Mafia II: Five New Mob Shots

2K Games released some new screenshots of Mafia II today. The new screenshots are always a welcome for me, as I'm always in the mood to wack somebody. Enjoy!

Darkness 2 In The Works

At the New York Comic Con 2008, Starbreeze announced that a Darkness sequel is in the works. He tells us it in one of the best ways possible.

“We can’t say Darkness and video game sequel in the same sentence. So, Darkness. Wink. Sequel.”

There you have it. We wil await eagerly for more information.

[NY Comic Con ‘08: Top Cow Panel]

Mafia II: GameReactor Scans

Well, the newest issue of GameReactor was released yesterday and it included an extensive preview on 2K's upcoming Mafia II. Most of the words in the scans are cut out, but all the new screenshots and such are still present.

Enjoy them at the link.

[Mafia II GR Scans] [MafiaScene]

Mafia II: Four New Screenshots

2K Games and Illusion Softworks released four new screenshots of Mafia II tonight, showing the beauty in the graphics of the game. As I currently play through The Godfather, this gets me even more hyped for Mafia II's 2009 release. Enjoy!

New Mafia II Screens and Information Coming April 11, 2008

For those Mafia II fans, stick around for April 11, 2008. The newest issue of GameReactor magazine will contain a preview of Mafia II with some brand new screenshots (tiny versions viewable on the left). You bet scans will be online shortly after. Stick around.

[GameReactor] [Issue 56]

Mafia II: Two More Screenshots

Tiscali Games seems to have gotten two new and exclusive screenshots of the upcoming Mafia II. These times really make me mad. I want exclusive shots of the Italian Mob game. Ah well, we cannot all get what we want, perhaps when the new site opens. Enjoy!

Mafia II Breakdown from PlayStation: Official Magazine of May 2008

The latest issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine contains an extensive preview of the upcoming Mafia II. As always, when a hot story is shown, a NeoGAF member will break it down for us. Lets take a look.

• The game will feature 3 families.
• Cops only call reinforcements if you committed a large enough crime.
• In total, there are about 2 hours of cutscenes.
• The game will contain references to the original game along with easter eggs.
• The game has 3 acts.
• All of the 2.5 square mile city available for travel at the start.
• You can use taxi's to get around the city.
• Cars get damaged, dirty, and even explode if shot in the gas tank.
• You can customize cars with your own license plates.
• There are 2 types of context sensitive environment interactions: Standard and Violent.
• You can buy food from vendors such as hotdogs.
• While buying stuff you cannot be attacked.
• NPC's will smoke, read newspapers, wait for buses, look through trash cans, etc.
• In several points in the story, you can make choices that affect the game.
• The game will feature multiple endings.
• Police will go after other criminals instead of just you
• You can buy houses where you can store your gear
• You can take missions for and against competing families.
• There will be many interactive objects such as chairs, bottles, sinks, etc.
• The map will have waypoints including sidequests.
• Checkpoints have improved from the original game.
• There will be no on screen interface.
• You can go to gyms to learn new hand to hand combo moves.
• Shooting through doors will possibly be added.

The game is sounding promising. I will have to pick up this issue soon as I'm a sucker for Italian games. I even re-purchased Godfather: The Don's Edition when I already had the original on the PlayStation 2. Damn Italian blood.

[Playstation: The Official Magazine May 08]

2K Marin Hiring for BioShock 2, PlayStation 3 Likely

A new job listing for a Character Rigger/Animator at 2K Marin states that they need to the worker to bring the souls of BioShock 2 to life. Under the job qualifications, it states that you need: "Experience working with recent generation game console technology (Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 or PLAYSTATION 3) and PLAYSTATION 3 experience is required." The game will also be using the Unreal Engine as well. Looks like BioShock 2 is going to come to PlayStation 3.

[2K Marin Hiring for Bioshock 2, uses E.E. 3x. and PS3 Version Possible]

Take-Two Delays Borderlands To 2009

Take-Two Interactive today announced that Gearbox's upcoming Borderlands which was supposed to hit Holiday 2008, is delayed to see light sometime in 2009.

Take-Two states the delay is due to the need "to allow additional development time for this highly anticipated game and provide a better balance in the release of Take-Two's triple-A titles."

[Borderlands Delayed To 2009]

Bioshock 2 Confirmed in Development

Take-Two released their financial announcements today, which also stated that their 2K Marin studio is developing Bioshock 2, which is due for release towards the end of 2009.

"We're focused on continuing to bring new brands and cutting-edge gameplay to market with the creation of the 2K Marin studio. 2K Marin will build upon our success in creating and leveraging triple-A franchises," Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K, commented at the time.

Let's hope it arrives on the PlayStation 3 this time around.

[2K Marin developing BioShock 2]

Borderlands & Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Premiere During Spike TV VGAs

This year's Spike TV Video Game Awards, airing on December 9, 2007 at 9:00 PM, will feature a bunch of new gaming goodies.

