Following the world premiere of the BioShock launch trailer Sunday night on Spike TV, 2K Games announced a BioShock demo for the Xbox 360, available via the Xbox Live service.
The demo clocks in at 1.35 gigabytes, and the high demand for it has led to some reports of slow download speeds. For those who missed it, Gametrailers has a hi-definition copy of the launch trailer available for viewing while you wait.
The Xbox-only demo has led to plaintive wails of console bias from some PC owners, but 2K has issued assurances that a PC demo is coming and will be available sometime in the month of August. According to a post on the Cult of Rapture by 2K’s Elizabeth Tobey, the PC version was delayed in order to tweak it for maximum compatibility. “We tried as hard as humanly possible to get it out to you guys simultaneously with the 360 demo, but we needed to make sure that it was perfect – that all drivers were ready, and that the game looked great on a huge variety of computers,” she wrote.
Noting that the demo is in the final stages of testing, she added, “We are pushing to get it out to you as soon as possible. It will be out during the month of August, and everyone is working at full capacity to deliver it to you before the game hits store shelves on August 21.”
One of the year’s most anticipated games, BioShock represents the latest creative effort from the recently-renamed Irrational Games, now known as 2K Boston and 2K Australia. Combining cutting-edge graphics technology, an engrossing and moving story, and intense FPS action, BioShock is being billed as a “spiritual successor” to Irrational’s 1999 landmark game System Shock 2.