First Details of Bioshock 2’s Multiplayer Revealed

2K Games are finally starting to talk about Bioshock 2’s multiplayer, and so far it’s all good news. In order to live up to the demands and expectations of fans of the first game, 2K Games have hired Digital Extremes to develop the multiplayer component of Bioshock 2. If the name Digital Extremes isn’t ringing any bells, they’re the development team behind the first three Unreal Tournament titles, which were lauded by critics as providing some of the best FPS multiplayer gameplay on the market. Digital Extremes have also been praised for packing their games with a ton of content, which will hopefully erase one of our biggest complaints of recent multiplayer-oriented shooters: games like Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress 2 have done a lot to evolve the FPS multiplayer formula, but both were downright puny in terms of the number of maps they offered. Hopefully Digital Extreme will ensure Bioshock 2’s multiplayer will be both innovative and plentiful.

Then again, judging from 2K Games’ press release, we’re not even sure yet if Bioshock 2 will have conventional multiplayer maps—the company claims the multiplayer component will “enhances the lore and fiction of the BioShock universe,” by acting as a prequel to the events of the single player game, taking place during the fall of Rapture. Players will also level up during multiplayer, gaining access to new weapons and abilities. It sounds much more ambitious than the usual, “Here’s a chunk of map from single player—first to 10 kills wins!”

Here are the key features the press release highlights:

· Evolution of the genetically enhanced shooter – Earn experience points during gameplay to earn access to new Weapons, Plasmids and Tonics that can be used to create hundreds of different combinations, allowing players to develop a unique character that caters to their playing style.

· Extend the Rapture fiction – Players will step into the shoes of Rapture citizens and learn more about the fall of Rapture as they progress through the experience.

· See Rapture before the fall – Experience Rapture before it was reclaimed by the ocean and engage in combat over iconic environments in locations such as Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites, all of which have been reworked from the ground up to deliver a fast-paced multiplayer experience.

*Original report from www.gameinformer.com