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BioShock 2

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BioShock 2
File:Bioshock 2 boxart.jpg
North American box art
Developer(s)2K Marin
Digital Extremes (multiplayer)
2K Australia
2K China
Arkane Studios (level design assistance)[2]
Publisher(s)2K Games
Composer(s)Garry Schyman
EngineUnreal Engine 2.5; Havok Physics[3]
Platform(s)Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows[4]
ReleaseFebruary 9, 2010[1]
Genre(s)First-person shooter, action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin and Irrational Games for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles, and the Windows operating system.[1][5] It is the sequel to the critically acclaimed 2007 video game BioShock. The game was released world-wide on February 9, 2010.

The game is set in fictional dystopian city Rapture, in a steampunk alternative history 1968, eight years after the events of BioShock. The protagonist and player-controlled character is a Big Daddy, a being that has had its organs and skin grafted into an atmospheric diving suit. Among the first of its kind, the player-controlled Big Daddy reactivates with no recollection of the past decade's events, and scours the city in an attempt to relocate the Little Sister that he was paired with. When it becomes obvious that Rapture's leader Sofia Lamb will become responsible for the city's destruction, the Big Daddy attempts to overthrow Lamb and her army of Big Sisters.

Gameplay

See also: Gameplay in BioShock

BioShock 2 is presented as a first person shooter, with the player taking on the role of "Subject Delta", a prototype for the Big Daddies some ten years after the events of the first game. As with BioShock, the player explores Rapture and fighting off Splicers, the remaining senile human population of the city, using a combination of the environment, weapons, Plasmids and Tonics. Plasmids and Tonics are special genetic-reencoding liquids that grant the user active or passive abilities, respectively, and include both those introduced in BioShock and new ones for this game. For example, Plasmids can give the player the ability to use telekinesis or evoke fire, while Tonics can improve the player's movement speed, attack damage, or damage resistance. Most of the weapons in BioShock 2 are those that were previously seen carried by Big Daddies from the first game, including a powerful drill and a rivet gun. The weapons feature multiple ammunition types that can be used in specific situations (such as anti-personnel rounds for a machine gun) or to set traps for the Splicers. The player can use each weapon in a close-range melee attack. Unlike the first game, the player is able to equip both one weapon and one Plasmid at the same time, which they can use in quick succession to destroy foes; for example, by first freezing a foe, they can be shattered into pieces using a spear gun. If the player is killed, they are revived in the nearest "Vita-Chamber".[6]

As the player explores Rapture, they will collect ammo, health and EVE (a liquid used to power Plasmid use) recovery items, and money. Money can be used to purchase more items at vending machines across the city. The player will also encounter security systems which can be hacked through a mini-game. This requires the player to stop a quickly-moving needle one or more times in the correctly-colored marked area of a gauge. Stopping it within the blue area (this only needs to be done once per hack) may grant a bonus to the hacking attempt, landing in the white area shocks the player (dealing a small amount of damage) while landing in red-colored areas can lead to the start of a security alert. The player also gains access to a research camera; in BioShock 2, after taking a picture of an enemy, the player has a short time to do as much damage to that enemy to score a number of points, which are then added towards the research of that enemy type. At various levels of research, the player is then rewarded with new abilities in general or towards that specific type of foe. Certain areas of the game take place entirely underwater, limiting the actions the player can perform.[7]

File:Big Sister Screenshot.jpg
A Big Sister

As a Big Daddy, the player can attempt to attack other Big Daddies escorting Little Sisters. Should the player succeed, they can then either choose to Harvest the Little Sister, gaining appreciable ADAM to be used for buying new Plasmids and Tonics, or opt to Adopt them. While adopted, the Little Sister will lead the player to corpses where she can extract more ADAM. While she does this, the player must defend her from Splicer attacks. Once the Little Sister has collected enough ADAM, the player can then return her to an escape vent, again allowing the player to choose to Rescue the Little Sister, receiving a modest amount of ADAM but with the possibility of beneficial gifts later, or harvest her for a large ADAM boost. ADAM can then be spent at Gatherers Gardens machines through the Rapture. Once the player has either Rescued or Harvested each of the Little Sisters on the level, the player will be attacked by a Big Sister. The Big Sister's agility and resourcefulness will task the players with a difficult fight before they can proceed with the game.[7]

