As games continue to evolve into greater spectacles, gamers become more interested in behind-the-scenes secrets and methods. It's always interesting to learn how a game came to exist, and even more so when that game reaches a high level of success. In 2007, 2K Games Boston and 2K Games Australia released BioShock, a game quickly embraced by consumers and critics. The game's moody atmosphere and emphasis on morality prompted players to cite it as an excellent example of storytelling, as well as technical achievement.Eurogamer recently sat down with BioShock director Ken Levine and a number of his key team members to discuss how the spiritual successor to System Shock 2 was conceived and built. The interview has an easy conversational flow, and Levin and his team provide insightful answers that should satisfy that curiosity of the game's biggest fans.When asked about BioShock's theme of objectivism, Levine surprisingly states that not a lot of the story was preconceived; as he mentioned, most of the concepts and plot twists grew organically. "We wanted a world that's cut off from the rest of the world," explained Levine. "So, have an underwater city. ... Maybe it's a utopia. What kind of utopia would it be? We had these gatherers, these Little Sisters, so maybe it was some kind of economic thing, or a philosophical thing."The full interview is available at Eurogamer.net and is a very interesting read....

2K Boston head Ken Levine is truly one of the best game designers around, even before he helped to create the award winning and best selling shooter BioShock. Yet even he seems to be surprised that the game sold as well as it did when it was first released around a year ago.Eurogamer quotes Levine as saying, "I don't even know how we convinced people to pay for BioShock. These games had never made any money - everybody told us when we were pitching BioShock, sounds like a great idea, you'll sell 150,000 units - next!" Levine believes the move to tone down some gameplay aspects helped it to gain a wider audience than, say, games like System Shock 2 and Deus Ex which shared some of BioShock's ideas. Levine states, "How many people had played these kind of games before? 300,000, 400,000 - maybe? Now millions of people, because of this game, have played this type of game."...

Vincent Scheurer, founder of business consultancy Sarassin, recently spoke on video game censorship at the Develop Conference & Expo held in Brighton. GameIndustry.biz reports that, according to Scheuer, the costs involved in Rockstar's overturning of the British Board of Film Classification's (BBFC) Manhunt 2 ban were so great, an independent developer wouldn't have been able to foot the bill."The costs of the Manhunt 2 ban to RockStar were massive - an independent developer would be out of business," said Scheurer. "It makes the business of making games that much harder."During his talk, Scheurer revealed the specific reasons behind the BBFC's ban of Rockstar's execution-laden Manhunt 2. Specifically, the game's lack of humor, puzzles and, most importantly, its realism, were what caused the Rockstar title to disappear from stores. With those reasons good enough to prevent players from experiencing Manhunt 2, could a BioShock 2 ban be out of the question?Not if you ask Scheurer. "The next game to be banned could be BioShock 2, and then where would we be?" Scheurer then lauded Tiga for speaking out against the ban, realizing that more than just Manhunt 2 was on the line: today Manhunt 2... tomorrow, BioShock?...

Ken Levine is renowned as one of the most creative designers in the game business. Several of his games, such as System Shock 2 and BioShock, are considered incredible masterpieces of the medium. He's also a pretty outspoken guy. Speaking to vg247, he addressed some of the rumors that some of the original BioShock team left 2K Boston because of him. Here's what he had to say:"My wife finds it more upsetting than I do. I think the thing that was the most damaging is that it's not something I can respond to. There's no point in it. Look at the BioShock credit list and see how true that rumour is. My personality? I don't know. Maybe I am an asshole. Honestly, the people I respect? Maybe I'm the nicest guy in the world, maybe I'm the biggest asshole. I couldn't tell you. I think people choose to work with me because I can work with them and make a game called BioShock. Do you like to see people say you're inconsiderate? No. When it comes to hiring, does it really matter? No."In other words, Ken Levine doesn't care what people think. He's out to make good games!...

Every weekend Valve puts up one game on their Steam download service that is sold for 50 percent or more for just a couple of days. This weekend, they have one of the best games in recent years at a bargain price. We are speaking of Bioshock, the innovative and visually terrific first person shooter from developer 2K Boston/Australia and publisher 2K Games.If you haven't experienced exploring the underwater city of Rapture and trying to save or kill Little Sisters, you owe it to yourself to download the PC version of the game via Steam for just $14.99 before Monday. Oh, did you hear there's a sequel and a movie version in the works? Yep, it definately something that all the kids are talking about....

