This and Zelda are the only must buy games coming out this year for me, sure there are a lot of games I will be getting but there is no way I can let Bioshock 2 sit on the store shelves for more than a few hours before I buy my copy!
The weapons of Bioshock 2 -
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1066470p1.html
February 3, 2010 - Rapture is a dangerous place. It's a leaky, underwater city filled with genetic freaks with violent tendencies. To survive, you're going to need some serious firepower, especially against some of the new enemies you'll face off against in BioShock 2. In case you're not familiar, in 2K Marin's sequel to Irrational Games' original, you play as a Big Daddy roughly 10 years after the events of the first game. Andrew Ryan was replaced by a new ruler, Sofia Lamb, who believes in the efforts and achievements of the community rather than those of the individual. She's whipped the splicers into a kind of religious fervor, and she's told them all to wipe you out.
Since you'll be playing as a Big Daddy, that means you're a much more formidable figure than Jack from the first game. It also means you'll be able to carry around heavier weaponry. Though some of the guns function differently in BioShock 2, many tend to be pretty similar. There are some notable omissions, however. For instance, there's no direct equivalent to the wrench. Instead, every single weapon can be used to bash an enemy, which turns out to be a pretty convenient way to follow up a few rivet gun shots or an Electrobolt blast. The chemical thrower has also been axed from the lineup, and there isn't really a replacement here.
As for how the weapons are acquired and upgraded, you'll come across these things lying around in the environment. Once picked up, you can upgrade them up to three times by finding Power to the People stations all over Rapture. Each weapon has two basic upgrades that boost things like magazine size and damage dealt. A third upgrade then becomes unlocked after the first two are selected, which has a more significant effect on weapon behavior -- which you can see examples of in the list below. All upgrades will affect the appearance of the weapon model, adding extra gears and detail and generally making the weapon look more threatening. Additionally, like in the previous game, each weapon has alternate types of ammunition which can be useful for plowing through enemies or setting up a defensive perimeter.
Drill Arm: Like the name says, this is a giant drill that sits on your right arm. It's powered by fuel, and assuming you have some in reserve you can rev it up and slam it into enemies, quickly draining their health. A little ways into the game you also get a drill charge ability, which lets you move swiftly across the ground and shoulder into foes, again dealing a decent amount of damage. If you run out of fuel entirely, you can still swipe at splicers. 
Power to the People Upgrades: The first two upgrades for this weapon are pretty basic, giving you increased drill fuel efficiency -- so it doesn't drain as quickly -- and a damage increase. The third upgrade is a drill reflector, which lets you turn back incoming projectiles while the drill is up and running.
Alternate Ammunition Types: There aren't any for this one, it just uses fuel.
Rivet Gun: A semi-automatic gun that could be considered the equivalent of the pistol from the first game, though the weapon model looks a lot more powerful. This weapon is useful for any encounter, and is particularly effective at headshots. 
Power to the People Upgrades: The two basic upgrades give you a larger magazine capacity and a damage increase, then the third gives you a nice percent chance to light a target on fire. So a headshot, plus chance to ignite your opponent, in addition to a plasmid blast makes for a great combo.
Alternate Ammunition Types: The base ammunition type, rivets, do decent piercing damage against armored targets (that means Big Daddies). If you run out of that, you can always switch over to heavy rivets, which are a little more powerful especially if you can peg an enemy in the face. For defense sequences, the trap rivets are quite valuable as they can be plunked down on the ground and walls in an area you're trying to protect. They'll sit there idle and fire only when any enemy walks over them, dealing damage, but they won't fire if you stumble across them. If you've wiped out all aggressors and find a bunch of trap rivets weren't triggered, they can then be scooped back up and added to your reserves.
Machine Gun: Here's the rough equivalent of the machine gun from the first game. It has a different appearance, but it too delivers a rapid hail of bullets directed at your enemies. Good for group encounters and best if you're taking advantage of its special ammunition types. 
Power to the People Upgrades: The two basic upgrades enhance the gun's damage and reduce recoil, which in turn boosts accuracy. The third then adds a ricochet function for all bullets fired, which can get pretty chaotic in tight spaces or against a large group of splicers.
Alternate Ammunition Types: You get standard .50 caliber rounds that do a slight amount of piercing damage, but really the reason to use this thing is for the other two ammunition types. Anti-personnel rounds are, as they say in the Pokeman world, super effective against splicers, and the armor piercing rounds are great against Big Daddies.
Shotgun: My favorite weapon in the game, this double-barreled shotgun has a satisfying kick and does big chunks of damage at close range, though it's pretty much useless for targets in the distance. Its upgrades do a lot to make it more interesting.