Multiplayer

BioShock 2 features a story driven multiplayer mode where the player takes on the role of a citizen of Rapture. Set in 1959, just before the events of BioShock, the player chooses to take on the role of a splicer fighting in Rapture's civil war. The player is being sponsored by Plasmid manufacturer, Sinclair Solutions, to test out their weapons, Plasmids, and Tonics in a consumer reward program. As the player progresses through the multiplayer experience, new weapons and Plasmids will be unlocked (provided by Sinclair), in addition to the story of the Rapture civil war being told.[8]

The player can choose between 6 characters to be their in-game avatar. The characters are: a welder named Jacob Norris, a housewife named Barbara Johnson, a football star named Danny Wilkins, a businessman named Buck Raleigh, a pilot named Naledi Atkins, and an Indian mystic named Suresh Sheti. Two additional characters are available only by pre-ordering the game from 12game, GameStop, EB Games or Game: a fisherman named Zigo d'Acosta and an actress named Mlle Blanche de Glace.[9]

Multiplayer comes in 7 different modes, two of which have a single and team based mode.[10] The modes are:

  • Survival of the Fittest: A 'free-for-all' mode where each player gets points for killing each of the other players. Whichever player has the most kills or 20 kills at the end of the match wins.
  • Civil War: Similar to 'Survival of the Fittest,' but in this mode players are divided into two teams and the team with the most collective kills at the end of the match wins.
  • Last Splicer Standing: A variation of 'Civil War' in which players do not respawn after being killed. Each match consists of several rounds in which players attempt to outlive the players on the enemy team.
  • Capture the Sister: A 'Capture the Flag' style mode where players are divided into two teams. One team has to protect a Little Sister while the other team tries to steal her and place her in a vent on the other side of the map. The team protecting the little sister will have a randomly chosen player be a Big Daddy. After a pre-determined amount of time, the teams switch roles. Whichever team has the most captures at the end of the match wins.
  • ADAM Grab: In this mode there is one Little Sister on the map and the player must seek her out and maintain possession of her as long as possible. The first person to hold onto the Little Sister for 3 minutes wins.
  • Team ADAM Grab: A variant of 'ADAM Grab' where players are divided into two teams. The objective is the same, but victory is determined by a collective score rather than individual scores, and the first team to hold the little sister for 5 minutes wins.
  • Turf War: Players are split into two teams and each team must reach pre-determined points on the map to capture that point. The team with the most control points over the longest time wins.

In all modes except 'Capture the Sister' a Big Daddy suit will spawn at a random location in the level. If a player can find the suit, the choice is given to become the Big Daddy, which will give the player greater strength and endurance, but prohibits the use of plasmids and expels any previously held damage bonuses against other players. Once the Big Daddy is defeated, the suit disappears and is moved to another location on the map. In 'Capture the Sister' one member of the defending team is chosen at Random to be the Big Daddy. After the players death, the Big Daddy suit disappears for the rest of the round.

The Big Daddy can stomp, shoot his rivet gun, melee attack and throw green proximity bombs.[11]

Plot

Set in 1968, 8 years after the events in BioShock, Rapture is now under the control of a psychiatrist named 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. 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 ADAM 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, the first Big Daddy, Subject Delta, is forced to commit suicide by Sofia Lamb, who informs him that his Little Sister is actually her daughter Eleanor, who watches in horror as Delta shoots himself in the head. 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 to Fontaine Futuristics, where Eleanor is held. If he does not, a fail-safe device designed to trigger if he strays too far from her will activate, killing him. On his journey, Delta is aided by Tenenbaum's new ally Augustus Sinclair. 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. 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 discovers that Lamb plans to use ADAM to transform her daughter into a superhuman, who can then be controlled by her using the same conditioning methods used on Jack Ryan. 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 kill them all. 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.

