Review: Bioshock 2
For the sake of this review being concise and readable, I have to presume that you the reader have had prior experience with Bioshock 1. If not, don’t play Bioshock 2 until you have. I will throw in the odd link to help out the rookies if you don’t understand a term though.
It’s clear that 2K Games have done what they can to make sure you feel right at home after a two and a half year break from Bioshock. Even if that means changing very little, tweaking with the system & introducing new characters & motifs and throwing the odd game changer in to spice things up. However one thing more than anything else has remained the same: the high quality.
Welcome back to Rapture. Did you miss it?
It may have only been two and a half years since the last outing to Rapture but ten years have passed during that time. There’s been a change of developer (for the 360 and PC players at least), there’s a change of protagonist and antagonist and there’s a couple of little gameplay adjustments to cater to this.
But that’s about it. No seriously, the core of Bioshock 2 is very much the same. The visuals in terms of character presentation have been upscaled slightly and textures have been tweaked but in general, it’s like stepping back into Bioshock 1 from a different perspective. It’s wonderful.
Right from the very first momenteven before you’ve gotten to the start menu, you’re welcomed with a tantalisingly excellent cutscene. 2K Marin thankfully haven’t made many changes to the working formula, so I’m glad that what they have done is finetuned the things that could be improved upon. Visually Bioshock 2 outweighs the prequel in pretty much every department. The textures are better, the attention to detail is even more exquisite and Rapture looks exceptionally serene in its broken state. I can’t fault the visual quality of Bioshock 2 because it’s everything I wanted to see.
You can now experience Rapture from outside as well as inside. Only in short sequences mind, but still...
The inconsequential details such as the views of the world outside Rapture, the settings and places you only have passing glances at, even the inaccessible objects. Everything visual has been taken care of with such careful precision.
The same could be said for the story of the characters within Rapture too: you play as Delta, the first Big Daddy ever to be successfully connected to a Little Sister. Turns out your Little Sister was the daughter of the new antagonist, psychiatrist Sofia Lamb. Don’t worry though, 2K haven’t made a hash of connecting the two stories together – they’ve worked it so that the gap between the two games and every story arc between them is tied together. Some criticised Bioshock 2 of having a fairly weak and convenient plot line, the main criticism lying with how Sofia Lamb and other significant characters in this Rapture outing weren’t mentioned in the prequel.
2K handle that, but one thing I did notice was that one character from the sequel featured in the prequel – look closely at the spirits shop in the first Bioshock. I think you’ll find a tie right there. I don’t see the plot ties as convenient. So maybe Sofia Lamb wasn’t mentioned: it doesn’t matter because throughout Bioshock 2 the audio tape-style of piecing the story together that was so prominent in the prequel features in the sequel. This time around though familiar voices feature and the once again top-notch voice performances shine through.
The voicework in both Bioshock games is nothing short of exceptional. It’s one of my favourite things about the Bioshock series – the supremely convincing way that the story is told and pieced together while you progress. Tapes are placed around Rapture in such natural places that they genuinely seem scattered but also fit together narratively with clinical surgical precision, no matter how many or how few you find. The tapes aren’t the only way the story is told, don’t worry: the host whole of characters you encounter on your travels help out. They only enforce my opinions that the Bioshock franchise has possibly the best implementation of narrative tools in any video game I have ever experienced.
This is a Big Sister. Don't take her lightly: she'll make you pay.
Similar praise should be given to the game’s level designs: much like the first game, Bioshock 2 offers a whole host of scenarios that appeared and enthralled previously. They don’t feel forced either: the use of these scenarios are fantastic. The scenarios I am referring range from the moments where lighting is used to great effect: walking along, you’ll find yourself in a room. The lights will flicker, the eerie soundtrack will creep in, the pitter-patter of enemy feet will echo slightly. Then the lights go and the voices start to talk. Complete disorientation sets in and it’s wondrous. The lights come back on and enemies are suddenly in the vicinity. The timing and choreographing of these scenes are incredible.
Other scenarios include setting traps for enemies to walk into, fights against Big Daddies, the ability to adopt Little Sisters and help them extract ADAM and the good vs evil choices you have to make with regards to the Little Sisters. Listing them like this would have sufficed for the most part for a review of Bioshock 1 but I feel more than inclined to go into more depth for this review because that’s exactly how it feels with Bioshock 2. The scenarios you experience from the first game feel deeper and with new scenarios to face and new enemies to fight, 2K Marin have really exceeded my expectations.
There’s a greater emphasis on think first, shoot later. Bioshock 1 had the tendency to let you just walk around as you saw fit with all risks of this becoming clear a little too late. This was a little troublesome as you felt vulnerable as Jack the human, especially against the Big Daddies. However in Bioshock 2 planning is very important and patience is a healthy virtue. It’s odd that planning is a factor when you are playing as a more powerful character this time around, you would expect to march right through your adversaries.
