If this were my little sister, yeah, I'd harvest her.

Few years ago Xbox 360 owners were treated to a game that pushed storytelling in a First Person Shooter to a new level of success. PS3 owners wouldn’t get a hold of Bioshock for quite some time after that, and PC owners are just now getting a chance to see what everyone else was talking about (except Wii-exclusive owners. They’re too busy playing Smash Bros to cry much). It didn’t take long after the release of Bioshock for us to find out that a sequel was on its way. That sequel is Bioshock 2 (catchy title), and is currently scheduled for a February 2010 release (though the release has already been pushed back once, so don’t be surprised when more occur).

But wait, those of you who played Bioshock to a conclusion may be wondering, “What’s left to do?” Apparently a whole heck of a lot.

What’s New?

Bioshock 2′s story takes place 10 years after the ending of the first Bioshock (though I’m not certain which ending is considered canon. Probably the “Good” ending). During the year 1970, little girls start to go missing all over the world with the only common thread being a red light spotted at the kidnappings. Turns out the one responsible is a Little Sister all grown up, which would actually make her a Big Sister. She looks terrifying from screenshots, even more so than the Big Daddies, and those suckers made me freak out on multiple occasions.

This is a Big Sister. I'm glad my sister isn't growing up to be one of these things.

That’s about the gist of the plot that we know thus far. Oh, and for some reason you’re back in Rapture, except this time you aren’t Jack. This time you’re a Big Daddy; you’re just not the same breed of Big Daddy from the first game. Instead, somehow you retain higher mental capacities, are a good deal faster, and you can use Plasmids, the special abilities from the first game. This doesn’t mean you won’t get to use the drill or the rivet gun the Big Daddies were famous for. You’ll have those, plus some other abilities unlockable throughout the game as you proceed. Also, you can walk underwater, so prepare to explore new parts of Rapture.

The previous hook of the first game revolved around whether you would harvest the Little Sisters for Adam or if you’d save them. The same sort of deal applies here, though there is a bit of a twist. You can still harvest them, but now you’re given the chance to adopt them for a while as they harvest Adam from dead Splicers and such. Eventually you’ll be able to save them like the previous installment, but that comes later. And don’t worry, this isn’t an escort mission since the Little Sisters are indestructible. Eventually though the Big Sister will catch on to you adopting a Little Sister and decide she must now come kill you, leading to one heck of a fight.

Expect Some Multiplayer

Back to the grind.

Those expecting something entirely new will be left out. The graphics look about the same as the previous game, which isn’t too bad considering the previous game looked, sounded, and played great. The big new addition here is multiplayer. You’ll get a chance to fight other Bioshock fans in the various multiplayer modes that place you in the Civil War taking place before the events of the first Bioshock. This intrigues me even further.

And that’s about all we currently know. Expect more to trickle out for the next few months as we lead up to the February 2010 release, and expect this one to be a hot title, so maybe a preorder wouldn’t hurt, though with a title this big, I’d be shocked if you can’t still find a copy without much difficulty. In the meantime it wouldn’t hurt to play the original while you have the chance.

This is a Bioshock prototype image from early builds, but it still demonstrates the terror.

First Person Shooters (FPSs for short), are not the kind of games I recommend to everyone. Currently, yes, they are everywhere in video games, but not everyone can get into them or really enjoy them. I am terrible at FPSs and therefore, I prefer not to play them when given the choice. However, there are some FPSs that I’ve played and that I really enjoy. One such example is Bioshock for the Xbox 360, PS3, and now PC, and it’s a Game You Should Have Played.

A Plot Worthy of a Movie

That is terrifying. Like Spider-Man combined with a mutated ex-girlfriend.

Bioshock revolves around the character of Jack as he survives a plane crash during the year 1960. He swims to the only land nearby which happens to be a lighthouse-like structure that serves as the entrance to an underwater city known as Rapture. Not too long into the game you are helped by a man named Atlas as the city is, surprisingly, in total chaos and swarming with genetically altered humans called “Splicers.” The villain is the creator of Rapture, a one Andrew Ryan. You will very quickly learn to fear and loath Andrew Ryan.

Beyond just acquiring guns, you have Plasmids at your arsenal. What is a Plasmid?  Think of them as super powers and you’re set. You can fire lightning, fire, ice, bees, levitate things, and all for the purpose of escaping the city, but not before killing Ryan and probably a bunch of Little Sisters in the process.

Wait, you don’t know what a Little Sister is? Well what about a Big Daddy? Ah, you’ll find out. That thing on the game’s front cover? That’s a Big Daddy. Lightly put, Big Daddies will ruin your face and you in turn will ruin your shorts. Every Little Sister has a Big Daddy following them around, and if you can kill a Big Daddy you can decide to save the Little Sister or harvest her for Adam. What’s Adam? Okay, seriously, no more questions.

Focus on Plot, Not Random Shooting

The key focus of the game does not revolve around shooting everything that moves (though you will be doing a lot of that). The plot for this game is frankly one of the best plots for any game to recently come out. I was genuinely interested to find out more about this world. The entirety of Rapture’s history is conveyed to you via radio diaries that you can find scattered all over the game. They are entirely optional to find, but you’ll soon discover yourself scouring every last corner to find them all.

In short, the backstory is so intriguing that I’m salivating at the very thought of a novelization (why books make me salivate I am unclear).

Possibly the only aspect of gameplay you may take offense with has to do with the difficulty. The game is…not exactly difficult and this is all because you have no penalty for death, nor does it do much except inconvenience you slightly by sending you to a Vita-Chamber.

Hardcore fans of FPSs will have no difficulty playing the game on even the toughest difficulty, so don’t expect to get your jollies unless you force yourself never to use a Vita-Chamber. Then the game would become masochistic in practice. No, the real purpose of the game is to explore this world, learn more about it, and escape it as soon as possible.

Also, to set many things on fire, throw carcasses into other attackers via telekinesis, and then perhaps more fire, all while enjoying the story.

You shouldn’t have any trouble tracking down a copy of Bioshock for a good deal. I found mine for $10 used and in good condition. The game is currently retailing at $29.99, though you can probably find it cheaper depending on where you look. Also, Steam has it for offered for $19.99. Once more, you have no reason not to play this game. Unless you aren’t old enough to play Mature games. Then you have a reason to play this game, but only until you turn 18.