Bioshock 2

Bioshock was without a doubt one of the more memorable games to be released in 2007. Its unique artstyle, proven gameplay, and dense atmosphere paired with a brilliant twisting and layered story made it stand out amongst science fiction titles and war stories. Yet, it made me feel as though I had just begun to scratch the surface of what lay hidden in the underwater city of Rapture and therefore I've longed to return ever since I left.

The original game was developed by Irrational Games, who became 2K Boston right before the game was released, and the creative side of things was helmed by Ken Levine. However, a big chunk of the team left the studio to form 2K Marin in San Diego, and that's where the sequel is being developed. Well, most of it at any rate. Digital Extremes are responsible for the multiplayer component and 2K Australia lending a hand in development. Arkane Studios have also pitched in with some assistance in art design.

The multiplayer component developed by Digital Extremes, who are best known for their work on the Unreal series as well as their latest efforts Pariah, Warpath and Dark Sector, but they also helped out in porting Bioshock to Playstation 3.

Bioshock 2 is set ten years after the events of the original Bioshock and the player takes the role of Subject Delta, the original Big Daddy prototype. He has a will of his own (otherwise Bioshock 2 would have been more of a rail shooter, I guess) and he can equip plasmids, the genemodifiers that allows us to send bolts of electricity, freeze stuff, and much more. In fact you can equip plasmids on both hands in the sequel allowing you to combine their effects for even more entertaining damage. When you start the game your main weapon is Big Daddy's huge drill. It's so powerful and menacing that it's hard to imagine anything that could put the scare in him. That is until you come across your first Big Sister. And before that it must be said that the artificial intelligence and behaviour of other Rapture inhabitants has been cranked up a notch or two providing your Daddy with a proper challenge.

Big Sister lives up to her name as she is very protective of her Little Sisters. She will come charging if anyone touches or messes with them, and unfortunately for you that is one of your key objectives in Bioshock 2. The choice of saving or harvesting Little Sisters has been expanded and you can now adopt them as well and they will go and collect ADAM for you in corpses along the way. They will also warn you whenever a Big Sister is about to come in and crash your party. The Big Sister is like a supercharged and faster version of Big Daddy, and having her chase you down is enough to make grown man (well, technically you're not a man once your organs have been grafted into the Big Daddy suit) in a giant diving suit pee his pants.

When Gamereactor visited 2K Marin we got to try three out of the seven modes on offer in Bioshock 2. Regular Death Match, Team Death Match and a variation on Capture the Flag called Capture the Little Sister. Naturally the latter was the one we focused our attention on.

The players are divided into an attacking and a defending team. The defenders have to make sure their Little Sister is safe, while the attackers try and catch her. One of the players on defence plays as a Big Daddy, not Subject Delta but a Rosie model. The Big Daddy is going to be the foundation of your defence as he can take and dish out more damage. That said he also becomes the most obvious target for the attackers to focus on. When the Big Daddy goes down, it becomes a breeze to capture the Little Sister.

I didn't miss multiplayer in the original Bioshock, and while the weapons feel more like soft air guns than anything you would find in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 it does provide a very different experience. We had a lot of success combining the plasmids Winter Blast and Aero Dash. First freezing our enemy from a far, dashing forward and finishing him off with a shotgun blast.

Bioshock 2 looks set to be one of the highlights of an incredibly packed first quarter of 2010. We can't wait to dive into another mystic adventure underneath the waves.