XMF (Extensible Music Format) is a tree-based digital container format used to bundle music-oriented content, such as a MIDI file and optionally the sounds it uses, liner notes or other content grouped by language-codes.

The first defined use of the XMF was to allow the bundling of a musical performance with the musical sounds (optional) it uses. For instance, a MIDI file could be stored together with a Downloadable Sounds file, and both files would travel together inside one XMF file. This specific use of an XMF file is referred to as XMF File Type 0 (streaming) or XMF File Type 1 (non-streaming), depending on whether the type of the MIDI file is 0 or 1, respectively.

There are currently five XMF File Types defined. The latest of which is XMF File Type 4 (counted from zero) and is called Interactive XMF (iXMF).

The specifications for the XMF was first published in 2001 by the MMA.

Features

Resources can be referenced internally (in the XMF file) or referenced externally using a URI.

Resources can be country- and language-coded so that text could be shown in the right language depending on context.

Resources can be compressed using ZLIB.

Size information is stored using variable-length quantities, ensuring that the format can support an infinite number, while at the same time saving storage space.

See also

DLS format

RIFF (File format)

Standard MIDI File

External links

MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA)

XMF Overview

XMF Working Group of the MMA

Mobile XMF of the MMA

Category:MIDI standards Category:Music notation file formats Category:Video game music file formats

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Eliza Dushku
birth name	Eliza Patricia Dushku
birth date	December 30, 1980
birth place	Watertown, Massachusetts, U.S.
nationality	American, Albanian
occupation	Actress
years active	1992–present
partner	Rick Fox (2009–present) }}

Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American actress known for her television roles, including recurring appearances as Faith on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and its spinoff series ''Angel''. She starred in two Fox series, ''Tru Calling'' and ''Dollhouse''. She is also known for her role in films including ''True Lies'', ''The New Guy'', ''Bring It On'', ''Wrong Turn'' and ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''.

Early life

Dushku was born in Watertown, Massachusetts, the daughter of Philip R. Dushku, an administrator and teacher in the Boston Public Schools, and Judith "Judy" (née Rasmussen), a political science professor. Dushku's father is Albanian and her mother is of Danish and English descent. Dushku attended Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, and graduated from Watertown High School. She was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the faith of her mother, though she is not practicing. She has three older brothers: Aaron, Benjamin (Ben), and Nathaniel (Nate). Her parents divorced when she was an infant.

Career

Early career

Dushku came to the attention of casting agents when she was 10. She was chosen in a five month search for the lead role of Alice in the film ''That Night''. In 1993, Dushku landed a role as Pearl alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in ''This Boy's Life'', a role that she said opened a lot of doors. The following year, she played the teenage daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in ''True Lies''. She had parts as Paul Reiser's daughter in ''Bye Bye Love'', as Cindy Johnson in ''Race the Sun'', and roles in a television movie and a short film.

Dushku took time off from acting to finish her junior and senior years of high school. She was accepted to the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and Suffolk University in Boston, where her mother serves as professor of government and previously served as dean of the campus in Dakar, Senegal.

Later roles

After completing high school, Dushku returned to acting with the role of Faith on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', a Slayer much more troubled than the main character Buffy Summers. Though initially planned as a five episode role, the character became so popular that she stayed on for the whole third season and returned for a two-part appearance in season four, after which the remainder of her original story arc was played out as part of the first season of the ''Buffy'' spin-off series ''Angel''. Repentant and rededicated, Faith returned as a heroine in other episodes of ''Angel'' and in the last five episodes of ''Buffy''. Dushku was inundated with piles of fan mail from legions of prisoners. She said:

I've been getting fan mail from maximum security penitentiaries and death row. What are the authorities thinking of in playing a show with young teenage girls to Death Row inmates? They write everything – disgusting things that you don't even want to know about. And they send me pictures – 'Oh, here's a picture of me before I was incarcerated!' – and there's some guy sat on the sofa with a bottle of beer and a moustache, and a big gut. It's so creepy. Way more creepy than ''Buffy''.

In 2000, Dushku starred in the hit cheerleader comedy ''Bring It On''. She followed that up with ''Soul Survivors'', reuniting her with ''Race The Sun'' co-star Casey Affleck. One reviewer described the film as "84 minutes of everyone's wasted time". In 2001, she appeared in ''The New Guy'' with DJ Qualls and ''City by the Sea'' with Robert De Niro and James Franco. The latter film garnered attention from a wider adult audience and several good reviews. The same year, Kevin Smith invited Dushku to be a part of ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''.

In 2003, Dushku starred the horror film ''Wrong Turn'', and ''The Kiss'', an independent comedy-drama. Starting that same year, she starred in a new Fox TV series, ''Tru Calling'', where she played the main character, medical student Tru Davies. After having a grant pulled out from under her, Tru is forced to take a job at a local morgue where she discovers her power to "re-live" the previous day over again if one of the deceased asks for her help to change what has happened. Dushku turned down a role in a spin-off of ''Buffy The Vampire Slayer'' which would have been about Faith. She has had many roles as a "bad girl" in movies and relishes the opportunities. In an interview with ''Maxim'' in May 2001, Dushku says of her roles, "It's easy to play a bad girl: You just do everything you've been told not to do, and you don't have to deal with the consequences, because it's only acting."