Earlier this year, game designer Adam Maxwell wrote a controversial Gamasutra opinion piece stating, essentially, that writers were not instrumental to the video games industry. Maxwell admits that it was his skills as a writer which earned him a job in the industry, but it was his ascension to the role of designer that ensured he would always have a job."I wasn't technically hired as a writer, but rather an assistant designer," Maxwell wrote. He goes on to explain that the studio for which he was hired later dissolved, but his job was secure. "Had I been hired simply as a writer that would have been the end for me. ... as a designer I survived. There is no place for writers in our industry."Citing exposition-laden titles such as BioShock and Final Fantasy VII, Maxwell continues by examining the difference between writing and designing, the role of writers in games versus the oft-compared film genre, and the non-authorial control inherent in the video game medium which dictates that the user, not the writer, controls the experience.More recently, Lee Sheldon, a 15-year game design veteran, has composed an op-ed that strongly disagrees with Maxwell's view on game writers. Sheldon states that "game studios still have a very limited idea of what writing a game means, or how writers can be used in games." As a result, Sheldon feels that game writers are rarely utilized to their fullest.Sheldon laments his belief that, were he to enter the industry today for the first time, he might not have a job. Sheldon goes on to list a number of misconceptions related to the belief that games don't need writers. Among them is the fact that games, though lucrative and popular, is still quite young in terms of other entertainment mediums. "It's too soon to expect artistic greatness," writes Sheldon. Additionally, Sheldon isn't quite sold on the belief that stories are linear, but games are not. "Non-linear stories can be found everywhere. Linear games are everywhere," he says.To read the interview in its entirety, visit GameCareerGuide.com....

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, 2K Boston technical director Chris Kline stated his belief there is no leeway between triple-A and casual budgets; developers should pick one or the other. Kline said that 2K Boston had to come to this very same decision during the planning phase for BioShock, their critically-acclaimed morality-based FPS from 2007."I think what we realised, which really started that transition back at Irrational, we were doing games that I'd say were mid-budget - maybe USD 3-4 million - that there was no real market left," said Kline during an interview from GDC Paris last month. "You'd have to do something like what EA is doing and go into the casual market, or you've got to go for a really big blockbuster - just because of the economics, especially for the small independent developers, you're really squeezed out of the middle." Kline believes that dividing the once-muddle hybrid of casual and hardcore is a good thing, as developers are able to cater to specific crowds and adjust their planning accordingly."I'm not sure it's the natural evolution of things, that there are two markets that are now just separating, whereas before they were just muddled, and this is a good thing - or if people have been left out in the cold. I definitely think there's a market for a shorter, more casual experience - something that's a little more light-hearted. And we hope there's a market for people who want very cinematic, very emotional experiences that are also intelligent and made for adults."...

One Voice Technologies Inc. has released a beta of Say2Play, a voice-command program that allows users to speak the names of in-game actions rather than press their respective keys."Say2Play revolutionizes the gaming experience by providing voice control to the world's most popular PC games," according to the official Say2Play website. "Now, with Say2Play you can keep your fingers on the most important controls, like the fire and movement keys, and use voice commands, like "flak cannon" or "show map" to change weapons or instantly access any other keystroke using only your voice.Offering support for titles such as Age of Conan, Crysis, Unreal Tournament III, World of WarCraft, BioShock, Doom 3, Battle for Middle-Earth II and more, Say2Play claims to offer "tremendous competitive advantage with the ability to instantly execute any one of thousands of preloaded commands by voice."Users interested in trying Say2Play for themselves are encouraged to download the program's beta....

Details for Crysis Warhead have emerged on Tiscali Games, a Czech gaming site. They're actually taken from the latest PC Gamer magazine, but hey... we're not quibbling. The game begins with Nomad (the hero of Crysis) and Sergeant Sykes (a.k.a. "Psycho") parting ways, but follows Psycho until the two reunite on board the aircraft carrier. Warhead's storyline runs parallel to the one seen in Crysis and takes place on the other side of the same island. It will be much less linear and provide more of a sandbox feel. The incredible nanosuit returns and has all the same functions... along with a few surprises. The game's single player campaign, a completely stand-alone product, will last for 8 - 10 hours. Two new weapons (grenade launcher and double SMG) along with two new vehicles (Armored Scout Recon and a hovercraft) will be introduced. Both will be available in multiplayer games as well. Speaking of... there will be a new team-based MP mode that's much less complex than what was seen in Crysis. As has already been mentioned, Warhead will have improved enemy AI, will be optimized to run faster, won't require DX10 for max details. The game's story and dialog is written by Susan O'Connor of BioShock fame. Finally, a Crysis 2 sequel will rely heavily on Warhead's sales. So buy this game! [via ShackNews]...

