bioshock

Some people would argue that Bioshock is not a horror game. When this happens, I usually nod my head politely and then proceed to tell them why they're wrong. Bioshock isn't a horror game in the traditional sense of the term, but it certainly has more than enough scary elements to place it firmly within the confines of the genre. Besides, if we ruled that Bioshock wasn't horror, I'd not be able to bring you cool photos like the one above.

Harrison Krix makes props--and his latest project (undertaken with the assistance of his fiancee) was to craft his very own Big Daddy suit. If you've not played Bioshock, Big Daddies are humans "who've had their skin and organs directly grafted onto atmospheric diving suits and are armed with a rivet gun or pneumatic drill." They wander the ruins of Rapture with one duty: protect the Little Sisters.

Krix wanted to recreate the magic of the game and has done so by crafting an amazingly authentic Big Daddy suit to go along with the Little Sister outfit modeled by his future wife. That's cool, but it wasn't enough for the prop-maker. Krix wanted authenticity in all aspects of his cosplay, so he found a way to get the Georgia Aquarium to allow him to stage a photo shoot. These photos are the end result. When I first saw them, I didn't think they were real pictures--that's how good the Big Daddy suit is and how perfectly it meshes with the aquarium setting, but they are really photos.

You can see the whole batch of images (which are all breathtaking) at Krix's website, Volpin Props. If you're in the market for a Big Daddy outfit, you can bid on this one here.

When you mention creepy soundtracks, people tend to think of movies. I understand why this happens--because a good soundtrack can make an average movie terrifying--but it's hardly the only place where a spooky bit of music can set the mood and freak out an audience. Gaming is still in its infancy as an artform (and we'll save the "are games art?" debate for another day...), but music in horror games is as vital to the overall experience as it is in horror films. Unfortunately, it rarely gets any kind of recognition from the masses.

With that idea in mind, I had the brilliant idea to come up with a list of the creepiest music from horror videogames. Like most of my ideas, it sounded really great when it occurred to me. How hard can it be to come up with ten or so scary tracks? I thought to myself. Like all projects I undertake, this one turned out to be way more work than I expected. There's a lot of horror game music out there, and I've spent the last week or so going through it track by track trying to find the best of the best. This is the fruit of my labor...

Jump past the break for the list.

Earlier this summer, the brakes were put on Universal's adaptation of Bioshock due to its enormous budget, and a need for tax incentives were said to be pushing the film overseas. The budgetary crisis put Gore Verbinski into a bit of a pickle, and he was unsure he would continue with the film if it moved to London. Now it looks like Verbinski is officially off the project, and Universal has hired Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) to go under the sea instead.

Variety reports that Fresnadillo is still in talks, and that it all becomes official if Bioshock's maker, Take-Two Interactive, agrees to the decision as they must approve the choice of director. But the decision indicates they are shaving that budget, and they are determined to make the film overseas. Universal is also determined that this won't turn into another Halo incident. (Although I think we all agree that any disappointment that caused District 9 was very much worth it, right?)

It has to be a huge disappointment for Verbinski, who dropped Pirates 4 to tackle Bioshock, and really seemed to love the project. (Perhaps Verbinski will find himself in a similar Cinderalla situation as Neill Blomkamp!) Of course, the big question remains as to whether all of this talk is even worth it, since we know what game adaptations are generally like. A lot of hopes are being pinned on Bioshock, and let's hope a few of them are fulfilled.

E3 is to computer / console stuff what Comic-Con is to ... bad movies we won't get to see for three months. But if you're a big-time video game junkie, there's no better place to meander through than E3. (I've never attended, but it sure seems like a cross between Best Buy and a time machine!) For a ton of reports on all sorts of nifty new products, you can find the scoops on Joystiq or Engadget, but our good pal Peter Hall has broken the game previews down to the most important stuff: the horror games.

Just like horror flicks, the gaming biz is awash in impending sequels ... but since we're talking about titles like Bioshock 2, Dead Space: Extraction, and Left 4 Dead 2, well, I won't be complaining all that much. But of course there are a few non-sequel scare games that look pretty damn cool -- and you can find all the info at HorrorsNotDead.com. I'm still really curious about this Saw game ... and I'm always down for a fresh trip to Silent Hill!