Dushku starred in an Off-Broadway production entitled ''Dog Sees God'' from December 2005, playing "Van's sister", a character paralleled with Lucy Van Pelt from the ''Peanuts'' comic strip on which the play production is based. She quit in February 2006 along with other members of the cast amidst rumors of abuse from the producer (which were later dismissed).

She played the lead character on ''Nurses'', a hospital comedy/drama for Fox. This was the second Fox pilot in which she was cast, but not broadcast. She appeared in the Simple Plan music video, "I'm Just a Kid", as the band's love interest, as well as Nickelback's video for "Rockstar".

Dushku has roles in two video games. She voiced the role of Yumi Sawamura in the English language version of ''Yakuza'' for the PlayStation 2, which was published and developed by SEGA, and released in September 2006. Dushku also stars as Shaundi, one of the lead characters in ''Saints Row 2'', which was developed by Volition and published by THQ. It was released in North America on October 14, 2008, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. She was the voice talent for the role of Rubi Malone, the main character in the game WET. She appeared at Spike TV's 2008 Video Game Awards in December 2008.

More recent work

On October 1, 2005, she announced at Wizard World Boston that shooting had begun for ''Nobel Son'' in which she would star with Alan Rickman, Danny DeVito, Bill Pullman, and Peter Boyle. The movie was released at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Another project is ''On Broadway'', an independent movie filmed in her native Boston. The movie is receiving great reviews and a few of them highlight Dushku's performance. It is shown in independent film festivals and has won six awards.

''Variety'' announced on August 2, 2006 that Dushku would co-star with Macaulay Culkin in ''Sex and Breakfast'', a dark comedy written and directed by Miles Brandman. A reviewer described Dushku as "charming" and giving the character "an edge." The movie was released in Los Angeles on November 30, 2007 and on DVD on January 22, 2008. She starred in ''Open Graves'', a 2008 horror-thriller about a satanic game co-starring Mike Vogel. She played the main character in ''The Thacker Case'' and ''The Alphabet Killer'', both thrillers based on real-life events, one of them directed by Rob Schmidt with whom she had worked on ''Wrong Turn''. Both movies were released in 2008. ''The Alphabet Killer'' contains Dushku's first topless scene. The film earned mixed reviews, but reviewers praised Dushku's performance, commenting "Eliza Dushku commands the screen but cannot reconcile the script's conflicted and increasingly idiotic agendas." She appeared in ''Bottle Shock'', a drama about Napa valley wine. The film was directed by Randall Miller, who helmed ''Nobel Son''.

On August 26, 2007, Dushku signed a development deal with Fox Broadcasting and 20th Century Fox. Under the pact, the network and the studio would develop projects tailor-made for the actress. They approached her with existing pitches and scripts.

Consequently, it was announced on October 31 that Dushku had lured Joss Whedon, of ''Buffy The Vampire Slayer'', back to TV, as they agreed to create a show called ''Dollhouse''. Dushku produced the show and played the main character, 'Echo', which aired on Fox during the 2008–09 TV Season. One TV reviewer said Dushku "does wonderful things to a tank top, but her grasp of this vague, personality-changing character is a bit of a muddle." In an interview, Dushku talked about how ''Dollhouse'', and how her reconnection with Whedon came about:

I invited Joss Whedon to lunch after I did the business deal with Fox. We'd had a cool relationship in the past and I so wanted to do something else, and I wanted to get back into a television show. I had him on the brain for sure but I hadn't called him yet, but I sort of took a leap of faith and set things up with Fox and then called Joss. We went to a four-hour lunch where I just sort of used my womanly wiles. No, we've become such good friends, kind of like brother and sister and kind of like he was my watcher, my handler from when I first moved out to L.A. when I was 17 and I was a little bit of a wild child. He's watched me and helped me and taught me over the years. I told him how bad I wanted and needed him back and he accepted and here we are.

Dushku described Whedon as "my favorite genius ... favorite friend ... big brother ... and the only person out here I've ever wholeheartedly trusted, because he's never let me down." ''Dollhouse'' was renewed for a second season. The producers cited their confidence in the strength of Joss Whedon's fan base and high DVR numbers as their reasons for keeping the show. FOX cancelled ''Dollhouse'' on November 11, 2009. The show officially wrapped filming on the second and final season on December 16, 2009.

Dushku was the voice actor for contract killer "Rubi Malone" in the action video game ''Wet''. Dushku secured exclusive rights to make "The Perfect Moment", a film based on the life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and enlisted the help of Ondi Timoner.

Dushku provides her voice for ''Noah's Ark: The New Beginning'' and will appear in the film ''Locked In'' set for release in 2010.

Dushku guest-starred in CBS' comedy ''The Big Bang Theory'' in the fall of 2010 which aired on November 4, 2010.

