BioShock 2 Multiplayer



"Congratulations, Mister or Missus citizen Rapture! You've been approved to join the Sinclair Solutions team as a product tester in our Home Consumer Rewards Program! Here at Sinclair, the customer knows best. That's why we'd like to invite you to test our home-defense products in the field and tell us how you feel! By participating to our DNA wide clinical trials, you will automatically earn bonus gifts free of charges! Yes, we thought you'd like the sound of that! So get out there and start earning those rewards!"

- Advertisement from Sinclair Solutions

BioShock 2 includes a fully-featured Multiplayer experience called the Fall of Rapture and developed by Digital Extremes. The game takes place approximately a year before the events of the first BioShock, and depicts the events of the Rapture Civil War. The player's character is a product tester for Sinclair Solutions, a company owned by Augustus Sinclair that is attempting to cash in on the conflict between Andrew Ryan and Atlas. Each team has its own narrator providing voice-over on the events of the match, Atlas' side has a strong-spirited woman who refers to the enemy as "Fascists," while Ryan's team is organized by a man who calls the enemy the "Parasites."

Playable Characters
There are currently a total of ten playable characters, two of them formerly being pre-order bonuses (Zigo and Blanche). Each character has their own back story, a unique melee weapon, and unique dialogue during gameplay.

Standard Characters

 * Jacob Norris - The Welder
 * Barbara Johnson - The Housewife
 * Danny Wilkins - The Athlete
 * Buck Raleigh - The Businessman
 * Naledi Atkins - The Pilot
 * Suresh Sheti - The Performer

BioShock 2 Character Pack DLC

 * Zigo d’Acosta - The Fisherman
 * Mlle Blanche de Glace - The Actress

Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack DLC

 * Louie McGraff - The Jailbird
 * Oscar Calraca - The Playboy

Player's Apartment
An optional multiplayer menu is the interactive apartment in Rapture, belonging to the player's character. In the apartment, players may listen to new messages on their answering machine that they unlock after each new level. These messages advance a unique narrative and provide new background information that the player can only find through playing multiplayer.

The player's apartment can be resumed into several main areas, each serving a functional purpose:
 * The Recording Machine: yields a new message each time the player gets promoted in the Sinclair hierarchy, and announces them their promotion.
 * The Gene Bank: allows the player to customize their loadouts, choosing which Plasmids, weapons, Gene Tonics, and upgrades they want to equip.
 * The Wardrobe: allows the player to customize their character's appearance, as well as their melee weapon (the change is purely cosmetic, though).
 * The Log Recorder: allows the player to listen to recordings made by the characters, revealing part of their backstory as well as their descent into insanity through splicing.
 * The Newspaper Box: allows the player to check the game's leaderboards, as well as their own stats.
 * The Bathysphere: enables the player to enter matches, check their stats in between matches, select which character they wish to play during the match as well as read a brief summary of their backstory.
 * The Record Player: Plays music that the player can listen to while in the apartment. The farther the player is from the machine, the fainter the music.

Character Advancement
The player earns ADAM by playing online matches and completing trials. As they collect ADAM, they level up. With each level advancement they will unlock new weapons, Plasmids, and Gene Tonics to customize their loadout. The player can create three separate loadouts and switch between them when respawning. It is prudent to use a loadout that complements one's teammates in the team-based modes. At the start of the multiplayer experience, the player only has access to the Pistol and the Shotgun, as well as the Electro Bolt, Incinerate!, and Winter Blast Plasmids, with Gene Tonics. However, after advancing through the game they will receive the Machine Gun, followed by other new tools. Along with combat-oriented gifts, players are able to change their character's cosmetic traits. For example, one may endow their character with a mask or change their melee weapon (this does not affect its combat traits, however). Along with leveling, there are "trials" in multiplayer requiring the player to complete a certain task, such as killing a certain amount of enemies using a specific weapon or Plasmid.

Ranks
There are fifty levels of character advancement and five "clubs" (overarching ranks). The names of the clubs are the Bronze Club, the Silver Society, the Gold Circle, the Platinum League, and the Diamond Partners. Upon reaching level 40, the player reaches Diamond Partner status, which represents the ultimate level of advancement through the ranks. Membership of the aforementioned "clubs" is awarded when the player reaches a certain rank.

Trials
Trials are challenges which, upon completion, grant the player an ADAM reward. Trials require the player to either fulfill a specific task several times, or achieve a much harder challenge on one occasion. There are three types of Trials: Weapon Trials, Plasmid/Combo Trials and General Trials. Each type contains various skill testing tasks.

