Monstrous hulks, psychotic freaks, dark corridors, flickering lights...Bioshock 2 has all the expected fear factors, but come February 9, 2010, it’ll be pushing a new fright onto Rapture visitors: a vision of the surface world.
Players got a taste of Rapture founder Andrew Ryan’s political and social-economical views when they watched the orientation video during their first bathysphere trip from lighthouse in the middle of the ocean down to the dystopia under the sea. BioShock 2 will not only remind everyone what the founding principals were that originally helped to mold the underwater city, but after a trip through a certain stage, people may start believing Ryan’s ideals are the way to go after all -- despite the nasty results.
Surface dwellers originally emigrated to Rapture to escape the “confines” of traditional capitalism, socialism, and communism. It was a place for truly free will, artistic expression, and scientific research. But civilians are going to breed. And children, with their boundless curiosity, are going to want to know what goes on up top.
Enter "Journey to the Surface," a museum where families walk through animatronic-powered displays that show off what life is like on the other side.
In one scene, we see a family sitting in a living room watching TV. Out of the corner, a giant god-like hand reaches out and drags the young boy away into the darkness. “The child has a duty -- he will go to war and die for the nation!” says the pre-recorded narration.
Damn government.
In another scene, we see a farmer toiling away on his fields and another god hand reaching down from the sky, ripping the farm roof off to take the family’s possessions away. “We are the State! We are God! We demand our share!”
Damn commies.
The anti-surface tour ends with a not-so-objective lesson: “Unable to provide for itself, the need of the parasite grows, until war is made to justify it. Your parents brought you to Rapture, where you need never fear the parasite again. There is no place for you on the surface.”
The propaganda is hardcore, ensuring anyone with any sense of ambition will be, ironically, suppressed down to Ryan’s reality, never to fathom leaving his water world ever again. In fact, it might scare people so much, they might even think about “rescuing” any friends still left on the surface.
Of course, the museum designers know this. The last thing you’ll hear as you exit: “If you know someone who belongs in Rapture, write a letter to the Ryan Industries mail room and you never know -- the next new face might be familiar.”
The cult of Rapture: perhaps more frightening than any Big Daddy could ever be...
Here are the latest screenshots from BioShock 2:
The brute.
New weapons include the rivet gun and the hacker, which allows you to tap into security turrets and bots from afar. Hacking is done via a golf-swing-like meter. We'll miss the water-pipe minigame, but this method is much faster.
Going up against Big Sister.
Your Big Daddy drill hand runs on fuel -- you can see how much you have remaining in the lower left.
Dual wielding: Your left hand can launch plasmid attacks like Inferno, Cyclone, or Winterblast, while your right hand can hold a weapon.
From multiplayer:
