2K Marin is currently working in an old air Force Hangar in San Francisco to finish one of the most anxiously awaited video game sequels of this year: Bioshock 2 is supposed to be released in 2009.2K Marin is currently working in an old air Force Hangar in San Francisco to finish one of the most anxiously awaited video game sequels of this year: Bioshock 2 is supposed to be released in 2009.

Bioshock 2: Story and Gameplay
In Bioshock 2 you will return to Rapture - 10 years after your first visit to the underwater city. Rapture still has its Art Deco style but the good times are over. The city has aged noticeably over the past 10 years. Right on the start you will hear a familiar voice: Dr. Tenebbaum is calling in via the radio, while the until then unknown protagonist is getting out of the water - and this also is one of the first surprises in the game because you will play the role of a Big Daddy this time.

Creative Director Jordan Thomas explains that you won't be any Big Daddy but the first Big Daddy. So you are on top position of Rapture's food chain. Could be boring, but even Big Daddies have enemies.

One of those enemies shattered the glass during the presentation of Bioshock , but if you that this is it, you are wrong. One of the most important new features in Bioshock 2 is the player's capability to move through the sea outside Rapture. You are told about the Big Sister who made herself a Big Daddy and now carries the Little Sisters off to Rapture so that they collect Adam again. And Adam is still the most important thing in Bioshock 2, since even the protagonist needs it.

Back on dry ground you meet a Little Sister, and those who played the first part know that Big Daddies protect Little Sisters. If we do so, the Little Sister will provide us with Adam. In return we have to keep her save from the Slicers. Actually easy going for a Big Daddy, but there still is the Big Sister. And as she appears again, she knocks out the player - the end of the Bioshock 2 presentation.

During the presentation one of the most obvious things was the changes the city had do deal with. The once quaint Rapture now appears rundown. A positive surprise was motion repertoire of the character that can now display even more feelings on their faces. And the underwater city is quite impressive. But there still is the question if Rapture can be a location as thrilling as it has been in part one. Yes says Producer Melissa Miller. In order to ensure this three steps have been taken: First the player can - as already mentioned - move outside the city and secondly you will be sent to new parts of the city you haven't been to before. The third feature that is said to make Rapture more interesting is - kept secret.

Bioshock 2: Evolution not Revolution
Lead Artist Hogarth de la Plante promises that in Bioshock 2 everything will be a little better. As a Big Daddy you will now be able to use the drill. the field of view is much clearer and the Plasmid system has been improved. Plasmids can now be used in combination with weapons. In the first part it didn't cost you anything to use the Vitachamber. This is going to change because many players criticized this balancing problem. Bioshock has been too easy. The hacking from the first part has also been changed, but what it looks like now has not been revealed.

Bioshock 2: Good versus Evil
In the first part your decision on how you dealt with the Little Sisters didn't have a big effect on the game. Only the final scene and the amount of Adam varied. This is gonna change in Bioshock 2: Besides the moral aspect that varies from pure white to black the decision will be integrated into the game mechanics.

Bioshock 2: Multiplayer
Melissa Miller confirms that there will be an online mode in Bioshock 2. But how it will look like, is still a a secret. It is most likely that there will be some kind of Deathmatch where Big Daddies are competing with each other. A Coop mode on the other hand is not very realistic at the moment.

Bioshock 2: The first impression
Admittedly: 2K Marin didn't reveal that much, but what has been shown is enough to get a first impression. Bioshock 2 certainly won't be the revolutionary game the first part has been. But one can expect that Bioshock 2 will be a well done sequel. Nevertheless it will take some time until the game is finally released. PC Games Hardware will keep you up-to-date.

Bioshock compared
Click to select the game

  Smoke in Bioshock 1     Smoke in Bioshock 2  

  Water in Bioshock 1     Water in Bioshock 2  

  Shadows in Bioshock 1     Shadows in Bioshock 2  

Although Take 2's first line-up hinted at a October release for Bioshock 2, the latest rumors now say that the game won't hit the market before the Christmas season. Take 2 wants to publishe the game for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Apparently the Unreal Engine 3 is the basis for Bioshock 2 but details on that matter have not been released, yet.

Bioshock 2 Teaser-Trailer

Bioshock 2 Gameplay-Trailer