The fog that blanketed 2K Games' cryptic invitation to "come bite the Apple" has been lifted, as the game developer and publisher says it's preparing to release the original BioShock game onto iOS.
Like any well-thought out teaser, the image of a woman picking an apple contained just enough hints to draw a correct answer from the most discerning of users and a sufficient amount of curve balls to make them doubt it. There was speculation of a prequel and even a point-and-click take on the first game, but the Eve's Garden teaser image and its reference to Poseidon Plaza ultimately meant that yet another critically acclaimed title was heading to tablets and smartphones.
The iOS port of BioShock, which was said to be optimized for touch and iPhone game pads, will be released on the iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.
2K's iOS version of BioShock has already made it into the hands of several reviewers. While some of the textural fat was trimmed off the iOS version and its controls were reworked, the leaner version of the game served up hearty and satisfying plate of the first-person shooter game, according to reviewers.
"Doors leaking fountains of water, dying fish flapping on the ground -- Rapture's details have survived into the port, although some textures will still catch the eye as looking tuned down," stated one reviewer. "The game's touchscreen controls are easy to master and there's a handy button to perform contextual actions -- such as the ability to loot when standing over a corpse or crate."
Not all reviewers attributed the iOS port's graphical compromises to the power limitations of Apple's mobile devices. One reviewer suggested that the scaling back of lighting effects and in-game assets was likely more an effort to comply with the iTunes store's app size limits, rather than a measure to ensure the game ran smoothly on tablets and smartphones.
The iOS port of BioShock follows the mobile rework of stablemate X-Com: Enemy Unknown, a turn-based strategy game that was originally released for the PC. The pair of ports are part of a growing trend, in which some of the best console and PC games have been released onto mobile devices -- and as hardware manufacturers continue to cram more power into tablets and smartphones, the trend will only gain steam.
Nvidia's Shield tablet has received ports of BioShock Infinite, Portal, Trine 2 and Half-Life 2. The powerful gaming tablet's K1 processor would be right at home in any high-end laptop.
