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Tune in to BioShock 2's Rapture Radio and prepare for New Year's Eve, 1959

by Kevin Kelly { Feb 9th 2010 at 11:00PM }

Are you hep to this jive? You can dial into BioShock 2's Rapture Radio right now and listen to kitschy classics from the '30s, '40s and '50s. Tap your toes and waggle your fingers in the air with songs like Fred Astaire's "We Saw The Sea," and, according to 2K Games, you should "be sure to tune into the festivities at 12 AM EST tonight for the Rapture Masquerade Ball!"

It's not clear if we'll hear the sounds of festive celebration or the screams of the torturous murder come the strike of midnight. The radio station teases you to "Come down to the Cashmere Restaurant at midnight, where the rich and beautiful will dance their cares away!" Given the history of Rapture, that doesn't seem likely. In the meantime, tune in here via iTunes or Winamp, or here for the Windows Media Player flavor.

UPDATE: You can listen to the audio of the party below. It's all hubbub and rhubarb until 09:14, then all hell breaks lose. The station now just plays static, and a random message that they're experiencing problems. "There has been an incident at the Cashmere (Kashmir?) Restaurant. Please return to the safety of your homes."

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: Here's the emergency incident message as well.

BioShock 2 Avatar items come to Xbox Live

by Justin McElroy { Feb 9th 2010 at 11:45AM }

The following comes to us from the BioShock Wiki:

"Big Daddies are genetically-enhanced human beings who have had their skin and organs grafted into an enormous diving suit. The candidates also go through voice box modification and pheromone application. They are then placed in large vats with a substance that effectively turns them into mindless drones. With gene splicing, the humans inside the suits were given enhanced strength and agility."

... Or they could have just paid 320 points ($4) on Xbox Live. Jeez, we guess Andrew Ryan wasn't so smart after all. (Related note: If you spend $4 on a Big Daddy costume for your Avatar, you are, legally speaking, no longer entitled to the sweat of your own brow. Sorry.)

2K Marin: Console wars 'drown out creative discourse'

by Mike Schramm { Feb 9th 2010 at 4:00AM }

The initially Xbox 360-exclusive BioShock was one of the major salvos in the ongoing console wars, waged on message boards and comment sections everywhere (including right here on this very site). Speaking with Destructoid, BioShock 2 producer Jordan Thomas expressed hope that the multi-platform sequel -- which launches today -- doesn't play a similarly divisive role. According to Thomas, "platform partisanship" is just silly and it "seems to flood the critical channels and drown out other creative discourse."

Which sounds about right -- whenever a piece of news comes up that swings even close to the differences between the various consoles, the discussion usually degenerates into the same old arguments, and new and more interesting issues get drowned out like Andrew Ryan's old city. 2K Marin didn't ask in so many words, but we will: Would you kindly all just get along?

Review: BioShock 2 (single player)

by Justin McElroy { Feb 8th 2010 at 12:00PM }

BioShock didn't need a sequel.

I know it, you know it; heck, I'd bet if they were being totally honest, the staff of 2K Marin would tell you they knew it too. BioShock was that rare combination of a perfectly realized world, fresh yet refined action and a narrative that left me with no real burning questions. It didn't need a sequel.

But all that has very little to do with BioShock 2 because whether it needed to be made or not, it's here now. And the surprise isn't that someone other than Irrational had the chutzpah to make a BioShock sequel. The surprise is just how worthwhile it is.

Gallery: BioShock 2

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BioShock 2 soundtrack song list revealed

by Ben Gilbert { Feb 6th 2010 at 1:30PM }

Considering the upcoming digital release of BioShock 2's soundtrack is, well, digital, you could probably just procure the track list from Amazon and grab the individual songs before its announced February 9 release date. Sure, you're not gonna get your ... uhh ... eyes on the fancy digital packaging, but you could snag all those classy tunes a full three days before the other kids on your block. Think about that!