The game can then end in one of four ways, an "evil" ending, "less evil" ending, "sad" ending, or "good" ending. The "evil" ending is shown when Eleanor drains Delta's ADAM against his will, causing her to become a murderous monster. The "less evil" ending is given after choosing to save yourself, in which Eleanor absorbs Delta's ADAM so he survives and she gets his power. In these endings, the sky is shown amidst a thunderstorm, with bodies of dead splicers floating in the ocean. The "sad" ending is caused by Eleanor not draining Delta's ADAM. Eleanor talks in a sad tone about herself being alone now that both her mother and her father are gone. This ending is set in the same stormy skies as the "evil" endings. It ends with a hopeful tone as Eleanor states that although he is now dead, Delta gave her the "the greatest gift of all, freedom." The "good" ending is set in sunny skies. Eleanor absorbs Delta's ADAM claiming that he is her conscience. The scene ends with Eleanor looking down at the ocean with the cured Little Sisters surrounding her. A Little Sister hands Eleanor a Big Daddy doll and Eleanor drops it into the water.

Development

Official system requirements
Minimum Recommended
Windows
Operating system Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
CPU AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz or better, Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0Ghz Processor or betterAMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core 2.60Ghz, Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Dual Core 2.13Ghz
Memory 2 GB3 GB
Free space 11 GB
Graphics hardware NVIDIA 7800GT 256MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon X1900 256MB graphics card or betterNVIDIA 8800GT 512MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon HD4830 512MB graphics card or better
Network Internet connection required for activation

Initially, media reports suggested that the subtitle, "Sea Of Dreams", would accompany the second entry in the series. However, this subtitle was supposedly dropped,[12] before 2K withdrew the statement, stating that the "Sea Of Dreams" subtitle would still be part of the full title.[13] However, a later statement from 2K spokesman Charlie Sinhaseni clarified that the "Sea Of Dreams" title was for the trailer, and not for the game itself.[14] The first appearance for BioShock 2 came in the form of a teaser trailer that was available in the PlayStation 3 version of the game. The first major details on the gameplay and plot of the game were revealed in the April 2009 issue of Game Informer magazine,[15] around the same time that the "viral" site "There's Something in the Sea" was revealed. This site documents a man named Mark Meltzer's investigation into the disappearances of girls from coastline areas around the Atlantic, along with a mysterious red light that accompanies each kidnapping. On April 9, 2009 on the Spike TV show GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley the first BioShock 2 gameplay video was shown featuring the Big Sister. This demo showed many features including the ability to walk under water.

The story received major changes over the course of development, with two of the most important relating to the player's character and the Big Sister. Initially there was only going to be one Big Sister who would continually hunt the player down throughout the course of the game and then retreat once she was defeated. This Big Sister was written as a Little Sister who, as she grew up on the surface, could not leave the memory of Rapture behind and eventually returned. The reason for the change, as explained by Zak McClendon, Lead Designer for 2K Marin, "If you have a single character that the player knows they can't kill because they're so important to the story you're completely removing the triumph of overcoming that encounter with them." [16] Jordan Thomas explains however, "The soul of the original Big Sister character still exists, but in the form of somebody you get to know over the course of the game." [17] The other major change is that the player's character, Subject Delta, is no longer the first Big Daddy, but rather the fourth prototype. He is, however, the first to be successfully 'pair-bonded' to a single Little Sister.[17]

Digital Extremes produced the multiplayer component of the game.[18] In the multiplayer portion, players are put in a separate story where civil war has broken out in Rapture prior to the events of the first game. In the multiplayer mode the player acts as a plasmid test subject for a company called Sinclair Solutions.[19] As the player progresses through the multiplayer maps like Mercury Suites and Kashmir Restaurant they will either have the ability to hack turrets and vending machines or search for the Big Daddy suit.[20]

Music

The score to BioShock 2 was composed by Garry Schyman, who recorded his score with a 60-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony at Capitol Records.[21]

