PC Gaming E3 recap: Bioshock 2

June 8, 9:21 AMPC Game ExaminerBryan Edge-Salois

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the PC Game Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Although PC gaming definitely took a back seat to consoles at E3 this year, there are still plenty of good games coming up for the PC to get excited about -- and one of the most exciting is Bioshock 2, which is due for release November 3rd, 2009 -- just in time for the holidays.

Bioshock 2 returns you to Rapture about ten years before the events of the first game. A monster has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city of Rapture.

You don the big boots of the first Big Daddy as you travel through the depraved city of Rapture and hunt the kidnapper. In addition to being a big badass Big Daddy with a full range of plasmid powers, you'll be able to adopt Little Sisters and have them accompany you. This will give you the ability to extract 'adam' -- the precious genetic material used to purchase and upgrade your plasmid powers -- but you'll invariably have to protect the Little Sister from the horde of Rapture miscreants while she performs her extraction.

One of the big additions for Bioshock 2 will be the multiplayer experience, which will be much more than just 'Deathmatch Bioshock with plasmid powers.' Instead, the multi-player version of  Bioshock 2 will actually add to and expand upon the themes and story in the single-player game. You'll have full use of plasmid powers, weapons, and everything else available to you as you try to survive.

Set during the fall of Rapture, players become Plasmid test subjects in the underwater city that was first explored in the original BioShock. Players will need to use all the elements of the game’s toolset to survive as the full depth of the BioShock experience is refined and transformed into a unique multiplayer experience that can only be found in Rapture.

Features

Singleplayer

• Evolution of the Genetically Enhanced Shooter: Innovative advances bring new depth and dimension to each encounter. New elements, such as the ability to dual-wield weapons and Plasmids, allow players to create exciting combinations of punishment
• Return to Rapture: Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the story continues with an epic, more intense journey through one of the most captivating and terrifying fictional worlds ever created
• You Are the Big Daddy: Take control of BioShock’s signature and iconic symbol with the original prototype Big Daddy, and experience the power and raw strength of Rapture’s most feared denizens as you battle powerful new enemies
• Continuation of the Award-Winning Narrative: New and unique storytelling devices serve as the vehicle for the continuation of one of gaming’s most acclaimed storylines

Multiplayer

• Genetically Enhanced Multiplayer – Earn experience points during gameplay to earn access to new Weapons, Plasmids and Tonics that can be used to create hundreds of different combinations, allowing players to develop a unique character that caters to their playing style.
• Experience Rapture’s Civil War– Players will step into the shoes of Rapture citizens and take direct part in the civil war that tore Rapture apart.
• See Rapture Before the Fall – Experience Rapture before it was reclaimed by the ocean and engage in combat over iconic environments in locations such as Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites, all of which have been reworked from the ground up for multiplayer.
• FPS Veterans Add Their Touch to the Multiplayer Experience – Digital Extremes brings more than 10 years of first person shooter experience including development of award-winning entries in the Unreal® and Unreal Tournament® franchise.

Visit the Bioshock 2 home page for more info