BioShock 2

Release
The release date for BioShock 2 is scheduled for November 3, 2009. 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 Boston is not developing the game. Instead, 2K Marin is the developing team. Initially, a spokesperson for 2K Games stated that "Sea of Dreams" subtitle had been dropped. It was revealed that the subtitle is simply the title of the first teaser trailer, and not a subtitle for the game.

Story
Not much information about the plot has been released, but the April 2009 edition of Game Informer magazine gives several clues about the new story in BioShock 2. Set around ten years after the first game, the plot centers around the Big Sister, a mysterious figure who was rescued as a Little Sister but returned to Rapture. She is now the ruler of the city, keeping the city running and destroying anyone who threatens its stability. She "lives in the city's ecology, actively maintains the infrastructure, and viciously hunts down anyone who disrupts the balance of power." She is an extremely capable adversary, as she uses plasmids along with her primary melee weapon, which is a customized ADAM extraction needle attached to her arm.

The player will take on the role of the First Big Daddy ever created, meaning that you have all the abilities, weapons and strengths of a regular Big Daddy while maintaining your sanity and free will. Unlike regular Big Daddies, you will also be able to use plasmids and other gene tonics. Your relationship with the Big Sister is somewhat confused at this point, as in one part in the article you are said to be "pursuing the Big Sister through the halls of Rapture," while on another page it is mentioned that "even with the Big Sister pursuing you through the remnants of the city, you may be tempted to move slowly to make sure no clue goes undiscovered." As the "renegade Big Daddy," it is as yet unknown whether you will be the hunter or the hunted.

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. With no little sisters, Rapture began to fall apart because there was no ADAM left to satisfy the Splicers' addiction. However, the city eventually stabilized, itself and a new balance emerged. "...It feels like it's found this kind of equilibrium. The ecology is working in this cycle, whereas before, you got the idea that in six months there was going to be nobody left," says lead artist Hogarth Delaplante. The arrival of the Big Sister served to maintain this stability, as she bent the city to her will over the seven years, however it has been revealed in the promo for the upcoming GamePro issue that the Big Sister will not be the main villain in the game. There will also be flashback missions that depict how your character became a Big Daddy. "As you proceed through a modern day rapture and jog your amnesia-stricken memory you'll experience playable scenarios set in Raptures earlier days allowing you to directly experience the city's past from a new perspective."

Weapons

 * The player will have access to all of the Big Daddy weapons from the first game, including the Drill (replaces the Wrench) and the Rivet Gun (Shotgun/Pistol).
 * Screens of a Sawed-Off Double Barrel Shotgun and an arm-mounted Gatling Gun wielded by The First Big Daddy can be found in the Official Xbox 360 magazine article detailing Ryan Amusements.
 * The Drill has an overheat meter after which a cool-down period is required before it can be used again. It can also be used to scare rather than kill (drill emote); a lone Splicer will usually flee upon the sight and hearing the sound.
 * Other offensive Big Daddy abilities such as an offensive shoulder dash are also available.

Plasmids

 * The player is a prototype Big Daddy, and he can use plasmids.
 * The plasmids from the first game will likely be returning, although so far only Cyclone (Plasmid) Trap, Decoy, Telekinesis, and Incinerate! have been confirmed as yet.
 * New plasmids such as Geyser Trap and Aero Dash (both multiplayer only) have been confirmed.
 * Plasmid upgrades will now use upgrade trees, allowing you to choose different customization paths for your plasmids.
 * The upgrades will also change the plasmids to a greater extent than the first game, for example, Incinerate! goes from its regular form to a fireball, and then to a jet of flame.
 * Plasmids can be combined, for example, firing Incinerate! into a Plasmid Trap will create a flaming trap.
 * The player can now wield weapons and plasmids simultaneously, allowing for powerful combos.

