New info has emerged concerning the PC version of BioShock 2, including a list of the game’s system requirements and its ties to Games for Windows Live and SecuROM, along with a couple pre-purchase offers available now on Steam.
First, let’s check the system requirements. Go on, hit the jump already!
Minimum System Requirements:
Recommended System Requirements:
Other Requirements (Retail version):
2K Games’ Community Manager, Elizabeth, also posted additional clarification on the above info to the 2K forum. She also states that more questions about the PC version will be answered in an upcoming podcast, and that new screenshots are on the way. Check out that thread here.
In other BioShock 2 PC news, the game is now available for pre-purchase on Steam, with two offers in place to entice early adopters into a purchase. First is the basic offer: a 10% discount and a free, giftable-if-you-already-own-it copy of the original BioShock. Then there is the BioShock 2 Four Pack, a $134.97 bundle including four copies of BioShock 2 and four copies of the original. Not quite sure why you’d want to buy four copies of the same game, but hey, if you have a few buddies to pool some cash together with, maybe it’s a deal to consider. Or maybe you’re just really generous and want to gift the extra copies around, I don’t know.
BioShock 2 ships on February 9th for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
BioShock 2’s PC Specifications [The Cult of Rapture]
BioShock 2 Pre-Purchase Now [Steam news]
Matt Litten is the full-time editor and owner of VGBlogger.com. He is responsible for maintaining the day to day operation of the site, editing all staff content before it is published, and contributing regular news, reviews, previews and other articles.
Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com. After a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez, Matt assumed full ownership over VGBlogger, and to this day he is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
Ugh … 5 layers of DRM?!? I know they really don’t care, but this sort of thing ensures the PC sales will be disproportionately lower than console sales, and piracy rates higher than other recent games. It is user hostile behavior … treating your customers like criminals. I thought these people were getting smarter – especially with the crap from the original game.
And honestly, the first one was pretty seriously over-rated … and everything I have read about this one feels contrived. Color me not excited at all!
The DRM stuff is really only a problem with the retail disc copies, isn’t it? Getting it through Steam doesn’t sound as intrusive, though I’m not sure if that’s true or not.
I absolutely loved the original (played it through 5-6 times across both consoles). Yeah, it got pretty clumsy towards the end, but the atmosphere and narrative and plasmid experimentation was all so incredible.
But I do have some concerns about the direction of the sequel with so much emphasis on the multiplayer and certain plot elements seeming contrived, as you say.
Sounds like we may have a good candidate here for an interesting discussion review 😉
Well, I also really liked Bioshock – my GamerDad review was 5/5 stars, but I have been critical of many items that were weak, and never thought it lived up to the ‘spiritual successor to System Shock’ labels (thought they should have left that out).
As for Steam, you *still* need GfWL activation as far as I know … well, honestly I waded through ~25 pages on the 2k Forums, and by the time I was at what was the ‘end’ then, the thread had grown to 36 pages so I gave up … bottom line is that the PC version will be terribly DRM laden and an affront to showing respect to paying customers.
Sounds like it’s a similar thing to my feelings on Dragon Age. Great game and I love it, but because they went ahead and pushed it as the “spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate” my expectations went to a level that was probably never going to be met.
I was able to escape that with BioShock, because I hadn’t played the System Shock games before it. So it all felt fresh to me.
… and that is why for some RPG fans Dragon Age is simultaneously their ‘Game of the Year’ and ‘Biggest Disappointment’. It is about managing expectations …