Your daily wrap-up of the hottest stories in PC gaming in the last 24 hours. Big Download Interview: Alone In The DarkIt's taken a long time but today is finally the day for the reimagining of the Alone in the Dark franchise to finally head to store shelves for the PC and other platforms. Developer Eden Studios and publisher Atari/Infogrames have a lot riding on the success of this huge survival horror title. Indeed the publisher is hoping to sell between two to three million copies of the game this year. Spore Galactic Edition evolves into online retailA special edition of Spore has appeared at online retailers for pre-ordering. It's called the "Galactic Edition," and it comes with a making-of DVD, a DVD by National Geographic called "The Human Toolkit," a hardback book of concept art, a fold-out poster, and a "premium 100-page Galactic Handbook." We're not sure what the handbook will entail, but the rest sounds pretty cool. Should BioShock have failed?It was one of the most anticipated games of 2007 and the final release of 2K Games' first person shooter BioShock was one of the most critically acclaimed games of the year. But should the game have failed? That was the premise of the chat made by 2K Boston lead programmer Chris Kline at this week's Paris GDC event. Gamasutra has a report on the speech where Kline admitted, " . . . it did fail a lot, over the course of time. A series of big mistakes and corrections and slipped ship dates, but all of these helped make it a good game." Guide to TF2 Pyro Achievements, Part 2Glorious fire! You just love to burn things! We can't blame you, though. Nobody knows who you are, where you come from, or what your real gender even is, pyro, but we know that you sure love to set things on fire. Don't worry, though. We want to help you. We love your work. That's why we have crafted for you this very guide to ease your attempts to fulfill the strange objectives given to you. You have read the first part, so here is the second. Soon you'll be back on the road, setting fire to all the wildlife as you pass by. ...

It was one of the most anticipated games of 2007 and the final release of 2K Games' first person shooter BioShock was one of the most critically acclaimed games of the year. But should the game have failed? That was the premise of the chat made by 2K Boston lead programmer Chris Kline at this week's Paris GDC event. Gamasutra has a report on the speech where Kline admitted, " . . . it did fail a lot, over the course of time. A series of big mistakes and corrections and slipped ship dates, but all of these helped make it a good game."So what happened to make the game a success? Kline talked about a number of the changed they made to BioShock over the course of its development. One was made after the game was shown to the media at E3 2006 where the team decided to market the game as more of a pure shooter than a mix of shooter and RPG. Kline stated, " . . . .when we presented it as a shooter people started getting more excited about it. Even the team."...

There is much rejoicing in the Bioshock PC community this evening. Why? Because the 2K Boston/Australia first person shooter now has the freedom to be played without having to worry anymore about those pesky activation restrictions or install limits. A note on the game's official message board has the word: Good news! As promised, all activation restrictions, including install limits, have been removed from BioShock PC as of today. You don't have to patch or install anything for this to go into effect for your copy of BioShock – it's already done! Enjoy your time in Rapture, and thank you for supporting BioShock and the 2K teams. Huzzah! Now if we can only get BioWare and EA to do something similar for Mass Effect.[Via Blue's News] ...

GamesIndustry.biz reports that Ken Levine, Christopher Kline, Bill Gardner, and Nate Wells, four people crucial to the development of BioShock, will keynote this year's Develop Conference. The keynote address will examine BioShock's success and should prove to be an insightful, though-provoking treat for attendees. Andy Lane, event director for the Develop Conference, said that Develop is "delighted to be welcoming Ken and the team to Develop in Brighton. Their passion and experience are genuinely inspirational and this session will be a fantastic start to a packed two days of knowledge building sessions." As mentioned by Lane, the Develop Conference will be held in Brighton, UK, from July 29 - 31....

Never underestimate the selling power of Lego and George Lucas. The latest Lego PC game made its debut on the latest NPD Group list of best selling PC games for the week ending June 7. That would be Lego Indiana Jones from developer Traveller's Tales and publisher LucasArts as it comes in the number three spot last week, behind number one selling Age of Conan and number two selling Mass Effect.The full top 10 list is below and check it out; BioShock has reappeared on the top 10 list after going missing for several months. Looks like Ken Levine just got a new bargaining chip: 1. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures - Funcom/Eidos 2. Mass Effect - BioWare/EA 3. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures - Traveller's Tales/LucasArts 4. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts 5. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest - Blizzard 6. The Sims 2 Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff - Electronic Arts 7. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard 8. BioShock - 2K Games 9. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade - Blizzard 10. The Sims 2 Freetime - Electronic Arts ...

2K Boston/Australia head Ken Levine has been one of the more open people to talk to in the gaming press, always willing to chat with journalists about everything from his hit game BioShock to game design and writing to pretty much anything else. But lately even Levine has been strangely silent despite a lot of recent BioShock related news, including a sequel announcement and a BioShock movie. Why the clamp down?Variety thinks it knows the answer. Citing unnamed sources, it claims Levine is in the middle of re-negotiating his current contract with 2K Boston/Australia's parent company Take Two Interactive. According to the story the talks have been ongoing for a couple of months now and may take some time to complete. It's unknown exactly what Levine wants from Take Two but BioShock was the publisher's major hit of last year and keeping Levine on board would go a long way to establishing itself as a company that until recently has only had the Grand Theft Auto franchise to fall back on....