2K sent over a media alert to let us know that Mafia II is officially under development for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC (under Games for Windows Live).
Mafia II provides a beautifully crafted look into the dark and unforgiving world of the Mob. Expanding upon the original hit that captivated more than two million gamers, 2K Czech takes players deeper into the Mafia with a mature and compelling narrative that will immerse players like never before. Drawing on the experience it garnered from working on the critically acclaimed Mafia and Hidden & Dangerous series, 2K Czech’s look at mob life in the 1950s will immerse gamers in the seedy criminal underworld that makes up Mafia II.
The game looks terrific, especially from the screens they sent over. Check out the rest of the pretty shit after the jump. I’m very much looking forward to this title.
2K sent over a few new screens and the final box art for Don King’s Prizefighter. While the game definitely looks pretty, it will take some great gameplay to hang with Fight Night Round 3.
Check out more sweaty, topless men after the jump. You know you want to.
So what the shit is a hostile takeover? Allow me to retort. A hostile takeover is when a company receives an offer to be purchased and the Board of Directors rejects it. The party making the offer, EA, can bypass the Board and appeal to the shareholders. The shareholders can then sell their stock if they wish. Usually the buying price exceeds the present market price. If 51% of the stock is sold, then EA would ipso facto own the company.
So here are the highlights. The 2 Billion dollar offer would have meant that EA would pay $26.00 a share. The current price per share on the day of the offer, Feb 18, was just under $16.00. Needless to say, anyone with major holdings would almost double their current investment. Speculation says that Take 2 is waiting for GTA IV to come out because the projected sales of over 200 million for that quarter will absolutely drive the stock price up considerably. Its tough to say right now, but with the amount of money being thrown around and the present state of the economy, people might dump their stock. One caveat to add is in many companies, the Board members hold a significant amount of stock. The battle of wits has begun.
So we know Ken Levine is a “terrific asset to the company” and that he’s working on a new game instead of BioShock 2. But just what is this new project? Some signs point to a sequel to Max Payne.
With the movie in development, it seems like a great time to bring the game back. And the creative genius of Ken Levine might just be what it takes to revitalize the franchise. The second game wasn’t all that, so there’s a lot of expectation for what Payne can bring to the more powerful consoles.
The movie is slated for a late 2008 or early 2009 release and I think this would be a perfect time to bring back Max Payne. Only time will tell, though.
Your fix for Big Daddies will be fed in the fourth quarter of 2009 as Take 2 confirmed BioShock 2 is currently in development at 2K Marin.
I’m excited for a sequel, but a little concerned with the move in studios. The first BioShock title was developed by 2K Boston and 2K Australia. With Ken Levine working on new IP, the title is being moved over to 2K Marin. Don’t fret, as Levine will be offering limited guidance on the project.
Whatever the case, more BioShock is great for everyone. No word on what platforms the game will be released on nor where in the storyline the game will take place. I, for one, would love to see a game going about the fall of Rapture. We’ll keep you posted as more details are released.
This could be speculation, but Bioshock could be coming to PS3. Why is this? Well, 2K Boston, the dev team best known for creating Bioshock, is actively seeking developers for the PS3. Now, this obviously means that they have in the works or are planning a game release for the PS3. Is it Bioshock or Bioshock 2 or possibly neither? Who knows? With the obvious success of Bioshock, it would seem reasonable to assume that it might be a cross platform release. Here is a quote from 2K Boston themselves:
“PS3 and production experience using Python or Ruby will be highly regarded” for the Tools Programmer position. “Experience with PS3 development is highly desirable.” for the Senior Console Programmer position. “PlayStation3 experience highly desirable” for the Programmer position.”
Just a quick quip here about a info release on the storyline for Bioshock 2. Apparently its going to be a prequel! An unknown source with 2K games has said that Bioshock 2 is now in Pre-production phase with a release around summer 2009. I think that witnessing the detailed events surrounding the collapse of the infamous underwater utopia is an interesting premise. If its done right of course.
So, what do you think everybody? Let us know what you would like to see in the final product. You never know who’s reading.
Another trailer from last night’s VGA’s. This one is for the Action RPG, Borderlands, from 2K Games. The title is set in an alien world that looks like a cross between Lost Planet and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The answer is 42 people. The answer is 42. Anyway, the game is coming out in 2008 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Every time we say his name, he just gets more power. This is officially the last time you’ll see me say Jack Thompson. From now on, the law buff will be known as Chuckles, because every time he does something, the entire gaming world gets a laugh.
So Chuckles decided to rock out another “sting” operation. He previous sent his son in to a Best Buy to pick up a copy of BioShock. His son isn’t yet 18, which is what he’s trying prove. However, he’s going after 2K Games for the problem instead of Best Buy. 2K Games doesn’t control a retailer’s action. They brand the game as mature and it’s up to the retailers to enforce the sales. The new “sting” operation involves Halo 3.
Chuckles sent his son into a South Florida Target store to buy a copy of Halo 3, which he was able to do on the first try without an ID. Granted, this shouldn’t happen. But again, Chuckles isn’t going after Target, he’s going after Microsoft. Because somehow the gaming industry is responsible for this happening at retailers. Are they also responsible for R-rated movies and CD’s with Parental Advisory stickers being sold to minors as well?
This editor can only hope Chuckles stops his antics and gets put in his place pretty soon.
There have been rumblings and grumblings about the widescreen issues with the recent release of BioShock. Here is a statement that they have made from the BioShock homepage.
We understand there has been some concern about the implementation of widescreen mode in BioShock. Hopefully, we can clarify how we’ve chosen to do this.
The first thing we want to make clear is the mode we developed the game on and the optimal mode for playing the game is the widescreen mode. 90% of our development stations were widescreen displays: artists, programmers and designers.
We're like Spaceballs... we're making Loot Ninja everything. Coming soon we'll have hats, shirts, hoodies, possibly banana hammocks if one Editor has his way...
Check out the shirt prototypes here and the hats here
Every time we say his name, he just gets more power. This is officially the last time you’ll see me say Jack Thompson. From now on, the law buff will be known as Chuckles, because every time he does something, the entire gaming world gets a laugh.
There have been rumblings and grumblings about the widescreen issues with the recent release of BioShock. Here is a statement that they have made from the BioShock 