In 2011, Dushku featured alongside Jayson Floyd in "One Shot", a short action clip on YouTube directed by and starring Freddie Wong, which was released on May 13, 2011. Dushku will have a lead role in an online animated "motion comic" series, titled ''Torchwood: Web of Lies'', based on Starz' upcoming ''Torchwood: Miracle Day''.

In August 2011, Dushku visited Albania to film a documentary on her father's country of origin with a crew from the Travel Channel and Lonely Planet. She applied for Albanian citizenship and obtained the Albanian passport and ID Card. She was given the honorary title of Tirana Ambassador of Culture and Tourism in the World by mayor Lulzim Basha. In her father's home town of Korce, she was awarded honorary citizen status.

Personal life

Dushku resides in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California.

Dushku is the CEO of her production company, Boston Diva Productions.

In 2006, she visited her father's family in Albania after an invitation from the Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berisha. She visited Kosovo and got an Albanian Eagle tattoo on the back of her neck.

Dushku began dating former Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Rick Fox in October 2009, and in August 2010 the couple confirmed that they are living together.

Awards and nominations

She was twice nominated in 2004: for a Teen Choice Award at the Teen Choice Awards for Choice Breakout Star – Female for ''Tru Calling'' and for a Saturn Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films at the 30th Saturn Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series for ''Tru Calling''.

''Maxim'' magazine ranked Dushku 6th on the "Hot 100 Women of 2009" list.

Dushku was nominated in 2009 for a Scream Award for ''Best Science Fiction Actress'' for her role of Echo.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1992	''That Night''	Alice Bloom
1993		Pearl
1994	''Fishing with George''	Piper Reeves	Short film
1994	''True Lies''	Dana Tasker
1995		Emma
1995	''Journey''	Cat	TV movie
1996	''Race the Sun''	Cindy Johnson
1998–2003			20 episodes
2000		Missy Pantone
2000–2003		Faith	6 episodes
2001	''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''	Sissy
2001	''Soul Survivors''	Annabel
2002	''''	Danielle
2002	''City by the Sea''	Gina
2002	''King of the Hill''	Jordan Hilgren-Bronson (voice)	Episode: "Get Your Freak Off"
2003	''Wrong Turn''	Jessie Burlingame
2003	''''	Megan	Video
2003–2005	''Tru Calling''	Tru Davies	27 episodes
2005	''That '70s Show''	Sarah
2006	''''	Waitress	Short film
2007	''Nurses''	Eve Morrow	TV movie
2007		Lena Wilson
2007	''Nobel Son''	City Hall
2007	''Ugly Betty''	Cameron Ashlock	Episode: "Giving Up the Ghost"
2007	''Sex and Breakfast''	Renee
2008	''Bottle Shock''	Joe
2008	''''	Megan Paige
2008	''''	Monica Wright
2009	''Open Graves''	Erica
2009–2010			27 episodes
2010		Renee
2010	''''	FBI Special Agent Angela Page
2011	''Robotomy''	Shockzana (voice)	Episode: "From Wretchnya with Love"
2011	''Noah's Ark: The New Beginning''	Zalbeth (voice)	Post-production
2011
2011		Selina Kyle/Catwoman (voice)	short film
2011		Raquel Laroque	Season 3 Episode 9: On The Fence

+ Video games
! Year	! Title	! Role
2003	''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds''	Faith
2005		Yumi
2008	''Saints Row 2''	Shaundi
2009		Rubi Malone
2011	''Fight Night Champion''	Megan McQueen

References

External links

Category:1980 births Category:Actors from Massachusetts Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American video game actors Category:American television actors Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:American people of Albanian descent Category:American people of Danish descent Category:American people of English descent Category:Living people Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:People from Watertown, Massachusetts

ar:إليزا دوشكو cs:Eliza Dushku da:Eliza Dushku de:Eliza Dushku es:Eliza Dushku fr:Eliza Dushku gv:Eliza Dushku id:Eliza Dushku it:Eliza Dushku he:אלייזה דושקו sw:Eliza Dushku lv:Elīza Dušku hu:Eliza Dushku nl:Eliza Dushku ja:エリザ・ドゥシュク no:Eliza Dushku pl:Eliza Dushku pt:Eliza Dushku ru:Душку, Элайза sq:Eliza Dushku simple:Eliza Dushku sk:Eliza Dushkuová sl:Eliza Dushku sr:Елајза Душку sh:Eliza Dushku fi:Eliza Dushku sv:Eliza Dushku tr:Eliza Dushku uk:Елайза Душку

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
title	BioShock 2
developer	2K Marin, 2K Australia, 2K China, Digital Extremes (multiplayer), Arkane Studios (level design assistance), Darkside Game Studios (additional work)
publisher	2K Games
composer	Garry Schyman
series	''BioShock''
engine	Modified Unreal Engine 2.5, Havok Physics
version	1.5
released	February 9, 2010
genre	Science fiction first-person shooter
modes	Single-player, multiplayer
ratings	|PEGI18}}

| platforms = Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | media = Blu-ray Disc, DVD, digital distribution | requirements = See Development section for requirements matrix }}

''BioShock 2'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The sequel to the 2007 video game ''BioShock'', it was released worldwide on February 9, 2010.

