BioShock 2

The release date for BioShock 2 is scheduled for February 9, 2010. It is the sequel to BioShock, and is designed to continue the grand storyline of the underwater metropolis, Rapture. BioShock 2 will capitalize and improve upon the high-quality effects, unique gameplay elements, and immersive atmosphere that defined the first game. It has been confirmed that 2K Bostin is not developing the game. Instead, 2K Marin is the developing team. Initially, a spokesperson for 2K Games stated that the "Sea of Dreams" subtitle had been dropped. It was revealed that the subtitle was simply the title of the first teaser trailer, and not a subtitle for the game.



Story
The game takes place ten years after the first game, and Rapture is even worse off than it was before. After the events of the first game, there are too few Little Sisters left to satisfy the Splicers' ADAM addiction, causing them to become even more insane and hostile than before. Andrew Ryan, the creator of Rapture, having been deceased for years, left no one to maintain the city, and no one for the Splicers to listen to. In the state that it is in, Rapture is destined to fall.

Things change, however, following the rise of Sofia Lamb, a former psychiatrist and political rival of Ryan. Lamb is Ryan's opposite in every way and has now taken over Rapture and made dramatic changes. While Ryan believed in the genius of the individual mind, Lamb believes in the collective effort and the power of the community. She is an altruist and her beliefs have corrupted her into forming a cult known as the Rapture Family. This belief spreads through Rapture, causing Splicers to follow her and Father Wales, the deranged priest of her religion. While the Rapture Family spreads a sense of unity and duty to the world, it also serves to further her own secretive personal agenda. The cult also emphasizes use of the butterfly theme, indicating some kind of rebirth of Rapture.

Another mystery explored by the game is that of the Big Sister, who came back to Rapture after being taken to the surface as a Little Sister. Mechanizing herself in a similar fashion to the Big Daddies, she returns to the surface and kidnaps several little girls. She brings them down to Rapture and turns them into Little Sisters, who can now produce ADAM for the increasingly desperate Splicers. As time passes, more Big Sisters appear in Rapture, creating an army, who are now under the employment of Dr. Lamb. Eventually the "original" Big Sister disappears. The remaining Big Sisters are now the main protection of Rapture, and they viciously hunt down anyone who disrupts the balance of power.

In BioShock 2, the player will take on the role of Subject Delta, the first Big Daddy ever created. He has all the abilities, weapons and strengths of a regular Big Daddy while maintaining his sanity and free will. He is awakened from his 10-year-long hibernation by an unknown force, and wonders what has happened to this once beautiful metropolis. He then sets off to search for the one thing that is important to him and that he believes hasn't changed: the Little Sister he bonded with before his hibernation. That is when he comes into conflict with Lamb and the Rapture Family, who are also searching for this little one. Lamb cannot let Delta interfere with her plans and will do anything to stop him from finding this Little Sister. Unlike regular Big Daddies, Delta can also use plasmids. He will be able to combine Plasmids, and dual-wield them with weapons at the same time, allowing for powerful combos. He also has the ability to use Gene Tonics.

Delta treads through Rapture, searching for answers and looking for his Little Sister. In an effort to stop Lamb, he teams up with Dr. Bridgette Tenenbaum, as she desires to save the Little Sisters, and he also forms an uneasy partnership with Augustus Sinclair, inventor of the Vita-Chamber and former CEO of Sinclair Solutions, a plasmid development company. Although Sinclair seems to mean well, his intentions toward Rapture, and Delta, remain unknown.

The storyline of this game will work with either the "good" or the "bad" ending of the first game. If Jack killed all of the Little Sisters, it is said that Tenenbaum escaped with all the others, with the same effect as if Jack rescued all of the sisters.

There will also be flashback sequences on how Delta came to be a Big Daddy, and why he wasn't present in the events of BioShock.

Choices will have a huge effect in the game, as there will be more than just harvesting or rescuing, and the choices made will have an overall effect of the story.

Weapons
The player will have access to all of the Big Daddy weapons from the first game, as well as new ones.
 * Drill: Replaces the Wrench as a standard melee weapon. Unlike the wrench the Drill could be upgraded and requires Drill Fuel.
 * Rivet Gun: Replaces the Pistol. Medium to long range and fairly powerful.
 * Gatling Gun: Replaces the Machine Gun. A minigun-like weapon with a high rate of fire and good damage.
 * Double-Barreled Shotgun: Replaces the Shotgun. This gun seems to have the same attributes as its predecessor.
 * Cannon: Replaces the Grenade Launcher. Able to fire explosives at enemies.
 * Research Camera: This tool will return in the sequel, but takes videos instead of still photographs. It also no longer pauses the game.
 * Spear Gun: Replaces the Crossbow. A very powerful long-range weapon with a 'scope'.
 * Hack Tool: Fires darts able to hack machines from a distance.

