So what's the over/under on BioShock 2 not being very good?

[The Fake Shemp]

No, this is like four guys from the BioShock team, because Ken Levine took everyone else to work on something new.

[Agent Whiskers]

Will not post impressions later.

[Stoney Mason]

I need to send back Borderlands so hopefully I can get this in on Tuesday.

[Stoney Mason]

Every plasmid and Tonic in Bioshock 2. Obviously don't click if you don't want the spoilers.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

"BioShock 2" drops next Tuesday, and I know that feels like a long time, but I've got a juicy exclusive to tide you over: A guide to every plasmid and tonic in the game. Don't worry, no story spoilers here. It's just a lengthy list of all the delightful powers you'll be able to discover in the strange and creepy world of Rapture. And here we go!

PLASMIDS

Plasmids are the equivalent of magic in the world of Rapture. Using "eve," you can unleash all sorts of interesting attacks right from the palm of your hand. Many of the plasmids from the first "BioShock" return in the sequel, but they've all been given interesting enhancements. Most plasmids can be purchased at the Gatherer's Garden vending machines, while some will be given to you throughout the story.

(Note: These are only the single-player plasmids. There are some multiplayer-exclusive plasmids to unlock, but we'll save those for another time.)

Electro Bolt
Level 1 – Fire lightning from your hand. Shoot water to cause it to become electrified, killing enemies standing in it.
Level 2 – Charge up a lightning attack and release it. Lightning will arc to multiple enemies.
Level 3 – Charge up to fire an extended beam of lightning (think "Ghostbusters"). Also, every non-charged shot will cause lightning to arc between enemies.

Telekinesis
Level 1 – Pick up objects and dead enemies and use them as projectiles.
Level 2 – Pick up heavier objects and do more damage with thrown projectiles.
Level 3 – Pick up all moveable objects as well as living creatures (!) like splicers.

Security Command
Level 1 – Throw a ball of energy which will cause security cameras, turrets and bots to attack anything targeted.
Level 2 – Charge up to summon up to two friendly security bots.
Level 3 – Charge up to summon boosted security bots.

Incinerate!
Level 1 – Throw a ball of fire, igniting a single targeted enemy. Set oil slicks ablaze, dealing fire damage to anyone standing nearby.
Level 2 – Charge up a fire attack and release it. A fire bomb will be unleashed, igniting multiple enemies at once.
Level 3 – Charge up for a flamethrower attack. Also, every non-charged shot will be an area-effecting fire bomb.

Scout
Level 1 – Become an invisible scout who can move throughout the world without threat of attack. You can fire plasmids, but you'll have to return to your physical body (which remains in place) to progress.
Level 2 – While scouting, you're also able to hack security and vending machines.

Winter Blast
Level 1 – Throw a ball of ice, freezing foes for a brief period.
Level 2 – Charge up and attack to freeze a foe in a solid block of ice. They remain frozen for longer and can be used as a telekenisis projectile.
Level 3 – Charge up for a beam of ice attack. Also, single shots cause enemies to become a solid block of ice.

Hypnotize
Level 1 – Throw a ball at a splicer to enrage it, causing it to attack anything nearby (including you).
Level 2 – Charge up and hit a targeted splicer to make it an ally for a few minutes. The splicer will follow you around and fight for you.
Level 3 – Charge up and hit a Big Daddy to make him friendly for a few minutes.

Cyclone Trap
Level 1 – Set a proximity trap on the ground. Enemies that walk over it will be thrown high in the air and land hard, causing damage.
Level 2 – Traps can now be charged with attack plasmids like fire, ice and electricity, dealing specific kinds of damage.
Level 3 – Traps can be placed on walls and ceilings.

Insect Swarm
Level 1 – Send a swarm of bugs and home in on an enemy, causing damage.
Level 2 – A single swarm can now attack multiple enemies.
Level 3 – Enemies killed by swarms will become proximity swarm bombs. Enemies that walk over the hive corpse will be attacked by the swarm.

