BioShock 2 Gets Midnight Release, Preorder Love, Launch Trailer, And $15,000 Uber Edition

2K announced yesterday that BioShock 2 would be available 12:00 AM (your local timezone applies) Tuesday morning (Monday night, depending on how you look at it) at over 2,500 participating GameStop and Best Buy retail stores across the nation. GameStop and 2K also announced that preordering the game would get you 2 bonus playable multiplayer characters — Blanche the Actress and Zigo the Fisherman — though the value of these characters is uncertain (perhaps they’ll have exclusive unique plasmids?).

To christen this announcement, they’ve also released a video unboxing of the Special Edition of the game, which includes some nice items sure to please Rapture fans. Oh, and they also unveilled a deadly $15,000 Uber Edition that you don’t want to miss (one word summation: badassbigdaddydestructionaction). Oh, and 2K premiered the game’s launch trailer during last night’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon episode on NBC. Check out the videos and full press details below.

New York, NY – February 2, 2010 - 2K Games announced today its nationwide Return to Rapture with midnight openings celebrating the launch of the eagerly awaited BioShock® 2, the shocking sequel to the 2007 Game of the Year.  On February 9, more than 2,500 GameStop and Best Buy stores will open their doors when the clock strikes midnight to the hordes of Big Daddy fans hungry to get their hands on and devour BioShock 2. Additionally, those who pre-ordered the game through GameStop will receive two bonus characters* – Blanche the Actress and Zigo the Fisherman – to use in the game’s multiplayer mode. The road to the launch of BioShock 2 kicks off tonight, with the debut of a 3 minute 15 second trailer during the first commercial break of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

“One of the most exciting aspects of the original BioShock was how our fans responded with adoration for the game, from creating homemade Big Daddy suits to their own BioShock-inspired art and videos,” said Christoph Hartmann, president, 2K. “We felt it was only fitting to reach out to those passionate fans with nationwide Return to Rapture midnight openings where they can pick up their copy of BioShock 2 as early as possible.”

Debuting during the first commercial block of NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon exclusively in North America, the launch trailer is a realization 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 that awaits them next week, all presented in a style that is distinctively representative of the BioShock universe.

BioShock 2 will provide players with the perfect blend of explosive first-person shooter combat, compelling storytelling and intense multiplayer to form one of 2010′s most highly anticipated titles. Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the halls of Rapture once again echo with sins of the past. Along the Atlantic coastline, a monster has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city of Rapture. Players step into the boots of the most iconic denizen of Rapture, the Big Daddy, as they travel through the decrepit and beautiful fallen city, chasing an unseen foe in search of answers and their own survival.

BioShock 2 was developed by 2K Marin in collaboration with 2K Australia, Digital Extremes and 2K China. The game will be available worldwide on February 9, 2010, and is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

For more information, please visit www.bioshock2game.com, www.cultofrapture.com and www.somethinginthesea.com.

2K Games is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

* Pre-order incentive items are while supplies last. Please check with local store to confirm Midnight Launch event before attending.