New BioShock 2 gameplay footage has risen from the murky depths of the Internet to show a little from one of the multiplayer modes created by Digital Extremes for 2K Marin's subaqueous shooter sequel, including a glimpse of 'Trial' challenges.

BioShock 2 arrives for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on February 9, 2010, with a swanky Special Edition packing Rapturian artifacts including a vinyl LP and posters.

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2K Games has announced a 'Special Edition' of its subaqueous shooter sequel BioShock 2, revealing a treasure trove of goodies seemingly raised from Rapture itself.

"Limited to a single-production run" and packed into a rather fetching box with a butterfly motif, the Special Edition brings a 164-page hardcover art book, a 180g vinyl LP of the original BioShock's orchestral score, an audio CD with the BioShock 2 orchestral score, and three "vintage Rapture advertisement posters," not to mention a copy of BioShock 2.

BioShock 2 Special Edition arrives alongside the regular on February 9, 2010, priced at $90 on PC and $100 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The singleplayer is by 2K Marin and 2K Australia, while Digital Extremes is crafting multiplayer with a variety of modes.

Kidnapping children and shoving them into tiny vents while fending off gun-toting pursuers? Just another day in BioShock 2's "Capture the Sister" multiplayer mode.

For a closer examination, check out the trailer below. BioShock 2 hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 9. The game's single-player campaign is being handled by 2K Marin, with external studio Digital Extremes crafting the online multiplayer portions.

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Alternating between empty environments and action-packed combat, this BioShock 2 trailer takes us on a chaotic whirlwind tour of Rapture and its various armaments.

The underwater shooter sequel hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 9, with its single-player handled by 2K Marin and multiplayer done by Digital Extremes.

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2K Games announced today that BioShock 2 will be released on February 9, 2010, for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, following a delay from fall 2009 explained by 2K as because "Generally there are some development issues that we need to deal with."

Set ten years after the original, BioShock 2 returns players to Rapture now clad in the diving suit of the very first Big Daddy, rescuing--or harvesting--Little Sisters who were kidnapped by the mysterious Big Sister and brought to serve in the sunken city.

2K Marin's shooter sequel also sports multiplayer developed by Digital Extremes. Eight minutes of singleplayer gameplay footage are available to tide you over until February.

The first trailer for BioShock 2's multiplayer has been released, with oodles of plasmid-powered deathmatch from 2K's shooter sequel all wrapped up in a lovely retro package.

BioShock 2 will hit PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 between February and June 30, 2010. The trailer is embedded below, just click on through for a look at the action... Read more

While publisher Take-Two is still evaluating specific launch dates for anticipated sequels BioShock 2, Max Payne 3, Mafia II and Red Dead Redemption, the company today said that all four are now expected to release between February and June 30, 2010.

While speaking during an investors conference call, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder explicitly noted that the four are still due within the first half of calendar 2010, but should not be expected within the first quarter of the company's fiscal year, which ends January 31.

Invader Zim and JTHM creator Jhonen Vasquez marks the first participant in a new series of BioShock-themed art organized by developer 2K Games.

"We asked several uniquely different artists to create a piece of art that represented their Rapture to celebrate the profound effect the city's beauty has on the BioShock community," said 2K community manager Elizabeth Tobey.

The first piece, Vasquez's "The Sisters" (see above), debuted online today. Additional art will be released over the coming months.

"A few months back, 2K Games asked if I'd do a print for BioShock 2, the sequel to one of my favorite games of all time, so naturally I said 'HELL NO, YOU WIFE-SWAPPING FREAKS!'" writes Vasquez on the BioShock blog. "They repeated their offer, stating again just who they were and I realized my mistake, promptly apologizing for the misunderstanding and accepted gladly."

Update: BioShock 2 will be released within the first half of "calendar 2010," Take-Two CEO Ben Feder clarified during a conference call. Three other major releases are planned within that timeframe: Mafia 2, Max Payne 3, and Red Dead Redemption.

As before, the company is still evaluating specific launch windows for those games.

"[BioShock 2's delay is] not related to any specific platform or any specific element of it," the company later said of the forthcoming PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game. "Generally there are some development issues that we need to deal with."

Original: Take-Two today announced that BioShock 2 has been delayed to a new release date in its 2010 fiscal year.

While the game's original release date of November 3 technically fits into the beginning of the year--which begins on November 1, 2009--the company implied a... Read more

A new post on the official BioShock fan site Cult of Rapture provides a look at the various prototypes of the Big Daddy Prototype player-character.

Several pieces of concept art are featured, along with a final version that shows the character's solidified design.

"The artists had to imagine what the very first Big Daddy would have on him--this Big Daddy had to feel like he was a rough draft or a work-in-progress, an amalgam of Big Daddies to come," writes BioShock community manager Elizabeth Tobey.

Click through for a similar look at the evolution of the Big Sister:... Read more

Illustrating the new "Geyser Trap" plasmid, a few new screenshots of BioShock 2 have appeared over on official community site The Cult of Rapture. With its single-player handled by 2K Marin and 2K Australia and Digital Extremes on the multiplayer aspect, BioShock 2 hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 3.