Player Attributes

 * A flashlight is built into your suit, this handy tool will turn on and off automatically as needed, allowing you to investigate even the darkest hallway or corner with ease.
 * To add to the immersive experience, you will be able to look down and see your feet, or look into mirrors or puddles of water to see yourself as you appear in the game.
 * Your suit allows you to survive the pressure of the ocean, enabling you to walk outside of Rapture to progress, explore, and take a breather from the action within.

Hacking

 * Hacking has been made into a more effective strategy by allowing you to heal and upgrade your Security Bots.
 * In single-player, you 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 you to take control of bots and cameras from a distance.

Big Daddies and Little Sisters

 * These iconic pairs will be present in BioShock 2.
 * As usual, you have to kill the Big Daddy to get the ADAM from the Little Sister. However, the "save" option is not immediately available. Instead, your options are "harvest" or "adopt".
 * If you choose to adopt, the Little Sister will ride on your shoulder until she finds a body to feed on. When you let her down, she will begin to harvest and Splicers will attack. Though she cannot be killed, Splicers will interrupt the ADAM progress bar. After the mini-mission is complete (she is done harvesting ADAM), you will receive some ADAM and she will get back on your shoulders.
 * When you come to a Little Sister Vent, you will again be given the choice to harvest, but this time you can also choose to save her by allowing her to return to the vent.
 * When a Little Sister is in your care, she will warn you of the Big Sister's approach by singing a creepy song.

Multiplayer (Fall of Rapture)


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. Players will have to unlock experience points to unlock new weapons, tonics, and plasmids to customize characters.

Features

 * Play as an original Big Daddy or kill him (he will act as a power-up)
 * Collect ADAM to level up and reveal more story
 * Power up plasmids for more powerful attacks
 * Game Modes are: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and an undisclosed third mode involving Little Sisters
 * Use three load-outs to switch weapons during respawns
 * Ten player matches
 * Pre-game menu is a 3D modeled apartment
 * Personalize your character
 * Each character has their own melee weapon (e.g, the housewife will have a pan, the business man will have a golf club, etc.)
 * Your avatar is represented by the person you play; the more you splice, the uglier you get
 * Plasmids are more dynamic in how they react with the environment (If you had Incinerate! and lit an oil slick, you 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

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.

Ryan Amusements (Campaign)
A theme park designed to show young children how scary the surface world is, and convince them never to leave their underwater home. Locations that have been seen is the new area have been the Journey to the Surface ride that showed children the horrors of the surface, the El Dorado Restaurant, and the House of the Future, which is said to hold a new plasmid. Shown in OXM magazine.

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

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, you will see a dentistry seat. But, more obviously, you will see the classic sign for Eternal Flame.

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.

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. Though the museum has been slightly reworked into promote the air of Rapture's capitalistic society.

Fontaine's Home for the Poor (Multiplayer)
Seen in various screenshots in various magazines, and shown in the BioShock 2' multiplayer trailer at GameTrailers.com.

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)

Game Informer Magazine
The April 2009 issue of Game Informer magazine features a picture of a Little Sister and the Big Sister on the cover. It features a ten-page spread with exclusive info and art on BioShock 2. The main antagonist of the game is the Big Sister and she constantly pursues the player through Rapture. According to the article, the player will take on the role of a Big Daddy with the ability to adopt a Little Sister to follow the player around and warn when the Big Sister approaches.

PC Gamer Magazine
The PC gamer article detailed the multiplayer component of BioShock 2. It explained that players will be given a choice between multiple characters. Each character will have there own unique storyline. As you advance farther through the game more story will be revealed through items and events at your character's home, which you will visit between matches. Your character will begin to experience delusions as you become more and more spliced up. The article also revealed that there will be ten multiplayer maps. There will be several new plasmids and weapons will be upgradeable.

GamePro Magazine
Revealed the design of the prototype Big Daddy, as well as insights into the story, single player, and multiplayer experience.

Official Xbox 360 Magazine
Featured more information directed toward the story, focusing on a level two hours into the single player portion of the game. The level is Ryan Amusements, a theme park directed towards Rapture's younger citizens, urging them that ascending to the surface is a shot straight to hell.

Videos
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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. 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.

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.
 * 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