Power to the People Upgrades: Snagging the third and final upgrade on this gun attaches a few electric bulbs to the side, giving the weapon a chance to shock opponents it hits. Like with the rivet gun, when these effects trigger along with plasmid usage and damage from the shells, you can deal out a lot of punishment at once.
Alternate Ammunition Types: The standard 00 buck does a decent amount of piercing damage, but if you switch over to solid buck, you'll find you can do more damage to non-armored foes as well as shoot through one target to hit another. The phosphorus buck is interesting in that it sticks to enemies and, after a few seconds pass, explodes into flames.
Speargun: This, like the crossbow in the first game, is the equivalent of a sniper rifle in BioShock. It'll launch spears at long distances that can actually pin enemies to walls. If you go up to their corpse you can then reclaim the spear from the wall, which drops the body to the floor. 
Power to the People Upgrades: The third upgrade for this gun doesn't dramatically change its functionality, but does increase the speed at which spears fly and shortens the reload time.
Alternate Ammunition Types: Aside from the basic spears, this gun has some interesting things to shoot out. If you shoot a trap spear into a wall, it'll launch an electrified string from its exposed end that attaches to an adjacent surface. The rocket spears are more for the offensive minded player, as they'll stick into targets when shot and, after a brief delay, explode. While they're stuck the rocket jet extending from the back of the spear will also set things on fire.
Launcher: For anyone who wants to clear a room really quickly, this would be the weapon of choice. The types of objects it fires dramatically affects its functionality.
Power to the People Upgrades: The first two boost the amount of each ammunition type you can carry and make you immune to their splash damage effects. The third upgrade turns every explosive into a kind of cluster bomb, which initiates additional explosions after the primary charge has been detonated.
Alternate Ammunition Types: The base ammunition type is a simple fragmentation grenade, which is great against pretty much everything you fight. You can also spit out proximity mines with the launcher, which combined with trap rivets and plasmids can make for a deadly defensive perimeter. To smite a target as quickly as possible, there's no better option in the game than the heat-seeking rockets, which -- when used in conjunction with all the weapon upgrades -- can flatten pretty much anything.
Research Camera: This doesn't shoot, but it is mixed in amongst your weapon selections. I won't go over all the research upgrades you get by snapping shots of every enemy type, but it should be noted that the way the camera works is different from the first game. You still have to ready the camera, but while you do you'll also be able to shoot plasmids. Then when you go to finally take a picture of an enemy, it's not a still shot. Instead, it's a video recording, and as you fight you'll get research bonuses depending on how varied your actions are. Also, after you initiate the recording, your weapon will immediately be brought to the ready, so you can fight as you normally would with weapons and plasmids. It's a nice change, and one that means you don't have to hop around trying to snap photos while splicers beat the crap out of you. 
Hack Tool: Like the research camera, this doesn't shoot either. It can be used to melee, though. Its main function is to fire remote hack and auto-hack darts at machinery, such as cameras and out of reach control panels, to initiate the hacking mini-game from afar. Unlike the first game, there's no pipe-hacking game here. Instead, a multicolored bar will appear at the bottom of the screen along which an arrow moves back and forth. If you stop the arrow on blue or green colored sections of the bar, you successfully hack into your target and can receive bonuses as well, such as extra items from vending machines or longer alert times from security cameras. The action doesn't pause while this game is going on, so while it doesn't require much thought, you will have to try and stay away from enemies after it's activated. Mini-turrets are also listed as an alternate ammunition type of the hack tool, so you'll need to have this thing at the ready if you want to drop down the little automated defenders. 
Hopefully that gives you an idea of the kinds of tools you'll have at your disposal in BioShock 2. Tomorrow you'll find a similar article talking about some of the plasmids and tonics in the game. Many are similar to the first BioShock, but like the weapons there are a few different ways to upgrade them that alter their functionality.
The reviews so far...
PSM3 - 93/100
OXM - 95/100
PC Gamer - 90/100
| Barozi said: Needs more Bomberman:
I really regret looking at that picture...... |
OMG ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great thread, btw. 
Yeap,great thread
Fab_GS said:
|
NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO IT HAS BEEN TATTOED ON MY BRAIN NOW!
The Plasmids of BioShock 2 -
February 4, 2010 - Whether it's meeting that annoying acquaintance who always has to get in the last word, bumping into that person on the subway who emits a musty odor, or arguing with the guy at the local sandwich shop who consistently adds tomatoes to your sub after very directly being told not to do so; everyone's got a moment when they wish they could shoot lighting from their hands. Thanks to genetic modification, plasmids, and the magic of interactive entertainment, you can do just that in BioShock 2.
These are the equivalent of magic powers in the game, some of which you'll find scattered around Rapture, and some of which you'll pick up from the Gatherer's Garden machines. To buy upgrades you'll need Adam, which you pick up primarily by dealing with Little Sisters that wander around the city. Unlike the first game, you're not required to swap between plasmid and weapon use, which makes things a little easier for when you're trying to combo enemies with a lightning bolt and swat from your rivet gun.