Decoy
Level 1 – Create a decoy of yourself, distracting enemies.
Level 2 – Decoy will reflect damage back at enemies.
Level 3 – Decoy will reflect damage and heal the player as it takes damage from enemies.

Secret Plasmid
Sorry, there's one plasmid I'm not allowed to talk about until after the game releases. But trust me, it's worth the wait.


TONICS

Tonics are boosts that you can equip to give your character certain passive abilities. In "BioShock 2" you're able to unlock around two dozen tonic slots by the end of the game, so you're able to mix and match a whole host of different effects at once. Also keep in mind that tonic effects will stack on top of each other. Most tonics can be purchased at the Gatherer's Garden vending machine, while others can be found throughout the world of Rapture or can be unlocked by using the research camera on enemies.

Security Tonics
Hardy Machines – Friendly turrets and bots have more health.
Handyman – Repair damaged bots and turrets with a small eve cost. Also gives random names to friendly bots and turrets.
Deadly Machines – Friendly turrets and bots deal more damage.
Machine Buster – Increased damage against turrets and bots.
Short Circuit – Security is disabled for longer when hit with electricity.
Short Circuit 2 – Security is disabled permanently when hit with electricity.
Shorten Alarms – Shorter alarms (natch).
Shorten Alarms 2 – Even shorter alarms.
Security Evasion – Cameras and turrets take longer to see you.

Vending & Hacking Tonics
Vending Expert – Reduced prices in vending machines.
Vending Expert 2 – Further reduced prices in vending machines.
EZ Hack – Hacking success zones become a little larger.
Careful Hacker – Hacking needle moves slower.
Careful Hacker 2 – Hacking needle moves even slower.
Quik Hack – Hacking has fewer stages.
Thrifty Hacker – Hacked vending machines have even lower prices.
Hacker's Delight – Earn some health and eve when you hack something.
Hacker's Delight 2 – Earn more health and eve when you hack something.
Hurried Hacker – Landing in the blue bonus zone ends a hack instantly.

Vitality Tonics
Fountain of Youth – Gain health and eve when standing in puddles of water.
Sports Boost – Move slightly faster.
Booze Hound – Drinking alcohol increases eve instead of decreasing it.
Eve Saver – Plamids use less eve.
Eve Saver 2 – Plasmids use even less eve.
Eve Link – Using a first aid pack also gives you some eve.
Extra Nutrition – Get more health from bandages and snacks.
Medical Expert – Carry 1 more first aid kit.
Cure All – Health stations also refill eve when used.
Eve Expert – Carry one more eve hypo.

Defense Tonics
Armored Shell – Reduces physical damage taken.
Armored Shell 2 – Further reduces physical damage taken.
Natural Camouflage – Become invisible when standing still for a few seconds.

Research Tonics
Keen Observer – Bigger research bonus when using the camera.
Keen Observer 2 – Even bigger research bonus when using the camera.
Damage Research – Increased damage for research bonuses.
Extended Reel – Research sessions with the camera last for longer.

Elemental Tonics
Elemental Storm – Emit a random burst of fire, ice or electricity when hit with a melee attack.
Fire Storm – Emit a burst of fire when hit with melee attack.
Electrical Storm – Emit a burst of electricity when hit by melee.
Elemental Vampire – Level 3 plasmid streams (like flamethrower or electric beam) siphons enemy health to you.
Electric Flesh – Take no electricity damage and deal more electricity damage to enemies.
Walking Inferno – Take less damage from fire, inflict more fire damage on enemies.
Ice Storm – Emit burst of ice when hit with melee attack.

Little Sister Tonics
Proud Parent – Little Sisters gather more Adam per corpse.
Damanding Father – Little Sisters gather Adam from corpses faster.

