BioShock 2: Minerva's Den
BioShock 2: Minerva's Den | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | 2K Marin |
Publisher(s) | 2K Games |
Distributor(s) | Take-Two Interactive |
Series | BioShock |
Engine | Unreal Engine 2.5[1] |
Platform(s) |
Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Xbox 360 Xbox One OS X |
Release date(s) |
PS3, X360 August 23, 2010 Windows May 31, 2011 OS X March 29, 2012 PS4, XOne September 13, 2016 |
Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
BioShock 2: Minerva's Den is a single-player downloadable content (DLC) campaign for the 2010 first-person shooter video game BioShock 2. In the DLC the player assumes the role of Subject Sigma, an Alpha Series Big Daddy, as he travels through Minerva's Den, home to Rapture's Central Computing. The campaign features three new levels and provides deeper insight into Rapture's inner workings.
Setting and plot
Minerva's Den takes place in the fictional underwater city of Rapture concurrently with the events of BioShock 2. The scientist Brigid Tenenbaum awakens Subject Sigma and sends him to Minerva's Den. Sigma is contacted over his radio by the scientist Charles Porter, who wants help retrieving a copy of the programming code of "The Thinker", a supercomputer that is Porter's life's work. Tenenbaum, in turn, wants to use The Thinker to conceive a cure for the harmful effects of ADAM. Sigma is opposed by Reed Wahl, another scientist, and packs of splicers.
Through audio diaries and commentary, it is revealed that Porter was attempting to use The Thinker to recreate the personality of Pearl, his deceased wife. Wahl, meanwhile, framed Porter and had him arrested; before his apprehension Porter programmed The Thinker to try and seek its own escape from Rapture. Sigma fights through the various parts of Minerva's Den to Central Control, where The Thinker resides. Here, Sigma battles and defeats Wahl. On reactivating The Thinker, Sigma's true identity is revealed to be that of Charles Porter; the "Porter" on the radio was in fact The Thinker itself, emulating the scientist's personality. Porter and Tenenbaum return to the surface world in a bathysphere; Tenenbaum is able to restore Porter to his former body. Porter visits his wife's grave and leaves a letter in which he apologizes for trying to bring her back using The Thinker, and that he finally decided to let her go.
Release
Minerva's Den was released on August 31, 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[2] It was later released on PC on May 31, 2011, and Mac on March 29, 2012.
With the closure of the Games for Windows Live Marketplace in August 2013, BioShock 2 was subsequently patched in October 2013 to remove Games for Windows Live in favor of Steamworks support for matchmaking. In addition, Minerva's Den was released for free for players who owned BioShock 2 before the patch.[3][4]
Reception
Minerva's Den was praised by many outlets for its engaging narrative,[5][6][7] and holds a Metacritic score of 82 indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8] Minerva's Den is often regarded among critics as one of the best DLC expansions of all time.[9][10][11]
References
- ↑ Gaudiosi, John (February 9, 2010). "Unreal Engine 2.5 Still Brings Rapture Alive in Bioshock 2". Unreal Engine. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
- ↑ David Hinkle. "BioShock 2 'Minerva's Den' DLC hits PS3, 360 Aug. 31 for $10". Joystiq.
- ↑ "Microsoft Closing Games for Windows Live Marketplace". IGN.
- ↑ Devore, Jordan (October 3, 2013). "BioShock 2 drops GFWL, adds Minerva's Den on Steam". Destructoid. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.gameinformer.com/games/bioshock_2_minervas_den/b/xbox360/archive/2010/09/01/one-last-gasp-under-the-sea.aspx
- ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/01/bioshock-2-minervas-den-dlc-review
- ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/8013150/BioShock-2-Minervas-Den-DLC-review.html
- ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/bioshock-2-minervas-den/critic-reviews
- ↑ http://kotaku.com/the-10-best-game-expansions-1732758285
- ↑ https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/02/5-dlc-that-got-it-right.html
- ↑ http://gamerant.com/best-video-game-dlc-expansions/10/