2K Games has announced that there will be a special edition of BioShock 2, and reveals its contents on the Cult of Rapture community site.

The Special Edition will come in 13"x13” premium packaging with special art on both the slipcase and the box cover. Inside, you will find three posters featuring vintage ads from Rapture (rolled), a vinyl 180g LP featuring the orchestral score from the original BioShock, a CD containing the BioShock 2 orchestral score, a 164 page 8"x11" hardbound artbook chock full of developer commentary and, of course, a copy of BioShock 2. This edition will be available on February 9th, 2010 for $99.99 for Xbox 360 and PS3 and $89.99 for Games for Windows LIVE and is limited to a single production run. You'll be able to preorder the Special Edition in most countries worldwide, starting now.

We've been treated to a bunch of new BioShock 2 media in the past month. The official site has launched, and the game has been given an official release date of February 9 2010.

Additionally, there is a lot of new footage of both the singleplayer and multiplayer gameplay. The game was featured on Gametrailers TV, with many new story details revealed so gamers wary of spoilers may want to steer clear. A concise trailer summarises the action in the show, leaving out the spoilers. Lastly, the box art of the game has been finalised, featuring the protagonist Big Daddy and Little Sister.

It seems like it's not enough that four studios are working on BioShock 2, the game will not be ready for its previously set launch date of November. Take-Two announced today that it would be moving the release of the game past quarter 4 of '09 to "fiscal 2010", in order to devote additional development time to the title.

Arkane Studios, developers of Dark Messiah, have updated their website with an announcement that they are working with 2K Marin on BioShock 2 in the areas of design, animation and art.

In other BioShock 2 news, the viral site Something in the Sea has continued to receive updates, unravelling the story of Mark Meltzer and his search for the missing girls. The Cult of Rapture community site has been posting concept art and sound clips of the Little Sisters and Big Daddies, providing more insight into their creation.

A release date for BioShock 2 has finally been announced: October 30th for international territories and November 3rd for North America. The Cult of Rapture reports the launch platforms to be the PC, XBox 360 and PS3.

The community site has a slew of other updates such as online previews at all the major game sites and a new podcast discussing the level design in the game.

Gamespot visits 2K Marin for a look behind the scenes at the work being done on BioShock 2. Creative Director Jordan Thomas and Producers Allyssa Finley and Melissa Miller explain the forming of the studio and how the team collaborates with the 2K Australia team.

The podcast series at BioShock community site Cult of Rapture has begun again. Community Manager 2KElizabeth talks to Jordan Thomas, Creative Director at 2K Marin, and Hogarth De La Plante, Lead Environment Artist at 2K Marin as they introduce BioShock 2 to the world. Head on over to the podcast page to hear the new episode.

The first footage of actual gameplay is now available for viewing at Gametrailers. The footage features the elusive Big Sister and a fight against splicers, showing off the new Big Daddy drill weapon.

Geoff Keighley of Gametrailers has given a heads-up that the next GametrailersTV episode to air this Thursday will show the first gameplay footage of BioShock 2. A promo spot for the episode is up at the site.

BioShock 2 is now subtitle-less. 2K Marin is dropping the Sea of Dreams label for reasons unknown.

In other knews, Community Manager 2KElizabeth confirms that there will be no co-op multiplayer.

As previously speculated, the start of magazine coverage seems to be on schedule for April. Game Informer gives the first tease with their cover for the upcoming issue, a major reveal in itself. We get a first look at what could be an enemy in the game, the Big Sister. Subscribers to the magazine apparently have gotten their hands on the issue already, and details and blurry scans of the 10-page article have found their way online.

In other news, Take 2 has officially confirmed that the game will be available for the PC, XBox 360 and PS3.

A new website related to BioShock 2 has been spotted, entitled There's Something in the Sea. The site appears to hold clues to the story in the sequel, with three items currently viewable - a sketch, a letter and a newspaper article. There is bound to be more over the coming weeks so it would be wise to keep an eye on it.

Considering that BioShock 2 is expected to come out this fall, there has been a distinct lack of information since its announcement. A teaser trailer is all we have been given, telling us very little beyond some thematic hints. An inquiry to Community Manager Elizabeth Tobey as to when we were likely to be getting more information was met with a cheery lack of comment.

Petter Hegevall, a contributor at Swedish gaming site Gamereactor has reportedly seen BioShock 2 in action, but is not saying a word til April. It is reasonable to assume then that the information embargo will last until April, barring any exclusives.

A sharp Macworld Expo attendee spotted Feral Interactive employees wearing BioShock T-shirts, and on investigation has received confirmation that a port of the game is to appear on the Mac.

In other news, 2K Games are offering a $10-off coupon for all their games, including BioShock, which can be printed out and used at participating retailers. The offer will last til January 31.

Lastly, in an interview with MCV, Global President of 2K Christoph Hartmann remarked that BioShock has the potential to spawn 5 sequels. Comparing the franchise to the Star Wars series, he pointed out that if they "spin it the right way and get the right twist of innovation, [they] can make six parts of it."