Posted by Spooner | 6 Comments

So I got Bioshock 2…

Not just Bioshock 2, but the Bioshock 2 Collector’s Edition! I’m framing the lithographs and putting them up on the wall next to my massive Blizzcon 09′ print and the record I am actually gifting to a very good friend of mine who happens to collect vinyl records and is a fanatic in his own right.

The art book and soundtracks alone are reason enough for me to spend the extra cash on this little splurge (seeing as how I’m not spending a selfish dime again until October for Blizzcon) and overall it’s a cool addition to my growing collection of unique and limited gaming “things” around the office.

As for the game, fucking awesome. The only complaint I have even if you can call it such is that you don’t get to play through the story of Subject Delta (the original Big Daddy you play as throughout the entire game) that leads up to Bioshock 2’s beginning. I would love to walk through as a normal citizen in Rapture during its golden age where everything is gilded metal and crimson carpets with silver filigree and people living in excess.

Then going through the transformation into Subject Delta, and finally through the events that lead to Bioshock 2 from his perspective. Personally I find the character of Delta much more engaging than that of Jack from Bioshock 1 but I find it really cool that people make reference to him (well, your character  in the past if you played Bioshock 1) as a sort of messiah that brought down Fontain and Ryan. That can all be possible DLC (hint hint) however.

The game could be a little deeper but otherwise it’s a 9.9 out of 10. And those critics and other big shot folks giving it any less credit are simply too jaded and cynical to ever really be happy with anything given to them. That’s why I hate cynics, they can complain about a blowjob from Angelina Jolie and a lifetime supply of chocolate and their credibility remains unscathed.

Read More

Posted by Spooner | 0 Comments

Bioshock 2 PC Requirements & DRM Scaling

Rapture is coming very soon, within the next two weeks I’ll be sinking myself deep into the world of Bioshock 2 as subject Delta. Good news for us PC gamers are the system requirements for Bioshock 2 aren’t that insane and yet the recommended and optimal settings are still going to be amazing. The biggest news by far comes from the official Cult of Rapture website where it has been announced that the DRM for the game has been relaxed so it’s not as locked down as original expected.

There will be no SecuROM install limits for either the retail or digital editions of BioShock 2, and SecuROM will be used only to verify the game’s executable and check the date. Beyond that, we are only using standard Games for Windows Live non-SSA guidelines, which, per Microsoft, comes with 15 activations (after that, you can reset them with a call to Microsoft.)

DRM has to be one of the varying reasons if not the biggest for the slow death of PC gaming and I am glad to see that at least some game publishers still have a soul.

Minimum System Requirements
Operating System: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz or better, Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0Ghz Processor or better
RAM: 2GB
Video card: NVIDIA 7800GT 256MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon X1900 256MB graphics card or better
Hard drive space: 11GB
Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0C compliant sound card w/ onboard sound

Recommended System Requirements
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core 2.60Ghz, Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Dual Core 2.13Ghz
RAM: 3GB
Video card: NVIDIA 8800GT 512MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon HD4830 512MB graphics card or better

Other Requirements (Retail version)
Initial installation requires one-time internet connection; Ability to save game, earn Achievements, receive title updates and online play requires log-in to Games for Windows LIVE; requires disc-in-drive to play; software installations required (included on disc) include Microsoft Visual C++2008 Runtime Libraries, Games for Windows LIVE client, Games for Windows LIVE Client Patch, Sony DADC SecuROM, Microsoft DirectX.

PERIPHERALS SUPPORTED: Microsoft compatible Keyboard and Mouse.

Read More

Posted by Spooner | 4 Comments

Looking Forward for 2010

Well I’ve just about recovered from the Holidays, there’s this migraine that won’t go away and the taste of something dead in my throat but other than that and the massive summit of trash outside on the curb – it’s been a pretty awesome Christmas. We’re very close to the New Year and if only by comparison 2010 is looking to be a Golden Age of Awesome compared to the living nightmare of 2009. Sure this year has had some pretty amazing times but thus far the stress has outweighed the good by a vast margin. So what do you have to look forward to for Spooncraft in 2010? Well half of that relies on you.

The following is a list of all the titles and feature you know 100% will be coming up in 2010 and of that you’ve got my word:

Starcraft 2 – Yes friend the Beta test is imminent and I’m hoping that beta key I submitted damn near 6 months ago is going to rock me in. According to the magic 8-ball it seems that you’re going to get a lot of footage from the Beta event as I record tons of HD gameplay video.

Bioshock 2 – When this Feb. release hits my desktop you’ll see a lot of story spoilers as well as competitive multiplayer videos. Not to mention I’ll be gone for a few days as I bleed my eyes out soaking up every pixel of this soon to be masterpiece.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm – The prospect of playing as a Worgen got me back into the vortex of WoW. I’m actually rally enjoying myself right now as compared to ever before and I have to attest half of that to playing a new class I’ve never touched before (Rogue) and the other half to playing more casually (which means I’m not raiding yet nor plan to for a while) and I’m back on the Alliance with my original crew of cohorts.

APB – If and when this is released expect me to touch some on the game and more than likely buy it and report regular news and other updates. If it turns out to be another Aion flop then it’ll drop off my radar but somehow I doubt that anything can live down to those standards.

The Daily Fap – This feature isn’t going away at all and if anything it’s frequency will be ramped up to a more weekly offering.

Diablo 3 – As always any news and content I can score will be posted here but keep in mind the game is most likely not going to even hit a Beta test until 2011, but we’ll see. I’m still holding a candle for this as my ultimate sequel next to Starcraft.

Blizzcon 2010 – As always if they have one and regardless of where they have one

That about does it for 100% guaranteed games I’ll be playing and features you’ll see. I’m on the fence about Star Wars: The Old Republic simply because the choose your own adventure style of gaming that Bioware loves isn’t something I jive with typically. I personally much prefer to be along for the ride and have it be an amazing and incredible one instead of being forced to pick and choose the little nuances in the story, I think that’s a job for the writer not the player. Unless of course you’re playing Little Big Planet.

So leave a comment or two or ten and list the things you want to see in 2010. What are you most excited about for this coming year and the turn of the decade? The new Metroid game? The new Castlevania title? Dante’s Inferno? Startrek Online? New tech? There’s a ton of new and exciting things coming in the next 12 months, what can’t you wait to experience?

Read More

Posted by Spooner | 2 Comments

The Begining of Bioshock 2

Andrew Ryan has been toppled from his throne of power, the beast Fontaine has been extinguished, and Jack has moved on. The city of Rapture is locked in purgatory as it begins to fall deeper into an increasingly decrepit state. The splicers are spiraling deeper into madness and the city’s populace seems to be caught in a religious upheaval and the iron grip of a crazy ideologist.

God DAMN I love this game.

Read More

Posted by Spooner | 2 Comments

New Bioshock 2 Footage

The official BioShock 2 website has new content, including three gameplay movies.  Yeah the new site setup is pretty badass and the general vibe they’re delivering is much darker than the first Bioshock which was pretty demented to begin with. There’s new footage showing how you can use your plasmids at the same time as your guns which is leading to some sick combos. Grabbing a splicer with telekinesis and then shooting them point blank with a chain gun that shoots electro bullets you previously charged with your lightening plasmid. Yeah this is going to be some kind of epic.

Not to mention the little sister pull-string talking doll which will send chills down your spine.

Read More