BioShock prequel novel in-stores today!
BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE
New York, NY – July 19, 2011 - Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC—the largest publisher of science fiction in the world— today announced the publication of BioShock: Rapture by John Shirley (A Tor Trade Paperback; $14.99; July 19, 2011), the first novel based on the best-selling, critically acclaimed “BioShock” video game franchise. BioShock: Rapture is available at retailers nationwide.
BioShock: Rapture tells the story of Andrew Ryan, a great dreamer with a vision: a utopia free from government, censorship, and moral restrictions on science – where great men and women can get what they give. So begins the origin story of Rapture – the majestic, shining city beneath the sea, an underwater utopia…destined to suffer great tragedy. This is the story of how it all came to be, and how it all ended.
John Shirley is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Black Butterflies and cyberpunk classics City Come A-Walkin', Eclipse, and Black Glass. He also famously penned the script of the acclaimed dark noir classic film The Crow, along with other film and TV projects. Shirley’s terrifying and inventive stories range across the same dark, dystopian, and imaginative thematic landscape as the acclaimed BioShock franchise, making him the perfect fit for this project.
Originally launched in 2007, the first BioShock game was lauded as one of the most unique original properties on modern consoles and took home a number of major industry awards, including “Game of the Year” from BAFTA, GamePro, X-Play, and the Spike TV Video Awards. The critically acclaimed cross-platform follow-up, BioShock 2, came out in 2010. The eagerly anticipated third entry in the franchise, BioShock Infinite, which won 39 awards for “Game of Show” at E3 2011, is currently in development.
About Tor Books
Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher of hardcover and softcover books. Founded in 1980, Tor annually publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher. In 2002, Tor launched Starscape, an imprint dedicated to publishing quality science fiction and fantasy for young readers, including books by critically acclaimed and award winning authors such as Cory Doctorow, Orson Scott Card, and David Lubar. Between an extensive hardcover and trade-softcover line, an Orb backlist program, and a stronghold in mass-market paperbacks, books from Tor have won every major award in the SF and fantasy fields, and has been named Best Publisher 24 years in a row in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.
Tor Books reveals title, cover art, and release date of the second Halo novel by legendary science fiction author Greg Bear
Book two in the New York Times bestselling Forerunner Saga
A long time ago, I was a living, breathing human being. I went mad. I served my enemies. They became my only friends…
New York, NY – July 19, 2011 – Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC – the largest publisher of science fiction in the world – is excited to reveal the title, cover, and release date for the second novel in the Halo Forerunner Saga, HALO: PRIMORDIUM, written by legendary science fiction author Greg Bear. Book one of the Forerunner Saga, Halo: Cryptum, is currently available in hardcover, and will release in trade paperback this fall. Book two, HALO: PRIMORDIUM, will release January 3, 2012 alongside a simultaneous audio edition.
The New York Times bestselling Halo® series, based on the hugely successful Halo videogames franchise for the Xbox 360, has sold millions of copies, part of a global phenomenon that has dominated the science fiction landscape over the last decade.
In Halo: Cryptum, Greg Bear began a three-book arc set in the era of the Forerunners, the ancient and enigmatic creators and builders of the Halos, that continues in HALO: PRIMORDIUM. In Halo: Cryptum, a young, rebellious Manipular began a dangerous search for artifacts of the Precursors — long-vanished superbeings of unknowable power and intent — setting off a devastating chain of events that nearly ended the Forerunner empire. Now two humans, former companions of the Manipular, find themselves captives and strategic pawns in a cosmic game whose madness knows no end — a game of ancient vengeance between the powers who seeded the galaxy with life, and the Forerunners who expect to take up their sacred Mantle of duty to protect all living things.
“I’m having great fun working through the action and growing mysteries in HALO: PRIMORDIUM, as humans engage in an epic odyssey across a damaged, war-torn Halo, facing the Flood, rogue AIs, and the stunning testament of the Last Precursor,” says author Greg Bear. “This is classic SF territory for me, and it’s a terrific opportunity to work with the 343 team, and to contribute through these books to both future games and the Halo universe in general.”
“In Cryptum, Greg began an exploration of a vast and imposing part of the Halo universe,” says Frank O’Connor, Franchise Development Director for 343 Industries. “In PRIMORDIUM, he takes that story closer to the ground, exploring characters, motivations and mysteries that began in Cryptum and continuing a journey that’s fascinating, horrifying and inspiring, all at once.”
Tor Books has proudly partnered with Microsoft and 343 Industries to publish every book set in this iconic universe. Along with the first two books of the Forerunner Saga, Tor has also announced another all-new Halo trilogy penned by Karen Traviss that will explore the Halo Universe in the wake of the final events of Halo 3. Traviss’s first novel, Halo: Glasslands, will come out October 25, 2011.
The Halo franchise is an award-winning collection of properties that have grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. Beginning with the original “Halo: Combat Evolved” for Xbox in 2001, the rich fiction of the franchise has since inspired a series of blockbuster Xbox and Xbox 360 video games, New York Times best-selling novels, comic books, action figures, apparel and more. To date, sales in the Halo franchise have eclipsed $2.3 billion. Microsoft recently dropped a bombshell on Halo fans at E3 with two big announcements. Coming Nov. 15 2011, Microsoft will release “Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary,” a spectacularly remastered version of the original “Halo” campaign bundled with some of the most beloved multiplayer maps in “Halo” history – all created in celebration of the 10th anniversary of one of the greatest franchises in gaming history. Also announced was “Halo 4,” the hugely-anticipated next blockbuster installment that will mark the beginning of a new Halo trilogy when it releases in-stores during the 2012 holiday season.