Melee Tonics
Drill Vampire – Gain health and eve when attacking with the drill.
Drill Power – Drill does more damage.
Drill Power 2 – Drill does even more damage.
Freezing Drill – Freeze enemies for longer, drill is able to freeze enemies.
Drill Specialist – Significantly decreases eve cost of plasmids, but you're limited to only using the drill, camera and hack tool as weapons.
Drill Lurker – Quiets footsteps and increases damage on unaware enemies, especially when using the drill.

Projectile Tonics
Headhunter – Headshots do more damage to enemies.

Loot Tonics
Scrounger – When searching for loot, you can search again to find more in the same container.
Arms Race – More ammo found on bodies and containers.

[close]

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/02/03/exclusive-bioshock-2-guide-every-plasmid-and-tonic-revealed/

[Mupepe]

when is this out?  i'm getting no matter what reviews say.  i fucking love bioshock

[Fragamemnon]

Out next week (Tuesday?), mups.

I'm looking forward to it. If you has asked me when I finished Bioshock the question "Would you like to play more?" I would have certainly said yes then and certainly think the same now.

[Mupepe]

Hell yeah, Frag!

I've been playing it again recently.  The third Big Daddy in the game keeps kicking my ass.  My wife keeps telling me to just pass him and forget him, but I can't.  It's the one at the docks (forget the actual name of the area) and you have the two machine guns underneed the wooden decks facing the big open area in the middle and the big daddy is there with the little sister and other dudes keep running out and shooting at him too.  I always get caught up in their firefight and he starts launching shit at me then I'm fighting other douche bags and him.  so much fun though.

[G The Resurrected]

I'm gonna be getting my hands on Bioshock 2 this weekend when I go to the I.0.0.P event in San Francisco. I'm hoping the ARG game continues on for a bit after the release of the game. Its been addictive to keep up with.

I'll give my impressions and post pictures after i'm done with the event. Hope to see lots of dressed up characters.

[cool breeze]

I'm buying this but it's more fair to say I'm not canceling my order.  My negativity is more for what could have been, not what is.  I'm content with more bioshock, even if I think it is unambitious.

For those of us buying this on PC, there is good news about how they're working on making the PC version good this time.  No outrageous mouse acceleration and a customizable weapon/plasmid bar at the top of the screen.  And it uses GFW, so achievements, I think.  But it has no controller support, which is a bit lame I guess.

[Bildi]

Will not post impressions later.

No probs, I think everyone here already played it.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

No, this is like four guys from the BioShock team, because Ken Levine took everyone else to work on something new.

Well, everyone who didn't /ragequit after working with Ken Levine for four years.

[M3wThr33]

No reviews yet is scary.
I heard on good faith it was delayed because it needed help.

I'm buying this but it's more fair to say I'm not canceling my order.  My negativity is more for what could have been, not what is.  I'm content with more bioshock, even if I think it is unambitious.

For those of us buying this on PC, there is good news about how they're working on making the PC version good this time.  No outrageous mouse acceleration and a customizable weapon/plasmid bar at the top of the screen.  And it uses GFW, so achievements, I think.  But it has no controller support, which is a bit lame I guess.

360 controller is worse for this game. You'd be stupid to use that if you had a keyboard.

But it's GFW LIVE titles that have achievements.
http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Live/Pages/catalog.aspx
(If you look on GameStop's website, it says it's GFW Live)
It's on Games on Demand, too, already, which is great. It means MS is actually giving a shit about their PC gamers now.

There's plenty of half-assed GFW titles.

[cool breeze]

I wouldn't use the 360 controller for it, but it's a nice feature to have in all games.  The reason it matters for bioshock is because the first game had broken kb/m controls because of the acceleration being turned for a 360 controller (it had native 360 controller support).  It's also why them mentioning that they're making kb/m controls a priority a good thing.

[Stoney Mason]

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

[OptimoPeach]

For those of us buying this on PC, there is good news about how they're working on making the PC version good this time.

