The passage of time in Rapture has led to many technological advances, including the creation of the motion picture camera. The Research Camera in BioShock 2 films battle sequences and scores your recording not on the composition of the initial shot, but rather on how well you layer your attacks and defeat the subject with style. The Research Camera never runs out of film, but it does automatically stop filming after a pre-determined time (which varies depending on tonics used) or once the subject has been defeated or leaves the area, whichever comes first. You’ll obtain the Research Camera as part of the story progression in Pauper’s Drop. Use it often to ensure you unlock these three bonuses.
| Icon | Title | Points | Trophy | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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First Research | 5 | Bronze | Researched a Splicer with the Research Camera. Equip the Research Camera (found in the pawn shop in Pauper’s Drop) and begin filming one of the Splicers—it doesn’t matter which kind. Hit the Fire Weapon button while aiming the viewfinder at the Splicer, then battle the Splicer as you normally would. The Research Camera starts recording the action and assigns a grade. It doesn’t matter what your grade is for this bonus—you just need to get the camera rolling with a Splicer on-screen for this Achievement/Trophy. |
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One Research Track | 20 | Bronze | Maxed out one Research Track. Each research subject has four stages of research that can be achieved. Continue to use the Research Camera on the same type of enemy (bearing in mind you can only film an individual once) to further study the subject, score more Research Points, and unlock all four Research Bonuses. This Achievement/Trophy unlocks as soon as you earn a fourth Research Bonus for a given subject. Leadhead Splicers are the most plentiful enemy type and rather easy to maximize the research for due to their numbers. That said, it’s best to focus on Thuggish Splicers immediately after obtaining the Research Camera since they do not appear after Pauper’s Drop. Use a combination of attacks and layered battle tactics during a filming session to increase your Research Grade and max out the research that much faster. See the section on the Research Camera in the “Into the Dive Suit” chapter for additional scoring tips. |
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Research Master | 20 | Silver | Maxed out one Research Track. This Achievement/Trophy is the natural extension of the previous one—earn the fourth Research Bonus for all nine research categories! The research subjects fall into the following categories: Thuggish Splicers, Leadhead Splicers, Houdini Splicers, Spider Splicers, Big Daddies, Big Sisters, Security, Brute Splicers, and Alpha Series. Note that the Security category is a catch-all category for research done on Security Bots, Turrets, and Security Cameras (you don’t need to research each one individually). Begin your research on Thuggish Splicers right away, since they don’t appear in later areas. Upgrading your Hypnotize Plasmid to Level 3 makes researching Brute Splicers, Big Daddies, and Alpha Series enemies go much easier—just remember to start the camera rolling before you hit the subject with Hypnotize! Big Sisters can be very difficult to research because of their rarity and the suddenness of their appearances. You’re going to have to be very diligent in your use of the Research Camera to earn this bonus. Be sure to equip the Keen Observer and Extended Reel tonics and have the Research Camera handy at all times. Get a subject in frame and press the Fire Weapon button—you’ll automatically swap to your last-used weapon once the camera starts filming. |