Feb 13, 2010
Would you kindly put on your Big Daddy suit, dual-weild a weapon and plasmid, and return to a mysterious underwater Utopian city?
The original BioShock is something of a legend among gamers who love story-driven First Person Shooters, so when it was announced that 2K Marin would make a sequel to this beloved 2007 title by Irrational Games (2K Boston), many were skeptical. What was left to tell of the BioShock story? Could there possibly be another story as engaging as the betrayal and deception of the first game? Yes and no. While BioShock 2 succeeds as a sequel, it will not be the kind of experience you had the first time around.
That’s not necissarily a bad thing.
BioShock 2 tells the story of Subject Delta, one of the first prototype Big Daddies ever created. Before the Fall of Rapture, you were bonded to a Little Sister and later separated from her. The game begins ten years after the events of the original BioShock, meaning Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine are long dead. There’s a new authority in the house, and her name is Sophia Lamb. Your job, as Subject Delta, is to find your long lost little sister and stop Lamb from what she is plotting.
As an antagonist, Lamb works well and adds to the engrossing mystery that unveils during the course of the game. While the story can be a little confusing at first, it picks up more towards the half-way point and does a great job driving the player forward. You will explore areas not accessible in the previous game, but the feeling of Rapture is enforced by way of familiar pictures, audio recordings (prominently Andrew Ryan) and other nostalgic items of interest. There are underwater sequences that, in all honesty, are not involved and could have probably been improved upon a bit further. These sequences do establish an ominous deep-sea tone, however, and they are still vital to the game as a whole.
Probably the biggest driving force of BioShock 2 are the Big Sisters. These once Little Sisters have since grown up and are used by Lamb as a tool to keep the Little Sisters in line, and are a last resort when Big Daddies don’t do their jobs. Play the game on Hard and tell me your heart doesn’t race when you hear that screech off in the distance and the game announces, “A Big Sister is coming for you!”
Plasmids, Adam harvesting and other familiar game mechanics are back this time around, but are improved upon greatly. This time, you have the option of adopting a Little Sister once you deal with her Big Daddy. By doing this, the player can direct their Little Sister to harvest adam or simply take her to saftey. Yes, you can still harvest the sisters themselves for more Adam, if you so wish. Plasmids are greatly reworked for BioShock 2, as your level ups now affect the way plasmids work altogether. Example: level 3 Electro Bolt grants the player the ability to stream a continuous current of electricity by holding down the left trigger button (PS3 and 360).
The dual-wielding is a welcome addition to BioShock, as now you are able to fire your weapon AND use your plasmids at the same time. This sounds confusing at first, but it’s really very simple and easy. Hacking has also changed, as you now can fire a “Hack Dart” at machines to hack from afar. You achieve a hack by stopping a continuously moving needle in a “green-zone” on the hack screen, “red-zones” trigger alarm phases, and “blue-zones” grant bonuses depending on the machine being hacked. Among other improvements to gameplay is the very much welcomed Video Research Camera. Instead of taking snapshots of enemies, you point the camera at your subject, pull the trigger, and your video continues recording for a set amount of time while you battle.
BioShock 2 features a Multiplayer mode, developed by Digital Extremes. While this is no Modern Warfare 2, it is a fun and engaging competitive experience that is surprisingly well-balanced. The better you do, the more you will rank up and unlock new weapons and accessories. During a match, a player can become a Big Daddy with a huge health and damage increase, making this the most sought-after feature in any match. This is a wonderful new addition to BioShock, and I honestly cannot find any flaws with it so far.
In terms of gameplay alone, BioShock 2 fully surpasses the original game with it’s improvements and new features. 2K Marin did an excellent job here. In terms of story, this game will probably not “wow” you like the original game, but it grabs you with just the right amount of mystery to make you want to see it through to the end. Graphics are hardly improved upon, but this isn’t necissarily a bad thing either. Rapture is still a very intriguing place, and I dare you to find anyone who will say otherwise. Hardcore BioShock fans will be pleased, and newcomers looking for a well-balanced and fun FPS will certainly be happy, too.
Pros:
– Dual-wielding
– Hacking improved
– Research improved
– General melee combat improved
– Engrossing, mysterious story
– Heart-racing enemies such as the Big Sister
– Worthwhile Multiplayer experience
Cons:
– Not a Graphical improvement
– It is more of a “side-story” when compared to the original BioShock
Final Verdict: 
in Video Game history?