Another difference with BioShock 2 is how the plasmids evolve as they're upgraded. Instead of just doing more damage, for instance, the offensive plasmids will have altered functionality if you choose to invest in purchasing the best versions. A few other plasmids help out with navigating around enemies and with crowd control if you're feeling overwhelmed. Also covered will be a few of the tonics you get as you move through the story, which -- like plasmids -- can be found around Rapture and purchased from the Gatherer's Garden machines. Assuming you dump Adam into all the slot upgrades, you'll eventually open up space to hold eight active plasmids and 18 active tonics on your character, which can always be swapped around at a Gene Bank.
Telekinesis: When equipped, this plasmid lets you manipulate objects in the environment so you can shoot them back at enemies to inflict damage. It's also useful for pulling out of reach ammunition or health pickups from hard to reach places towards you. Also, larger objects that you keep suspended in midair can function as shields. The second level upgrade boosts the damage you do when you hit an enemy with an object, and at level three you can actually pick up some of the smaller enemies in the game and hurl them at targets.
Cyclone Trap: At its base level, this plasmid lets you set a whirling vortex on the ground that -- when triggered by enemies -- launches them high into the air, dealing damage, which is useful especially during Little Sister defense sequences. Bumping this up to level two allows you to infuse individual cyclone traps with other plasmid effects. So if you want to add lighting, fire, or ice to your traps, you can go right ahead. By upgrading it to level three, you'll gain the additional ability to set traps on the ceiling and along walls. 
Electrobolt lighting up the room.
Hypnotize: Probably my most used plasmid, this one at its base level causes splicers to attack each other. So if there are two in a room, you can hit them both with this thing and they'll battle to the death, or until the effect wears off. It's not really effective against a single splicer. However, upgrade this plasmid to level two and the splicers you hit will become friendly targets and fight for you for a little while. At level three, you gain the ability to turn Big Daddies and brute splicers into compatriots for a little while.
Decoy: This plasmid can be used to summon a phantom image of yourself in Rapture, which works to divert enemy attacks for a little while. Upgrading it has the nice effect of actually reflecting damage back at any attackers who get drawn in, and at its maximum upgrade level the reflected damage is also fed back to you as health. Pretty useful in a jam.
Telekinesis can fling bodies when fully upgraded.
Security Command: With this plasmid you can paint enemies to be targeted by security bots and cameras. This lets you trigger camera alerts for wandering enemies from a distance as well as serves as a control mechanic for any of your hacked security bots. At level two this lets you summon friendly bots at any time, and the last upgrade turns the bots into 'elite' versions of the basic friendly fliers. In combination with the Handyman tonic that lets you repair bots, this can be a great way to get around Rapture without having to use the Vita-Chambers or reload your game.
As far as tonics go in BioShock 2, they can be broken down into a few main categories. Depending on how you want to play, it helps to have a number of them equipped at once to make hacking easier, speed up research, reduce prices at vending machines, or make Little Sister defense sequences a little easier. Though the majority of tonics are found on the ground or bought in Gatherer's Garden machines, you do get a few by maxing out the research tracks for each enemy type.
Hacking: Hacking's a big part of life in Rapture, from taking control of security bots to rigging health restoration machines as traps to reducing prices at vending machines. The Hacker's Delight tonic restores some health and Eve with every hack, Deadly Machines causes hacked bots and turrets to dish out more punishment, Thrifty Hacker further reduces vending machine prices, Careful Hacker makes the hacking mini-game easier, and Hardy Machines boosts the health of any hacked bots or turrets, to name a few.
Research: If you want to take fewer videos of your foes to unlock bonuses, then these are some of the tonics you want to make sure are equipped. Extended Reel lets your research sessions last longer than normal, Damage Research gives you more of a bonus to damage across research levels, and Keen Observer moves progress along at a quicker clip.
Drill Power: There's no wrench in BioShock 2, but in its place you get the option to melee with any weapon in the game. If you decide you're a fan of the drill arm, then you'll want to equip some of the following tonics. Drill Specialist will drop the cost of all plasmids but restrict you to only using the drill, hack tool, and camera, Drill Power lets you do more damage with the drill, Freezing Drill gives you percent chance to freeze enemies you hit, and Drill Vampire siphons health and Eve as you do drill damage. 
Take care which tonics you equip.
That's not all you can do in BioShock 2, but hopefully it gives you a sufficient overview of the kind of options that are available. In combination with the weapons and alternate types of ammunition highlighted yesterday, you can get some interesting results. Be sure to check back again tomorrow for more BioShock 2 coverage to close out the week.
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