Plasmids

 * The player is a Prototype Big Daddy, and as such he can use plasmids unlike his later counterparts.
 * All eleven plasmids from the original game will be returning to the sequel.
 * New plasmids such as Geyser Trap, Aero Dash and the Houdini Plasmid (all of them multiplayer only) have been confirmed.
 * The player can now wield weapons and plasmids simultaneously, allowing for powerful combos.
 * EVE Hypos are fed to Delta intraveinously, so the player will be able to fight while filling up their EVE reserves.
 * Upgrading a plasmid unlocks an alternate use: for example, Incinerate! can be charged to produce a fireball at level Two, and at level Three it can be fired continuously, in a way similar to a flamethrower.
 * Plasmids can be combined. For example, firing Incinerate! into a Cyclone Trap will create a flaming trap.

Player Attributes

 * A flashlight is built into Subject Delta's suit, and this handy tool will turn on and off automatically as needed, allowing the player to investigate even the darkest hallway or corner with ease.
 * To add to the immersive experience, the player will be able to look down and see their character's feet, or look into mirrors or puddles of water to see themselves as they appear in the game.
 * Delta's suit allows him to survive the pressure of the ocean, enabling him to walk outside of Rapture to progress, explore, take a breather from the action within and even harvest ADAM-yielding sea slugs on the ocean floor.

Hacking

 * Hacking has been made into a more effective strategy by allowing the player to heal and upgrade their Security Bots.
 * In single-player, the player will not leave the game screen to hack; the mini-game will occur in real time on the main game screen.
 * In multiplayer, hacking will be a time-based progress bar rather than a mini-game.
 * Remote hacking devices will allow the player to take control of bots and cameras from a distance.

Big Daddies and Little Sisters

 * These pairs will be present in BioShock 2.
 * As usual, the player will have to kill the Big Daddy to get the ADAM from the Little Sister. However, the "save" option is not immediately available. Instead, the player can either opt to "harvest" or "adopt" the Little Sister.
 * If the player chooses to adopt, the Little Sister will ride on Delta's shoulder until she finds a body to feed on. When the player lets her down, she will begin to harvest the body, causing Splicers to attack. Though she cannot be killed, Splicers will interrupt the ADAM progress bar by attacking her, meaning the player will be under constant attack until the progress bar fills up. After the mini-mission is complete (she is done harvesting ADAM), the player will receive some ADAM and she will get back on Delta's shoulders.
 * When the player comes to a Little Sister Vent, they will again be given the choice to harvest, but this time they can also choose to save her like in the first game and sending her to the vent.
 * When a Little Sister is in the player's care, she will warn them of the Big Sister's approach by singing in a worried voice.
 * A new Big Daddy type, the Rumbler, will be introduced. He is an overhaul of the Slow Pro, a Big Daddy design that got cut from the original BioShock.

Characters
2K has stated that they are making an effort to include several un-spliced and sane characters to the game, and that the player's choices will affect them. Some are returning characters from BioShock, while others are new.


 * Subject Delta: The protagonist of the game. He is the first Big Daddy to be successful bonded to a Little Sister, and has the ability to use Plasmids and Gene tonics. He awakens from a state of hibernation he was put in ten years ago, and is determined to find the Little Sister he bonded with several years ago.
 * Eleanor Lamb: The Little Sister bonded to Delta before his hibernation. What happened to her, her whereabouts, and her connection to Sofia Lamb is unknown at this point.
 * Bridgette Tenenbaum: She's back, along with her desire to save the Little Sisters. Once again it seems that she will be helping the player during the course of the game.
 * Sofia Lamb: The main antagonist in the game, Lamb is an altruist with an ideology very different from Ryan's. She believes everyone has a duty in the world, and has taken over Rapture which she rules with an iron fist.
 * Father Wales: One of Lamb's lieutenants, Father Wales resides in Siren Alley and is the main enforcer of Lamb's vision. He is responsible for altering that vision into a cult easily understood by the Splicers.
 * Augustus Sinclair: The inventor of the Vita-Chamber is still alive during the events of Bioshock 2. Delta meets him in person early in the game, after he asks the player to lend him service upon entering Ryan Amusements.

