Bioshock 2 The FPS-RPG?

No, it's not a new game being built off the franchise. Although I could see it. Wait, a second. Bioshock MMO ™ There, now I claimed the idea. But in all seriousness, after reading some of the features the new multiplayer mode will contain, you try and not let your mind wander down that path. Let me explain.

The people behind bringing some of the great stuff on Unreal Tournament®, Digital Extremes, is bringing their expertise to the multiplayer aspect of Bioshock 2. One of the things spoken of is a leveling system where players earn experience that they can then use to upgrade, well pretty much all the stuff you can by just playing through the game in campaign mode. Only you get to take it all online when you go on to take out some of that Splicer aggression on human controlled avatars. I can see this getting really annoying for anyone that wants to just hop on casually, but we'll see how that works out.

To go even further, players will be starting the multiplayer as a generic Plasmid Test subject to do said leveling up. Not to mention play through new parts of the story, including a portion before the fall of Rapture finding out even more of the back story of it all. With that, can you honestly say it doesn't sound like a testing ground for Waterworld of BioShock. Wait, Waterworld of BioShock™. There we go.

2K Games Reveals First Details Of The BioShock® 2 Multiplayer Experience

Windsor, UK, May 8, 2009/. 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today that it has signed a partnership with Digital Extremes to develop the multiplayer experience for BioShock® 2. Under this partnership, Digital Extremes is working closely with the creative team at 2K Marin to develop a new and substantial element that enhances the lore and fiction of the BioShock universe.

"The fans asked for a multiplayer experience and we answered," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "With Digital Extremes delivering a multiplayer experience for BioShock 2 that features all of the things that make BioShock unique, we’re holding ourselves to a high standard so that we can deliver the depth and variety that fans of the BioShock universe demand."

Multiplayer in BioShock 2 provides a rich prequel experience that expands the origins of the BioShock fiction. Set during the fall of Rapture, players assume the role of a Plasmid test subject for Sinclair Solutions, a premier provider of Plasmids and Tonics in the underwater city of Rapture that was first explored in the original BioShock. Players will need to use all the elements of the BioShock 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.

Key features:

  • Evolution of the genetically enhanced shooter – 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.
  • Extend the Rapture fiction – Players will step into the shoes of Rapture citizens and learn more about the fall of Rapture as they progress through the experience.
  • 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 to deliver a fast-paced multiplayer experience.
  • 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.