The game is set in the fictional underwater dystopia of Rapture, in a biopunk/dieselpunk 1968, eight years after the events of ''BioShock''. The protagonist and player-controlled character is a Big Daddy, a being that has had its organs and skin grafted into an atmospheric diving suit. Among the first of its kind, the player-controlled Big Daddy, named ''Subject Delta'', reactivates with no recollection of the past decade's events, and scours the city in an attempt to relocate the Little Sister that he was paired with. Fearing this reunion will ruin her plans for the city, Sofia Lamb sends out her spliced up followers that she calls "The Rapture Family" and new Big Sisters in an attempt to deter Delta.

Gameplay

''BioShock 2'' is presented as a first person shooter, with the player taking on the role of ''Subject Delta'', a prototype for the Big Daddies approximately 8 years after the events of the first game. As with ''BioShock'', the player explores Rapture and fights off Splicers, the remaining psychotic human population of the city, using a combination of the environment, weapons, Plasmids and Tonics. Plasmids and Tonics are special genetic-reencoding liquids that grant the user active or passive abilities, respectively, and include both those introduced in ''BioShock'' and new ones for this game. For example, Plasmids can give the player the ability to use telekinesis or evoke fire, while Tonics can improve the player's movement speed, attack damage, or damage resistance. Several of the weapons in ''BioShock 2'' are those that were previously seen carried by Big Daddies from the first game, including a powerful drill and a rivet gun. The player can use each weapon in a close-range melee attack. Unlike the first game, the player is able to equip both one weapon and one Plasmid at the same time, which they can use in quick succession to destroy foes; for example, by first freezing a foe, they can be shattered into pieces using a spear gun. If the player is killed, they are revived in the nearest "Vita-Chamber".

As the player explores Rapture, they will collect ammo, health and EVE (a liquid used to power Plasmid use), recovery items, and money. Money can be used to purchase more items at vending machines across the city. The player will also encounter security systems which can be hacked through a mini-game. This requires the player to stop a quickly-moving needle one or more times in the correctly-colored marked area of a gauge. Stopping it within the green area progresses the sequence and or potentially ends it while stopping in the blue area may grant a bonus to the hacking attempt; landing in a white area shocks the player (dealing a small amount of damage) while landing in red-colored areas can lead to the start of a security alert. The player also gains access to a research video camera; in ''BioShock 2'', once the player begins recording an enemy, the player has a short time to damage that enemy in creative ways in order to score a number of points, which are then added towards the total research of that enemy type. At various levels of research, the player is then rewarded with new abilities in general or towards that specific type of foe. Certain areas of the game take place entirely underwater, limiting the actions the player can perform.

As a Big Daddy, the player can attempt to defeat other Big Daddies escorting Little Sisters. Should the player succeed, they can then either choose to Harvest or Adopt the Little Sister, gaining appreciable ADAM to be used for buying new Plasmids, gene tonics, slots or the option to Adopt them. While adopted, the Little Sister will lead the player to corpses where she can extract more ADAM. While she does this, the player must defend her from Splicer attacks. Once the Little Sister has collected enough ADAM, the player can then return her to an escape vent, again allowing the player to choose to Rescue the Little Sister, receiving a modest amount of ADAM but with the possibility of beneficial gifts later, or harvest her for a large ADAM boost. ADAM can then be spent at Gatherer's Garden machines throughout Rapture. Once the player has either Rescued or Harvested each of the Little Sisters on the level, the player will be attacked by a Big Sister. The Big Sister's agility and resourcefulness will task the players with a difficult fight before they can proceed with the game.

Multiplayer

''BioShock 2'' features a story driven multiplayer mode where the player takes on the role of a citizen of Rapture. Set in 1959, just before the events of ''BioShock'', the player chooses to take on the role of a splicer fighting in Rapture's civil war. The player is being sponsored by Plasmid manufacturer, Sinclair Solutions, to test out their weapons, Plasmids, and Tonics in a consumer reward program. As the player progresses through the multiplayer experience, new weapons, Tonics, and Plasmids will be unlocked (provided by Sinclair), in addition to the story of the Rapture civil war being told.

The player can choose among 6 characters to be their in-game avatar. The characters are: a welder named Jacob Norris, a housewife named Barbara Johnson, a football star named Danny Wilkins, a businessman named Buck Raleigh, a pilot named Naledi Atkins, and an Indian mystic named Suresh Sheti. Two additional characters were available as a pre-order bonus from 12game, GameStop, EB Games or Game, or through the purchase of a DLC pack: a fisherman named Zigo d'Acosta and an actress named Mlle Blanche de Glace. Another two characters were made available by downloading the Sinclair Solutions Tester pack: a criminal named Louie McGraff and a smooth-talking playboy named Oscar Calraca.