The awards will feature the first trailers for Borderlands and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2. There will also be new trailers for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, TNA iMPACT! and a few other trailers that have yet to be leaked. The show will also feature first footage from the new downloadable content Halo 3 Maps hitting next month.

[Via Kotaku]

Bioshock Developers Again Shunning the PLAYSTATION 3?

Bioshock developer 2K Boston is yet again shunning the PLAYSTATION 3 for its next title, if an internet job listing is anything to go by.

The ad, which can be found on games recruitment site Gamasutra, calls out for a handful of art-centric jobs including lead artist, level builder and animator positions.

Crucially for internet conspiracy theorists though, 2K Boston only lists Xbox 360 and Windows as platforms for the title in question. So unless it's keeping quiet, PLAYSTATION 3 owners are yet again going to miss out.

[Via Gamasutra Jobs]

2K Moderator: "There will be no PS3 version of BioShock"

Over at the official 2K Games forums, a user signed up to ask about a PLAYSTATION 3 version of Bioshock and if it is ever coming. A moderator replied to the topic:

"There will be no PS3 version of BioShock. It has been explained time, and time again."

Of course, the moderator may not work for 2K Boston's development, so who knows, it can still come.

[Via 2K Forums]

Borderlands: GFW Interview

Borderlands is a science fiction first person shooter from the minds of Gearbox Software. Games for Windows recently sat down with Randy Pitchford, a developer of the title for some questions.

First off, the ammunition system of the game will be handled by matter, since it takes place in a science fiction world. You can jam particles together and make something; the trick is knowing what order to jam those particles in. You have this thing called a storage deck, which defines how much stuff you can carry.You can generate ammunition for your weapon, and even the weapons themselves can generate ammunition.

The world of Borderlands is a crafted world, and the things in the world are procedurally generated.

Learn more at the link below.

[Via GFW]

Rumors: Bioshock PS3 (Again), More Metal Gear Solid, More Sonic

1UP's Quartermann has some new rumors stirring up today, concerning Bioshock for the PLAYSTATION 3, and some more Metal Gear Solid action.

Heres an old one, surfaced back onto the sea. BioShock is apparently back on for PLAYSTATION 3. Previously, it'd been speculated that Microsoft tied up 2K Games' aquatic adventure as an exclusive, but there's a change in the tide, as the world of Rapture may be Cell-enabled in 2008.

For all the fans sad about the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots delay, Kojima Productions hasn't been sleeping about taking the series in other directions. A brand new Metal Gear Solid game is supposedly coming to the PSP that is not a spin-off, and takes Snake back to his early days.

And for those SEGA fans disappointed with Sonic the Hedgehog for the PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360 upon it's release, it seems SEGA won't stop the series for that as they are already hard at work on their next Sonic game.

All I know is, this one better be good.

[Via 1UP]

Bioshock Creators Working on PLAYSTATION 3 Title?

According to a JobSeeker message, 2K Boston is looking for an experienced Senior Console Programmer. In the bottom of the message it says:

"Experience with PS3 development is highly desirable".

Now could this mean they are working on a title for the PLAYSTATION 3? You be the judge of that. Follow the link to read the message.

[Via JobSeeker]

Civilization Revolution: E for All 07 Land Conquering Cam Gameplay HD

Build up an army and conquer the surrounding lands in Civilization Revolution. Enjoy.

[Via GameTrailers]

All-Pro Footbal 2K8: $20 at Best Buy

There was a time where we had the best NFL game franchise out, and that was the NFL 2K franchise. Sadly, it's gone, and now we have the All-Pro Football 2K franchise.

When NFL 2K5 went for only $19.99, the football community was stunned. Now, All-Pro Football 2K8 is now only $19.99 at Best Buy.

We are not sure if this is a price-cut or if it is in effect any place else.

I just think I might pick this up since it is at such a low price. If you're not sure about buying it, read it's reviews.

[Buy: All-Pro FooAll-Pro Footbal 2K8tbal 2K8]

onAXIS: NBA 2K8 Review

A few days ago, we received NBA 2K8 from Rocket XL for review on the site. And we've played the game, enjoyed our experience and have a review. Let's start.

Last year, 2K Games released NBA 2K7, a great sports game that got many good reviews. So what do you think they brought us this year? A remake of last years game with different menus and rosters? Sure they included that, but the answer is no. This year, they brought us a game with many new features, game modes, and great music.

To start off, we have the classic Quick Play game mode, which is probably in every sports game to date. When you start up the game, after signing into the network, your automatically at the Quick Play screen. Quick Play is the same as always, pick a team, play the team, win or lose, there is no harm done to you. There are plenty of other game modes to enjoy though.

Among these game modes are The Association, Season, Playoffs, Rookie Challenge, Practice, and Situation. Trust me, those aren't even the half of it.

