We recently got our first up-close look at "BioShock 2," which is due in the fall and is easily one of the most anticipated video-game sequels of all time. It was cathartic for me to finally see the game in action. But I walked away from the demo feeling like someone had poured salt on my tail.

Be a Big Daddy. Yes, you can play as a Big Daddy. But did you know that, in the game, you're actually the first Big Daddy ever created? I know what you're thinking: "But I already played as a Big Daddy in the last game." The difference here is that you're not putting on a Big Daddy suit as if it's a Halloween costume. This time, you actually are a Big Daddy, complete with a high-powered arm-power drill, which can seriously mess up any Splicers who get too close to you.

Explore underwater: Because you're inside a diving suit, you can venture out into the surrounding waters. I spent hours staring hypnotically through Rapture's various windows at the surrounding sea life. So being able to actually go outside of the underwater city was truly exciting.

Take on Splicers: The game takes place a decade after the original. That means (we were explicitly told) the Splicers have had 10 more years to fool with their DNA and mutate. The demo Splicers looked identical to their counterparts from the previous game, but I have a feeling that you should brace yourself for something far more hideous and dangerous.

Change your tack: A new point of view requires new game-play strategies. Because you're a Big Daddy now, you'll eventually get the chance to adopt a Little Sister. As she harvests Adam from a nearby "angel," the challenge is to fend off the rabid Splicers who will attack her, and you, in the name of grabbing the Adam for themselves. The battle I witnessed looked hectic. But it lacked the drama of the you-vs.-Big Daddy battles of the original game. It felt instead more like something you could do -- and have done -- in previous first-person-shooters.

See Big Sister: Too much, too soon? I saw the Big Sister running around. She looks like a lady version of the Big Daddy -- you know, slimmer, but wearing a similar diving-bell suit. 2K Games claims that she's your main nemesis throughout the game. I'm not buying it. 2K seems a little too forthright with all of its Big Sister talk. Perhaps there's something else -- a Big Huge Sister, maybe? -- that hasn't been revealed yet. This can't possibly be the biggest mystery of "BioShock 2."

Here's the forecast: Curse this jaundiced eye of mine! The demo left me wanting more. I hope that the next time I see the game, I'll like what I see a bit more than I did this time. It's an early look, so I'll cut "BioShock 2" some slack for now.