E3 2008: BioShock PS3 Impressions - New Puzzle-Based Exclusive Content

E3 has returned to Los Angeles, and we've returned to 2K Games' E3 booth to get a look at the PS3 version of BioShock, which will debut on the platform with all the content from the original game, but also with exclusive new downloadable content. The PS3 version of the game is being developed jointly by 2K Boston (formerly known as Irrational Games) and Digital Extremes, but the new downloadable content is apparently being developed in-house by a small team of about 18 people. According to 2K Boston, the new content will take the form of "challenge rooms"--small, contained, puzzlelike challenges that take place "outside of BioShock's narrative," and are described as the "pulp adventures of Rapture." In fact, the challenge room we saw today was introduced by a pulp-style comic book cover reminiscent of classic early-20th century comics (and reminiscent of the comic book loading screens from 2K Boston's previous comic book series, Freedom Force).

The challenge room we saw took place in a collapsed ballroom which had a gigantic, sky-high Ferris wheel adorned with lavish gold trim. Our goal was to liberate a Little Sister (the spooky little girls who are tasked with harvesting genetic material from corpses in Rapture) who was trapped at the top of the wheel. We began the challenge room staring directly at the Ferris wheel control lever, which was, of course, busted. Though we were carrying an electricity-based gun, firing it at the switch caused the wheels to grind once, but didn't do much else. We then set about trying to find other means of using electricity to charge the controls, heading down a hallway to find a malfunctioning electric safe guarded by electrified tripwires. To access the safe without frying ourselves, we used our telekinesis power to tug at one of the electrified tripwires to short out the safe, which, as it happened, carried a crossbow that fired similar cables. We headed back out to the Ferris wheel to try to establish a makeshift electric circuit from the room, and managed to force the Ferris wheel to grind forward one more time, but this still wasn't enough to bring down the trapped girl.

To check on the girl, we used a nearby coin-operated viewer that let us catch sight of a gene tonic--the items that grant the game's passive powers--on the second floor of an adjacent structure. We hopped into a nearby elevator, which actually brought us up to the third floor. To get back to the second level, we hopped off the ledge and landed on an outcropping on the second floor, taking an injury from the fall. The gene tonic on the second floor ended up being a plasmid that would radiate intense electrical energy whenever we were hit by any enemies. As if on cue, a small crowd of splicers--the bloodthirsty mutants of Rapture--came charging down the hall.

From what we understand, the challenge rooms in the game will be designed with multiple solutions in mind to accommodate different players with different playing styles, so that each area will offer more implements and tools than are necessary to complete them; however, none will ever start you with the best, most straightforward item or plasmid powers to immediately solve them, either. The challenge rooms will also have in-game timers that keep track of your progress--if you can beat the clock on your current challenge, you'll be able to earn PlayStation Network trophies as well.

Otherwise, BioShock PS3 visually just as detailed and colorful as the original versions. Given the highly open-ended nature of the original gameplay, plus the exclusive challenge room content, PlayStation 3 owners are in for a treat when the game ships later this year.