Irrational Games, Formerly 2K Boston, Formerly Irrational Games

Nabeel Burney Leave a comment

2K Boston Logo Irrational Games Old LogoIt was with some trepidation, two summers ago, that fans of developer Irrational Games received the news that the company was to undergo a name change, and come under the 2K Games umbrella with the new label 2K Boston. It stank of borg; the absorption into a faceless corporation and loss of individuality and identity. The company risked losing the prestige and reputation in the name that it had built up over the years with an almost impeccable gameography 1)http://apps.metacritic.com/search/process?ty=3&ts=irrational+games&tfs=game_developer&sb=5&release_date_s=&release_date_e=&metascore_s=&metascore_e=&x=33&y=15.

Irrational Games New LogoSo it was a pleasant surprise to wake up today to the announcement that the studio is going back to their old name. Well, I lie a little when I say it was a surprise. There were rumblings of something going on with the trademark back in October, so I expected it to surface again eventually in some form or other. It would probably be safe to say there hasn’t been much damage done from the first switch, seeing as how any mention of ‘2K Boston’ was usually followed by the reminder ‘(formerly Irrational Games)’. It’s clear the old name held some value to them as it does to us, and they intend to respect their legacy as well as uphold it with their upcoming new game.

The studio has been out of the limelight for the past two years since the release of their seminal game, BioShock (its sequel being taken up by sister studio 2K Marin), and there has been no information on the title they are currently working on now. The rumour is that it’s a new X-COM game, but all we really know is that it is a “substantially more ambitious” undertaking than their previous efforts. But it looks like things will change this year: studio head Ken Levine promised with his new year wishes that they would finally come out of hiding. Things have started off with the launch of a new website, which currently has nothing but a countdown timer (at 3 days at the time of this post). Game Informer has, unsurprisingly, snagged the exclusive yet again and have an article in their upcoming February issue about Irrational’s rebirth. They have also set up an online hub page for news updates and articles, apparently to explore the “past, present and future” of Irrational Games. So there’s more to this relaunch than just an image or branding issue – by acknowledging their history they retain goodwill with the fanbase. It will be an interesting month for fans, that’s for sure, and I’ll be tweeting or posting the updates as they come.

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Borderlanders Ahoy!

Martyn Zachary Leave a comment

Borderlands Logo

Borderlands 20With a potent New Game+ and the recent releases of The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned and Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, Borderlands has stayed relevant despite its curiously constructed, abrupt plot arc. Andrew Vanden Bossche’s GameSetWatch column, “Design Diversions: Anatomy of a Gun,” for instance, points our attention solely to the guns:

“Borderlands exudes style, character, and charm for a good half hour before dropping it. It’s regrettable since the game has so much going for it in this department: colorful characters, a vibrant but derelict landscape, and an alien society of corporations and vagrants. … After all, the most important characters in Borderlands are the ones players can never look away from: the guns. 1)http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/11/column_design_diversions_anato.php

Having beaten the game with people I’m great friends with, Borderlands became a frictionless experience as we decided to split up weapons and classes evenly from the get-go. My question to you is, then, how do you solve the sharing issues that the game, at its worst, can present? Let’s assume the worst-case scenario: Four players enter the game with the same class and weapon proficiencies.

Hopefully we can get a good enough tally of votes to draw some conclusions – please vote accordingly, and if you have any tasty stories, good ideas or general tips relating to the poll, do post those in the comments section! Finally, if you have any friends who you played with, please do forward the poll over to them as well. Thanks again, everybody!

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The Cat Lady

Martyn Zachary 1 Comment

Remigiusz Michalski’s Downfall remains by far the curiousest adventure title of yesteryear, a psycho-horror point and click that I personally spent considerable time with, trying to adequately wrap my head around its subtleties and twists. In delightful if surprising news, the Russian publisher Akella has picked up the game for release in mid-January.

The Cat Lady Promo 01

After completing his first game, Michalski quickly turned his attention onto a thematic follow-up to his first game. The new game, then, is titled The Cat Lady and looks to be, once again, an atmospheric, macabre adventure game developed on the AGS platform.

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Depth

Martyn Zachary Leave a comment

I’ve just come across the most absolutely terrifying game concept in the long history of the gaming medium: Depth, an underwater, team- and class-based sharks versus divers multiplayer mod to be released on Epic’s Unreal Development Kit.

Okay, I admit, it’s probably just me and my fear of the final frontier: I was scared to death even with No One Lives Forever’s sharks. Luckily, there is a quantum of solace to be found in the game – I can always play as sharks only! That shouldn’t be so bad, right? …right?

That being said, the project looks fantastic and deviously simple. It is also being worked on by former Killing Floor lead, Alex Quick. Check out this new, awful, awful UDK game at Mod DB!

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