A Xbox Live Newsbeat issued by Microsoft last week indicated downloadable content for the underwater shooter BioShock 2 would arrive this week, but that report was erroneous.

Xbox Live’s community man, Major Nelson, posted a statement on his blog, announcing the DLC won’t hit this week and did not specify as to when it will.

The DLC in question, the 800 MS Point Rapture Metro Pack, contains six new multiplayer maps designed from the game’s single-player campaign, as well as three new Achievements/Trophies and a Rebirth Feature, which will allow those reaching level 50 in multiplayer the ability to start all over, like Prestige in Modern Warfare 2.

In a surprising fashion, Microsoft’s today announced previously secret downloadable content coming to Xbox Live next week.

Among the list, is downloadable content for sequels “Bioshock 2″ and “Just Cause 2.”

The underwater shooter gets the Rapture Metro Map Pack DLC. It’s 800 MS Points ($10) and is composed of additional arenas, face masks, a “Kill Em Kindly” melee deathmatch mode, and three new lovely Achievements.

The open world action game gets the Black Market Aerial Pack DLC. What’s in the box here is a F-33 DragonFly Jet Fighter, a multi-lock missile launcher and a parachute thruster, good for extending the radius of your drop zone. It’ll set you back a mere 160 MS Points or $2.

Hooray for unexpected DLC. Who’s buying?

Source: GamerScoreBlog

Kotaku reports the first in a series of Bioshock 2 DLC packs will arrive March 11th for 360, PS3, and PC. The Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack has a multiplayer focus and will include 2 new playable characters, a third weapons upgrade, 5 new masks, 20 new trials, and a rank increase to level 50 (with new Rank Rewards).  The Sinclair Solutions pack will be 400 Msoft points on XBLA and $4.99 on PSN and for PC.

In an earnings report issued to by Take-Two, besides a Red Dead: Redemption delay of game, it was revealed that the underwater big boy BioShock 2 has sold 3 million and the mighty, mighty GTA: IV a monumental 15 million.

So many copies sold!

For reference, BioShock the original sold 4  million total, so its sequel is rapidly approaching that figure.

In other multi-million sales news, Take-Two’s softcore software “Carnival Games” has surpassed 6 million sold across both Wii and DS, the company reported today. Scary, huh?

Return to Rapture once more, the home of one of the most highly regarded games of the last decade. Bioshock 2 was greeted by both cheers and worry when first announced. Cheers because, well, people wanted a sequel to the grand original. Worry because the sequel wasn’t being developed by Irrational—who made not only the first game, but some of the greatest PC games ever (Thief, System Shock 2, and many others).

The good news is that despite its maze-like development involving four different development studios, Bioshock 2 is excellent. Instead of playing the prodigal son as in the original, you’ll take on the huge diving boots of the first Big Daddy—known only as Delta. It’s 1968—ten years after the death of Rapture’s megalomaniac founder, Andrew Ryan—and Delta awakes to find a very different place than he might have remembered when first created.

The vacuum of power among the mostly insane, plasmid-addicted populace of Rapture has shifted to Dr. Sophia Lamb, a psychiatrist detractor of Ryan who emerges from prison after Ryan’s death to push a policy of socialism and equality for the remaining denizens of the undersea city. Lamb is so obsessed with the idea of community over the individual that she doesn’t care about individual life at all—even her own daughter.

For Delta, however, Lamb’s daughter has a much greater significance. She was his little sister, and he’s hardwired to protect her. As it turns out, she needs to be rescued and Lamb will try her damnedest to make sure Delta can’t get to her. It’s an intelligent and even poignant set-up for the sequel, and the story builds in the same way as the first Bioshock. Mysterious allies will aid you, voice recordings spread throughout the levels help flesh out what happened before you got there, and there’s always some new task to complete to continue onward.

Although Bioshock 2 is, on the whole, not far removed from Bioshock, there are several key differences. First of course is that you take the role of a Big Daddy. Granted, he’s not as massive and powerful as the mindless lunks roaming through Rapture. Delta is more maneuverable, but not nearly as tough as the garden variety Daddy. Add in new rumbler-type daddies, and Delta feels positively light weight.

Combat feels a lot more integral to the game as well. Although always a focal point in Rapture, Delta faces hordes of splicers at a time, most of them with firearms. As it turns out, guns hurt Delta nearly as much as a regular man, and even melee weapons seem to hurt him rather unduly. Granted, you’ll be upgrading yourself through the entire game, so Delta gets tougher.

Another seemingly minor, yet ultimately important difference is the ability to use plasmid powers with your left hand and weapons in your right. This makes one-two attacks like an electrical stun followed instantly with a well-placed shotgun blast or grisly drill easy and amazingly satisfying. Laying traps is another tactical element. You can set explosives, electric lines, and hack turrets and cameras, along with security bots.