What was so terrible about the PC version? I bought when Steam had it on sale for $5 around Christmas but haven't gotten around to checking it out yet

[The Fake Shemp]

The more I see, the less excited I get. I am now reserved to maybe pick it up once it hits $20, but I'm not even sure of that anymore.

[Bebpo]

For those of us buying this on PC, there is good news about how they're working on making the PC version good this time.

What was so terrible about the PC version? I bought when Steam had it on sale for $5 around Christmas but haven't gotten around to checking it out yet

I was playing it last week and it seemed fine.

[cool breeze]

For those of us buying this on PC, there is good news about how they're working on making the PC version good this time.

What was so terrible about the PC version? I bought when Steam had it on sale for $5 around Christmas but haven't gotten around to checking it out yet

It's not terrible or anything.  The problem is that the mouse aiming is really off because of aim acceleration and feels like they mapped analog movement to a mouse, if that makes sense.  It was less than ideal.

[Stoney Mason]

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1066915p1.html

9.1

Closing Comments
It's going to be a familiar experience for anyone that played the original, but BioShock 2's improvements to gameplay and its more focused storyline make for a game that's more playable and easier to digest. Some of the sense of awe and mystery is lost in transition, but the strength of the setting and more interesting implementation of moral choice make for an experience that's more consistent and rewarding. Anyone looking for a first-person shooter that offers more than flat, stereotypical characters and copy-and-paste supersoldier plots, one that attempts to establish a sense of right and wrong and loops you into the decision making process, and one that's set in one of the most vividly realized settings around should pick up BioShock 2. It's a game in which story, setting, and gameplay are expertly blended to create an experience that's as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

[The Fake Shemp]

Sounds like more of the same, with a few improvements. I'll wait until it hits $25.

[CHOW CHOW]

the ign review says the multi-player is surprisingly fun and has lots of unlocks and customization etc
now i wish i didnt cancel my preorder...if i put a new one it'll be $7 more

[duckman2000]

IGN says all sorts of things

[Mupepe]

IGN Ratings for Grand Theft Auto IV (X360)Rating Description 
out of 10 click here for ratings guide

10 Presentation
The story is Oscar quality. The use of the phone as a gaming portal is genius. There's really nothing more that could be asked for from GTA IV.
10 Graphics
The level of detail is astounding. Liberty City feels alive and lived in. While there are some technical issues, the artistic merits push the score to the max. A true marvel.
10 Sound
The dialogue makes the story. Without the excellent writing and the stellar voice acting, the story would fail. And the soundtrack kills -- more than 200 songs and almost all are great choices.
10 Gameplay
The cover and targeting system work great. Blind firing with an RPG is a thing of beauty. Everything works in harmony and not a single one of the missions is bad. The most fun I've had in years.
10 Lasting Appeal
The story will take anywhere from 25-45 hours to complete, depending on your skill level and attention span. There's plenty more to do once you finish the story, such as excellent multiplayer.
10

Masterful OVERALL
(10 out of 10 / not an average) 

[duckman2000]

10 Graphics
The level of detail is astounding. Liberty City feels alive and lived in. While there are some technical issues, the artistic merits push the score to the max. A true marvel.

I'm going to go ahead and guess that this is written by the same dude who reviewed ODST.

[Brehvolution]

lol IGN, obvious MS moneyhats.

[The Fake Shemp]

The IGN says the multiplayer is good, but spends maybe a paragraph talking about it. Almost all the reviews are like, "It's a return to Rapture that's fun, but not as surprising this time around. Oh yeah, the multiplayer is fun too."

If it was so fun, it'd get a ton of coverage - but it doesn't. Nobody is talking for paragraphs about how much fun they had with it. It's going to be a ghost town in a week.

But what it doesn't sound like is that this sequel is bad, which is good. Not sixty dollars good, though. Like I said, I'll pick it up and I'm sure it'll be worth the money once it comes down in price as a decent sequel and solid game.

Bad Company 2 and Super Street Fighter IV are shaping up to be my only Day 1 purchases until summer. Maybe Splinter Cell if Ubisoft can pull its shit together.

