Bioshock Studio, Irrational Games Shutting Their Doors

Ken Levine, founder of Irrational Games and one of the minds behind iconic games like System Shock, Bioshock, and Bioshock Infinite has announced that the studio will be shutting down. Levine states in a letter on the Irrational Games' website that he will be, "winding down Irrational Games as you know it. [he'll] be starting a smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor at Take-Two." All but fifteen members of the Irrational team will be joining Levine. This means that unfortunately, the other remaining members of the team will be laid off.

Levine did express his concerns for these employees however and explained that they will all receive financial support. He also went on to explain that they will be allowed to use the studio's resources to build their portfolios and that Take-Two will be hosting a recruiting day for employees who wish to interview for positions with third-party studios.

While it is unfortunate to see such a creative mind make a decision that feels so painful, I can understand. The Bioshock franchise was great but after Infinite, it felt like a conclusion. More Bioshock games would just feel superfluous or overplayed. I think Levine made the right decision do something new. I trust that even though he'll be working on smaller projects, that he'll create great narrative stories, just like he did with Bioshock. Levine listed some of his goals in the letter explaining that he wants to develop "highly replayable" games for hardcore gamers that will be delivered digitally. So it is clear he has a vision and I'm excited to see him fulfill it.

As for the other employees who are being laid off, it's great to see that they are being taken care of and being shown the respect and care they deserve. I wish the best for them as they were also a part in crafting truly unforgettable moments from some of my favorite games. What do you think; is Levine making a mistake, or are you excited to see what's next? The future of Bioshock is unclear still but it is possible that 2K Marin, the studio behind Bioshock 2 might pick it up. I honestly hope it's just left alone though, at least for now.

New York Toyfair: NECA Reveals Booker DeWitt, Team Fortress and More

Out of all the Bioshock fans out there, I was probably one of the most desperate when it came to waiting for NECA to reveal their Booker DeWitt figure from Bioshock Infinite. I've been tracking their Twitter page where they are always answering the questions of fans and posting updates on all the different figures they're working on. Day after day, since August, I checked their Twitter feed with no luck. It wasn't until this past weekend that photos of the Booker DeWitt figure surfaced on the internet from the NECA showroom at the 2014 New York Toy Fair.

After finally seeing it, I finally feel the satisfaction I've been yearning for. The figure is very impressive complete with details like the embroidery on Booker's vest, the leather shoulder holster and even the tie. They all work together to make the figure come alive. The face resembles Booker's character model perfectly and I couldn't ask for any more on this figure. It looks like he'll come with a shotgun and a Murder of Crows vigor but these may not be final. There's still no release date for the figure but hopefully it isn't far off. 

Booker wasn't the only reveal though. Video game fans will also be happy to see that a Red Spy and Red Engineer will be joining the collection of Team Fortress figures that NECA has been steadily rolling out. I would have liked to see a turret for the Engineer but who knows, it could be in the works. A prototype of Master Chief from the Halo series was on display as well, but is an early work in progress. Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight will be getting a 1/4 scale figure which captures the true menace of the character and looks great, even standing next to a 1/4 scale Batman from Arkham Origins.

There were also a slew of reveals for NECA's more popular lines like Predator and Alien. From the Alien series, Dallas in a Nostromo spacesuit, an indisposed Kane in a spacesuit with a face hugger, the android Bishop, and a Dog Alien are all looking phenomenal. The power loader from Aliens made an appearance and NECA has confirmed that figures can fit inside to operate it!

You can see almost two hundred images here that show just about everything NECA had presented in their showroom, check it out and go follow them on Twitter for updates and news on their figures. 

Get a closer look at Dishonored

In a interview with Morgan Webb, Co-Creative directors, Raphael Colontonio and Harvey Smith show off the  Steampunk and stealth based gameplay featured in their upcoming game, Dishonored. Smith and Colontonio emphasize the focus on the stealth aspect in Dishonored and go as far as to claim that players can go through the entire game without killing a single person.

Players assume the role of Corvo, former body-guard to the empress. After being framed for her murder, he gains supernatural abilities (similar to Plasmids in Bioshock) and combined with his marksmanship and talent as a swordsman, he sets out for revenge against those actually responsible for the empress' death. We get a glimpse of these powers Corvo has throughout the demo. One of the powers demonstrated is called 'Blink' which allows Corvo to teleport over short distances. He can use the power to dodge enemy attacks, sneak past guards or even reach areas that are normally inaccessible. At one point in the demo, Corvo strangles a guard and must hide his body to avoid being detected; the player uses the Blink ability to teleport into the second story of a vacant building to hide the corpse.

One of the other powers demonstrated in the game allows the player to posses animals such as the vile rats that scurry along the streets or even a human. When you use the posses power, you can use animals such as a rat or a fish to find vents or tunnels to access the domains of your enemies. When the player controls  rat at one point, he accesses a tiny vent which leads to the inside of a mansion. Once through the vent, the player ends the possession and resumes the game as Corvo having successfully infiltrated the mansion. It sounds strange but Smith and Colotonio explained there are almost endless possibilities in the world of Dishonored. You can approach your missions with stealth in mind and find these hidden access points and even use other powers at your disposal to infiltrate certain locations without alerting a single guard. Not many of the other have been revealed just yet but they imply that missions can be completed in a multitude of different ways.

Also important to keep in mind is that the choices you make as Corvo effect your morality and the outcome of the ending. Smith and Colontonio explain that sparing the life of certain enemies will have an effect on the game in the future but killing them will have different results that effect the game as well.

As the demo begins, you get a glimpse of Dishonored's Dystopian setting as the two directors explain the city named Dunwall (one of the various locations you'll frequent through out the game) is part of a completely fictional world and inspired by the streets of London with a Steampunk-esque vibe. You can see primitive forms of steam based technology such as generators to power lights and other machines.

You can check out the whole interview below and see just how awesome this game looks. If you're a fan of Bioshock, Thief, or just stealth games in general, you'll definitely want to keep your eye on Dishonored which is set to release on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC on October 9, this year.