ADAM Rewards
When a player contributes in some way to their team or to themselves they receive an ADAM reward, the size of which depends on the action. Here is the list of known ADAM rewards as follows:


 * Kill Reward: 10 ADAM (20 if playing Last Splicer Standing). Granted upon killing an enemy.
 * Assist Reward: 5 ADAM. Granted upon dealing damage to an enemy without having dealt the killing blow.
 * Big Daddy Takedown Reward: 100 ADAM. Granted upon killing the Big Daddy.
 * Hack Reward: 10 ADAM. Granted upon successfully hacking a machine.
 * Research Photo Reward: 10 ADAM. Granted upon successfully researching an enemy corpse.
 * ADAM Vial Reward: 10 ADAM. Granted upon collecting one of the ADAM Vials scattered across the level.
 * Killing Streaks Reward: 50 ADAM. Granted upon killing three enemies in a row without dying.
 * Big Daddy Suit Reward: 50 ADAM. Granted upon picking up a Big Daddy Suit in the level.
 * Trial Complete Reward: Varies depending on the trial and its level. Granted upon completing a trial.

Multiplayer Levels
There are ten different maps representing various areas from BioShock. These locations have been re-tooled to fit a multiplayer environment. Six extra maps are added through the Rapture Metro Pack DLC, and are three re-tooled locations from BioShock and three others from BioShock 2. As is typical with BioShock, narrative is built into these environments, giving the player a unique look at Civil War-era Rapture.

Standard Maps

 * Arcadia
 * Farmer's Market
 * Fontaine's Home for the Poor
 * Fort Frolic
 * Hephaestus
 * Kashmir Restaurant
 * Medical Pavilion
 * Mercury Suites
 * Neptune's Bounty
 * Point Prometheus

Rapture Metro Pack DLC

 * Dionysus Park
 * Fighting McDonagh's
 * Fontaine Fisheries
 * Pauper's Drop
 * Siren Alley
 * Smuggler's Hideout

Game Modes
There are seven different game modes included in BioShock 2. Each supports up to ten players. Team-based game modes divide the players into two factions: those fighting for Andrew Ryan and those battling under Atlas. Scores are marked in the top right corner of the HUD, with the one at the top representing the winning score. The score in yellow represents which team the player is playing for in that match.

Game Mode list

 * Survival of the Fittest
 * Civil War
 * Last Splicer Standing
 * Turf War
 * Capture the Sister
 * ADAM Grab
 * Team ADAM Grab
 * Kill 'em Kindly (added with DLC)

Weapons
A total of seven different weapons are available to the player, though some are only unlocked when leveling up. Weapons have been altered from their BioShock versions for the multiplayer environment so as to balance gameplay. Melee in particular is different in that the player can perform a quick-melee attack without having to switch to a melee weapon. Each character has their own unique melee weapon, although this is only a cosmetic change. Along with the weapons present in the original game (save for the Chemical Thrower), two new weapons are introduced in the multiplayer: The Nail Gun and the Elephant Gun. Each weapon can be upgraded with a choice between three upgrades per weapon, although only one upgrade can be equipped per weapon. These weapons do not have unique ammunition: unlike the singleplayer campaign, ammo takes the form of cartons of buckshot, and picking one up will fully restore all ammo to both weapons the player is carrying. The Research Camera exists in the form of a research option: passing near an enemy corpse opens a prompt offering the player the option to research the dead enemy. Doing so renders the player temporarily vulnerable, but grants them a damage bonus against that enemy upon researching them.

Weapon List

 * Pistol: Unlocked from the start
 * Shotgun: Unlocked from the start
 * Tommy Gun: Unlocked at Rank 2
 * Grenade Launcher: Unlocked at Rank 6
 * Crossbow: Unlocked at Rank 10
 * Nail Gun: Unlocked at Rank 14
 * Elephant Gun: Unlocked at Rank 18

Plasmids
Plasmids have returned and some can be used in a defensive fashion as well. To give an example, Geyser Trap (a prototype of Cyclone Trap) can be deployed in a large room and used to leap onto higher platforms to escape or set up camping spots. The player unlocks additional Plasmids upon gaining higher ranks. Up to two Plasmids can be equipped per loadout, and the player has access to a selection of eight different Plasmids, three of them multiplayer-exclusive.

Some Plasmids have had their effects modified for gaming purposes. For example, Electro Bolt will still prevent enemies from moving, although they will still be able to aim and shoot. Likewise, enemies hit by Winter Blast will have their speed severely decreased instead of being frozen solid (although they can still be shattered). Plasmids can also be combined with the environment or, in some cases, other Plasmids. For example, the player can use Incinerate! on an oil slick to set it aflame, and can use Electro Bolt and Geyser Trap together to create an instant-kill trap.