Multiplayer


The multiplayer part of this game will focus on a prequel experience, pitting player against player as plasmid test subjects prior the fall of Rapture. Players will take on the role of plasmid test subjects for Sinclair Solutions. According to PC Gamer, multiplayer mode takes place in 1959, a year before the events of the first game. There will be "story elements" and certain new plasmids that can only be used in multiplayer. Some levels will be set in partly recognizable areas from the first game, but set before the fall of rapture and thus in a more serene light. Players will have to unlock experience points to unlock new weapons, tonics, and plasmids to customize characters.

Features

 * Play as a Rosie or kill it (it will act as a power-up). As a Rosie, players will have access to the entire Rosie arsenal, including a Big Daddy stomp. Health and attack power will be dramatically augmented, but they lose the ability to replenish health, as well as use Plasmids. Big Daddies yield a much higher ADAM reward than normal enemies.


 * Collect ADAM to level up and reveal more story.


 * Power up Plasmids for more powerful attacks.


 * 5 game modes and 2 alterations for a total of 7.


 * Use three loadouts to switch weapons during respawns.


 * Ten-player matches.


 * Pre-game menu is a 3D modeled apartment.


 * Personalized characters.


 * Each character has their own melee weapon (e.g, the housewife will have a pan, the businessman will have a golf club, etc.)


 * The player's avatar will change as they make progress: the more they splice, the uglier and more insane their character gets. This is represented by visual as well as audio cues.


 * Plasmids are more dynamic in how they react with the environment (If the player has Incinerate! and lights an oil slick, they could put it out with Winter Blast).


 * In the fourth BioShock 2 Podcast from the Cult of Rapture, there is mention of there being ten official maps shipped with the game, hinting toward DLC maps later on.


 * The maximum level in multiplayer is 40. When the player's character levels up, he/she will also be promoted in Sinclair Solutions' hierarchy: for example, one may advance from the Bronze Club to the Silver Society. There are a total of four overarching ranks.

Characters

 * Barbara Johnson (housewife)
 * Buck Raleigh (businessman)
 * Danny Wilkins (athlete)
 * Jacob Norris (welder)
 * Mlle Blanche de Glace (actress)
 * Naledi Atkins (pilot)
 * Suresh Sheti (magician)
 * Zigo d’Acosta (fisherman)

Fontaine Futuristics (Campaign)
This area presumably contains the ADAM research facilities. Bridgette Tenenbaum and Yi Suchong worked here under Frank Fontaine, before they were hired by Andrew Ryan, as mentioned by various audio diaries in the first game. The Big Sister is said to have restarted the machinery and equipment in this area in order to provide ADAM and plasmids to the remaining citizens of Rapture. This is the last level in the game, and Subject Delta's ultimate goal, as he thinks Eleanor Lamb can be found there.

Ryan Amusements (Campaign)
A theme park designed to make the young children of Rapture hate the surface world, and convince them never to leave their underwater home.

Siren Alley (Campaign)
The Red light district of Rapture. This used to be the place where construction workers and artist would show off their skills. And after the fall of Rapture, they fell from grace and had to resort to selling themselves.

Pauper's Drop (Campaign)
The poor district of Rapture, where the underpaid workers lived. It did not exist when Rapture was founded, rather it was built by the workers. Andrew Ryan himself did not know of its existence.

Adonis Luxury Resort (Campaign)
The first level of Bioshock 2. It is a greek-themed, high class resort area in Rapture were the upper-class citizens would come to relax and get Plasmid-based rejuvenation treatments. Seen in a recent GameSpot interview.

Kashmir Restaurant (Multiplayer)
An area seen briefly in the original BioShock has been retooled for multiplayer. Though a version was seen in the Hunting the Big Sister trailer, that version was merely part of a beta level and will not be in the final game.

Medical Pavilion (Multiplayer)
A BioShock 2 Multiplayer Premium Theme was released for Xbox 360. Among the backgrounds for avatars on the friends list, a dentistry seat will be displayed. The classic sign for Eternal Flame will see shown too.

Neptune's Bounty (Multiplayer)
Seen in the recent GTTV episode, but has been retooled for multiplayer.

Arcadia (Multiplayer)
Although Farmer's Market has been shown as part of Geyser Traps display images (through a sign in the background), Arcadia itself seems to be part of the multiplayer. In the same way as Medical Pavilion, a friend background displays a simple log hut, in Arcadia's classic lighting. Area is seen in a recent multiplayer interview from Gamespot.

