"At its E3 2011 press conference, Nintendo confirmed some details about the successor to the Wii and even gave its new platform an official name: Wii U. While the name might not suggest much of a difference from Nintendo previous system, the Wii U has some significant upgrades and changes, the most important of which is undoubtedly its new controller. While the Wii U supports all of the Wii's controllers, the controller designed for this new platform is not unlike a tablet. It has a large touch-sensitive 6.2-inch screen in the middle surrounded by a plastic enclosure that features traditional console-style control characteristics, including a D pad, two sets of shoulder buttons, four face buttons, and more. The Wii U is also capable of streaming a video signal to the controller's screen, making it possible to play a Wii U game when the household TV is in use by others.

These are just some of the features of Nintendo's next system. We've compiled everything we know about it into one spot, so you can get caught up on all the latest information revealed at E3 2011.Features

Nintendo Wii U: Inside and Out
Nintendo found lightning in a bottle with the Wii, and with the Wii U--the company's upcoming console--it might have found the bottling plant. The Wii U builds upon the barriers broken by the Wii and takes advantage of a touch-screen-equipped controller that offer players a new way to interact with games paired with a console capable of HD visuals.

Nintendo Wii U Controller Hands-On
Get our thoughts on Nintendo's Wii U controller, and see it from every angle.

More features coming soon.

News

Wii U Pikmin revealed at Nintendo developer roundtable
Creative mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto confirms long-delayed Wii installment in series has been pushed to new console; Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time 3D, Super Mario 3DS, and Luigi's Mansion 2 demo'd.

Activision supporting Wii U
Activision publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg confirms console support, saying "you bet against Nintendo at your peril."

New Super Smash Bros. game in development
Nintendo announces fresh entry in the brawler series for 3DS and just-announced Wii U; titles promised to work together on both platforms "in some fashion."

Wii U unveiled at Nintendo press conference, Skyward Sword due in Q4
New console will feature 6.2-inch touch-screen controller with a host of features; next Legend of Zelda gets release window; massive third-party support includes THQ, Sega, Tecmo, 2K, EA; 2011 3DS lineup detailed.

Wii U boasts M-rated third-party support
Nintendo confirms Assassin's Creed, Ghost Recon Online, Tekken, Ninja Gaiden 3, Darksiders 2, Batman coming to new console; Ubisoft also confirms Rabbids, two new brands en route; Aliens not a lock.

Tekken trio heading to Wii U, 3DS, PS3
Namco's King of the Iron Fist franchise confirmed for Nintendo's latest console as Tekken Hybrid remakes the original Tag Tournament for Sony's system this November.

Ninja Gaiden 3 slicing up early 2012
Blood-splattered sequel gets updated release window; now scheduled to arrive at the beginning of next year.

Previews

Chase Mii Preview Hands-On
As of right now, Chase Mii Is just a tech demo. It hasn't been announced as a full-fledged game yet, so don't get your hopes too high for some indoor tag action. But what's here is quite fun and a good showcase for how the Wii U can extend the reach of local competitive games.

New Super Mario Bros. Mii Hands-On Preview
Aside from being in HD, the visuals looked essentially indistinguishable from those of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and the levels we got to dash through were challenging, with quickly moving platforms and tricky jumps galore. We had fun with the demo, but we didn't feel that it was a particularly strong showcase for the Wii U's technology, at least at this stage.

The Legend of Zelda Wii U Hands-On Preview
Aside from the streaming technology taking place, what makes this remarkable is the fact that the screen on the tablet is pretty high quality--obviously, it's not on par with the HD resolution being displayed on the TV in front of us, but it was impressive nonetheless and we could easily see ourselves using this feature in the manner Nintendo demonstrated during the conference (switching to the tablet when someone else needs the TV).

Battle Mii Wii U Preview
By moving the tablet down and holding it in a natural position (as you would any normal controller), the camera perspective takes a top-down view, letting the player flying the ship get a more tactical view. Moving the position of the controller in between these points presents any number of different perspectives, and players can ultimately settle on what's most comfortable for them for any situation.

Shield Pose Wii U Hands-On Preview
It's not a great visual demonstration of the Wii U's graphical capabilities, but what makes Shield Pose an interesting demonstration of the Wii U technology is just how the tablet functions as a second screen, not unlike the second screen on Nintendo's DS handheld platforms--only it's completely dynamic, functioning much like a magnifying glass"

More previews coming soon.