Multiplayer comes in 7 different modes, two of which have a single and team based mode. The modes are:

; Survival of the Fittest : A 'free-for-all' mode where each player gets points for killing each of the other players. Whichever player has the most kills or 20 kills at the end of the match wins. ; Civil War : Similar to 'Survival of the Fittest,' but in this mode players are divided into two teams and the team with the most collective kills at the end of the match wins. ; Last Splicer Standing : A variation of 'Civil War' in which players do not respawn after being killed. Each match consists of several rounds in which players attempt to outlive the players on the enemy team. ; Capture the Sister : A 'Capture the Flag' style mode where players are divided into two teams. One team has to protect a Little Sister while the other team tries to steal her and place her in a vent on the other side of the map. The team protecting the little sister will have a randomly chosen player be a Big Daddy. After a pre-determined amount of time, the teams switch roles. Whichever team has the most captures at the end of the match wins. ; ADAM Grab : In this mode there is one Little Sister on the map and the player must seek her out and maintain possession of her as long as possible. The first person to hold onto the Little Sister for 3 minutes wins. ; Team ADAM Grab : A variant of 'ADAM Grab' where players are divided into two teams. The objective is the same, but victory is determined by a collective score rather than individual scores, and the first team to hold the little sister for 3 minutes wins. ; Turf War : Players are split into two teams and each team must reach pre-determined points on the map to capture that point. The team with the most control points over the longest time wins.

In 'Survival of the Fittest', 'Civil War' and 'Turf War', a Big Daddy suit will spawn at a random location in the level. If a player can find the suit, the choice is given to become the Big Daddy, which will give the player greater strength and endurance, but prohibits the use of plasmids and hacking and expels any previously held damage bonuses against other players. The Big Daddy can stomp, shoot a rivet gun, melee attack and throw proximity mines. All damage dealt to the Big Daddy is permanent, and can't be replenished. Once the Big Daddy is defeated, the suit disappears, spawning in another location on the map two minutes later. In 'Capture the Sister' one member of the defending team is chosen at random to be the Big Daddy. After the player's death, the Big Daddy suit disappears for the rest of the round.

Plot

''BioShock 2'' takes place in Rapture in 1968, 8 years after the events of the first game. It is shown through flashbacks and audio recordings that the player character, Subject Delta (the fourth Big Daddy created), is forced to commit suicide in 1958 by Sofia Lamb, through the use of a mind-controlling plasmid. This was done in part because Delta's Little Sister, Eleanor, is actually Lamb's daughter. Lamb, originally brought to Rapture to help psychologically-stressed citizens of the underwater city cope with the lack of sunlight, used persuasion to entice her patients into a cult called "The Rapture Family", and attempted to spread her altruistic ideals throughout Rapture. Andrew Ryan discovered this through a mole, Stanley Poole, and had Lamb thrown in prison, leaving Eleanor in the care of Grace Holloway. Eleanor eventually confronted Poole about his betrayal of her mother, and Poole panicked, kidnapping Eleanor and leaving her in a Little Sister's Orphanage, eventually leading to her conversion into a Little Sister. Lamb later returned to the city, reclaimed her daughter from Delta, and gained control of Rapture after Ryan's death. Lamb guided the development of the aging Little Sisters into more dangerous Big Sisters, and sent them out to the Atlantic coastline to kidnap little girls for conversion into new Little Sisters in Rapture.

In 1968, Eleanor, now a teenager, has gained control over many of the Little Sisters, and uses them to revive Subject Delta at a Vita Chamber. Delta is drawn towards Eleanor by their past Daddy/Sister connection. Brigid Tenenbaum encounters Delta, and explains that unless Delta reunites with Eleanor, a Fail-safe device will trigger that will put him into a coma. With the help of the Little Sisters under Eleanor's control and Tenenbaum's ally, Augustus Sinclair, Delta makes his way towards Lamb's stronghold, encountering both Poole and Holloway en route. As Delta progresses, it becomes clear that Lamb is seeking to use ADAM to transform Eleanor into a perfect embodiment of her altruistic ideals. Lamb's ultimate goal is to have all the collected minds and memories of everyone in Rapture become a part of Eleanor, through the use of the genetic memory in ADAM, thus making her an "Embodiment of the Family", which Lamb believes will put an end to "The Self".

Delta arrives at a containment chamber where Eleanor is held, but Lamb captures him and severs his bond with Eleanor by temporarily stopping her heart. Though Eleanor survives, Delta is now slowly dying, as the bond cannot be re-established. Eleanor uses a Little Sister to bring Delta a plasmid which allows him to control the Sisters, thus enabling him to bring Eleanor a complete Big Sister suit, and allowing Eleanor to become a Big Sister. Eleanor escapes with it, rescues Delta, and together they head for an escape pod that Sinclair has arranged to leave Rapture. The two find that Lamb has converted Sinclair into a Big Daddy, and Delta is forced to finish him off. After a final climactic showdown with the remnants of The Rapture Family, Eleanor and Delta make it to the escape pod, but a final trap set by Lamb mortally wounds Delta and starts to send the entire building into the deep ocean rift. Eleanor teleports out of the explosion to the rising escape craft, but Delta is trapped on the outside. Using the last of his strength, he manages to grab onto the side of the escape pod and climb to its top as it rises. Trapped in the flooded escape pod with her mother, Eleanor makes the choice to either kill or save Sofia Lamb based on what she has learned from the player's actions.