BioShock 2 boasts new plasmids and tonics for the enterprising Rapturian to play with. Today, we're going to be focusing on Geyser Trap, and showing one way you can use this plasmid... Read more

Nobody buys baseball cards for the gum, and nobody's going to buy BioShock 2 for the multiplayer. So it is not a condemnation to say that, while 2K Marin's BioShock 2 shows great promise, Digital Extremes' BioShock 2 multiplayer component is looking like a lackluster experience.

For starters, the modes on tap only extend to free-for-all, team deathmatch, and an unannounced thing. A lot is riding on that mystery mode, because as it stands, BioShock fans likely won't find the deathmatch to be any more than a one-round curiosity.

It's not that Digital Extremes isn't bringing anything new to the table. The whole multiplayer mode has been placed in a fairly attractive wrapper. Users play as a character inside Rapture, with a 3D apartment serving as a pre-match hub. A bathysphere attached to the pad serves as the gateway to actual multiplayer matches. It's an optional element--players can skip to the action if they wish--but certainly more interesting than the gameplay itself.

Inside the well-modeled apartment, audio logs from plasmid development company Sinclair Solutions introduce new weapons and abilities. As you level up in the multiplayer--accomplished by earning ADAM via kills and other tasks... Read more

New screenshots are now also available for BioShock 2, the underwater shooter sequel from 2K Marin. The images both show singleplayer and multiplayer scenes. 2K Games recently announced the game will be ship November 3 on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Take-Two today announced the official release dates for 2K Marin's BioShock 2.

The anticipated sequel will hit stores on November 3 in North America. Meanwhile, the game will arrive a few days earlier across international territories, on October 30.

While official BioShock outlet The Cult of Rapture reports the game is set for a simultaneous launch on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Take-Two was reluctant to confirm the game's platforms during its earnings call today.

2K Marin gives an extended look at BioShock 2 with eight minutes of gameplay footage narrated by creative director Jordan Thomas. Brave early plot spoilers to be rewarded with the hot scoop on what's new in the sequel, not to mention some stunning vistas.

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Developed by 2K Marin--with Digital Extremes handling the multiplayer--and published by 2K Games, BioShock 2 is set for release on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this fall.

2K Games has today revealed details of BioShock 2's multiplayer component, including word that it's set before the fall of Rapture and includes an experience point system.

Delving into the fiction of pre-revolt Rapture as a Plasmid test subject for Sinclair Solutions, players will duke it out across in the underwater city in locations including the Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites--fully reworked for the multiplayer experience.

Experience points earned--presumably by smashing faces--unlock more weapons, gene tonics and plasmids with which to customise your character. It's yet unclear whether this will be a persistent system--as in Call of Duty 4--or on a per-play basis.

Behind the multiplayer is Digital Extremes, the Dark Sector creator who helped with the PlayStation 3 port of BioShock and co-developed the first three Unreal Tournament titles.

BioShock 2 is set to arrive on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this fall.

"If you can hear me, wake up," says Dr. Bridgette Tenenbaum over a pitch-black screen, our first glimpse of BioShock 2. "Your time for sleeping is over."

Of course, the BioShock series hasn't been sleeping for very long. Developed over a tight timeframe, BioShock 2--announced amidst news of Ken Levine's departure from the series and an upcoming film adaptation--was a project born to a healthy amount of skepticism. Would this be the first of many cash-in sequels to a unique, self-contained game, or a worthy follow-up?

After learning more about the project, I certainly wouldn't count it out until all the chips are down. 2K has assembled a team of young, but very sharp developers to work on this game. While Levine may have moved on, his absence does present the possibility of a fresh take on the world of Rapture--something that isn't necessarily ruled out with the reprisal of the setting.

For those avoiding any details on the sequel, beware that this preview will cover several basic conceits, though major plot details remain closely guarded... Read more

A number of direct-feed screenshots from 2K Marin's BioShock 2 have made their way online via PC Games Hardware, offering a glimpse of the anticipated follow-up.

Look for our preview of the underwater shooter sequel--due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 between August 1 and October 31 of this year--in the very near future. And if you haven't already, be sure to check out the wealth of known details and footage.

GameTrailers has the exclusive on the first footage of 2K Marin's BioShock 2. Take a gander at the video--which shows both the return of Rapture and the game's Big Daddy player character--below.

BioShock 2 hits the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this fall. We got an extended look at it today, so check back for our impressions soon.

First, it was BioShock 2. Then a teaser trailer appeared, with the subtitle "Sea of Dreams." Then it was back to BioShock 2. Shortly thereafter, publisher 2K said no, the game still had a subtitle, before admitting that it didn't actually know.

Now, the riveting drama has thankfully come to a close--it's just BioShock 2.

"The name of the teaser trailer we released last October for BioShock 2 is called 'Sea of Dreams,'" 2K spokesman Charlie Sinhaseni explained to IGN. "There was talk about adding that as an official subtitle, but we decided to simply keep it BioShock 2. We're sorry for the confusion, but we're glad people are so interested."

Under development at 2K Marin, the shooter sequel brings players back to the underwater dystopia of Rapture on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this fall.