Review: Bioshock 2

[GamingSurvival.com]

When the first Bioshock was released more than 2 years ago it was a welcome injection of originality into a bland first person shooter latent market. Finally, Bioshock 2 has been released to bring us back to rapture for a second helping.

Andrew Ryan is now gone but rapture remains. A new antagonist, Sophia Lamb, is now in charge of rapture. In the first Bioshock you played as a regular human whose plane crash landed at the gates of rapture. In this adventure you will take the form of a Big Daddy. This, unfortunately, sounds a lot more badass than it actually is. Memories of battling the powerful Big Daddy’s of the first game come rushing into your head and the small taste from the short lived Big Daddy section of the first brings a smile to your face. The only problem is that you’re only a Big Daddy in stature but not in armor. The Splicers cut through your Big Daddy armor as if it was a tin can and the need to have spare first aid kits readily available becomes abundantly clear.

The gameplay in Bioshock still feels fresh with the mixture of plasmids and weapons incredibly satisfying. Bioshock 2 does tweak the gameplay, from the original, just a bit with the ability to dual-wield. You now have the ability to have one plasmid and one weapon at all times. Nothing beats freezing a foe with a plasmid only to immediately whack them with your drill. The hacking system from the original has been totally axed for a much easy, albeit dumbed down, hack game. No longer must you connect water pipes, now, you must simply press a button when a cursor is in the proper area. Along with the much simpler hack game is the inclusion of a hack gun. This new “weapon” is used to stealthily hack turret guns and camera to work in your favor. You may be a Big Daddy but lord knows you don’t want to have to go head first into a room with 2 Splicers in it. Unlike the first game where you had to plan your attack and move through a room with some grace before getting caught by these turrets and cameras, you can simply just shoot them with the hack gun and stay in safety while they dismantle any enemies in the area. Personally, zapping these machines and quickly hacking them before they become operational was part of a sense of urgency that is lacking from Bioshock 2.

The story in Bioshock 2 takes place 10 years after the original. As mentioned before, Andrew Ryan is gone and Dr. Sophia Lamb has taken over. You assume the role of Project Delta, the first Big Daddy. Unlike the “newer” Big Daddy’s you are tied to one Little Sister. It just so happens that your Little Sister is Eleanor Lamb. Eleanor Lamb is the daughter of Sophia Lamb, the lady who wants you dead. Your sole purpose in Bioshock 2 is to recover your Little Sister no matter what. Sophia Lamb obviously does not want this to happen and has alerted all the enemies in the game to kill on site. The campaign takes a respectable 12-14 hours to complete depending on how much you explore. One point worth noting regarding exploration is the inability to go back to previous areas. Once you move to the next level you will never be able to return unless you start a new game and replay. Those who wish to collect all recorders and other collectables take note. The adventure is solid but never really tries to create its own identity from the original. The first 9-10 hours of the campaign begin to drag only a few hours in with the developer not stepping out of the proven formula of the first. This has the game feeling more like Bioshock 1.5 more than Bioshock 2. But, during the final acts of the game (roughly the last 2-3 hours), the game really picks up at the end and provides a fantastic end game making the whole experience worthwhile.

Multiplayer runs the standard affair for multiplayer gaming. “Capture the Sister” is a modified version of capture the flag. In this game it’s 5-on-5 with one team defending the Little Sister and one team trying to capture the Little Sister and place her in the escape vent. “Team ADAM Grab” has teams trying to hold onto the Little Sister the longest. “Turf War” is exactly as the name implies where you are controlling points on the map. “Survival of the Fittest” and “Civil War” are the normal Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes included in all multiplayer games. These multiplayer games hold up well but are definitely not a selling point for the game and will not likely hold your attention very long. Those who can’t get enough Bioshock will be happy that it takes a decent amount of time and skill to level-up to the level 40 cap.

Overall, Bioshock 2 does not necessarily live up to all the expectations but does provide a solid experience with the same formula. The campaign is a good length and the multiplayer is great for Bioshock fans. The campaign takes awhile to get its stride but the final acts are amazing and pull the whole experience together.

RATING: 4/5

Quick Synopsis

Pros: A respectable 12-14 hour campaign. Dual-Wielding plasmids and weapons are extremely satisfying. Sound and game music are very well done. Rapture is still as majestic and interesting as the first offering. Final act of the game is fantastic and pulls the entire game together.

Cons: You don't feel like a Big Daddy until the last 2-3 hours of the game. Multiplayer is good but not great and will likely be only for the big Bioshock fans. Exploration is limited with the inability to go back to previous sections during the campaign.

RATING: 4/5

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[Rhu]

The thing I like most about Bioshock is it's art style. I absolutely love that old taste of vintage. nom nom nom. Even the sounds and music in the game, just ties really well together and I love that about Bioshock.

[Grogger]

I was a huge fan of the fist Bioshock. But it's really hard to get a killer storyline two times in a row. I haven't played Bioshock 2 yet so I can't comment to much. I suppose MW1 + 2 both were able to have a pretty good storyline though.

Also as Rhu said, I really love the whole art style and for some reason I really enjoy that old 40s (or whatever year) music, I kind of wish it was like in Fallout 3 where you would listen to it on the radio, but I have a feeling that would really mar the whole feel of the game.

I like the site though (gamingsurvival) you guys should try and get into metacritics rating system, (though I really have no idea how or what there guidelines are).

[solid-alchemist]

I have yet to play it, but my sister says its pretty good. I think what she like the most from bioshock 2 is just being back in rapture to see more of it.