There are several possible endings depending on how the player has performed during the game; these are based on whether the player has rescued all the Little Sisters or harvested them, and if they have spared the lives of certain non-player characters (like Holloway and Poole) within the game. If a certain number of these non-player characters have been spared, Eleanor will save Lamb. If the player killed all, or not saved enough, of these non-player characters, she will allow Lamb to drown. When the pod reaches the surface, Eleanor finds a dying Delta barely hanging onto the pod. Depending on how the player has chosen to deal with the little sisters, the ending will change. If the player has rescued all of the Little Sisters, Eleanor will absorb the ADAM from Delta, taking his mind and memories into herself, and leaving Rapture behind forever, accompanied by a group of rescued Little Sisters. If the player has chosen to harvest all of the Little Sisters, Eleanor will absorb Delta's power and use it to make herself even stronger to dominate the world alone. A mix of harvesting and rescuing of the Little Sisters will leave Eleanor to opt against absorbing Delta's ADAM and mourn Delta's passing.

Development

Initially, media reports suggested that the subtitle, "Sea Of Dreams", would accompany the second entry in the series. However, this subtitle was supposedly dropped, before 2K withdrew the statement, stating that the "Sea Of Dreams" subtitle would still be part of the full title. However, a later statement from 2K spokesman Charlie Sinhaseni clarified that the "Sea Of Dreams" title was for the trailer, and not for the game itself. The first appearance for ''BioShock 2'' came in the form of a teaser trailer that was available in the PlayStation 3 version of the game. The first major details on the gameplay and plot of the game were revealed in the April 2009 issue of ''Game Informer'' magazine, around the same time that the "viral" site "There's Something in the Sea" was revealed. This site documents a man named Mark Meltzer's investigation into the disappearances of girls from coastline areas around the Atlantic, along with a mysterious red light that accompanies each kidnapping. On April 9, 2009 on the Spike TV show ''GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley'' the first ''BioShock 2'' gameplay video was shown featuring the Big Sister. This demo showed many features including the ability to walk under water.

The story received major changes over the course of development, with two of the most important relating to the player's character and the Big Sister. Initially there was only going to be one Big Sister who would continually hunt the player down throughout the course of the game and then retreat once she was defeated. This Big Sister was written as a Little Sister who, as she grew up on the surface, could not leave the memory of Rapture behind and eventually returned. The reason for the change, as explained by Zak McClendon, Lead Designer for 2K Marin, "If you have a single character that the player knows they can't kill because they're so important to the story you're completely removing the triumph of overcoming that encounter with them." Jordan Thomas explains however, "The soul of the original Big Sister character still exists, but in the form of somebody you get to know over the course of the game." The other major change is that the player's character, Subject Delta, is no longer the first Big Daddy, but rather the fourth prototype. He is, however, the first to be successfully 'pair-bonded' to a single Little Sister.

Digital Extremes produced the multiplayer component of the game. In the multiplayer portion, players are put in a separate story where civil war has broken out in Rapture prior to the events of the first game. In the multiplayer mode the player acts as a plasmid test subject for a company called Sinclair Solutions. As the player progresses through the multiplayer maps like Mercury Suites and Kashmir Restaurant they will either have the ability to hack turrets and vending machines or search for the Big Daddy suit.

Music

The score to ''BioShock 2'' was composed by Garry Schyman, who recorded his score with a 60-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony at Capitol Studios. Additionally, the Special Edition of ''Bioshock 2'' included the orchestral score from the game on a CD, as well as the orchestral score from the original ''BioShock'' on a vinyl 180g LP.

Anyone who wishes to download the soundtrack without purchasing the hard copy can download it digitally.

Track listings

Disc length 47:58

Disc length 35:10 - Regular

Disc length 52:08 - Special Edition

Disc length 37:47

Retail versions

A Special Edition of the game was announced on November 19, 2009. This edition, which was limited to a single production run, contains the game along with three posters featuring fictional advertisements from Rapture (all of which, when looked under a black light, reveal hidden messages), the orchestral score from the game on CD, the orchestral score from the original ''BioShock'' on a vinyl 180g LP, and a hardbound, 164-page art book. It is packaged in a 13"×13" premium case with special art on both the slipcase and the box cover.

A smaller limited edition, titled ''BioShock 2 Rapture Edition'', was officially announced on December 2, 2009. Its contents are the game and a smaller, 96-page art book, which are packaged together in a special slipcover. As with the Special Edition, the Rapture Edition was limited to a single production run. The ''BioShock 2'' Rapture Edition is available in Europe, New Zealand and Australia, in addition to the ''BioShock 2'' Special Edition.