Farmer's Market (Multiplayer)
Seen in screenshots in OXM magazine and Geyser Trap display images.

Fort Frolic (Multiplayer)
Seen in screenshots of OXM magazine. Locations like Eve's Garden and the Cocktail Lounge will be returning.

Mercury Suites (Multiplayer)
The apartments seen in the Olympus Heights level in the original BioShock.

Point Prometheus (Multiplayer)
The museum part of Point Prometheus will be in the game, although the museum has been slightly reworked into promote the air of Rapture's capitalistic society.

Possible Locations

 * Rapture Zoo (an area cut from the first game, though seeing as how over ten years have passed since the fall of Rapture, it's unlikely there would be any living animals left)
 * Rapture underground tunnels (under the city, or the internal workings and plumbing of the city. Even though unreliable artwork was realized, many hints have brought this location a possibility)
 * Rapture Stadium (the Pigskin Splicers seen in the first game in the Farmer's Market area wore football jerseys and pads adorned with the names of Rapture Football teams)
 * Sinclair Solutions (mentioned in the multiplayer part of the game. It may appear as a full level in the single player)

Enemies
Most if not all of the original enemies from the first game will be making a return, but there are new enemies for each category.

Splicers

 * The original splicers (Thuggish, Leadhead, etc.) will be upgraded/more powerful versions due to ten more years of splicing.
 * Splicers will rely on group warfare to beat Subject Delta as he is much more powerful than they are.
 * Brute Splicers, are formidable, and obviously strong enemies. They will present one of the more difficult battles faced in BioShock 2. It is probable they will be the Splicer equivalent of a mini-boss, similar to the Big Daddies and the Big Sisters.

Big Daddies

 * Again, the Rosie and Bouncer will be present in this game
 * However, there will be at least one new type of Big Daddy, one being the Rumbler.

Big Sister
Though there was an 'original' Big Sister, by the time of the second game there are several of them. They seem to be in the employ of Sofia Lamb. These enemies are extremely powerful, boasting Plasmids more potent than that of any other Splicer. Their other means of attack is through the use of an oversized ADAM syringe attached to their arm.

Machines
It is safe to assume that turrets and camera will be returning, but in the latest GTTV episode a new type of turret can be seen, one that seems to be portable. This turret can be deployed by the player through the use of their Rivet Gun, and are also one of the Rumbler's new weapons.

Sea of Dreams Trailer
The PlayStation 3 version of BioShock contained the first teaser trailer for BioShock 2. Named Sea of Dreams, the cinematic teaser features a woman, presumably a grown up Little Sister, standing on a beach looking out to sea as she holds a small figurine resembling a Big Daddy. Also, a butterfly is seen crawling out of a barnacle on the Bioshock 2 logo toward the end. This resembles Sofia Lamb's belief that butterflies mark the rebirth of Rapture. Seen here.

Hunting the Big Sister
This ten-minute walkthrough has provided much of what we know about BioShock 2. It is analogous to the "Hunting the Big Daddy" video from the original BioShock. It has been featured and/or referenced by several different sources, including Game Informer and GameTrailers.com. The full video can be found here.

E3 Gameplay trailer
At E3 2009, 2K Games released a gameplay trailer for BioShock 2, seen here. It seems to be composed of free-camera shots of the beta level used in the "Hunting the Big Sister" video. However, since it was the beta level, it is assumed none of these shots will have any bearing on the full game.

Multiplayer Trailer
On September 3, 2009, a BioShock 2 multiplayer trailer was released from GameTrailers.com, seen on the right. The trailer showcases multiple Splicers engaged in free-for-all and team combat, wielding various weapons and plasmids.

GTTV Bioshock 2 Episode
On October 22, 2009 a new episode of Game Trailers TV was released on Spike. This episode, dedicated almost entirely to Bioshock 2, divulged a huge amount of information about the game. Viewable here.

Extra Information
For more information on BioShock 2, visit these sites: PCGamer magazine will also cover the multiplayer modes for BioShock 2 in its next issue.
 * The official Bioshock 2 Web site went live on October 29th, 2009.
 * A viral website called "There's Something in the Sea" was released on March 4th, 2009, giving hints and clues about BioShock 2. For more information, see There's Something in the Sea.
 * BioShock 2 wallpapers and icons (first added April 21, 2009) can be found at the Cult of Rapture's Download Page.
 * For more BioShock 2 related videos, go to GameSpot.com.
 * Kotaku
 * Game Informer Cover
 * Eurogamer Multiplayer unveiled