BioShock 2

BioShock 2 is the sequel to BioShock, and is designed to continue the grand storyline of the underwater metropolis, Rapture. It was released on February 9, 2010. 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 Irrational Games 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
Set in 1968, eight years after the events in BioShock, Rapture is now under the control of the female psychologist Sofia Lamb, whose ideas for human progression are a sharp contrast to the city's deceased founder, Andrew Ryan. While Ryan believed in the genius of the individual, Lamb believes in collective effort and the power of the community, as well as a philosophy surrounding butterfly imagery, indicating rebirth. She considers Rapture's failure to be undeniable proof that the "self" is the root of all evil and suffering. Under Sofia's rule, the first generation of Little Sisters have matured into adolescence. The Big Sisters, as they are now known, are highly aggressive and have the ability to use plasmids absorbed from gathering as a child. Sofia sends Big Sisters out to coastlines across the Atlantic, kidnapping little girls and turning them into new Little Sisters.

In 1958, Subject Delta- the first Big Daddy to be successfully pair-bonded to a Little Sister- is forced to commit suicide by Sofia Lamb, who informs him that his Little Sister is actually her daughter Eleanor. Ten years later, Delta is revived by a Vita-Chamber and begins to receive psychic messages from Eleanor pleading for help. Delta encounters Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum, who tells him that in order to save Eleanor and stop Lamb, he must travel across the ruins of Rapture to Fontaine Futuristics, where Eleanor is held. If he does not, a failsafe device designed to trigger if he strays too far from his Little Sister will activate, killing him. On his journey, Delta is aided by Tenenbaum's new ally Augustus Sinclair, a lawyer, business man, and confidence trickster. Delta also receives aid from Eleanor, who uses her psychic connection to the new Little Sisters to leave care packages and messages throughout Rapture.

Through the audio logs scattered throughout Rapture, Delta discovers that, against Andrew Ryan's better judgment, Lamb was originally brought to Rapture to help those who were struggling to cope with underwater life. However, Lamb used the therapy sessions as a means to brainwash her patients into joining a cult she called The Family. Soon, Lamb was confronting and defeating Ryan in public debates. In response to this new threat, Ryan asked Sinclair to deal with her. Sinclair used a spy within The Family to compromise Lamb, who was then arrested and exiled from Rapture, leaving her daughter Eleanor in the care of her trusted lieutenant Grace Holloway. When Eleanor confronted Stanley Poole, another member of The Family, about how he had bankrupted Lamb's property, Dionysus Park, Stanley panicked and kidnapped her. Eleanor ended up in one of Frank Fontaine's orphanages, which lead to her transformation into a Little Sister. Delta then discovers that Lamb plans to use ADAM to transform her daughter into a superhuman with all the knowledge of Rapture's intellectual elite. Lamb will then use the same conditioning methods used on Jack Ryan to destroy Eleanor's sense of self, brainwashing her into acting only for her goals. Sinclair's agenda also becomes clear: he plans to take control of Rapture from Lamb and then cannibalize its technology to sell to the surface.

Delta is captured by Lamb, and his pair-bond with Eleanor is severed. However, Eleanor sends a special plasmid to Delta that allows him to take control of a Little Sister. She reveals that she has been closely observing his actions not only through the pair-bond but through her psychic connection to the new Little Sisters, and depending on Delta's actions throughout Rapture she is either a spirited, rebellious young woman determined to win her freedom or a ruthless cynic who only thinks of her own welfare and survival.

Following Eleanor's instructions, Delta brings her Big Sister armor, allowing her to free Delta and fight by his side. They resolve to make their final escape from Rapture using Sinclair's escape pod. Lamb, upon seeing her daughter defy her, plans to set off bombs that will send them plummeting to the bottom of the sea. During their escape, Delta is forced to kill Sinclair, who had been captured by Lamb and transformed into a Big Daddy. After a final climactic showdown with the remnants of The Family, Eleanor and Delta make it to the escape pod, but a final trap set by Lamb mortally wounds Delta. Trapped in the flooded escape pod with her mother, Eleanor makes the choice to either kill or save Lamb. If she saves her, then on the surface Eleanor will use her Big Sister needle to absorb Delta's ADAM and consciousness so that they can be together forever, with him as her conscience. If she kills Lamb, then she will attempt to absorb Delta's consciousness- against his will if need be for his survival instinct, heralding the birth of a monster. However, if Delta demonstrated some form of compassion throughout his journey then Delta will stop her and sacrifice his life to give Eleanor a chance at redemption.

Characters

 * Subject Delta: The protagonist of the game. He is the first Big Daddy to be successfully bonded to a Little Sister, and has the ability to use plasmids and gene tonics. He awakens after ten years from his death resurrected, and is determined to find the Little Sister he bonded with several years ago.
 * Eleanor Lamb: The Little Sister bonded to Delta before his death.
 * Brigid Tenenbaum: She's back, along with her desire to save the Little Sisters.
 * 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.
 * 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.

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
 * During the opening cinematic segment Subject Delta looks at a row of windows he is being led by, which allows the player to see a reflection of his entire body. Delta's reflection is also visible in a puddle immediately before the player gains control, but once the player actually has control the reflection is no longer visible.  He is also visible in the pre-rendered ending cinematics.
 * 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
 * When injured a great deal, all sounds heard will become muffled until the damage recedes from lack of damage for a period of time

Weapons
The player will have access to versions of the Big Daddy weapons from the first game, as well as new ones. The player can also perform a melee bash which is useful if the player has caught off guard, while reloading for example.
 * Drill: Replaces the Wrench as a standard melee weapon. Unlike the Wrench, the Drill can be upgraded and requires Drill Fuel to perform attacks other than the melee bash.
 * Rivet Gun: Replaces the Pistol. Medium to long range and fairly powerful.
 * Machine Gun: A minigun-like weapon with a high rate of fire and good damage.
 * Shotgun: A double-barreled variant of the close-range powerhouse.
 * Launcher: Able to fire explosive munitions at enemies.
 * Spear Gun: Replaces the Crossbow. A very powerful long-range weapon.
 * Hack Tool: Fires darts able to hack machines from a distance.
 * Research Camera: This tool will return in the sequel, but takes videos instead of still photographs. It also no longer pauses the game.

