Back when Bioshock first came out in 2007, there was some grumbling about the lack of a multiplayer mode for the stylish first-person shooter. Irrational Games (now 2K Boston) stated at the time that they were focused on the single player campaign and that a multiplayer mode wouldn't fit in with the story. With Bioshock 2, they're finally rolling out competitive multiplayer, complete with plasmids, upgrades and oh yeah -- Big Daddy suits.
Digital Extremes, well known for their work on the Unreal series of games, was brought in to focus specifically on the multiplayer portion of Bioshock 2, tentatively titled "Fall of Rapture." Rapture, of course, is the underwater city that the original Bioshock's main character Jack found in shambles. Since Bioshock 2's multiplayer mode actually takes place one year prior to the events of the first game, players will be able to see Rapture before its destruction at the hands of those genetically altered Splicers.
Players will be able to choose one of eight characters in multiplayer, which supports up to 10 players in a match. They vary in appearance (we saw a cackling female Splicer and a more rotund male Splicer during our demo) but are all functionally identical - no speed, health or ability differences. The story behind this mode is that your character, a Rapture citizen struggling to survive amidst the genetic civil war going on in the city, signs up with product testing company Sinclair Solutions in order to earn plasmids and defend yourself.
The hub of multiplayer mode is actually the character's own apartment, where you'll be able to customize the character and choose plasmids to battle with. Once you're ready you'll enter your bathysphere where you'll be matched up with a game. You can still use a more traditional menu system to start a multiplayer session, but given the developer's continued dedication to Bioshock's storylines, it's a creative way to experience the game if you're so inclined.
Multiplayer mode maps will feel familiar to those who played through the first Bioshock -- 2K showed us a survival of the fittest match that took place in the Kashmir restaurant back in its former glory. Other maps will also feature locations previously explored in the original game.
Plasmids, which can be charged up for more powerful attacks, and weapons, which have been rebalanced, can be used in multiplayer just like in the main campaign. In addition, Circus of Value vending machines can be found around the maps, giving players ADAM and other resources at the risk of being easily found and attacked by other. Security turrets are also scattered around the map -- they can be hacked just like in the single player campaign to shoot other players, though in the preservation of pace, there will not be a hacking minigame to activate turrets in multiplayer.
Since the main campaign of Bioshock 2 places you in the shoes (and diving suit) of a Big Daddy, it seems only proper that you'd be able to play as a Big Daddy in multiplayer too. Indeed, lucky players who stumble across the random Big Daddy drop item during a match can transform into a Big Daddy, a much stronger and powerful opponent for the other players. That said, the Big Daddy suit comes at the price of being more easily spotted and targeted due to your size.
Experience is gained in each match through kills, taking down Big Daddies, hacking things and obtaining ADAM. Levelling up means a promotion by Sinclair Solutions - and access to a wider range of plasmids and upgrades for those plasmids.
2K also confirmed a team deathmatch mode as well as one more unannounced mode. As for any other familiar Bioshock faces in multiplayer? "You might see a little sister," they teased.
Bioshock 2 ships in North America on November 3 -- would you kindly stay tuned for more on the game, including both the single player and multiplayer modes, as that date approaches.
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