If you’ve been following the development of 2K Marin’s (Australia) first-person shooter set in the venerable XCOM franchise, then you shouldn’t be at all surprised that the game’s release has been delayed into 2013.

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A brand new set of downloadable content (DLC) has just been revealed for 2K Marin’s excellent Bioshock 2, and like the just-released Protector Trials Pack, this content will once again be singleplayer focussed.

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2K Games has announced that a singleplayer focused downloadable content (DLC) pack for Bioshock 2 will become available at the beginning of August, placing you back in the boots of the Big Daddy and tasking you with protecting Little Sisters from “swarms of corrupt Splicers who are hell-bent on stealing the precious ADAM that she gathers from corpses.”

So, more like ‘singleplayer,’ rather than unbridled singleplayer, then…

Entitled the ‘Protector Trials,’ this new DLC is being created by 2K Marin, the same team that brought you the singleplayer portion of Bioshock 2, and will contain six new maps, new Achievements and Trophies, as well as new unlockables. Here’s the skinny:

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Earlier this year a new XCOM (no, not X-COM) game was announced to be in development at the Australian arm of 2K Marin (Bioshock 2) for PC and Xbox 360, billed as a re-imagining of the classic X-COM franchise and re-emerging as a first-person shooter.

A debut trailer for 2K’s XCOM has recently hit the waves and features some of this first-person gameplay with doses of action, as the protagonist shoots down (and electrifies) globs of black, invasive and sentient goo, while also stopping to study it.

While XCOM is clearly in an early state (with frame rate issues), it’s looking very promising indeed, so why don’t you STUDY the debut trailer to see what it’s all about:

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The announcement that a new X-COM game, or XCOM, is currently in development must have sent chills of excitement up the spines of older, hardcore gamers, and even if you’ve got reservations over the fact that the game will be a re-imagining of the original franchise in the first-person perspective, surely some of those doubts would have been quietened by the news that the team that brought you Bioshock 2, 2K Marin, is behind the helm.

News surfacing today has revealed, however, that the core team at 2K Marin will in fact not be working on this new XCOM game, but will instead be created at another developer, 2K Marin.

Confused? Hang on a minute longer.

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2K Games announced today that the publisher, along with developer 2K Marin (Bioshock 2), will be bringing the classic (and niche) X-COM franchise back to life by “re-imagining the suspense, tension and fear” of the original series for the Xbox 360 and PC.

The new game, simply titled XCOM, is currently in development at 2K Marin exclusively for the Xbox 360 and PC, and aims to combine strategic elements with which fans of the original X-COM will be familiar, with a narrative filled with suspense, all wrapped up in a “tense and unique first-person shooter experience.”

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Jordan Thomas, the creative director on the upcoming first-person shooter/adventure/RPG, Bioshock 2, walks us through a good few minutes of gameplay from the game, in a video 2K Marin (the developers of the game) are calling ‘Hunting the Big Sister,’ which seems like a nod to the video walkthrough Ken Levine did on the original Bioshock called ‘Hunting the Big Daddy.’

Thomas talks about how they’re trying to create a game that will be able to live up to the immense original entry to the series, while introducing new elements that fans and newcomers alike will enjoy.

Watch the ‘Hunting the Big Sister’ Bioshock 2 developer walkthrough below:

2K Games has announced that a “genetically-enhanced” version of BioShock is in development for the PS3 at 2K Marin. The PS3 version of BioShock will include new features and content and will be released in October 2008.

This means the PS3 version will be arriving roughly a year after the game’s debut on the Xbox 360 in 2007. 2K Marin is also currently developing BioShock 2. The title is expected to be released in the fourth quarter of Take Two’s 2009 fiscal year but platforms have not yet been announced although it is rumoured to be heading to both the Xbox 360 and PS3.

“Since BioShock for Xbox 360 and Games for Windows won countless 2007 Game of the Year awards, we are excited to see the impact of this stellar title for the PlayStation 3 system when it debuts this fall,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K.

“Over the coming months we look forward to revealing the new features and content that will make this a must-have game for its new audience, as well as for those who enjoyed it on the other platforms.”

Read El33tonline’s review of BioShock for the Xbox 360.

Earlier in the year Take Two announced that Bioshock 2 would be released in the fourth quarter of its 2009 fiscal year.

While BioShock was released exclusively on the Xbox 360, the initial announcement for next-generation consoles along with a job posting on developer 2K Marin’s website soon suggested that BioShock 2 might be headed to the PS3 as well as the 360.

The July magazine cover of UK-based PlayStation gaming magazine ‘PSM3’ has confirmed that BioShock 2 is heading to the PS3. First spotted by Computer & Video Games, the cover of the magazine reads “Proof why Xbox’s best shooter is better on PS3” although details of the PS3 version are still scant.

According to 1UP, the July issue of EGM also confirms the underwater shooter is heading to the PS3. IGN is reporting that 2K Games has confirmed that “BioShock is in development for the PlayStation 3.”

Read El33tonline’s review of BioShock for the Xbox 360.

Earlier in the year Take Two announced that Bioshock 2 would be released in quarter 2 of its financial year and would be developed by 2K Marin. The publisher did not announce which platforms the games would be released on.

However, job postings on 2K Marin’s website seem to suggest that Bioshock 2 might be headed to the PC, Xbox 360 as well as the PS3 and Wii.

The postings call for applications from people who are familiar with the Xbox 360 as well as the Wii and PS3. The level designer position calls for “experience working with recent generation game console technology (Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2 or PS3) and PS3 experience is required.”