BioShock 2 - Eyes On

By Sam Prescott

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NZGamer.com recently got a chance to nip across the ditch to Sydney, where 2K Games showed gameplay from the latest build of BioShock 2. We are counting down the days 'til release now, and getting mighty close, so it was an excellent opportunity to talk to some developers and really turn our minds to the the awesome possibility of this title. BioShock 2 is going to be one of the biggest games of 2010 - and was it looking sweet? Yes. Cherry friggin' pie.

We hope this will you a bit of an idea of how BioShock 2 looks and feels, but we still haven't had a chance to play the game. The reviews will tell the rest of the story soon enough.

As well as the interview with some of the game's creators, NZGamer.com was able to get this exclusive from the game's protagonist: the Big Daddy known as Subject Delta. He's here to recruit gamers just like you. Take it away Delta...

(My first article for 2010, so I've had a little fun with it).

"So you're here for the job huh? You think you got what it takes? I'm telling you - things are different now. You might have been able to thumb your way around Rapture ten years ago, but that's a whole lot of days and weeks. And what's happened? A slow creep. It's more than change. It's something other, something organic. Rature has evolved...

Wait, what am I doing? Where are my manners? I'm Subject Delta - the original Big Daddy. Yeah, I can see what you're thinking - "Can't wait to get control of all of that metal and start drilling the brains out through the feet of some Splicers." Well, that attitude's gonna get you killed down here. So just listen. First you listen, then we can talk about whether you get to come on board. Delta's the name, mincing Splicers is my game. But that sure ain't where my work ends down here.

I thought you might want to come with me on a little excursion. I know you've toyed around with some of us before, but today you ought to just watch and learn. I'm not like most of those hulking steel gorillas. I've got free will - you know what that means? I get to choose. You don't know what a privilege that is 'til you can't do it anymore. That's not happening to me. I make my own way. Sure, I need someone like you to push buttons now and again... but you see this drill? And this here rivet gun? This is how I get by.

First let's talk about Rapture. It's not just the city that's different. The denziens have changed, too - I'll introduce to you some of them real soon - and that means leaner and meaner. Some of these cats have been slamming ADAM all that time. You remember what they were like then? Imagine what they're like now. Stitches, boils and hairy women are about the least of it. The city's also flooded in a lot of places. That makes it hard to get around. You know I've got facilities that will keep us moving, but there's a lot of ocean to explore out there. I bet last time you stayed pretty much indoors, right? Yeah. That's what I thought. Not this time, pal.

Big Daddies are usually slaves to this place, but not me. I've still got a lot of thinking and exploring to do, but for now I've got two things on my mind: one - kill the Rumbler. There's a Big Daddy stalking around Siren Alley that I need to take care of before I can complete my to do list. And he's got a Little Sister with him. Two - get to the Temple of the Lamb and knock off Father Simon Wales, one of Lamb's followers. Kid, this place is totally corrupt now. Sofia Lamb? She wants all the ADAM for herself...

But I need to calm down, here. Let's go find that Rumbler.

This is the old red light district. You can see how decked out this place is. Keep your voice low. You never know what's hiding around the corner. It's a shame this is so beat up; it used to be a beautiful spot. Velvet. Candles. Chrome. It was a classy area of the city, despite its reputation. Shh...

You see that?

There.

Damn! What a workout. You see what I did there? I've got the ability to wield Plasmids and weapons at the same time. Did you see me hurl those objects? No? You were probably cowering. See, I said this isn't going to be any walk in the park. Anything he threw at me I was able to catch with my telekinesis Plasmid. And let me tell you, that's just the tip of the iceberg. I've also got his turrets now, too, so I can place them next time I'm in a bind. I can even hack the ones that aren't mine if I need to. Basically the security system in Rapture is all connected up, allowing me access to things like security drones, provided I can hack them. Suffice to say, I have more abilities than ever, and most of them are damn fun. WHEW!

Aw. Wait. No. Aw. Awwwwwww. Would you look at this little doe-eyed beauty? She's cute, right? Scary maybe, but cute. Anyway, now I have a decision to make. This Little Sister can help me collect ADAM. But that said, I could harvest her right now for all the good stuff she's already carrying... don't look at me like that.

