A single-player add-on for BioShock 2 is on its way in Minerva's Den; the final DLC release for the game, which will hit later this spring on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Prepare to explore Rapture Central Computing, a never-before-seen district of the undersea city, and uncover the dark secrets hidden in its founder's past. Wield new high-tech weaponry and a devastating new Plasmid to best the towering threats in Minerva's Den: more dangerous Splicers that command the power of the elements, upgraded Security Bots that throw rockets and lightning bolts, and even a never-before-seen type of Big Daddy. Developed by 2K Marin, Minerva's Den offers new twists on the story-driven experience that drew players into BioShock 2 when it launched earlier this year.

It's interesting they're calling it a DLC day for BioShock 2, but at least this expands the game's single-player - there's far too much multiplayer-focused DLC these days. Hit the images below for a closer look.

While 2K Marin and co have been actively supporting BioShock 2 with multiplayer DLC, they've yet to buff out the single-player experience. Today, however, they've revealed they're doing just that with the announcement of Protector Trials, a single-player add-on that "puts players back into the boots of the Big Daddy as he defends his Little Sister against swarms of corrupt Splicers who are hell-bent on stealing the precious ADAM that she gathers from corpses."

The new content will be made available for PS3, Xbox 360 from August 4, at AU$6.95 and 400 MS Points, respectively. There's no word on any of this coming to PC in the press release, though we've contacted 2K Games AU to suss that out, so stay tuned. Check out two new screens for the content below.

Fans of BioShock 2's multiplayer will be beside themselves with the outpouring of support 2K are giving the game. Today we have an all-new trailer for the latest DLC offering, "Rapture Metro" which gives players six new maps (a few of which are based on single-player portions of the game), three new Achievements or Trophies, and finally the "Rebirth Feature", which is kind of like Call of Duty's Prestige feature that allows any players sitting on level 50 to drop back down to level 1 and start over, only with a special mask as a "Rebirth Feature" reward.

The DLC will knock you back 800 MS points (about AU$13) or $12.95 on the PlayStation Store, apparently we'll know a solid release date soon, so stay tuned. Check out the video here, and two new screens below.

As is the case with most games released these days, BioShock 2 will extend its life beyond the single-player and boxed multiplayer modes with additional downloadable content (or DLC), which 2K Games announced today would be hitting the game "this March".

Sinclair Solutions Test Pack, the first of several planned downloadable packages, contains a number of customisation features that will allow players to further their character's development in BioShock 2's multiplayer modes and provide a deeper multiplayer experience. The pack includes:

• Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
• New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
• 20 new trials*
• A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
• Five additional masks*

*Some items are only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher.

It's good to see a developer/publisher still backing their game so aggressively, and a setting such as Rapture certainly deserves a bigger story to tell. The DLC, which will be available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, is the first of many planned additions to the game. We've also included three new screens from the pack, and for anyone who missed it, you can check out our BioShock 2 review right here.

The first patch for Bioshock 2 has landed, bringing the game to version 1.01 and fixing a few minor issues:

* Fixed accepting a game invite on the Multiplayer Menu via Friend Invite causing a crash.
* Fixed a black screen that would occur minimizing and restoring the game in Windows 7.
* Fixed the ability to adopt or harvest Little Sisters after rebinding the certain keys to Zoom, Fire or Fire Plasmid.
* Fixed Big Daddy HUD elements remaining on screen when not appropriate.
* Fixed an issue where the player's plasmid hand would become unresponsive if they pressed the Next Plasmid key immediately after firing any chargeable plasmid (such as ElectroBolt 2).
* Fixed a potential save file issue.
* Fixed an issue where the resolution would change on its own if entering gameplay in a 16:10 resolution on a native 16:10 monitor.
* Fixed a problem where if you were running the game in a resolution higher than your desktop resolution the mouse cursor wouldn't be able to go across the whole screen.
* Fixed an issue in Windows 7 where certain Radio messages could become scrambled or broken after defeating a Big Sister if Voice audio had been turned down or muted previously.
* Fixed a crash while playing Dionysus Park on a 32-bit machine.
* Fixed a crash that would occur sometimes loading a previous manual save made before any present QuickSave.
* Fixed a crash while signing in to GFWL when running compatibility mode for XP SP2 while running Vista.
* Fixed an issue where you couldn't play audio diaries in certain areas.
* Fixed a rare crash that could occur any time before a specific Big Sister sequence.

