BIOSHOCK PS3 Q&A

What are the new trophies specific to BioShock PS3?
The new Trophies are specific to the Survivor difficulty. They include beating the game with or without Vita-Chambers on while playing at this level. Additionally there is a Platinum Trophy that can be unlocked by earning every single Trophy in the game.

Can you tell me more about the Add-On Content? When will it be available and how much will it cost?
The Add-On Game Content for BioShock PS3 will be available after the PS3 version is released, but before the end of the year. Further information on cost and launch date will be available soon. Keep checking back to the Cult of Rapture for updates.

Does this game look as good as the 360 version?
One of the major goals for the team in creating the PS3 version of BioShock was to match the visual experience of the 360. Of course, the PS3 is a very different machine to code a game on, and so the team used a combination of optimization and filtering to maximize the overall visual experience of the game. These optimizations improved frame rate, but added the slight “blur filter” that some of you have pointed out in comparison screenshots. This solution offered the best performance benefit with minimum visual cost or change from the 360 version. When making the decision on how to balance game performance and visual quality, the team did a lot of research, which included looking at gamer’s reactions to other games that had brought a title to the PS3.

What is the aspect ratio for BioShock?
We support 4:3, 16:9 , and 10:9.

Can you remap any buttons for the PS3 controller?
We did not offer this option for the original game, and the PS3 version doesn’t change that. However, we have been listening to some feedback from the fans and understand that support for alternate control schemes is important to many gamers. While this feature will not be available for BioShock, we do understand it is an important customization and a feature many gamers like, and it is in our plan to address this in future titles.

Do you have to install BioShock? How long does that install take and how big is it?
Yes, you do have an install. It can take up to 10 minutes and is just under 5 gigs.

What was it like having the development split between four teams? What challenges did this create and what advantages were there?
It was actually pretty cool. The challenges lay in communication and making sure prioritizations were clear across all studios to keep anyone from doubling the work of someone else in another studio. The benefits were that BioShock PS3 had 24 hour development for the most part. With 2K Boston, 2K Marin and Digital Extremes located in North America, by the end of their day, 2K Australia would just be getting in and could work off the progress of the NA studios. Then when they came back into the office, they’d benefit from 2K Australia’s work.

How was creating the challenge rooms like? Did you like making new areas of Rapture and if so did it give the team the chance to include areas that didn't make it into the full game?
The Challenge Rooms were pretty fun – since they are outside of the BioShock narrative, we didn’t have to worry about how they fit into Rapture exactly and were able to have some fun with the art and design. We made completely new areas that were designed for the specific gameplay of the Challenge Rooms rather than trying to retrofit a cut area from the original game. We were able to resurrect the Ferris Wheel that was cut from the original game, but we built a whole new area for it to exist in.

Have the pop-in issues from the Xbox 360 version been resolved?
This can still occur in the PS3 version.

Did you always want to make an identical gameplay experience to BioShock 360/PC or did you ever consider something like a Directors Edition?
We actively chose not to alter the original title in any way other than offering a new difficulty level. We didn’t want to create any confusion by creating a “director’s edition” that didn’t match the original; we are proud of the experience we created and believe it still stands as a gameplay experience worth having even after a year. That isn’t to say we didn’t want to do new content for the PS3, but we wanted that new content to complement the original game experience instead of replacing or changing it.