[ManaByte]

Is Splinter Cell Shanghai or Montreal?

[brawndolicious]

montreal.

[pilonv1]

Sounds like more of the same, with a few improvements. I'll wait until it hits $25.

pc version is like $30 in a 4 pack. Probably an accurate price.

[fistfulofmetal]

will be downloading this on some day after it's released when i am bothered to download it.

[demi]

GameFly comes through again. Gimme gimme

[Stoney Mason]

GameFly comes through again. Gimme gimme

Same. Mine says shipped which means I will get it tomorrow. GameFly is the best investment ever.

[Jansen]

@ 34 bucks plus the first game i can deal if it ends up not being very good.

[demi]

I would have got Dante but I have Mass Erect still out (sent it back on Saturday)

[Jansen]

gamefly sent me dante. hope the achievements aren't very hard as i would like to hit 50000 gamerscore soon (i'm at 48XXX right now).

[Stoney Mason]

http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3177855
http://www.giantbomb.com/bioshock-2/61-20827/reviews/
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/bioshock-2-review
http://www.gamedaily.com/games/bioshock-2/xbox-360/game-reviews/review/6975/2401/
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-bioshock-2/61280  (beware spoilers)
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/02/08/bioshock-2-review-big-trouble-with-little-sister/

[The Fake Shemp]

Holy shit, fuck you GameTrailers for the giant spoiler in the video review.

[demi]

I think I read the ending/twist already on accident. lol

[The Fake Shemp]

I was trying to keep myself in the dark, so when I picked it up sometime around summer that it'd still be fresh for me.

[iconoclast]

Holy shit, fuck you GameTrailers for the giant spoiler in the video review.

GameTrailers ALWAYS has spoilers in their video reviews. It's so annoying.

[The Fake Shemp]

I usually watch 'em beforehand, and I don't recall get spoiled on anything.

[G The Resurrected]

I'm uploading all the pictures I took of the "Finale" to SomethingInTheSea as well as the pictures I took of the launch party. I got to hang out with the developers and funny enough they didn't have the game being shown anywhere. Guess they were tired of it and wanted to just party. I got a lot of insight from the creative team on there aspirations for a possible 3rd game. Depending on how well this game does we might just see some continuation.

Tonight i've got a date with the splicers and will once again be hanging out with 2k Marin. So if you have any questions or request's please go right ahead. I'll see if I can't get some answers.

Oh and did any of you follow the secondary plot with Something in the Sea? Did you hear about the murder?

[demi]

Apparently the website has zero to do with the game, so no I dont care about what happens.

[Fraction]

Does anyone want to join in on a Bioshock 2 4-pack on Steam? Need two more people.

[GilloD]

It's "out" if you don't wanna wait for your Steam download/

[pilonv1]

wheres my fucking pre-load steam?

[GilloD]

Got it installed. I liked it enough that I forked over the $$ on Steam. Any fears about it being not as good are unfounded, although the novelty factor is lesser. Rapture looks like Rapture, although you get to see some new features/inside info. Playing as a Big Daddy is kind of a cop out, it doesn't really control any differently, which is weird because the opening cinema is all about like. Being clunky and huge and then you get control and you're the same ol' FPS dude.

The game feels a lot harder and there seems to be a greater emphasis on using Plasmids and scavenging for stuff to survive on. It almost feels like Fallout. There's also a horrible feature where ANY TEXT- in neon or graffitti or whatever- gets a subtitle in ugly, low-res text. It's hideous and distracting.

Some familiar faces make appearances in the first 5 minutes. Big Sisters look cool, they're very ninja-y, lithe and agile. But I only saw one briefly. Anyway- No fears, game is good.  You will enjoy.

[pilonv1]

im such a distinguished mentally-challenged fellow, i needed to restart steam to unlock it

[demi]

If I see a Special Edition I am buying it immediately and keeping it sealed.