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, although some will present a few changes. For example Hypnotize, the successor to Hypnotize Big Daddy and Enrage, allows the player to hypnotize Splicers as well as Big Daddies.
 * 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 intravenously, 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.

Gene Tonics

 * Gene Tonics are no longer categorized, meaning the player can choose to equip more than six Tonics of the same type at a time, to a maximum of eighteen.
 * New Tonics will be making an appearance such as Fire Storm and Keen Observer while most of the Tonics in the previous game will remain.

Hacking

 * Hacking has been made into a simpler minigame with has four possible outcomes which are - being shocked (causing damage to the player), setting off an alarm (which calls Security Bots), a successful hack and a successful hack with a bonus.
 * Bonuses vary by machine - for example a Safe will give extra cash, an El Ammo Bandito will drop some free items and most Health Stations will drop a First Aid Kit.
 * Hacking no longer pauses the game. In Single Player, the player has to land a moving needle in a green or blue section of a bar, while avoiding any enemies present.
 * In multiplayer hacking is a time-based progress bar rather than a mini-game which requires the player to hold a button. The player cannot move while hacking in multiplayer
 * Players will have the choice to either hack up close like in the first game or from a distance with the Hack Tool. Auto-hacking is now handled by a special ammo type for the Hack Tool.

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 "Rescue" 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.

Locations
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thumb|300px|right|15 minutes of Ryan Amusments

Adonis Luxury Resort (Campaign)
The first level of BioShock 2. It is a Greek-themed, high-class resort area in Rapture where citizens would come to relax and get Plasmid-based rejuvenation treatments.

Atlantic Express (Campaign)
A ruined train station, Delta will have to use one of the trains to get to another part of the city after meeting with Tenenbaum.

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

Pauper's Drop (Campaign)
The poor district of Rapture, where the underpaid workers of the Atlantis Express had originally lived. It did not exist when Rapture was founded, rather it was built by the workers.

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. After the fall of Rapture, they fell from grace and had to resort to selling themselves.

Dionysus Park (Campaign)
The sixth level in the game. After draining the water out of the area, the player is required to enter it. Home of wealthy artists and an area for them to show their work. Former home of Sofia Lamb.

Fontaine Futuristics (Campaign)
Brigid 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. Home many notable technologies including ADAM, plasmids, and Big Daddies.

Persephone (Campaign)
Penal colony, psychiatric ward, and residence of Sofia Lamb. Andrew Ryan sentenced many dissidents here for speaking out against his policies.

Splicers
The original Splicers (Thuggish, Leadhead, etc.) will be upgraded/more powerful versions due to ten more years of splicing. They will rely on group warfare to defeat Subject Delta, as he is much stronger than they are individually. The new Brute Splicers emerge as the most formidable Splicer opponents. They will present some of the more difficult battles faced in BioShock 2. It is probable that they will be the Splicer equivalent of a mini-boss, similar to the Big Daddies and the Big Sisters. In a Podcast from 2K Marin, it was mentioned that there would be new Splicers, with new capabilities.

Big Daddies
The Rosie and Bouncer will be returning as the protectors of the Little Sisters while they gather. However, a new type of Big Daddy, the Rumbler, will join them.

Big Sister
Though there was an 'original' Big Sister, by the time of the second game there are several of them. They are in the employ of Sofia Lamb as assassins and gatherers of Little Sisters, charged with eliminating those who would disrupt Rapture's ADAM ecology. 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, and they are able to replenish lost health by draining dead or living Splicers of their ADAM.

Security Devices
Security machines make their return, and Miniature Turrets make their introduction. This turret can be deployed by the player through the use of their Hack Tool, and enemy turrets are deployed by the Rumbler.

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.

Characters

 * Barbara Johnson (Housewife)
 * Buck Raleigh (Businessman)
 * Danny Wilkins (Athlete)
 * Jacob Norris (Welder)
 * Mlle Blanche de Glace (Actress) (Pre-order exclusive)
 * Naledi Atkins (Pilot)
 * Suresh Sheti (Performer)
 * Zigo d’Acosta (Fisherman) (Pre-order exclusive)
 * Louie McGraff (Jailbird) (DLC: Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack)
 * Oscar Calraca (Playboy) (DLC: Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack)

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, six proximity grenades, and unlimited rivets. 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.
 * Five game modes and two alterations for a total of seven.
 * Use three loadouts to switch weapons during respawns.
 * Ten-player matches.
 * Pre-game menu is a 3D modeled apartment.
 * Personalized characters.
 * Each character will have access to a series of melee weapons.
 * 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.
 * There are forty (fifty with Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack DLC) levels of character development in Multiplayer. 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.

Extras

 * BioShock 2 Soundtrack
 * BioShock 2 Strategy Guide
 * Sounds From The Lighthouse

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 doll 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.

BioShock 2 Launch Trailer
Released on February 3rd, this video shows a cinematic resembling "The Myth of Atlantis" video.

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
 * Game Informer interview with Garry Schyman
 * TechSpot BioShock 2 PC Graphics Cards Performance Guide

Trivia

 * Unlike the first game, the second game does not have a final Boss Battle. Instead, it has a final Battle.