Okay. She can come with.

Watch this, kid. You want to survive down here you have to know how to deal with the Splicers. Yeah, that Rumbler was pretty mean, but you need to meet the Brute. I'll set this wee plumb down to suck the ADAM from some of these bodies, and you just wait. They'll come running. Luckily I have rivet traps - they're sorta like proxy mines - and cyclone traps galore. I also have some nice rocket spears, which are incendiary. You know - FIRE. Boomtown. Here we go. Away with ye, little munchkin!

There's the Brute. You might compare him to the Tank from Left4Dead2, but you didn't hear that from me. Anyway, he's been on ADAM for a looooong time, so he takes some killing. A few rocket spears oughta do the trick. The rest of these lower level characters you can snare in ice traps or whatever, and then turn them into ice cubes with your drill. Have fun with it, but make sure they don't get near your Little Sister.

There are so many options for us, weapons-wise, for how we draw up a perimeter and protect her. And you can take - we - can take our time and explore, because I'm busting these chumps up without even breaking a sweat. Talking to you. Shooting the breeze. Just watch out for the Brute's charge. Also, take my advice: upgrade. I'm gonna have my mind on other things, so you need to think about when we upgrade our arsenal. There's three upgrades for each weapon, but you have to invest. You have to buy the first two before you get a third. Assuming you get the job.

Remember those machines they used to have at gas stations? Where you could take empty drink cans in and spin for prizes? This machine here sort of does that, but with Little Sisters. And with no prizes. Again there's decisions to be made, and I'm not gonna stand here and tell you what's what, but when it comes down to it you need to sack up and decide whether she lives or dies. Sofia Lamb doesn't like us walking around using the Little Sisters to our own ends, and if she gets really pissed, she'll send the Big Sister after us. Man - she will find us anywhere. There's no hiding and she is damn tough. Built to perfection. She scales walls, and isn't afraid to get up close. She's worth killing just for the ADAM yeild, but it's anything by easy. Anyway, when you decide what you're gonna do with the Little Sister, commit to it. Every decision you make down here is going to impact moral reflectivity and the ADAM economy. Yeah, big words, right?

Into the Temple of the Lamb. Do you see? Mindless scrawl of the scattered, hopeless devotion. Still, it looks pretty amazing. A great sense of light and space. It would probably make a great bachelor pad. These guys are running the show. This Simon Wales character needs taking down a peg, and by that I mean he needs to be nicely cooked. Watch out for Splicers wherever you go. Don't get too focused on stuff like killing Rapture's important religious dignitaries and forget that Splicers, Big Sisters and a host of other nasties are all waiting for you to drop your guard...

Here we go again.

So it turned into a bit of a lesson today. How are you feeling about it now? You look pretty scared. But also excited. That's good. Tell you what, I'd be willing to give you a shot, but don't come in here thinking about the Rapture of yesteryear. Don't come in here thinking about how hard it is to fire a shotgun and get ready to throw a couch at the same time. Don't come in here with any preconceptions, other than this will be the fight of your life. It's a shame we can't just kick back and enjoy the light filtering down from above. The fish. The sleek, glossy design of Rapture. The pure beauty of this place. Someone somewhere up there worked their tail off to get it right, if you believe in that sort of thing.

And now it's all messed up. We can't rest a second.

We get started in February, so practice holding your breath."

Disclaimer: That was fun, but for any of you labouring under the illusion that I actually got to speak to Subject Delta… well. I didn’t. This is a fictionalised account of the gameplay NZGamer.com saw in Sydney.

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Reply

On 22 January 2010, 11:25PM Posted by Bank

I want to learn more about the Bioshock franchise.

 

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On 25 January 2010, 06:52PM Posted by sakuraba

the first one didnt make alot of sense to me, but it was still an awesome shooter!

 

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On 26 January 2010, 10:06PM Posted by Oliver

Still haven't played the first. I think the huge delay for the PS3 version really put me off... As if it was an afterthought (and it probably was). I guess it kind of seemed like a 360 exclusive.