Retail versions

File:BioShock 2 Special Edition.jpg
Special Edition

A Special Edition of the game was announced on November 19, 2009. This edition, which will be limited to a single production run, will contain the game along with three posters featuring fictional advertisements from Rapture (all of which, when looked under a black light, reveal hidden messages) [22], the orchestral score from the game on CD, the orchestral score from the original BioShock on a vinyl 180g LP, and a hardbound, 164-page art book. It will all be packaged in a 13"x13" premium case with special art on both the slipcase and the box cover.[23]

A smaller limited edition, titled BioShock 2 Rapture Edition, was officially announced on December 2, 2009. It will contain the game and a smaller, 96-page art book, which will be packaged together in a special slipcover. As with the Special Edition, the Rapture Edition will be limited to a single production run.[24]The BioShock 2 Rapture Edition is available in Europe, New Zealand and Australia, in addition to the BioShock 2 Special Edition. [25]

Downloadable content

Sinclair Solutions Test Pack

“Sinclair Solutions Test Pack” is the first installment of downloadable content for BioShock 2. The pack will focus on the multiplayer element of the game, increasing the levelling rank to 50 as well as adding new playable characters, new trials and a third upgrade for each weapon.[26]

Reception

BioShock 2 has been met with praise. It currently holds a 88[38], 88[39] and 89[40] score on Metacritic for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions, respectively. PSM3 awarded it 93%, saying that it "tops the original in terms of storytelling and combat". PC Gamer was also positive, awarding the game 90%, and commenting that "it's still better written than pretty much anything else out there".[41] Xbox World 360 rated it 90%, stating that the return to the underwater dystopia of Rapture is "every bit as engrossingly mysterious [as the original] ... if not more so", and that the two titles are "as inseparable as Daddy and Sister".[42] PlayStation: The Official Magazine awarded BioShock 2 with a perfect score of 5/5. Official Xbox Magazine awarded the game a 9.5/10, stating that the game is "Dripping with atmosphere and quality; good story with a terrific ending; good gameplay tweaks".[citation needed] IGN has given the game a 9.1/10, stating that "anyone looking for a first-person shooter that offers more than flat, stereotypical characters and copy-and-paste supersoldier plots, one that attempts to establish a sense of right and wrong and loops you into the decision making process, and one that's set in one of the most vividly realized settings around should pick up BioShock 2. It's a game in which story, setting, and gameplay are expertly blended to create an experience that's as thought-provoking as it is entertaining".[43]

Lacking gamepad support, the PC version was met with some controversy. 2K Games has been unclear as to the real reason of the decision to remove the feature. When asked if they will be adding support in the future, 2K stated that there will not be any patches adding controller or gamepad support in the future. A petition in support of adding this feature has been created by the community to try and change the developers decision on adding gamepad support. [44][45]

Sales

Prior to the game's release, the chairman of Take-Two Strauss Zelnick, stated that he expected the game to sell 5 million copies across all the platforms.[46]

In its first week of release, BioShock 2 was the best-selling Xbox 360 game in the UK and North America.[47] It also managed to hold both the first and second position in the Steam release charts. [48] In two weeks of release, the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game had sold more than 1.1 million units. [49]