Tactical thinking is often incredibly important here, especially in regards to the Little Sisters. There are two ways to handle Little Sisters. The first is heartlessly harvesting them for ADAM—the substance that enables everyone in Rapture to have super powers. The second way is to carry them to safety, thus saving them. Along the way though, these creepy, glowing-eyed girls can sniff out ADAM-loaded corpses. Once you set them to task of siphoning out the substance, however, the ADAM-addicted splicers start coming out of the woodwork.

You’ll have to fend off splicer attacks from all directions until your Little Sister is done, and preparation for the battle is key. Once you’ve rescued (or harvested) all the girls on a level, a so-called Big Sister hunts you down. Despite all the hype about these new creatures, Big Sisters are actually an incredible let down. Aside from there being no explanation about who (or even what) they are, they are amazingly cheap and over-powered. Flinging weapons and plasmid powers at a far faster rate than Delta can, you’ll inevitably have to rely on the regeneration chambers to enable you to continue to chip away at their health.

Depending on the location, there are occasions where even these battles shine—such as luring them into a pool of water and shocking the daylights out them, or hacking a camera and sentry gun. and then getting them in range for extra firepower. Big Sister problems aside, as long as frantic combat doesn’t bother you, there’s little to complain about. Bioshock 2 really doesn’t feel much different on the whole from Bioshock. In fact, it just feels like a beefed-up version of the original. Your character is bigger, enemy battles are more intense, and thanks to the occasional trip into the open waters Rapture feels more expansive too.

Finally, there’s the multiplayer. It seems extraneous on such a pitch-perfect single-player saga, but 2K has managed to add a remarkably interesting gimmick. Multiplayer matches are mechanically much like any other team and free-for-all game. The hook is that you can choose from a variety of characters, augment them with weapons and plasmids just like the single-player game, and engage in a setting that takes place before the fall of Rapture. It works well, and it’s fun, but time will tell if it catches on.

Beyond that, Rapture still looks beautiful and offers an incredibly immersive audio experience. In the end, the only real complaint is that this return to Rapture feels all too familiar. Delta offers only a marginal change in playability and the environments themselves are much the same as before. In a lesser game, this would be a real problem, but here the familiar is entirely welcome. So enjoy another stay in Rapture, soak in the surroundings, and cause plenty of carnage. You’ll be glad you did.

Blast Factor: Bioshock 2 is a welcome return trip under the sea. Gameplay refinements and a new character help make it feel fresh again, but Rapture itself is still the same den of insanity it has always been. Collecting an array of new and old plasmid powers, combined with newer, more powerful weapons gives combat more bite. The oppressive feeling that the entire world is against you adds even more great atmosphere. While Bioshock 2 doesn’t feel like an entirely new experience, it’s just what a good sequel should and well worth your time and money.

A copy of the game was purchased for review purposes.

2K Games today revealed its plans to release multiplayer downloadable content for the recently released BioShock 2.

Coming to the underwater first-person-shooter will be additional characters, trials and an increased level cap up to 50.

More of this, soon.

The DLC is called The Sinclair Solutions Test Pack and will sell for $5 on both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network next month.

“The fans who waited in the snow, rain and cold for the midnight launch of BioShock 2 have spoken and their message is that Rapture still has many fascinating stories to tell,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Downloadable content is a key part of our efforts to continue to entice the fans that have made 2K a household name – we intend to deliver single and multiplayer content that respects and expands upon one of the greatest fictional worlds ever created.”

A more detailed DLC description.

• Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
• New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
• 20 new trials (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)
• A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
• Five additional masks (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)

It’s just part of 2k’s determined effort to continue to support its game post-launch.

Source: Joystiq

A long-awaited sequel, Bioshock 2 and a brand new game, set in nine layers of Hell, Dante’s Inferno, butt heads this week, as both high-profile games release Tuesday, Feb. 9.

In other news, the next in the cute and cuddly Super Monkey Ball series releases also on Tuesday. This one’s called Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll and yes, it looks uber-fun.

Below is the full list of new releases for the week. Who’s buying? And what?

Monday (Feb.

Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun (Wii)
N.E.O. Online (PC)
Star Ocean The Last Hope: International (PS3)

Tuesday (Feb. 9)
Best Friends Tonight (DS)
BioShock 2 (PC, PS3, 360)
Dante’s Inferno (PS3, 360)
Rock Blast (Wii)
Scene It? Twilight (DS)
Shiren the Wanderer (Wii)
Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity (PC)
Square Logic (PC)
Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll (Wii)
The Daring Game for Girls (DS)
World Cup Of Pool (DS)

Wednesday (Feb. 10)
Bookworm Adventures (DS)
Darwinia+ (360)
Stargate Resistance (PC)
Windchaser (PC)

Thursday (Feb. 11)
Galcon Fusion (PC)

Friday (Feb. 12)
World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars (360)
Zorro: Quest for Justice (DS)

Source: Kotaku

With Bioshock 2 releasing in under a week, expect news around these parts to be heavy on the underwater shooter, and we’ve got more of it for you today.

Thinking about bucking up and dropping an extra $40 on a Special Edition of Bioshock 2? Need some more convincing?

Enter this unboxing video by none other than…..some lady from 2K Games. Oh, and the video attempts at humor, so bear with it.

Hey Rapture fans, the wait is nearly over.

Bioshock 2, the underwater, antiquated, first-person-shooter releases Feb. 9 but a high-profile release like this one can’t get to the public without a launch trailer.

Something to remember. The trailer below, in its 3-minute entirety, is beautiful, yes, but features no gameplay whatsoever, it’s all cinematics.

Bioshock 2, a game with waves and waves of hype behind it, releases next month, and if you’ve yet to secure yourself a copy of the underwater shooter, Amazon.com has a deal for PlayStation 3 enthusiasts.

Daddy's a big guy.

Amazon is offering a Big Daddy outfit for use in Sony’s Home on the PlayStation Network. It’s made by Heavy Water, aka the team behind a heck of a lot of digital content in Home.

Amazon will email you the code 10 days after the title releases and is currently only available to those who throw down money for the $99 Special Edition.

Bioshock 2 on Amazon

Soure: Kotaku

What’s in store for gamers in the underwater sequel BioShock 2? It’s hard to say, as few details have surfaced about the title so far.

We’re clued in a tad more today though, as Xbox 360 Achievements have dug up, what it claims to be, the full Achievement list for BioShock 2.

Nothing too spoilerrific in here, just your standard 50 unlockables and some secrets.

Take a look, and let us know if you spot anything  interesting.

• Bought a Slot (5 points)
Buy one Plasmid or Tonic Slot at a Gatherer’s Garden.

• Max Plasmid Slots (10 points)
Fully upgrade to the maximum number of Plasmid Slots.

• Upgraded a Weapon (10 points)
Upgrade any weapon at a Power to the People Station.

• Fully Upgraded a Weapon (10 points)
Install the third and final upgrade to any of your weapons.

• All Weapon Upgrades (20 points)
Find all 14 Power to the People weapon upgrades in the game.

• Prolific Hacker (20 points)
Successfully hack at least one of every type of machine.

• Master Hacker (20 points)
Hack 30 machines at a distance with the Hack Tool.

• First Research (5 points)
Research a Splicer with the Research Camera.

• One Research Track (20 points)
Max out one Research Track.

• Research Master (20 points)
Max out research on all 9 research subjects.

• Grand Daddy (25 points)
Defeat 3 Big Daddies without dying during the fight.

• Master Gatherer (30 points)
Gather 600 ADAM with Little Sisters.

• Fully Upgraded a Plasmid (10 points)
Fully upgrade one of your Plasmids to the level 3 version at a Gatherer’s Garden.

• All Plasmids (20 points)
Find or purchase all 11 basic Plasmid types.

• Trap Master (15 points)
Kill 30 enemies using only Traps.

• Master Protector (15 points)
Get through a Gather with no damage and no one getting to the Little Sister.

• Big Spender (15 points)
Spend 2000 dollars at Vending Machines.

• Dealt with Every Little Sister (50 points)
Either Harvest or Save every Little Sister in the game.

• Against All Odds (30 points)
Finish the game on the hardest difficulty level.

• Big Brass Balls (25 points)
Finish the game without using Vita-Chambers.

• Rapture Historian (40 points)
Find 100 audio diaries.

• Unnatural Selection (10 points)
Score your first kill in a non-private match.

• Welcome to Rapture (10 points)
Complete your first non-private match.

• Disgusting Frankenstein (10 points)
Become a Big Daddy for the first time in a non-private match.

• “Mr. Bubbles– No!” (20 points)
Take down your first Big Daddy in a non-private match.

• Mother Goose (20 points)
Save your first Little Sister in a non-private match.

• Two-Bit Heroics (10 points)
Complete your first trial in a non-private match.

• Parasite (10 points)
Achieve Rank 10.

• Little Moth (20 points)
Achieve Rank 20.

• Skin Job (20 points)
Achieve Rank 30.

• Choose the Impossible (50 points)
Achieve Rank 40.

• Proving Grounds (20 points)
Win your first non-private match.