There is that lessened feeling of fear in Bioshock 2: just whirring the drill makes you feel empowered but don’t let that fool you. The enemies are stronger and in greater numbers and Big Daddies aren’t the only bigguns walking around. Big Sisters prove formidable foes and the game really gets you to plan out the best plan of attack. Big Sisters are the Little Sisters all grown up. The ADAM in their systems has mutated them and made them highly powerful creatures.
Thankfully the game prepares you for them in particular but any enemy encountered by arming you to the teeth during your quest. The plasmids that featured prominently in the first game are back but tuned to fit your new form. You have lots to choose from but less choice over a longer period of time. You have more slots available for them though so if you invest in your plasmids mainly then you’ll find this a welcome addition. The bigger change to your gene arsenal comes in the form of a change in the tonic slots. Now instead of collecting and choosing 6 combat, engineering and physical tonics you get simply 18 gene tonic slots to fill. This is excellent because there are a massive array of tonics to suit everyone’s playing style and the space to fit the needs.
The ability to adopt a Little Sister expands the gameplay a lot. Time spent with Little Sisters is substantially increased (especially towards the end...).
Obviously plasmids aren’t the only weapons in the game since Bioshock is not just an action-adventure game with horror elements. For those first person shooters in us, 2K Marin cater. Starting off early on you’ll be given a wrench (not too dissimilar from Half Life) and a rivet gun which fires bolts. You also have your customary drill which is very useful but supplied by fuel needed to be refilled when empty. Later you’ll be kitted out with a machine gun, a launcher and a few other weapons that I’ll let you discover. Part of Bioshock 2 is the discovery so I’m not going to spoil everything now am I?
I will say this though: the wide array of weapons allows for an enjoyable and varied shooter experience. Each weapon will generally have different ammunition mods to vary singular weapons up too and each enemy you encounter whether it be your average joe splicer, security bots, a big brute splicer, a Big Daddy or a Big Sister will have strengths and weaknesses exploited by the right weapon choice.
I apologise for the perhaps vague nature of description at times but as said before what makes Bioshock 2 so fun is the element of discovery. You have to really experience Rapture and its wonders for yourself. I’d love to go on and on and on about every inch of detail but I’d be taking away from what you experience when you set foot inside the undone underwater utopia.
I will say a few more things to wrap this up. One is that Bioshock 2 isn’t flawless which is why it doesn’t receive five stars. It takes a few hours for you to get over the feeling of familiarity. It’s a wonderful feeling to be back experiencing Rapture but it’ll take a few hours before Bioshock 2 separates itself from the first game and carves its own unique experience within the familiarity.
One big change up to the gameplay is the ability to dual wield both plasmids & weaponry. This makes things sound a little easier but it won't be.
Also, there are several bugs within the game that can divert your enjoyment. I am sure that 2K Marin are working on these bugs as several have been mentioned around the internet but I was hoping that my time in Rapture would absorb me completely. Hopefully if the patches come soon then many people can still experience the game as it is meant to be but for the time being some people will have had their time cut short or interrupted.
One other issue is with the multiplayer. It’s a great multiplayer no question. There are several game modes available, many customisation options, an apartment for your character in Rapture that acts as a lobby for matchmaking and pre-match preparation and a ranking system that seems to fit very well. The issue comes with longevity and how it fits with the game. I can’t see the multiplayer being more than just a niche experience shared by a few. It’ll most likely crumble and dissipate before it has a chance to flourish. The concept and execution of the multiplayer is well worth seeing for yourself because the experience is enjoyable but it will be short-lived.
Bioshock 2 much like Bioshock 1 is a single player game that will be seen as a single player game. Very few games get lucky when including multiplayer to single player games and I don’t think Bioshock 2 will be one of them: prove me wrong please.
Overall Impressions:
I don’t buy single players. I make it a rule when I look for video games that if a game won’t last me more than 25 hours minimum, I won’t buy it. That said I think Bioshock 2′s single player alone could stand the test of time because it is one of the best, the most riveting and the most exhilarating single player experiences I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying and if the multiplayer does get a good following too?
Bioshock 2 is definitely a keeper. The world of Rapture that 2K Boston first made nearly three years ago has been honored by 2K Marin in 2010. There may be the odd issue you encounter during your time with the game but don’t let them take anything away from the exemplary achievement that is Bioshock 2.
Once you get over the feeling of familiarity Bioshock 2 really flourishes, taking everything that was great about the prequel and adding a few tweaks for good measure.
Rating: 
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