You can grab the 180mb patch now locally from AusGamers.

It's out and about, and we've waded our way through the murky, flooding depths of Rapture 10 years on from our last visit. The big question on everyone's mind though is, 'is it worth it?'.

The short answer is yes, with a very long but. That's what we do so well here at AusGamers though, and so if you haven't dived in yet, or are awaiting our verdict, you can check it out now, in all its depth (the puns are getting old now). Be sure to drop a line about your thoughts if you've been playing it also.

Click here for the full review.

Courtesy of 2K Games, to celebrate the launch of the much-anticipated Bioshock 2 we've got ten awesome game packs (with the PC version of the game) up for grabs in a new competition. The full prize pack includes:

* BioShock 2 Game (Windows PC)
* "Little Sister" Figurine
* BioShock 2 Water Bottle
* BioShock 2 Pen, Key Chain and Plasmid Badges
* Deco Devolution - The Art of BioShock 2 Book

You can check out the awesome prizes and enter right now on our competition page.

If you haven't watched any of the previous videos for BioShock 2, then this should be your first stop.

The launch trailer is a realisation of the elements that BioShock 2 fans have been clamoring for. Breathtaking action set against the backdrop of a decaying underwater Utopia provides players with the slice of Rapture, all presented in a style that is distinctively representative of the BioShock universe. The trailer is over 3 minutes in length, so sit back and enjoy!

2K Games' subaquatic sequel is due on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on February 5th 2010. Watch the launch trailer right here on AusGamers and for more details on the game, check out our recent in-depth preview.

Another firm kick to the crotch of devoted PC purists and multiplayer personnel alike came today with the revelation 2K's BioShock 2 would not ship with a dedicated server model - a trend beginning to plague most games to the clear chagrin of core mp players, and those of us with shitty net connections (such is our case here in Australia).

Digital Extremes have been handling multiplayer duties on the game, which is a first as the original was a stand-alone single-player product. It's also a particular area of the game we're not worried to tell you hasn't done much for us up until this point; here furthering our dislike of its addition.

According to an interview (or rough Q&A) up over at fan site The Cult of Rapture, 2K Marin decided there simply wasn't enough time to implement dedicated servers or LAN support stating "There is always a finite amount of time for the development of a game. Bringing Multiplayer to BioShock was a daunting task between the tech (there was no multiplayer support in the codebase from the first game) and the expectations of the community. Either you try to do everything and so nothing feels finished or you focus your efforts to do a smaller number of things really well like an accessible online experience. We chose to spend the time we had creating a solid game foundation and unfortunately that did not include LAN play or dedicated servers."

This situation really is becoming worse and worse; and a mp mode not too many people are excited for is looking to push even more people away.

We recently posted a preview for the single-player portion which can be found here.

We've had a sporadic few sessions with BioShock 2, not all of which filled us with a great deal of hope for the final outcome. However, closer to the game's release and with new demos and a chance to chat directly to 2K Australia, we've begun to give the game a chance based on a few key things shown.

While the final verdict is still a few weeks off, we can let you know a few new pieces of info from our preview sessions ahead of our official review, so anyone even remotely interested in the outcome of this game might want to read our full thoughts.

Click here for the preview.

2K Games have let us know BioShock 2, sequel to the critically acclaimed title from 2K Boston and 2K Australia, will be arriving for PC at both retail and through Steam.

Those who pre-purchase the game via Steam will save 10% off the regular price and receive a free copy of Bioshock. If you already own Bioshock, you may send the extra copy to a friend using Steam's Gifting functionality. And to help folks prepare for Bioshock 2's multiplayer action a Bioshock 2 Four Pack is also available for pre-purchase - offering 10% off the regular price plus four free copies of the original game.

BioShock 2 is shaping up to be one of the premier first-person action titles to get into this year with AusGamers recently getting extended hands-on time and interview time with the Aussie contingent of the game's development, 2K Australia. Stay tuned for our detailed report.