Expansion packs

Sinclair Solutions Test Pack

"Sinclair Solutions Test Pack" is the first installment of downloadable content (DLC) for ''BioShock 2''. The pack focuses on the multiplayer element of the game, increasing the leveling rank to 50 as well as unlocking 2 new playable characters, 20 new trials, 5 new masks, the 2 new players' special melee weapons and a third upgrade for each weapon. The DLC was released on March 11, 2010 for 400 Microsoft points, and was also available for purchase on the PS3 entertainment system for $4.99.

Shortly after the release of the DLC it was discovered that the "downloadable" content was already stored on the retail disc, and players were actually paying for a small file that unlocked content they already owned. This was later confirmed to be the case by 2K Games, who also claimed that this was so that all players would have the same files on the disc and so that the DLC would not split the playerbase.

Rapture Metro Map Pack

The Rapture Metro Map Pack launched on May 11, 2010, for $9.99 (800 Microsoft Points) and on May 25, 2010 for PC. The DLC includes 6 new maps, an increased level cap (up to level 50 for those who did not purchase the Sinclair Solutions DLC), 2 new masks, a new "rebirth" gene tonic, and a new "Kill 'Em Kindly" game mode. This DLC also adds 3 more achievements for the Xbox 360 and PC versions and 3 more trophies for the PlayStation 3 version.

Since its release, many players of the new DLC have complained to 2K, saying that the odds of playing the new maps from the Metro Pack are extremely low, with many players commenting that since purchasing the pack, they haven't played a single new map. 2K responded and said the design decision was made in order to stop "base-splitting"; where the player lobbies are split up, so that all players can still play together, regardless of whether they have purchased the DLC or not. However, players still voiced further complaints, citing that the odds of 10 people in one match all having the DLC, and then still having a 10 in 16 chance of striking an old map, means that overall, one is unlikely to be able play the new maps in a non-private match (which is required for 2 out of 3 of the new achievements/trophies). Some players suggested adding a "playlist" to feature only the new maps, so that players with the DLC could play together, rather than having to set up private matches. However, 2K Games later stated that they had no plans to add playlist functionality to the multiplayer.

Another complaint surfaced shortly after, regarding the DLC new ''"Rebirth!"'' feature. Players reported that once activating the feature at Rank 50, all leaderboard stats and ADAM scores are reset too, effectively sending the player to the bottom of the rank globally. 2K Community Manager, Elizabeth Tobey responded with the following statement:

''"I don't have much to tell you currently, but whenever I do, I'll update here. For now, I want you to know that the dev team is looking in to solutions for both the DLC map playlist request and the leaderboard reset issue. I hope to have more information for you early next week, but that depends on the devs and when they can provide us some good info. For now, please know that the team is aware and they are looking in to what they can do to make you happy - and all your requests have been forwarded to them." ''

Kill 'Em Kindly

Kill 'Em Kindly is a new game mode for ''BioShock 2'' multiplayer, free for download for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. In this game mode, players can only use golf clubs to melee attack enemies, a reference back to the first game where Andrew Ryan forces the player-character Jack to kill him with a golf club. This pack is also included in the "Rapture Metro Pack".

Character pack

The character pack adds two characters that were exclusive to the pre-order version of ''BioShock 2'', Zigo d'Acosta and Mlle Blanche de Glace. This pack is also available alongside the "Rapture Metro Pack" on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for 160 MS Points ($1.99).

The Protector Trials Pack

Released on August 3, the Protector Trials pack is a single-player downloadable content which has the player defend Little Sisters against swarms of enemies in a variety of challenge rooms. The content contains six maps based on locations from the main game, alongside three difficulty levels, seven Achievements/Trophies, and new concept art and videos to unlock. The pack is available on Xbox 360 for 400 Microsoft Points (£3.40) and PlayStation 3 for $4.99 (£3.19). This downloadable content was released for free on the PC on March 14, 2011. As of March 15, the DLC is playable after a patch to the main game.

Minerva's Den

Minerva's Den is a downloadable single-player campaign with a plot completely separate from that of the main campaign. The player assumes the role of Subject Sigma, another Alpha Series Big Daddy, as he travels through Minerva's Den, home to Rapture's Central Computing. The campaign adds three new levels (with around four hours of gameplay) and provides deeper insight into Rapture's inner workings.

The story introduces the characters of Charles Milton Porter, who guides the player (with Brigid Tenenbaum), and Reed Wahl, who acts as the antagonist. Porter and Wahl were once partners working on a computer with advanced artificial intelligence dubbed "The Thinker", but Wahl framed Porter for treason and stole the machine. Porter, realizing that he would be taken away and that Rapture was crumbling, left instructions for the machine on how to get to the surface, in order to ensure that his creation would benefit mankind.

The add-on also features new weapons, a new plasmid as well as a new Big Daddy type. It was released August 31 for PS3 and Xbox360. It costs $10/ 800 Microsoft Points. Work on the PC version of this downloadable content was resumed on 28 October 2010. The DLC was released on PC on 31 May 2011.