E3 2011 Press Conference's Round- Up

Microsoft revealed a whole host of new games and features for Xbox 360--no PC presence.

• Kinect support is coming to four EA Sports games, including the Tiger Woods, Madden and FIFA series.

• Mass Effect 3 will support Kinect voice control for selecting conversation options and commanding squad members in combat.

• The new Tomb Raider veered wildly into the realm of 'torture porn' in a demo section shown on stage.

• Youtube and Bing search are coming to Xbox Live.

• All future games in Ubisoft's assorted Tom Clancy franchises will "leverage" Kinect on Xbox 360, as was demonstrated with Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.

• Live streaming TV is coming to Xbox Live this fall.

• Ice-T has reformed his thrash metal band Body Count to record a song for Gears of War 3. Yup.

• The oft-rumoured prettied-up remaster of the original Halo: Combat Evolved was confirmed for a November 15 launch.

• Little "gadgets" and toys for Kinect are coming free through the Kinect Fun Labs.

• Crytek's mysterious Xbox 360 exclusive has been revealed as an Ancient Roman Kinect-controlled first-person melee game, named Ryse.

• Minecraft is coming to Xbox 360 this winter with Kinect support.

• Lionhead's Kinect exclusive Fable: The Journey was announced.

• Double Fine's Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster is completely adorable.

• Kinect will let you virtually visit the Magic Kingdom in Disneyland Adventures.

• Exercise substitute sequel Kinect Sports Season Two was announced.

• Dance Central 2 was announced, boasting multiplayer.

• A new Halo trilogy is planned, kicking off with Halo 4 in the 2012 holiday season.

Sony ended there E3 2011 press conference, leaving a handful of announcements in its wake. If you weren't glued to the live streams, here's what you missed:

• Sony revealed the PSP successor is named the PlayStation Vita surprising no one. The announcement that the handheld would retail for $249.99 (Wi-Fi only model) and $299.99 (3G/Wi-Fi model) is still shocking. The handheld is launching globally by the end of 2011.

• Ruin, an action-RPG for the NGP and PS3 was announced. Also announced was the ability to play the same save on either platform, similar to Kojima's "Transfarring" announcement last week.

• BioShock Infinite will include Move support. Irrational's Ken Levine also announced a new BioShock game will come to the PlayStation Vita.

• Developer CCP announced Dust 514 is a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

• Sly Cooper returns with Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, coming in 2012.

• Resistance 3 will get its own Sharpshooter Move bundle, like SOCOM 4 did before it.

• God of War Origins announced, collects the PSP games for the PS3. Both that collection and the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus collection will arrive this September.

• Sony announced new hardware! No, it's not a system, silly... it's a 24-inch 3D monitor and Active Shutter glasses in a bundle that includes a copy of Resistance 3 and an HDMI cablefor $499.99. The monitor also allows two players to play at once, showing each player a different view of the screen. It's magic or something.

• PlayStation 3 will receive new media from CinemaNow in America. CinemaNow is a provider offering a similar service as Netflix.
• 
  
• 
  
• 

Nintendo ended its E3 2011 press conferenceby winning the console war in my opinion, debuting several 3DS games and the announcement of its new console. Here's what you may have missed...

• Despite rumors of pushing it back to their next console, Nintendo confirmed that Skyward Sword would be coming to Wii this holiday season. We did, however, later get extremely brief hints at an HD Zelda.

• On the Zelda tip, Nintendo announced several plans for the 25th Anniversary, including Link's Awakening coming to the 3DS Virtual Console today, Four Swords coming for free in September, a series of symphony concerts, and two CDs.

• Before taking the wraps off of the console, Iwata teased that it will "serve every player."

• Nintendo announced and/or detailed five first-party 3DS titles, most of which are coming this year. Mario Kart 3DS, Super Mario 3DS, Star Fox 64 3D are coming this holiday season. Kid Icarus: Uprising will feature 3v3 multiplayer. And a new Luigi's Mansion was announced without a release date.

• Finally, Nintendo named its next console Wii U. It features HD and a touch-screen controller as rumored, along with some other features like the ability to play games remotely on the controller. It's scheduled for release in 2012.

• Among the first titles mentioned for the Wii U was the next Super Smash Bros, which will also come to the 3DS.

• Nintendo also has several third-party publishers on-board to port games like Darksiders 2, Batman: Arkham City, and Metro: Last Light.

• Plus, TT Games is making an exclusive open-world Lego game for the Wii U and 3DS.