Done thinking? Good, 'cause we've got more BioShock 2 music info for you -- there's also a way to enjoy the soundtrack this very second. How's that, you ask? Well, simple: just grab this iTunes music file or this WIndows music file and enjoy a taste of "Rapture Radio." To be clear, the tracks listed are no bearing on the game's official score which comes with the game's special edition. Head past the break for a breakdown of both the standard and deluxe editions (no prices are available yet).

[Via Destructoid]

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Pre-order BioShock 2, get BioShock free on Direct2Drive

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 6th 2010 at 11:30AM }

(We apologize in advance for the acidic nature of this post. Keep in mind, it's only directed towards people who managed to miss out on the first BioShock, but plan to pick up the sequel when it launches next week.)

Hey there, you big, dumb animal. So, you're just going to skip right over BioShock and hop right into BioShock 2, huh? That's your master plan? Don't worry, we're sure you won't be at a loss when you're hurtled into Rapture without knowing jack about its rich history. We'll give you a quick refresher: Big Daddies are the guys in the diving suits, ADAM's the stuff that gives you super powers, and also, you're an idiot.

Direct2Drive is offering you one chance at redemption -- the digital retailer is offering 10 percent off pre-orders for BioShock 2, and tossing in a free copy of BioShock with the reservation. Pick it up, and maybe we'll talk about reconciliation. Maybe.

Update: As a number of our commenters have pointed out, the same deal is available on Steam as well. Coincidence? Or shrewd business tactic? You decide!

BioShock 2 props surface ... and you can buy them

by Randy Nelson { Feb 5th 2010 at 5:00PM }

You've wanted one ever since seeing it in the very first trailer for BioShock 2. You even have one for your Xbox Avatar. Now you can buy a real, official replica of the cuddly "hand-made" Big Daddy plush doll that's featured in the game.

Toymaker NECA has announced that the collectible is now available for $20 from various retailers, along with a highly detailed, 8" replica of an EVE syringe* ($16) that lights up blue when you push in its plunger. We realize these items are but a small consolation for 2K deciding not to release the $15,000 "Über Edition" of the game, but you have to admit they're pretty darn cool.

[Via Toy News International]

*EVE not included.

BioShock 2 gets midnight release, new launch trailer

by Justin McElroy { Feb 3rd 2010 at 9:33AM }

If you've been jonesing for your second hit of ADAM, you won't have to wait a moment past 12 a.m. on February 9th; 2K has announced that BioShock 2 will get a midnight launch at Best Buy and GameStop stores. It's great news for us, but bad news for the clerks who have to work until the Witching Hour, just so some dude can fall asleep playing it an hour later, his drool and Cheetoh dust congealing into a loneliness gravy on his Big Daddy PJs.

Hoping to pile some extra coal into the hype train's engine, 2K took up the whole first commercial block of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon with a 3-minute-15-second launch trailer. It's a cool clip, but we get the uneasy feeling that the heavy reliance on non-gameplay, first-person action is just a touch misleading. That said, it's just a couple of inches above this sentence, so you can judge for yourself.

2K unboxes the extremely rare $15,000 version of Bioshock 2

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 2nd 2010 at 10:14PM }

The $99 special edition for Bioshock 2 is a stylish little bundle, replete with art deco flyers and a record containing the game's atmospheric soundtrack. The video after the jump features an all-inclusive unboxing of the package, courtesy of 2K -- however, it also includes the world-exclusive reveal of the game's "Uber Edition," which costs $14,999, and only includes a copy of the undersea action title, and a real life Big Daddy.

We're still trying to make sense of this whole thing. Why would 2K expect anyone to pay 15 grand for a single game? Is it even legal to sell an actual sentient being in this manner? What are the ramifica ... what's that? It's a joke? Oh, yeah, that makes a lot more sense. Thank goodness.

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You can't unsee Bomberman in BioShock 2

by Justin McElroy { Feb 2nd 2010 at 9:45AM }

You can blame us ... and we can blame Game Rave's Jason Dvorak.

