BioShock 2 Preview

As the big daddy you'll now be able to head into the ocean

Splicers love ADAM, not just in a "I'd like more of that" kind of way, but in a "I'm going to brutally hammer your head in to get at that ADAM" kind of way. If they don't get regular top-ups their mind and body starts to degrade. With your little sister extracting the ADAM the splicers come thick and fast, and it's up to you to protect her. While the little sisters have changed in appearance slightly, they're as innocent and vulnerable as ever - our adopted girl whimpered "don't let them get me" as the splicers moved in. We've only seen a brief combat sequence, but if it's anything to go by killing things as a Big Daddy is going to be a lot of fun. With a massive drill, a charge attack, a rivet gun and plasmid abilities, you're going to be a match for pretty much everything - you can even dual-wield a plasmid ability with a weapon.

In order to stand any chance the splicers work together, hunting in packs like wild animals, but unless enemies later on become tougher we'd still fancy our charging drill attack to come out on top. At one point during the demo the Big Daddy simply stood facing a splicer, revving his drill menacingly - this was enough to send the disfigured junkie running for his life. With the prototype Big Daddy being far more nimble than those you fought in the first game, the main threat appears to be the Big Sister. We've really only seem glimpses of what she can do, but telekinesis is definitely one of her abilities. She'll apparently stalk you throughout the game, coming out more frequently if you choose to adopt little sisters instead of harvesting them - she doesn't want you playing with her girls.

There will of course be new plasmids in the game, although 2K is keeping most of these well under wraps for the time being. What we did get to see is the ability to lay plasmid traps. In the demo the Big Daddy combined a plasmid trap with fire in order to create a flaming tornado of death when unlucky splicers wandered too close for comfort. While not confirmed, we assume you'll be able to combine the traps with other plasmids, such as bee swarms and ice.

You can now dual-wield plasmid power and weapon

Perhaps the biggest addition to the game that will differentiate it from the first is the ability to swim, or at least walk along the sea bed in your heavy diving gear. From time to time you'll be able to leave the city and head into the surrounding water, exploring and looking in on areas familiar from your previous adventure. Various collectable items will be scattered about, so expect plenty of audio logs that give you more back story to the events taking place. We're also wondering if you might be able to do some sea slug collecting. Seeing as you remove the slugs from little sisters when you harvest them for ADAM, collecting ADAM in this way would provide a more morally sound, albeit more painstaking option.

There's an awful lot we're still uncertain about. The fact that you're playing as a Big Daddy and not a man with a clear goal (original protagonist Jack simply wanted to get out of Rapture) means the storyline is unclear. What will the overall goal be and how much choice will you have over the outcomes? We're also unsure how the game will differ depending on how you choose to play. If you always harvest the little sisters how much contact will you have with the Big Sister? There's also the multiplayer to consider, which acts as a prequel to the original game. In the hands of deathmatch supremos Digital Extremes, 2K should be on to a winner there too. What's certain is that wherever you peek into Rapture, BioShock 2 appears to be in very safe hands.

BioShock 2 is due for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC later this year.