The start of 2010 is officially turning into an awesome time for videogames. On top of Bayonetta and Mass Effect 2, which we've already had, there's the small matter of Dante's Inferno, Aliens Vs Predator and Heavy Rain in the weeks ahead.

And there's also Bioshock 2. Bioshock still splits some of us here, but, personally, I absolutely loved it. The game's balance was slightly off, and thus when you built up the power of your weapons and plasmids, the back end - when things really should have got tricky - was where it was at its easiest (I'm still of the view that nothing beats the toughness of the first Big Daddy fight). The last battle was also quite routine.

However, the city of Rapture, the styling of the game, the plasmids and the sheer atmosphere of it all made Bioshock a flat-out triumph, warts and all, from where I was sitting. And I've been desperately awaiting the sequel ever since.

That sequel, fortunately, finally arrives next week. And in advance of that, we've got this launch trailer that shows just how smart Rapture is looking these days. We're promised that we get to play as a Big Daddy this time, which should be fun. But just the idea of a return journey to one of the finest game worlds of recent times is enough for me to get my pre-order in.

Here's the launch trailer...