New Games This Month: February 2010

by Justin McElroy { Feb 1st 2010 at 4:57PM }

It may be the shortest month in terms of days, but February is no slouch when it comes to new releases. We've got plenty of heavy hitters including BioShock 2, Heavy Rain and Dante's Inferno.

You know, we heard it a lot when games kept getting delayed out of fall of 2009, but we think the reality is finally dawning on us just now: There will never again not be new games. We're not sure we can handle it, frankly.

Gallery: New Games This Month: February 2010

Interview: 2K Marin creative director Jordan Thomas on BioShock 2

by Justin McElroy { Jan 28th 2010 at 5:00PM }

We doubt you'll find a less forgiving job in video games than the team who has to take the reins from the driving force behind one of the most beloved titles of the last decade and try to make something of their own. As the creative director of 2K Marin, the studio behind BioShock 2, Jordan Thomas is all too familiar with the challenge. With development now behind him, Thomas took a few moments to tell us how the team kept from soiling themselves, and how they hope to make you do just that, except with excitement.

Joystiq: When you first learned what you'd be tackling, what was the immediate reaction?

Jordan Thomas: It wasn't a big spit-take or anything, I just felt humbled. On the original game, I was a level designer – and believe me, the guys at Irrational hold themselves to such a high creative standard that I can't do it honor in text without sounding like I want to kiss them on the mouth. Some of their games were formative for me, so I was overjoyed to have been involved with BioShock – even in a production role.

2K Marin barely existed at that point, but I told myself that if we were going to carry that legacy with BioShock 2, we'd treat their work with the proper respect. I still find myself thinking, "Gosh, I hope they all have fun" like some addled debutante.

Gallery: BioShock 2

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No dedicated servers or LAN play for BioShock 2

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 28th 2010 at 4:00PM }

Over on The Cult of Rapture, 2K Marin has posted a Q&A on BioShock 2 multiplayer. First of all, on all platforms, the game doesn't have distinct ranked and unranked multiplayer options. All public matches, including those played with friends, will be ranked and posted to leaderboards. Meanwhile, private, invite-only matches will not post to leaderboards. The game will also keep friends on the same teams and employs a matchmaking system to find opponents of similar skill levels. Also, the game does not include an option to kick troublesome players. 2K Marin suggests that players report any cheaters and griefers, quit and find a different match.

And now for the big one: BioShock 2 does not support dedicated servers or LAN play on any platform. According to 2K Marin, the development schedule didn't allow enough time to create a solid multiplayer component and implement dedicated servers and LAN play. The site reads, "We chose to spend the time we had creating a solid game foundation and unfortunately that did not include LAN play or dedicated servers." So there you have it.

BioShock 2 soundtrack to be released digitally

by JC Fletcher { Jan 25th 2010 at 7:30PM }

The BioShock 2 special edition includes the game's score not just on physical media, but on an impressive vinyl record. However, if you want to hear the BioShock 2 soundtrack but don't want to be saddled with any tiresome tangible items, there's an option for you too.

GameTunes reports that the soundtrack, composed by Garry Schyman, will be released digitally through both the iTunes Music Store and Amazon's MP3 store. No price or release date have been mentioned yet. There are currently no plans for a CD version, so it's either a huge disc or no disc!

[Via Big Download]

Become a Big Daddy in PlayStation Home via BioShock 2 pre-order

by Andrew Yoon { Jan 20th 2010 at 4:15PM }

You can become a Big Daddy in PlayStation Home ... if you pre-order BioShock 2 on amazon.com. The online retailer is offering the game, $10 credit and exclusive access to this Home costume for $55. It's the perfect costume to wear if you feel like picking up chemically engineered underage girls in Sony's online community.

If that doesn't entice you, there's always GameStop's pre-order incentive of extra multiplayer characters.

[Via @amazongames]