BioShock 2's Launch Trailer Goes Under The Sea

Aliens Vs. Predator's Horde Mode

No LAN or Dedicated Servers for BioShock 2 Multiplayer

 How dare 2K Games turn its back on the PC multiplayer community that made BioShock ... oh ... uh ... that's right. Well, they confirmed that BioShock 2won't support LAN gaming or dedicated serversanyway.

In a Q&A on multiplayer posted at the Cult of Rapture, 2K explained their absence as a matter of ordering priorities within a limited time for development:

Ubisoft's PC Games Will Soon Require An Internet Connection

Fresh off copying from Xbox Live with its "Uplay" service, Ubisoft is now taking a leaf out Valve's book (The Big Book of Steam), introducing a range of new anti-piracy measures for the company's PC games.

Ditching the controversial "StarForce" system of digital rights management, Ubisoft will now be moving its PC game copy protection services to Ubi.com accounts.

PC System Specsapalooza: AvP, BioShock 2

For PC users feeling uneasy about their current setups, we've got two sets of system specs for you today, one for BioShock 2, the other for Aliens vs Predator.

First up, Aliens vs Predator:

Minimum Requirements:

Windows 7/ XP/Vista 1 GB System RAM (XP)/ 2 GB System RAM (Vista) 3.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4/Athlon 64 3000+ or equivalent processor DirectX 9.0c compliant video card with 128 MB RAM (NVIDIA 6600 or better, ATI X1600 or better)

Recommended Requirements:

Windows 7/ XP/Vista Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 or equivalent processor 2 GB System RAM DirectX 9.0c compliant video card with 512 MB RAM (NVIDIA 8800 series, ATI HD2900 PRO or better)

And now, BioShock 2

Minimum:

# OS: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
# Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz or better, Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0Ghz Processor or better
# Memory: 2GB
# Graphics: NVIDIA 7800GT 256MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon X1900 256MB graphics card or better
# DirectX: DirectX 9.0c
# Hard Drive: 11GB
# Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0C compliant sound card or onboard sound

Recommended:

# Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core 2.60Ghz, Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Dual Core 2.13Ghz
# Memory: 3GB
# Graphics: NVIDIA 8800GT 512MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon HD4830 512MB graphics card or better

Other Requirements & DRM:

# Initial installation requires one-time internet connection; Ability to save game, earn achievements, receive title updates and online play requires log-in to Games for Windows LIVE; software installations required including Microsoft Visual C++2008 Runtime Libraries, Games for Windows LIVE client, Games for Windows LIVE Client Patch, Sony DADC SecuROM, Microsoft DirectX.

Apparently the presence of SecuROM isn't quite the scandal it was with the original game; 2K say it'll be used "only as a disc check method for the retail copy of BioShock 2", though sceptics should be aware that there'll still be a five-system install limit on the game.