Bioshock 2 Multiplayer: No Shock Here

January 8th, 2010

Bioshock was one of those games that leave you wanting more well after the final credits have rolled and the experience has been fully taken in.  2k games knew they had something special and immediately went to work on Bioshock 2.  At CES 2010, the 2k crew brought with them the new online multiplayer mode that will be an integral part of the Bioshock 2 experience, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.



The multiplayer is set one year prior to the events of Bioshock.  You play as a splicer during the Civil War and you will have the option to choose a side and go against other players.  You will be able to rank up by getting kills, researching corpses, hacking computers, etc., which will in turn give you more adam, the life force and essence of the Bioshock world.  The more adam you collect, the higher you will be able to rank up and the better your weapon and plasmid options will be.  One thing to note is that Bioshock 2 multiplayer will only allow players to use one hand at a time (unlike the campaign mode which will introduce a new two handed system that will allow you to shoot a weapon and use a plasmid without switching hands).  Initially, this was a bit of a disappointment.  However, after playing the multiplayer it is quite evident that this system brings a balance to the combat and makes for a fair and ultimately more interesting multiplayer experience. 

The multiplayer will feature no bots and no AI whatsoever, making it a completely user controlled environment.  It will feature up to 10 players who can choose a team game (up to 5 on 5) or a free for all that will feature every player for them self.   There are a total of 5 online modes that players can get involved in, one of which is “Capture the Sister”, which is a take on capture the flag but obviously thrown into the fantastic world of Bioshock.

There will be 10 playable maps in the game and will feature some familiar spots for Bioshock fans, such as Kashmir Restaurant and Point Prometheus, just to name a few.  The locations will be upgraded to fit with Bioshock 2, but gamers will be pleasantly surprised to see familiar territory.

One of the things that jumped right out at us was the inclusion of the Big Daddy suit in the multiplayer.  Basically, one Big Daddy suit is located somewhere on the map and can be picked up by one player and one player only.  Once on, the suit will alter your gameplay quite a bit.  For starters, you will be moving and maneuvering slower than the other players.  At the same time, you will be tougher to kill and will have a larger health bar than others.  The downside to this?  You won’t be able to regenerate your health like the other players will. 

All in all, Bioshock 2 multiplayer came off as a very successful and enjoyable experience.  The development team focused mainly on transferring all the memorable aspects of the first game into the multiplayer realm of Bioshock 2.  The game releases February 9th, 2010, and by all indications will not disappoint by any means.  Shocked?  Me neither.  



 

Submitted by: theprofessor29