When Bioshock 2 was first announced, I’ll admit, I was one of those people who thought a sequel was unnecessary. The first game was a complete and total experience. I felt that it should have been left alone. It was strange thinking that a video game should not have a sequel, but that’s just the way I felt. Many shared my sentiment.
However, here we are almost three years later, and Bioshock 2 is upon us. And of course I picked it up. How could I not? I finished the first game and, right after the credits were finished, immediately started a new game. I don’t think I’ve done that since the 16-bit days.
So, is this sequel an astounding success equaling or, dare I say, rivaling the first? Or does it just rot on the bottom of the ocean floor?
Story
Things have changed in Rapture since we last left it’s decrepit, dystopian walls. Andrew Ryan is dead. Fontaine is dead. And a new leader, Sophia Lamb, has risen to power. She’s gathered all the Splicers together into a collective “family,” and they’re all out to kill you.
And this time around you are a Big Daddy, but not just any Big Daddy. No, you are the Daddy of all Big Daddy’s: Delta, the first Big Daddy. Sorry, I was just trying to see how many times I could fit “Big Daddy” in there.
As Delta, you’re on a quest to find one particular Little Sister named Eleanor. She’s tied to Lamb and several other figures in Rapture, so of course everyone wants you dead. Along the way, you’ll also unlock keys to your own past, and dig deeper into the history of the city itself.
The story is packed with more moral quandaries this time around, but it’s not as affecting as the original. The new characters are welcome, and some of them are quite entertaining and endearing, but they’re nowhere near the level of larger-than-life stature that Andrew Ryan or Sander Cohen possessed in the first game.
Gameplay
The gameplay is tighter than in the first. You still gain access to a wide variety of weapons and ammo-types. You can still shoot plasmids, but now you can dual-wield both at the same time, so while you’re reloading your Eve, you can shoot an enemy with your gun, or vice-versa.
In that regard, the Splicers seem to be more aggressive in this game. The first few hours may actually prove to be quite a challenge, since you are awarded with little money and can only carry 5 first-aid kits and Eve hypos instead of 9 each like in the first game (although, this can be upgraded). However, once you start beefing yourself up with Plasmids, you start to feel like a true Big Daddy.
To balance out your power, there are new enemy-types. There is a new Splicer, the Brute Splicer, a big roided-out brawler who curses like a lumber-jack and hits like one too. They provide some variety to the usual fire-fights.
And of course there are Big Daddy’s and Little Sisters. You can adopt your own Little Sisters in this game to collect Adam for you from corpses, but first you need to deal with their Big Daddy. Big Daddy fights aren’t as tense as they were in the first game. You’re a Big Daddy yourself, so they don’t seem as threatening as they once did.
Once you adopt a Little Sister, you can carry her around and gather Adam. Luckily there is no protecting her while she’s with you. You put her on your shoulder and half the time, you don’t even know she’s there except for the occasional commentary she gives while you’re fighting.
The only time you need to protect her is while you’re gathering Adam, and I found these parts to be quite enjoyable. I’m a fan of Survival modes and that’s what this felt like. You could just take all the Splicers on as they come to you, but you’re given a wide variety of traps you can use with ammo-types and Plasmids, so why not make good use of them? Setting up a perimeter and then picking off the ones that got through my defenses was one of the most entertaining parts of the game.
After you’ve gathered your Adam, you then need to find a vent to put the Little Sister in. Just like in the first game you can choose to Harvest or Rescue the Little Sisters you’ve encounter. Rescuing them sets them free of their lust for Adam. Harvesting them essentially kills them, but gives you more Adam to beef up your stats. Choosing which to do is more of a dilemma this time.
Harvesting in particular is more disturbing, because the Little Sisters trust you. You’re a Big Daddy, the protector. You’ve traveled around with her for a bit and protected her, then turn around and end her life for your own gain. I have to say, watching her scream in terror is quite a horrifying experience the first time you choose Harvest.
After you’ve dealt with the Little Sisters in each stage, you will be confronted by another new enemy: the Big Sisters. Big Sisters are stronger and faster than Big Daddy’s. Luckily, the game warns you in advance that one is about to attack you, and you have some time to set up your defense.
The battles can be difficult. Besides just being stronger and faster, Big Sisters also use plasmids on the same level as you. They throw fire, shoot lightning, and hurl objects at you using telekinesis. These fights are exhilarating, but way too predictable. You always know you’re going to fight a Big Sister after you’ve dealt with all the Little Sisters in a level. They never come at undetermined times, which is sort of a let down.
Hacking is still around, but instead of taking you out of the action for that sometimes-annoying pipe-swapping puzzle game, you now hack in real time using a meter to try and stop the arrow in the appropriate spaces. This can be done in proximity to devices that need to be hacked, or by using hack darts, which you can shoot from a distance and remotely hack machines with. Either way, it doesn’t take you out of the game, so if you decide to hack, make sure no enemies are around.
The research camera also returns, but this time it’s a video camera, so all you need to do is click the shutter button, then start fighting. Experimenting with the ways you kill enemies yields more research points.
Presentation
Rapture is more water-logged and rotted than it was in the first game. Ten years have passed, so that’s to be expected. This isn’t to say that it’s still not stunning to look at. Level designs are still huge and winding, with an emphasis on exploration. However, they’re not as varied as the levels in the first game. Nothing like the paradise-in-hell Arcadia Gardens, or trippy Fort Frolic.
You can now walk outside the city, since you are in a diving suit and can survive underwater. These treks aren’t as liberating as they could be, though. You’ll be on a set path that leads from one entrance of the city to the other. No real open-ocean exploration (which would have been amazing, by the way).
The music is still as haunting and effective as ever. Punctuating and adding emotional weight at just the right moments.
Multiplayer
Yes, the multiplayer mode. I didn’t forget. All in all, it’s a nice little diversion from the main game, but anyone picking up this game because you wanted to play Bioshock multiplayer will be disappointed. Things are streamlined from the main game. You can hack machines by holding down a button and take research photos of your dead enemies for perks. And all the gun fire and Plasmid-slinging can get pretty chaotic. It’s a fun time, but there are a few things holding it back.
For one, the levels are too complex and closed in for multiplayer. Their designs encourage sitting and waiting tactics. You could just hack a turret and wait around a corner for someone to try to hack. Then, take them out with both your turret and some well-placed shots or Plasmid blasts.
Also, the health bar is way too large, which makes one-on-one firefights drag on for too long, taking away from the frenetic pace of usual multiplayer modes.
The game-types are just variations on already well-established online tropes such as capture-the-flag, domination, and deathmatch. All-in-all, it’s fun for a bit, but I don’t think it will have the staying power of other FPS multiplayer games such as Halo 3 or Modern Warfare 2.
Summary
Bioshock 2 is a game that stacks up to the original quite well. It’s an enjoyable ride that fixes a lot of the minor gripes that the first game had, while holding itself back on some of it’s new ideas (Big Sister fights and ocean exploration). It’s still nice to return to Rapture and see new parts of the city, but this game never had a chance of standing up to it’s forerunners legacy in terms of mystique and surprise.
Multiplayer is a nice little diversion that probably won’t keep you occupied for too long, but the main game has enough replayability to keep you coming back for more.
Was Bioshock 2 necessary? No. But it’s still a great game, and definitely one of the best to come out so far this year. And that’s saying a lot considering all of the greatness that’s been released so early in 2010.
I’ve yet to play Bioshock 2 but if this man likes it then I know it’s good. Honestly it’s only because of his opinion that I’m about to drop 50 bones for a copy. I salute you sir.