BioShock 2 Review

BioShock 2 Review Big Sister Screenshot
2K Games first released BioShock 2 worldwide on February 9th, 2010 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. In the sequel, the undersea city of Rapture stands in ruin. Somewhere deep within, your Little Sister awaits. Once, you protected her and now, amongst hordes of genetically-altered maniacs, she is your only hope for salvation.

System: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre: Sci-fi First-Person Shooter
Release dates: February 9, 2010 (International)
Players: Single player, 2-10 Multiplayer
Developer: 2K Marin, 2K Australia & 2K China for single player. Digital Extremes for multiplayer
Publisher: 2K Games
Origin: America, Australia, China, Canada
Rating: ESRB: M, BBFC: 18, PEGI: 18

“Shh! Daddy, Big Sister doesn’t want you playing with me.” -Little Sister to Subject Delta

The follow-up to BioShock, 2K Games’ critically acclaimed 2007 release BioShock, BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter set in the fictional underwater city of Rapture. As in the original game, BioShock 2 features a blend of fast-paced action, exploration and puzzle-solving as players follow varying paths through the overarching storyline based on the decisions that they are forced to make at various points in the game. In addition to a further fleshing out of the franchise’s popular storyline, players can look forward to new characters, game mechanics, weapons, locations and a series first, multiplayer game options.

Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the halls of Rapture once again echo with sins of the past. Along the Atlantic coastline, a monster — somehow familiar, yet still quite different from anything ever seen — has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city. It is a Big Sister, new denizens of Rapture who were once one of the forgotten little girls known as Little Sisters, known to inhabit the city’s dank halls. No longer a pawn used to harvest ADAM, the dangerously powerful gene-altering lifeblood of Rapture, from the bodies of others and in turn run the risk of being harvested herself, the Big Sister is now the fastest and most powerful thing in Rapture. You, on the other hand are the very first Big Daddy, in fact the prototype, that for some reason has reactivated. You are similar to the Big Daddies familiar from the original BioShock, but also very different in that you possess free will and no memory of the events of the past ten years. The question is, as you travel through the decrepit and beautiful fallen city beneath the waves, hunting for answers and the solution to your own survival, are you really the hunter, or the hunted?

So here it is, my BioShock 2 review!

I had to do some mad editing here as I had sooo much to say lol XD
It would be great to hear your thoughts on the game.


Music from the game used in the review:

All of the tracks feature in the BioShock 2 game and OST (excl. track number 4 and 7.) purchased from iTunes. The songs are as follows:

1. La Mer (Beyond the Sea)
2. The Boogie Man (with Chick Bullock)
3. Nightmare
4. Game Over (FFX)
5. Daddy Won’t You Please Come Home?
6. You Always Hurt the Ones You Love
7. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out *

* Side Note: The last track is by Bessie Smith, it doesn’t feature on the soundtrack but DOES however in-game – on the Pauper’s Drop loading screen. I had to search tirelessly for the title as it was one of my favorites so if anyone had the same trouble as me it’s track no. 7 ;3

The game’s main features are:

  • The Big Sister – No longer just something to be harvested or not, the Big Sister is the most powerful resident in Rapture.
  • You Are the Big Daddy – Take control with the original prototype Big Daddy, and experience the power and raw strength of Rapture’s most feared denizens as you battle powerful new enemies.
  • New Plasmids – New plasmids such as “Aero Dash” allowing for bursts of speed over short distances, and “Geyser Trap” a stream of water used as a jump pad and electrical conductor, join the ample list of Plasmids from the original game.
  • New Game Mechanics – BioShock 2 contains many new gameplay mechanics. Just a few of these are: the ability to wield plasmids and weapons simultaneously; flashback missions detailing how you became the Big Daddy; the ability to walk outside the airlocks of Rapture to discover new play areas, and many more.
  • New Locations – Just a few of the locations and environments debuting in BioShock 2 are Fontaine Futuristics, headquarters of Fontaine’s business empire and the Kashmir Restaurant.
  • Evolution of the Genetically Enhanced Shooter – Innovative advances bring new depth and dimension to each encounter, allowing players to create exciting combinations to fit their style of gameplay.
  • Return to Rapture – Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the story continues with an epic, more intense journey through one of the most captivating and terrifying fictional worlds ever created.
  • Genetically Enhanced Multiplayer – Earn experience points during gameplay to earn access to new weapons, plasmids and tonics that can be used to create hundreds of different combinations.
  • Experience Rapture’s Civil War – Players will step into the shoes of Rapture’s citizens and take direct part in the civil war that tore Rapture apart. Players are provided with a rich prequel experience that expands the origins of the BioShock fiction, and allows you to play as one of several characters pulled from Rapture’s history before the events of the first game.
  • See Rapture Before the Fall – Experience Rapture before it was reclaimed by the ocean and engage in combat over iconic environments in locations such as Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites, all of which have been reworked from the ground up for multiplayer.
  • As a conclusion let’s see how much fun the game is on a scale from 1 to 10:

