2K Games And Irrational Games have announced BioShock Infinite, the next chapter in the BioShock franchise.

In BioShock Infinite, you play Booker Dewitt, a disgraced former Pinkerton agent ‘who gets things done’. Visited by a mysterious man in your room/office above a bar, you’re hired to find Elizabeth, who has been imprisoned in the lost city of Columbia for 15 years. Your employer somehow gets you to Columbia and you find Elizabeth, but getting her out of the city is hugely problematic. She’s got special powers, she’s at the center of the international conflict, and you have to fight together to escape the city in the sky.

Originally conceived as a floating symbol of American ideals at a time when the United States was emerging as a world power, Columbia is dispatched to distant shores with great fanfare by a captivated public. What begins as a brand new endeavor of hope turns drastically wrong as the city soon disappears into the clouds to whereabouts unknown.

The player assumes the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to the lost city to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned there since childhood. He develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.

“We are excited to expand the world of BioShock, which is one of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and beloved franchises,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “We believe that Irrational Games will lend their meticulous attention to detail and unique storytelling expertise to make BioShock Infinite an incredible entertainment experience that will immerse new and diehard fans of BioShock alike.”

With the original BioShock, Irrational Games won “Game of the Year” awards from Game Informer, IGN, G4’s X-Play, and BAFTA and redefined what players expect from a first-person shooter. “But when it came to begin work on BioShock Infinite,” said Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games, “we only had one rule: No sacred cows. This game is both true to what people love about the series and unafraid to question every assumption.”

Levine continued, “In order to explore the floating city of Columbia, we needed an entirely new engine. To bring Elizabeth to life, we had to build brand-new animation and AI systems. To create wide-ranging indoor and outdoor firefights at 30,000 feet, we had to rethink, rebuild and expand the BioShock arsenal. The only thing gamers can be certain of is this: the rules of the BioShock universe are about to change.”

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As you guys know, Mafia II is slated for a PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release in North America on August 24. A demo is headed to all three platforms on August 10. But here’s another video, a developers Diary.

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Here is an 9-Minute Walkthrough Gameplay video from BioShock 2 with commentary by 2K Marin creative director Jordan Thomas.

The original BioShock was an instant hit on both consoles and PC alike, and for good reason – it was definitely an interesting and fresh take on single player only FPS gaming. Without any degree of a multiplayer mode, however, BioShock was destined for the shelf to collect dust relatively quickly after purchase for most gamers.

So it is without much surprise that for the upcoming sequel, BioShock 2, 2KGames have opted to include a multiplayer mode. In an announcement today, 2K have confirmed they will be partnering with Digital Extremes to deliver this mode.

If the name Digital Extremes doesn’t ring a bell, it probably should – these guys have had their fingers in the FPS MP pie for quite some time, most significantly in a co-development role with Epic for most of the titles in the Unreal Tournament series across its various platforms. It goes without saying then that the multiplayer gameplay in BioShock 2 is starting to generate some large expectations, and if it can deliver, the sky is the limit for the series. No pressure, Digital Extremes!

Multiplayer in BioShock 2 provides a rich prequel experience that expands the origins of the BioShock fiction. Set during the fall of Rapture, players assume the role of a Plasmid test subject for Sinclair Solutions, a premier provider of Plasmids and Tonics in the underwater city of Rapture that was first explored in the original BioShock. Players will need to use all the elements of the BioShock toolset to survive as the full depth of the BioShock experience is refined and transformed into a unique multiplayer experience that can only be found in Rapture.

- Evolution of the genetically enhanced shooter – Earn experience points during gameplay to earn access to new Weapons, Plasmids and Tonics that can be used to create hundreds of different combinations, allowing players to develop a unique character that caters to their playing style.

- Extend the Rapture fiction – Players will step into the shoes of Rapture citizens and learn more about the fall of Rapture as they progress through the experience.

- See Rapture before the fall – Experience Rapture before it was reclaimed by the ocean and engage in combat over iconic environments in locations such as Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites, all of which have been reworked from the ground up to deliver a fast-paced multiplayer experience.

- FPS veterans add their touch to the multiplayer experience – Digital Extremes brings more than 10 years of first person shooter experience including development of award-winning entries in the Unreal® and Unreal Tournament® franchise.