HALO AT SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON
Friday July 22 from 10 AM to 11 AM — “Writing in Videogames: In-Game, Novels, Comics, and Other Franchise-Building Offshoots” (Room 32AB)
Panel featuring Greg Bear, Karen Traviss, Frank O’Connor, & Kevin Grace
Friday July 22 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM —“Halo Universe” (Room 6BCF)
Panel featuring Greg Bear, Karen Traviss, Frank O’Connor, & Kevin Grace
Friday July 22 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM — Giveaway and signing of Halo: Evolutions books, totebags and posters with Greg Bear, Karen Traviss, Frank O’Connor, & Kevin Grace in the Tor Books booth (#2707)
Please call or text Justin Golenbock at 781-801-6629 (cell) to arrange an interview on the show floor
About Tor Books
Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher of hardcover and softcover books. Founded in 1980, Tor annually publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher. In 2002, Tor launched Starscape, an imprint dedicated to publishing quality science fiction and fantasy for young readers, including books by critically acclaimed and award winning authors such as Cory Doctorow, Orson Scott Card, and David Lubar. Between an extensive hardcover and trade-softcover line, an Orb backlist program, and a stronghold in mass-market paperbacks, books from Tor have won every major award in the SF and fantasy fields, and has been named Best Publisher 24 years in a row in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.
playable out of the 22 playable characters featured (two of which must be unlocked), and all but a few are playable in this mode. Some of the most popular and recognizable heroes and villains from the DC universe make an appearance, such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Joker, Lex Luther, and Catwoman, while all the Mortal Kombat cast is pulled from the first two games in the franchise. Favourites like Scorpion and Sub-Zero as well as villains like Shang Tsung and Baraka are all present.
Story Mode experiences are separate, the Mortal Kombat and DC story lines are parallel with one another and the DC side has one extra Chapter for some strange unsuspicious reason. The dialogue is cheesy and very comic book styled, with many battles actually starting with one character shouting "Fight!" at the other. They like fighting you see. It's also rather amusing how the characters are always threatening to kill one another, yet once defeated in a fight the victor simply walks away from the defeated. Finishing Moves can not be performed in Story Mode, so there'll be no killing here.
ost stages are multi-tiered and if you knock your opponent off to a level below, you'll begin Free Fall Kombat. In Free Fall you're on top of your opponent mashing buttons to hit them and increase damage. If your opponent matches your button press though you switch places and the damage you did to them is transferred to you. Once you reach a certain amount of damage dealt you can press "Right Bumper" to do a nice little character specific finisher which'll send your opponent smashing to the ground.
per Metre has two bars that fill up over time, either by dealing or absorbing damage (but more so by dealing it). The first bar allows you to perform a Kombo Breaker by pressing forward and Block, which can really help save you from some punishing damage. If you allow the second bar to fill, however, you can either perform another Kombo Breaker or you can instead enter Rage Mode by pressing both Triggers. Aside from having glowing yellow eyes, a nice roar, and a crazy aura, your character will no longer be stunned from Kombos for the duration of the Rage which really lets you dish out the damage. If your opponent is next to you when you activate Rage Mode they'll also be knocked back and take damage. You do still take regular damage while in Rage Mode, however, so it's up to you whether you want to use it or stick to Kombo Breakers as there's no guarantee that you'll do significant damage when Raged.
ws. While visually not as pristine and polished as Mortal Kombat, the game does look solid and the 3D arenas are reasonably well detailed and filled with enough variety to keep them appealing and engaging. Character models are well detailed and fluid in their animations and this was the game that introduced visual damage to your characters as they get smacked around, which is a very nice addition. The games physics are good though the juggle combos that can be pulled off are insane, and for those of you wondering all the female characters do have a solid hefting of physics applied to their breasts, though less so than in Mortal Kombat.
ter the Left Stick is used to navigate the 3D plain allowing you to side step incoming projectiles, or you can also accomplish this by holding Left Trigger and using the D-Pad. Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe is actually the first 3D fighter that I've spent any real amount of time with, and I can honestly say that I didn't find the 3D plain to be overly useful or drastically game changing, and even in online matches most players that I've gone up against seem to rarely use it. As an old school fighter I do prefer my 2D plain for the genre, but this was doable.
ments, I thought I'd pen a bit more about the game's Multiplayer experience.
e's begun a quest for vengeance, hunting down and eliminating those who hurt him and his family. This takes him in search of Shaw (Kevin Bacon), a former Nazi who has his own plans for the US and Russia and the pending missile crisis. This also leads him to meet Xavier, a man and a mutant who becomes his close friend, and together the two aid one another not only in the hunt for Shaw, but also in the protection of other young mutants whom they begin to form into a team.
es and action sequences complete with stunning special effects. As the young mutants learn to harness their powers better, the action only becomes more intense and more grandiose culminating in the Cuban missile blockade itself, which brings about some additional wonderful character moments as we see these iconic personalities molded into what we already know they're destined to be and how they'll deal with the world they now find themselves in.