References

  1. ^ a b Orry, James (September 18, 2009). "BioShock 2 release worldwide from Feb 9". VideoGamer. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  2. ^ Onyett, Charles (July 9, 2009). "Another Studio Working on BioShock 2". IGN. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
  3. ^ Leahy, Brian (2009-04-23). "'BioShock 2' First Impressions". G4tv.com. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  4. ^ Thorsen, Tor (October 23, 2008). "BioShock 2 trailer released, platforms confirmed". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
  5. ^ Breckon, Nick (2009-03-20). "BioShock 2 Getting Simultaneous Release". Shacknews. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  6. ^ Nelson, Randy (2009-04-23). "Joystiq interview: BioShock 2". Joystiq. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
  7. ^ a b Game Informer (192). 2009. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ "BioShock 2 Multiplayer Preview". Eurogamer. May 28, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  9. ^ "BioShock 2 Pre-Order Bonus Revealed". Endsights. April 11, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
  10. ^ "The Many Modes of Multiplayer". 2K Games. November 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  11. ^ "Partying Like It's 1959 in BioShock 2's Multiplayer". Destructoid. August 29, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  12. ^ Petraglia, Alex (2009-03-19). "2K Games: It's Just 'BioShock 2′". Primotech. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  13. ^ Purchese, Rob (2009-03-23). "BioShock 2 doesn't drop subtitle". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
  14. ^ IGN Staff (2009-04-02). "BioShock 2's Subtitle Saga". IGN. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
  15. ^ Ahrens, Nick (2009-03-10). "April 2009 Cover Revealed!". GameInformer. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
  16. ^ "BioShock 2 Interview: Gameplay and Story Exclusive Interview". GameSpot. 2009-12-04. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  17. ^ a b Tobey, Elizabeth (2010-01-12). "BioShock 2 Podcast Episode Eight: Creating a Story". 2K Games. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  18. ^ Magrino, Tom (May 8, 2009). "BioShock 2 multiplayer goes to Digital Extremes". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  19. ^ Breckon, Nick (June 4, 2009). "BioShock 2 Multiplayer Impressions: Undiscovered Rapture". Shacknews. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
  20. ^ "Games Reveals First Details of the BioShock 2 Multiplayer Experience" (Press release). Take-Two Interactive. 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  21. ^ Goldwasser, Dan (2010-02-08). "Garry Schyman scores BioShock 2". ScoringSessions.com. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  22. ^ "There Are Secret Messages On Your BioShock 2 Posters". Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  23. ^ Tobey, Elizabeth (2009-11-19). "The BioShock 2 Special Edition". 2k Games. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  24. ^ Tobey, Elizabeth (2009-12-02). "BioShock 2's Rapture Edition". 2k Games. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  25. ^ http://www.cinemablend.com/games/BioShock-2-Rapture-Edition-Announced-21457.html
  26. ^ "BioShock 2 DLC Coming Next Month". Retrieved 2010-02-22.
  27. ^ http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/945380-bioshock-2/index.html
  28. ^ http://www.gamestats.com/objects/142/14240341/
  29. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/bioshock2
  30. ^ http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3177855
  31. ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=234222
  32. ^ http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/review-bioshock-2
  33. ^ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/bioshock-2-review
  34. ^ http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/213905/bioshock-2/
  35. ^ http://uk.xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/bioshock-2/1067326p1.html
  36. ^ http://www.gametrailers.com/game/bioshock-2/10456
  37. ^ http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/106/1068043p3.html
  38. ^ "BioShock 2 (xbox360) reviews at Metacritic.com". 2k Games. Retrieved 2010-02-07. {{cite web}}: Text "date 2010-02-7" ignored (help)
  39. ^ "BioShock 2 (ps3) reviews at Metacritic.com". 2k Games. Retrieved 2010-02-07. {{cite web}}: Text "date 2010-02-7" ignored (help)
  40. ^ "BioShock 2 (pc) reviews at Metacritic.com". 2k Games. Retrieved 2010-02-07. {{cite web}}: Text "date 2010-02-7" ignored (help)
  41. ^ "BioShock 2 review is in". 2k Games. 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  42. ^ "BioShock 2 review:Another one in". 2k Games. 2010-01-20. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
  43. ^ Onyett, Charles (2010-02-05). "BioShock 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  44. ^ http://www.gamearena.com.au/news/read.php/5060127?latest=1
  45. ^ http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/62364
  46. ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=217826
  47. ^ Cowan, Danny (2010-02-12). "Saling The World: BioShock 2 Heads Xbox 360 Charts in U.S. and UK". Gamasutra. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  48. ^ http://www.bit-tech.net/news/top-10-pc-games-chart
  49. ^ VGChartz.com | Bioshock 2 Sales
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