The Association is a season mode based around a calendar. You don't have to play every game on the calendar, you can advance through the dates and skip a game, but that may hurt you at times. If you don't want to play that game, you can always simulate it, but you never know what the outcome may be. If you want to play the whole association, you need to be big on basketball, and have a lot of patience. The Season is just like The Association, except with out any contractors, were not a big fan of these two to tell the truth.

The Playoffs is better known as a Tournament mode. You pick a team from the pair ups they give you, and you basically ball for the win. After you win, you move up the charts, to get the final game. Win that, and the Playoffs are yours.

In the Rookie Challenge mode, you play as a T-Mobile sponsored rookie team. Then we have the Practice mode, this is just what it sounds like, practice. If your trying to learn how to play, then come here. Last, there is the Situation game mode, where you set up positions, time-outs and what not to comeback for a huge game ending win.

Remember when I said "those aren't even the half of it"? Well, we have more. NBA 2K8 sports something they have never done before in their previous versions, and it's called NBA Blacktop.

NBA Blacktop is basically a mini-version of NBA Street inside of NBA 2K8. When you click it's option in the menu, instead of bringing you into a sub menu like the others, it will bring you onto a new street customized screen full of dutty style.

In NBA Blacktop, we have a Dunk Contest, Pickup Games, a 3PT Shootout, a Game of 21, and Dunk School. This section of the game happens to be my favorite as I'm a street sort of person.

The Dunk Contest was something never before seen in an NBA 2K game. It's sponsored by Sprite, so you can expect to see some Lemon Lime everywhere. In this mode, you can set up props, like cars, benches, and such to show how high you can really dunk. The score is based on a 100 point scale, most I've ever got was 90 sadly. If you really know how to customize your dunks, you can get higher than me. This mode was a great new feature to this game that I was looking forward too and it satisfied me. They could of made it a little bit better though. Close to perfection.

The Pick-Up games are your basic street "want to join my team?" games. You pick up players to join your team, and play it out. It can be played online or offline on the PLAYSTATION Network. Your team size can range from 1 on 1 to a 5 on 5 game.

Then we have your classic 3PT shootout. Your basically playing Around the World in this mode, except if you miss, you keep going. You get 5-6 shots per round, when your done the spot your in, the player moves to the next spot and begins his shootout from there. The only big problem in this mode is the shooting accuracy, there doesn't seem to be a scale to perfect your shots, just a flick of the right analog stick.

Then we have the Game of 21, which is another of my favorite modes. Those of you who ball in real life know the game by the name of Utah. It's a 3 man game with everyman for himself, if you get the ball in, you get a free throw, and you keep free throwing till you miss. This mode was a great implement and I enjoy it a lot.

Last but not least, the place you go before you dunk, and thats Dunk School. There is no real teacher in Dunk School, refer to this mode as Dunk Practice instead. If you want to perfect your dunking skills, come here, practice with objects, and such.

There are many features in the game, not worth going to much into detail though. There is My NBA, which shows your game sliders, the VIP Viewer, Trophy Viewer, which do whats stated in their titles, 2K Beats & Reelmaker which let you customize tracks and videos of your game, then there is Codes, which let you cheat in the game.

The graphics of 2K8 are pretty good compared to it's counterpart, NBA Live 08. It has a slight advantage over Live with graphics. They are beautifully rendered at 60FPS, so they have to be good.

The soundtrack of this game (which was in-game, and also mailed to me) consists of mainly rap and hip-hop. It contains music from the likes of Run DMC, Common, and such. If your a hip-hop fan, you won't mind this music a bit, you'll enjoy it.

All in all, NBA 2K8 was a great experience and I'm honored I got to review it. Whether you like to stay street, or like to stay in the season, NBA 2K8 is a basketball game for all types of basketball fans. 2K Games did a good job attracting a big crowd, and this title is a sure buy out of it's other two competitors.

Presentation: 8.0
NBA 2K8 brings the looks of basketball to a newer level with the new Blacktop mode included in the game.

Gameplay: 8.4
As if you thought it wouldn't get better than what we seen in NBA 2K7. The gameplay is solid, but there are a few glitches.

Graphics: 8.8
Graphics look great, and more frames are being used than in NBA Live 08.

Audio: 9.0
The soundtrack for the game features the likes of Talib Kweli, Run DMC, and all your favorite hip-hop artists.

Replayability: 8.5
It's not that hard to pick up a basketball game when some friends are over and get into a game.

Final Verdict: 8.4 out of 10

onAXIS: We Receive NBA 2K8

RocketXL & 2K Games were nice enough to send me over a copy of NBA 2K8 for the PLAYSTATION 3.

Along with a copy of the game, I received the official game soundtrack and a really friggin' awesome 2K Games shirt (to be worn with long white sleeve shirt underneath). Enjoy the screenshots above. Keep a look out for the review we are going to have up by the end of the week.