In August of 2007, BioShock caused an uproar among players for trimming the standard 4:3 aspect ratio instead of providing proper widescreen support. Now BioShock 2 PC does the same thing. Here we go again.
The exact same issue that had PC gamers fuming when the original BioShock was released has been confirmed to be an issue with BioShock 2 as well. Instead of giving players more screen real estate in 16:10 or 16:9 widescreen mode, as players expect, BioShock 2 takes the 4:3 aspect ratio and clips off the top and bottom, giving players with widescreen monitors less of a view of the action than those without. You can see the differences in the screens below, which were sent to us via ImageShack.
I've been fooling with the settings in my PC version of the game, and can confirm that yes, there is a clear difference between the two resolutions.
So yes, that's the bad news. The good news is that 2K isn't sitting back this time, telling us that this is the way they intended the game to be. Community manager 2K Elizabeth has already replied in the main thread, accepting that there is indeed a problem, and a fix was on the way.
Yes, there's a problem, yes, a fix is on the way, yes the view will expand horizontally for you widescreen gamers.
Still, it's amazing that the issue cropped up (pun intended) again, given the reaction to players last time around.
We've contacted 2K Games for further comment, and will update should it arrive.
Update: Elizabeth links us to the Cult of Rapture, where a fix has been officially announced.
Widescreen is fudged... AGAIN! [2K Forums - Thanks Everyone!]