Windows version DLC

Though the Windows version of ''BioShock 2'' had received some patches and downloadable content shortly after release, 2K Games announced in October 2010 that they would not provide a final patch to fix remaining issues with the game. Furthermore, 2K Games announced they would not offer the "Protector Trials" or "Minerva's Den" content on the platform, citing "Timing and technical issues" that they had encountered but could not work around. 2K apologized to the players, as they had promised that this content would be forthcoming to the Windows platform, and that if the situation changed, they would offer it in the future. 2K later explained that in trying to prepare additional patches with support for the additional content, they encountered bugs under specific circumstances that they felt would not be acceptable to the Microsoft certification process, and while they had tried to correct those bugs, they were unable to do so in a timely manner, leading to their decision to abandon the attempt. The announcement was met with heavy criticism from some players, having felt that 2K Games took advantage of their "goodwill" in the promised game and DLC updates. In late October, 2K Games reversed their decision based on the players' responses, and have recommitted resources to complete the game patch and support for both content packs on the Windows version; the patch and "Protector Trials" would likely be available in Spring 2011, while more work is necessary to complete the "Minerva's Den" content. ''Protector Trials'' DLC for the PC version of BioShock 2 was made available pre-maturely via Games for Windows Live on February 20, 2011. Users find that the download pack, which was yet to officially arrive on PC, was available for the price of 400 MS Points. But when users paid for and downloaded the 964mb update, they were completely unable to access it. On March 12, 2011 it was announced that ''Protector Trials'' would be released for PC on March 14, 2011. The patch to the main game which enabled the DLC to run was released after the DLC itself, though the new content was playable by March 15, 2011. Though 2K was originally reluctant to confirm a release date for the Minerva's Den DLC, eventually they confirmed that it would be released at the end of May 2011.

Reception

''BioShock 2'' received positive reviews. Currently, it holds an 88 on Metacritic for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions. ''PSM3'' awarded it 93%, saying that it "tops the original in terms of storytelling and combat". ''PC Gamer'' was also positive, awarding the game 90%, and commenting that "it's still better written than pretty much anything else out there". ''Xbox World 360'' rated it 90%, stating that the return to the underwater dystopia of Rapture is "every bit as engrossingly mysterious [as the original] ... if not more so", and that the two titles are "as inseparable as Daddy and Sister". ''PlayStation: The Official Magazine'' awarded ''BioShock 2'' a perfect score of 5/5. ''Official Xbox Magazine'' awarded the game a 9.5/10, stating that the game is "Dripping with atmosphere and quality; good story with a terrific ending; good gameplay tweaks".

IGN scored the game a 9.1/10 and said that "anyone looking for a first-person shooter that offers more than flat, stereotypical characters and copy-and-paste supersoldier plots, one that attempts to establish a sense of right and wrong and loops you into the decision making process, and one that's set in one of the most vividly realized settings around should pick up BioShock 2. It's a game in which story, setting, and gameplay are expertly blended to create an experience that's as thought-provoking as it is entertaining." IGN's review also stated that the game does not look as visually impressive as its predecessor, but it is still one of the best-looking games around because of its unique art style. In a round-table style video chat, IGN editors said that Rapture was less mysterious because players have seen it before, and that was a major strike against the game. Since the original had such an eerie mysterious feel to it, the twists and turns seen in the sequel seemed less surprising.

Gaming Evolution scored the game a 9.4/10 and said that "BioShock 2 is not a departure from the original game as it takes a lot of the gameplay mechanics, tweaks them, and improves on what was already there. The new storyline is a lot less complex compared to the original game, giving you more playing time and less time trying to understand what’s going on."

Sales

Prior to the game's release, the chairman of Take-Two, Strauss Zelnick stated that he expected the game to sell 5 million copies across all platforms.

In its first week of release, ''BioShock 2'' was the best-selling Xbox 360 game in the UK and North America. In the U.S., NPD recorded it as the top selling game of February with 562,900 units sold on the Xbox 360, and 190,500 on the PS3. Gamasutra state a possible reason for the Xbox 360's greater sales was the original ''Bioshock's'' 14 month exclusivity on the platform. It also managed to hold both the first and second positions on the Steam release charts.

In its first month of release, ''BioShock 2'' was number 1 in sales for the Xbox 360 and number 12 for the PlayStation 3. PC sales are not tracked by NPD for top 20 results, and is therefore unknown.

References

External links

Teaser site: There's Something in the Sea

The Cult of Rapture official community website

Category:2010 video games Category:Alternate history video games Category:Art Deco games Category:Biopunk Category:First-person shooters Category:Games for Windows certified games Category:Horror video games Category:Unreal Engine games Category:PlayStation 3 games Category:Video game sequels Category:Video games developed in Australia Category:Video games developed in Canada Category:Video games developed in France Category:Video games developed in the People's Republic of China Category:Video games developed in the United States Category:Video games with expansion packs Category:Video games set in the 1960s Category:Windows games Category:Xbox 360 games

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