Plasmid List

 * Electro Bolt: Unlocked from the start
 * Incinerate!: Unlocked from the start
 * Winter Blast: Unlocked from the start
 * Aero Dash (multiplayer only): Unlocked at Rank 4
 * Geyser Trap (multiplayer only): Unlocked at Rank 8
 * Telekinesis: Unlocked at Rank 12
 * Houdini (multiplayer only): Unlocked at Rank 16
 * Insect Swarm: Unlocked at Rank 20

Gene Tonics
The player's character gains new Tonics when leveling up. Up to three Tonics can be equipped at a time, and the player can choose from a selection of seventeen different Gene Tonics, each granting the player a passive bonus.

Tonic List

 * Expert Researcher: Unlocked at Rank 3
 * Security Evasion: Unlocked at Rank 3
 * Speedy Recovery: Unlocked at Rank 7
 * EVE Saver: Unlocked at Rank 7
 * Back Stabber: Unlocked at Rank 11
 * Metabolic EVE: Unlocked at Rank 15
 * Sabotage: Unlocked at Rank 19
 * Repairman: Unlocked at Rank 22
 * Speedy Hacker: Unlocked at Rank 24
 * Slugger: Unlocked at Rank 26
 * Leg Up: Unlocked at Rank 28
 * Fast Feet: Unlocked at Rank 30
 * Deadly Machines: Unlocked at Rank 32
 * Headhunter: Unlocked at Rank 34
 * Big Game Hunter: Unlocked at Rank 36
 * Death Trap: Unlocked at Rank 38
 * Resurrection: Unlocked at Rank 40

Becoming a Big Daddy
The player can become a Rosie by finding a Big Daddy Suit, which spawns randomly in the level. Once the player becomes a Rosie, they will have access to the Rivet Gun, six Proximity Mines, and a Big Daddy stomp which stuns nearby enemy players. However, the player will lose the ability to use Plasmids as long as they remain in the suit, and will also lose all research bonuses they may have acquired previously. Friendly Rosies produce a blue light from their portholes while an enemy Rosie's shine red. In Survival of the Fittest, Rosie's shine yellow-green.

When turning into a Big Daddy, the player's health will be significantly increased, although their health will no longer regenerate. Killing the Rosie also yields a significantly bigger ADAM reward, which places said Rosie as a prime target. Once the Big Daddy is defeated, the suit will spawn again.

BioShock 2 Characters Pack
BioShock 2 Character Pack is a repackaging of BioShock 2 Multiplayer's preorder exclusive characters: Mlle Blanche de Glace and Zigo d’Acosta. It was released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for 160 MS Points ($1.99) on May 11, 2010. No release date has been given for the PC version of BioShock 2.

Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack DLC
Announced February 22nd, 2010, Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack is the first of many DLCs for BioShock 2, released on Thursday, March 11th, 2010. It includes two new characters, a rank cap increase from 40 to 50, a third weapon upgrade for each weapons, 20 new Multiplayer trials and 6 new masks.

Rapture Metro Pack DLC
Rapture Metro Pack is the second DLC for multiplayer and was released for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 on Tuesday, May 11, 2010. It includes six new multiplayer maps, a rank cap increase from 40 to 50, the Rebirth feature to start over in the ranks which can get you 2 new masks and 3 new achievements and trophies. It also includes the Kill 'em Kindly downloadable gamemode. No release date has been given yet for the PC version of BioShock 2.

Videos
Video:BioShock 2 Multiplayer Trailer HD|Multiplayer Trailer Video:BioShock 2 Capture the Sister Trailer|Capture the Sister Trailer Video:Bioshock 2: Multiplayer Cinimatic Intro|Multiplayer Opening Cinematic Video:BioShock 2 Rapture Metro Pack DLC Trailer |Rapture Metro Pack Trailer

Trivia

 * There is no support for local matches, due to time constraints in the development of the multiplayer.
 * Unlike Tonics, weapon upgrades are not aesthetically visible on third-person player models. Instead, the traits take effect, but the weapon will look like a weapon without any modifications installed.
 * All of the scenery's corpses are recycled "mummy-like" rag dolls from the first BioShock.
 * The same residential skybox form the first BioShock can be seen in almost all of the levels and apartment in the Multiplayer. Only the Multiplayer version of Hephaestus uses the skybox from the original level.