    Story

    You’re behind the suit of the very first Big Daddy named Delta. Since ten years have passed, Rapture has gone to hell in a metaphorical hand-basket. It’s a pretty solid carry-on story, I especially liked how they focused on the evolution of Rapture, or rather, its decline. For the story they took the two most mysterious characters from the original game, the Big Daddies and Little Sisters, and give you some insight in how they function and what makes them tick.

    Gameplay

    The gameplay hasn’t changed much since BioShock 1. You still use plasmids, and have Adam & Eve to power those; and the upgrades system works similarly. Although, there is the new game mechanic that gives you the ability to wield plasmids and weapons simultaneously. The giant Big Daddy drill is fantastic, as it cuts through anything in your way like butter, provided it’s a close-combat situation.

    The hacking system has completely changed though and they’ve swapped the tube puzzle for a meter puzzle, while I preferred the original, this provides ample challenge in the gameplay. I was just wasn’t very good at hitting the dial when it passed over the green target zone, you can image how bad I was at the Final Fantasy overdrives. :/

    This time, you can choose to harvest or adopt the Little Sisters you find. And if you save them, they can help you scout out Adam from dead Splicers. Which is really cool, and adds another element to the gameplay and something else to do on top of the linear storyline that you’re playing.

    My only big complaint about the story, which links to story as well, is that it’s just too short! It’s not acceptable!

    Graphics

    I love the graphics in BioShock 2, it just looks so sumptuous in a rundown, derelict kind of way. There are so many small details that give away the evolution of Rapture if you’re willing to look, and that shows a lot of time and attention from the creators to place those things around for you to find.

    The ability to walk outside the airlocks of Rapture, to discover new play areas on the seabed, was boasted as you couldn’t do that in the first one. A was a little disappointed with the environments there actually, it was a little bland and it wasn’t too exciting. — Areas that generally stood out from the game include: the memorial museum, and the Ryan’s amusements park felt like you were walking around a haunted house ride but filled with child-friendly propaganda.

    It’s colorful, and it’s stylized too, which is a breath of fresh air. The graphics are a feast for the eyes, take it all in if you can.

    Audio

    The Score works really well, like in the first game, in creating a very eerie old-style music. Although I have to say I kind of preferred the original musical score. I like this one, but no tracks stood out to me.

    The musical Soundtrack I absolutely adored, I love it. I would’ve liked to hear them make songs of their own, like for advertising the Big Daddy and Little Sister, but I like what they’ve done with picking actual songs from the 30s, 40s and occasionally the 50s, and putting it in the settings. Because Rapture is 10 years behind on the outside world, the music really reflected the old world feel well.

    OVERALL FUN-FACTOR — 8.5

    BioShock 2 had some good and bad points. A lot of the things they boasted, some of them did or didn’t work.

    The bad: The short and bland seabed levels that didn’t add a huge dynamic. Personally I wasn’t a fan of the new hacking system. I’ll say it a 50 billion times: “It WASN’T long enough!” They didn’t have the clown guy doing the “Welcome to the circus of values” bit.

    The good: I like the way they took the story direction. I love the way it looks this time around. There was a lot more to see and do. The gameplay was good and can’t be faulted.

    Overall, I’m going to give it a score of 8.5. It was good and I really enjoyed it, but it was 50/50 on the good/bad points.

    Thanks to the people who are watching, reading and commenting!!! Y’all make me super happy!