The original BioShock is something of a legend among gamers who love story-driven First Person Shooters, so when it was
announced that 2K Marin would make a sequel to this beloved 2007 title by Irrational Games (2K Boston), many were
skeptical. What was left to tell of the BioShock story? Could there possibly be another story as engaging as the betrayal
and deception of the first game? Yes and no. While BioShock 2 succeeds as a sequel, it will not be the kind of experience
you had the first time around.
That’s not necissarily a bad thing.
BioShock 2 tells the story of Subject Delta, one of the first prototype Big Daddies ever created. Before the Fall of
Rapture, you were bonded to a Little Sister and later separated from her. The game begins ten years after the events of
the original BioShock, meaning Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine are long dead. There’s a new authority in the house, and her
name is Sophia Lamb. Your job, as Subject Delta, is to find your long lost little sister and stop Lamb from what she is
plotting.
As an antagonist, Lamb works well and adds to the engrossing mystery that unveils during the course of the game. While the
story can be a little confusing at first, it picks up more towards the half-way point and does a great job driving the
player forward. You will explore areas not accessible in the previous game, but the feeling of Rapture is enforced by way
of familiar pictures, audio recordings (prominently Andrew Ryan) and other nostalgic items of interest. There are
underwater sequences that, in all honesty, are not involved and could have probably been improved upon a bit further.
These sequences do establish an ominous deep-sea tone, however, and they are still vital to the game as a whole.
Probably the biggest driving force of BioShock 2 are the Big Sisters. These once Little Sisters have since grown up and
are used by Lamb as a tool to keep the Little Sisters in line, and are a last resort when Big Daddies don’t do their jobs.
Play the game on Hard and tell me your heart doesn’t race when you hear that screech off in the distance and the game
announces, “A Big Sister is coming for you!”
Plasmids, Adam harvesting and other familiar game mechanics are back this time around, but are improved upon greatly. This
time, you have the option of adopting a Little Sister once you deal with her Big Daddy. By doing this, the player can
direct their Little Sister to harvest adam or simply take her to saftey. Yes, you can still harvest the sisters themselves
for more Adam, if you so wish. Plasmids are greatly reworked for BioShock 2, as your level ups now affect the way plasmids
work altogether. Example: level 3 Electro Bolt grants the player the ability to stream a continuous current of electricity
by holding down the left trigger button (PS3 and 360).
The dual-wielding is a welcome addiction to BioShock, as now you are able to fire your weapon AND use your plasmids at the
same time. This sounds confusing at first, but it’s really very simple and easy. Hacking has also changed, as you now can
fire a “Hack Dart” at machines to hack from afar. You achieve a hack by stopping a continuously moving needle in a
“green-zone” on the hack screen, “red-zones” trigger alarm phases, and “blue-zones” grant bonuses depending on the machine
being hacked. Among other improvements to gameplay is the very much welcomed Video Research Camera. Instead of taking
snapshots of enemies, you point the camera at your subject, pull the trigger, and your video continues recording for a set
amount of time while you battle.
BioShock 2 features a Multiplayer mode, developed by Digital Extremes. While this is no Modern Warfare 2, it is a fun and
engaging competitive experience that is surprisingly well-balanced. The better you do, the more you will rank up and
unlock new weapons and accessories. During a match, a player can become a Big Daddy with a huge health and damage
increase, making this the most sought-after feature in any match. This is a wonderful new addition to BioShock, and I
honestly cannot find any flaws with it so far.
In terms of gameplay alone, BioShock 2 fully surpasses the original game with it’s improvements and new features. 2K Marin
did an excellent job here. In terms of story, this game will probably not “wow” you like the original game, but it grabs
you with just the right amount of mystery to make you want to see it through to the end. Graphics are hardly improved
upon, but this isn’t necissarily a bad thing either. Rapture is still a very intriguing place, and I dare you to find
anyone who will say otherwise. Hardcore BioShock fans will be pleased, and newcomers looking for a well-balanced and fun
FPS will certainly be happy, too.
Pros:
– Dual-wielding
– Hacking improved
– Research improved
– General melee combat improved
– Engrossing, mysterious story
– Heart-racing enemies such as the Big Sister
Cons:
– Not a Graphical improvement
– It is more of a “side-story” when compared to the original BioShock
Final Verdict: 4 1/2 Stars