• Man About Town (10 points)
Play at least one non-private match on each multiplayer map.

• Two Secret Achievements worth 5 points.

• Two Secret Achievements worth 10 points.

• One Secret Achievement worth 15 points.

• Six Secret Achievements worth 20 points.

• One Secret Achievement worth 50 points.

• Two Secret Achievements worth 25 points.

• One Secret Achievement worth 100 points.

BioShock 2 got bumped to 2010 likely because of its still shielded and largely unknown multiplayer component, but today, in the year 2009, 2k Games clued us in on what we’d been long expecting; the Bioshock 2 Special Edition.

For $99, or $89 for PC, gamers can expect a smorgasbord of BioShock goodies, the full list, revealed below.

When BioShock 2 got bumped to 2010, fans everywhere cried out, but 2k Games hope to sway that dismay today with a new trailer for the underwater title.

What’s in the new trailer? Lots of weapons, dark and ominous settings, bone-chilling music and narration, and lots of frenzied death.

Take a look at the trailer embedded below and look for the game on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC February 9.

Great news BioShock fans: BioShock 2 will be released on Feb 9. Set ten years after the original, players will play as “the Big Daddy” as they search the city for Little Sisters who have been kidnapped and brought to Rapture. While unraveling the mystery, players must prepare to face the unknown in order to ensure their survival.

The multiplayer will have it’s own little story to make things more interesting as well. Set as a prequel, players get to play as a Plasmid test subject and explore during the Fall of Rapture. The game is currently being developed for the PS3, PC and Xbox 360. Mark your calendars, folks.

2k Games released BioShock 2′s first multiplayer trailer in the wee hours of this Friday September 4, and in case you missed it, because you were sleeping like a normal person, never fear, for we at Blast Gaming do not sleep, and have the video for you below.

The first BioShock had no multiplayer component, only a glorious single-player campaign, and no one knocked title for that decision. However, Bioshock 2 does multiplayer, and from the looks of this video…..you finish that sentence.

Bioshock 2 is due out on Xbox 360 and PS3 sometime in 2010.

Following up the original BioShock is a daunting task.‚  With the grand success and cult following of the first and the striking expectations for the sequel, what about Bio2 is going to sell the deal?

2k Marin, developers of BioShock 2 granted an exclusive 9-minute developer walkthrough to IGN of the title and the commentary explains issues you may have considered.

In the video the various changes in Bio2 are reviewed including how this time around you’ll play as an augmented Big Daddy with the ability to venture into the depths of the ocean, adopt little sisters, and fight the mighty Big Sisters.

Graphically, from this video alone, Bio2 looks very similar to the original, but I feel there is enough, even without multiplayer, to make Bio2 a very compelling title fans of the series and newcomers alike will enjoy.

2k Games today *gasp* have announced *clenches fist* the first solid details surround BioShock 2′s multiplayer *sigh*.

According to Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K, “The fans asked for a multiplayer experience and we answered.”‚  Oh really? Who answered? It wasn’t me, was it you?*shakes fist in indignation*

All silly written emotes aside, 2k has partnered with Digital Extremes to work on the multiplayer component to the ocean based, corridor shooter.

Multiplayer in Bio2 is said to be a prequel experience bolstering gamers’ knowledge of the lore surrounding the fallen city of Rapture.‚  You’ll play as a plasmid test subject for Sinclair Solutions (the dudes who brought you plasmids and tonics in the original) and in order to survive must take advantage of the varied “toolset” that only Rapture can supply.

Unlike many multiplayer experiences, Bio2′s will bring storytelling (we don’t yet know how) to the formula and allow gamers to see Rapture before it fell, you know, while blowing the heads of foes.

I don’t see anything revolutionary or redefining in this press release from 2k Games, and would have loved a straight-up single player experience, but hey, this could work?

Unlike the original, Bioshock 2 will indeed have multiplayer but that certainly doesn’t mean the single player experience, the core of the title, will be compromised whatsoever.

While absolutely zero details regarding Bioshock 2′s mysterious multiplayer component have been revealed by 2K games yet, lead level designer Hogarth de la Plante assures the faithful that the rich campaign experience won’t make any concessions due to the inclusion of multiplayer.

Speaking with GamePlayer de la Plante stated: “We recognize that people might be cynical about a multiplayer mode, a lot of us are big single player fans also so in no way does it compromise the single-player experience.”

If 2k are to be believed this is good news, as the addition of multiplayer just because “everyone else is doing it” is silly.‚  It is reassuring to know emphasis is still centered on single player, which begs the question….why multiplayer at all?

Dear Blast reader, are you looking forward to Bioshock 2 multiplayer (whatever it may be)??

via Gamercenteronline