I'm calling at least $300+ down the road on ebay

[maxy]

Been playing it for a while,and the verdict is...Great
I am even beginning to like it more than Bioshock,there is one particular element related to gathering Adam that i really like
It starts relatively slow,this is Bioshock,etc,ect...but once you start upgrading,getting new weapons...

[GilloD]

Bioshock 2 > Bioshock. Totally. Okay, the plot is kind of unrealistic- A bunch of hardcore objectivists suddenly up and decide to become commies?- but everything else works so well.

First, this game is 70 times scarier than the first. I've literally jumped 4 or 5 times and I'm barely 3 hours in. I'm constantly looking behind me, listening for enemies. Part of it is that the game is definitley harder- You take more damage and get less ammo. There's a scarcity in play that males it feel a little bit like a survival horror game. Because Big Daddies use special weapons, not every enemy drops usable ammo. Vending machines are definitely bigger this time around. There;s a particularly scary sequence where (Spoiler if you didn't drop off the first Little Sister yet)

spoiler (click to show/hide)

You're in the amusement park workshop and there are all these animantronic heads around. On first pass, everything is fine. But on the way back something looks off and all of a sudden WHAM, these 3 splicers had crouched to hide their heads among the robot heads. So scary!

[close]

Second, the sound is still second to none. The audio is just incredible. There's a great sound effect that occurs when water is just dripping on your helmet. Weapons could maybe use a little more *oomph*, but hearing a Splicer scuttle around on a wooden surface or hearing someone take the hard step against stone makes it all worthwhile. AI is good to excellent, too. They duck, use cover, use machines. They tend to surprise and there's no ten thousand foot, x-ray vision. If you're hidden, you're hidden.

The locations are good so far. The intro area is genric Rapture, but the first underwater sequence is on par with leaving The Vault in FAllout 3. Breathtaking and totally unique. Also, the set piece that gets you underwater is really, really amazing. The first hour is pretty packed with wow moments. The Amusement Park is also neat,

spoiler (click to show/hide)

You find out a little more about the building of Rapture. There's a hilarious ride called JOURNEY TO THE SURFACE about the horrors of the world above. Featuring animatronic Andrew Ryan. Make sure to hit the robots, they'll keep moving, but without limbs or a head, lul

[close]

.

The new ADAM gathering is cool- You have to set traps and defend the Little Sister. It's a much preferable upgrade. New Hackng is just a variation on "Golf", press to stop stuff, but it's really, really quick and works way better. The weapons are fairly uninspired so far, but theyt get the job done. Way more necessary to use Plasmids.

Anyway- It's not as unique as Bioshock, but it's a better game. A very different game, the whole feel is changed, but better. You will enjoy! (ALSO! Medium difficulty is fucking hard. Watch out.)

[demi]

Haha Medium

[dark1x]

Which version is everyone playing?  How's the performance?

No PC version for me due to lack of gamepad support, but I'm curious how the console versions stack up.  The PS3 version seems to be a much better port than the original Bioshock and looks good in comparison shots, but I'm concerned about performance.  Multiplayer isn't a huge concern, but if I want to try it at all, I'd have to get it on PS3 as most of my friends game on the PS3 (and the few that have 360s don't subscribe to Live).  I just don't want to end up with an inferior port.  It's always safer to go with 360 versions, but I'm willing to give the PS3 version a shot if I hear good things.

[fistfulofmetal]

torrents are up

[GilloD]

torrents are up

Been up for over 24 hours soooonnnn

[demi]

Is HARD available from the start? How do vita chambers work? Can you disable them, or do they work different this time.

[maxy]

Is HARD available from the start? How do vita chambers work? Can you disable them, or do they work different this time.

Yes.You can disable them.

[The Fake Shemp]

I just found an unused Gift Card for Wal-Mart. Is Bioshock 2 worth $25?

[Third]

no

[maxy]

I just found an unused Gift Card for Wal-Mart. Is Bioshock 2 worth $25?

Yess.