After a delay made this past summer, Take Two has announced an official release date for BioShock 2: February 9, 2010. The date applies to all territories, as the game will see simultaneous worldwide release on all three platforms. Note pre-orders for the game have just started, too -- we don't see any collector's editions up on the major outlets yet, though, so some may want to hold off.
The more interesting part of the press release (to us anyway), is the PC version of the game will be using Games for Windows LIVE (GfWL), unlike its predecessor. No doubt this is partly for the multiplayer component of the title -- in which you take on the role of a Plasmid test subject -- but this adoption will bring many added benefits to gamers too, even more given the recently updated developer requirements. The full list can be found here, but the most exciting bit of this is the possibility of achievements, cross-platform play with Xbox 360 owners, and voice-chat.
GfWL also brings with it the topic of DRM, something Take Two are surely thinking about given their fiascos with the original BioShock and also Grand Theft Auto IV, for example. As some know, Microsoft's service offers relatively painless zero-day piracy protection in the form of online activation with a serial code -- we wouldn't be surprised if the publisher went with this over SecuROM, although it could be both.
We've contacted Take Two for comment on both of these matters.
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