Skip to main content

BioShock heads to iOS with controller support in August 2014

bioshock heads ios controller support august 2014 2007
Screen from the 2007 release, not the iOS port Image used with permission by copyright holder
BioShock, the original release in the series hatched by Ken Levine and his team at Irrational Games, is coming to the iOS App Store in August 2014, 2K confirms. First released in 2007, BioShock introduced players to the undersea city of Rapture, a failed utopia built by wealthy industrialist Andrew Ryan that collapsed at the dawn of the 1960s due to a mixture of destructive human nature and genetically enabled superpowers.

Like XCOM: Enemy Unknown, 2K is treating BioShock like a “premium” App Store release; not necessarily relevant, but both ports were developed by 2K China. The publisher isn’t talking price yet, but expect something comparable to XCOM‘s $20 launch price. The iOS port of BioShock uses virtual control sticks and buttons, but it’s also built to support MFi (Made For iPhone) game controllers.

We took a near-final version of the game for a spin, using both virtual controls and a gamepad from MOGA, and it is indeed the same BioShock. The most immediately noticeable difference is, unsurprisingly, the visuals. There’s less detail in the textures and features like shadows and all but the most basic particle effects are gone. Animations also seems to be chopped up a bit, as evidence by the snapshot-like movements of the rotating turrets we spotted during out demo.

Here’s a few screens from the port:

BioShock-iOS-003
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Touch controls are similar to what we’ve seen in other mobile first-person shooters, with thumb movements handling navigation on the left half of the screen and looking/aiming on the right half, while stylized virtual buttons stand in for commands like crouch, shoot, and weapon-swapping. It’s a setup that works well enough, with the right-hand aiming controls notably tuned with just the right amount of sensitivity. Really though, most will want to grab an MFi gamepad for this one.

The console-style MOGA controller we used for the purposes of the demo worked great. Once you get over the necessary visual stripdown, it feels like you’re playing a proper console game on your tablet screen (because you are!). Using a controller doesn’t turn “off” the screen controls either, so jumping between the two controls schemes is a perfectly viable option.

This becomes especially appealing when you realize just how well BioShock‘s hacking minigame works with touch controls. The minigame is untouched, with players tapping a series of tiles laid out on a large grid to reveal chunks of tubing that must be shifted around in order to guide the flow of an electrified liquid from its starting point to a fixed endpoint. It feels like it was always meant to be played on a touchscreen.

We’re told by 2K that supported devices list isn’t final, but the initial press release notes that BioShock will run on newer iOS devices only. The iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPad Air, iPad 4, and second-generation iPad Mini are all confirmed to support the game.

BioShock is supposed to launch before the end of summer 2014, so we should hear more soon on price and any additional supported platforms.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
Counter-Strike 2 is now available on Steam for free after surprise launch
A team groups up in Counter-Strike 2.

With little more than a slight tease beforehand, Valve just launched Counter-Strike 2 on Steam.
Counter-Strike 2 - Launch Trailer
Counter-Strike is Valve's long-running competitive multiplayer shooter series. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has stayed near the top of Steam's player count charts ever since it launched in 2012. After over a decade of dominance, Valve first announced Counter-Strike 2 as a free, sequel-level upgrade to Global Offensive earlier this year. After some slight teases earlier in the month, Valve finally decided to surprise launch the game on September 27.
Counter-Strike 2 builds upon Global Offensive in Valve's newer Source 2 game engine. Outside of the obvious visual upgrades that change brings, Counter-Strike 2 adds to its predecessor with a new CS Rating system, overhauled maps, and tweaks to core mechanics like smoke grenades and the tick rate at which the first-person shooter operates. Valve also promises that the game features "upgraded Community Workshop tools," so we should get some entertaining Counter-Strike 2 mods.

Valve intends for players to smoothly transition from Global Offensive to Counter-Strike 2 as the game has simply updated to make the transition, and all items players obtained in the former work in the latter. Hopefully, this approach works out better for Valve than it did for Blizzard with Overwatch 2 last year. 
Counter-Strike 2 is available now on PC via Steam. It's a free-to-play game, although players can buy a Prime Status Upgrade for $15 that grants buyers the titular moniker. Having Prime Status grants exclusive items, item drops, and weapon cases and makes the game more likely to matchmake you with other Prime Status Counter-Strike 2 players.

Read more
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan is stepping down, with successor yet to be named
Playstation CEO and president, Jim Ryan, stands in front of a blue wall with Playstation button symbols illuminated.

Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan is retiring after 30 years. The PlayStation boss will formally leave his role in March 2024 with a successor yet to be named.

Jim Ryan has been working with PlayStation since 1994 when he joined Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. Since then, he's become the key figurehead for the PlayStation brand, similar to Phil Spencer's role within Xbox. His most recent success has come from the launch of the PlayStation 5, which has already surpassed a 40 million unit milestone. Today, Sony announced that Ryan plans to retire from the role.

Read more
Dragon’s Dogma 2 delivers exactly what you’re expecting: more Dragon’s Dogma
A dragon roars in Dragon's Dogma 2.

One year ago, I knew next to nothing about Dragon’s Dogma. If I was aware of it when it launched in 2012, I’d long since forgotten about it amid a decade’s worth of games. Who could blame me? Capcom didn’t exactly turn the fantasy-action RPG into one of its go-to IPs despite some impressive sales figures.

Dragon's Dogma 2 - 9 Minute Gameplay Deep Dive | Tokyo Game Show 2023

Read more