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Welcome Back to Rapture
It's been ten years since plane-wrecked Jack first set foot in the ravaged dystopia of Rapture, and there's a new sheriff in town. Her name is Sofia Lamb, and she's all about community. The legacy of Rapture founder Andrew Ryan has all but vanished and a new attempt at Utopia has been instituted -- that of a collective, altruistic order. You take the role of Delta, an early prototype Big Daddy who has just regained consciousness after a long coma, and traverse the hallways in search of a Little Sister who you were paired with from all those years ago.
BioShock 2
Publisher: 2k Games / Developer: 2k Marin / ESRB: Mature / $59.99
For Every Choice, There is an Echo
The storyline in BioShock 2 is more straightforward than its predecessor, though there are some commonalities. You are taken through many different parts of Rapture, mostly by the direction of the mysterious Plasmid proprietor Augustus Sinclair, and assigned tasks to open sealed rooms and gain access to vital items. Some levels are new, others familiar, and you are introduced to a number of new faces.
The question of morality was a big part of the first entry in the BioShock series, and the sequel has only heightened that facet. In the first game, you were an outsider, so the decisions you made were based more on survival. This time, as a derelict Big Daddy, you are a product of your environment. When you are faced with the question of harvesting or rescuing the Little Sisters, the decision is more difficult; the outcome holds more weight. You were built to protect these vampiric little lasses, but you need the Adam to survive the horrors of the place. What should you do? In the now-classic vein of great video game stories, the decisions you make will impact where the plot goes.
People expecting a mind-boggling plot twist like the one in BioShock will be disappointed, but that doesn't mean that the story isn't good. It is great, in fact, and at many points, is told more coherently than before. It is still emotionally gripping, but the awe-struck feelings you got when you were called to Andrew Ryan's office all those years ago will not be replicated now, if they ever actually are.
But there are some shortcomings in the experience, and they have to do with the pacing of the game. Most people will probably be reluctant to give the game genuine reverence at the beginning, because the story does feel a little too familiar. But this feeling is totally dashed about a third of the way through the game, where the action picks up and the story becomes very intriguing. A short sag in plot happens again about halfway through, but the last three acts (about four-and-a-half hours of gameplay) are remarkably thrilling.
Somewhere, Beyond the Sea
Rapture is, in my mind, among the best settings in video game history. So it was much to my delight when I heard that we would be returning to the underwater sprawl. And once again, the developers have been able to make an engrossing, believable environment for gamers to enjoy. Much of the atmosphere in BioShock 2 will be familiar to fans of the original: the bold, brightly accentuated art deco architecture, the flickering lights and blood smeared linoleum, the jazz hits of the 1950s emitting from old speakers. They are all still there, but the setting doesn't feel antiquated or boring -- it is a place that you know, just with a different twist. The ten years of decay have taken their toll.The storyline in BioShock 2 is more straightforward than its predecessor, though there are some commonalities. You are taken through many different parts of Rapture, mostly by the direction of the mysterious Plasmid proprietor Augustus Sinclair, and assigned tasks to open sealed rooms and gain access to vital items. Some levels are new, others familiar, and you are introduced to a number of new faces.
The question of morality was a big part of the first entry in the BioShock series, and the sequel has only heightened that facet. In the first game, you were an outsider, so the decisions you made were based more on survival. This time, as a derelict Big Daddy, you are a product of your environment. When you are faced with the question of harvesting or rescuing the Little Sisters, the decision is more difficult; the outcome holds more weight. You were built to protect these vampiric little lasses, but you need the Adam to survive the horrors of the place. What should you do? In the now-classic vein of great video game stories, the decisions you make will impact where the plot goes.
People expecting a mind-boggling plot twist like the one in BioShock will be disappointed, but that doesn't mean that the story isn't good. It is great, in fact, and at many points, is told more coherently than before. It is still emotionally gripping, but the awe-struck feelings you got when you were called to Andrew Ryan's office all those years ago will not be replicated now, if they ever actually are.
But there are some shortcomings in the experience, and they have to do with the pacing of the game. Most people will probably be reluctant to give the game genuine reverence at the beginning, because the story does feel a little too familiar. But this feeling is totally dashed about a third of the way through the game, where the action picks up and the story becomes very intriguing. A short sag in plot happens again about halfway through, but the last three acts (about four-and-a-half hours of gameplay) are remarkably thrilling.
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Somewhere, Beyond the Sea
The sound design has to be one of the finest achievements of this game -- especially the beautiful orchestration (like the dramatic recurring cello theme), and sharp sound effects. At one point during the game, you get to see Rapture from outside the walls and the symphony of music saturates the scene. It feels extremely epic. The sixty-piece orchestra used to record these tracks has left its impression. Also, and much like the first game, the story is told largely through audio recordings and radio transmissions that the player finds. The voice-acting in this game is phenomenal, a trademark now of the BioShock franchise, and the actors really give life to the characters that Delta meets throughout his adventure.
The gameplay, though, gives all the life to Delta. This is where BioShock 2 really succeeds. You can now dual-wield a gun and a Plasmid, an ability that was absent before, and it makes both more useful. Before, I used the Plasmid first, and then finished everything off with my gun. Now, they are used simultaneously, and to greater effect. A room full of Splicers could be adorned with fire and electricity as the enemies shout and bat away swarms of bees while you, Delta, are able to flank and attack with rivets or a machine gun (now with an iron-sights zoom). The drill is also a wonderfully satisfying addition to the arsenal. Unfortunately, though, the weapon/Plasmid selection has been only upgraded minutely -- expect to see mostly what you saw before, just used more effectively.
One cool new aspect of the game is the hacking system. Before, you basically played Pipe Dream on various difficulties depending on what you were trying to hack. This time around, the hacking takes place in real time, so you can't escape the onslaught of Splicers by clicking X on a vending machine. You have to do it strategically, and this is a welcome upgrade of the previous mechanics.
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Utopia is Not a Place. It is a People...
The enemies in BioShock 2 are a mixture of old and new. The Splicers -- from Leadhead to Spider to Houdini -- are back. But many of them look much different from before. The game does a great job of showing what the ten years of drug abuse has done to the people of the city. The Spider Splicers, for instance, are now long-limbed, more adept at climbing and moving with agility. All of the Splicers have become more mangled and their insanity has totally peaked.
When it was revealed that BioShock 2 was going to feature a Big Daddy as the protagonist, I was a little concerned that I would find myself bashing through the enemies with no abandon, no challenge. Obviously this was on someone else's mind at the time, because the team at 2k has introduced a couple of new challenges to go along with the existing crazies. The first is the Brute, a giant, cagey steroid junkie who is pissed off and can absorb a lot of damage. The Big Daddys in the game are also different. A few new breeds employ a few new weapons to take you out. And if you shoot at them, they will explode into a bout of frenetic anger. Lastly, there is Big Sister. She is essentially a fleet-footed, more aggressive Big Daddy that attacks you throughout the game. And her scream is really, really stress-inducing. The Delta Big Daddy isn't the king of the playground anymore.
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The Multiplayer
The multiplayer mode of BioShock 2 is a fun new addition to the game. It is based off of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare system and runs in much the same way. Set pre-Rapture Civil war, you embody Plasmid test subjects in the battle arenas. You unlock certain abilities/weapons as you gain levels and the characters become more customizable as you progress. It only offers about half a dozen game modes -- from a free-for-all to a capture the flag -- but the experience is quite entertaining. Never will this multiplayer be on the same level as Halo 3 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but for a first try, it is pretty good and will probably hold a small cult following for a while.
Conclusion
Everyone who played the first BioShock had very high hopes for this game. If it wasn't a sequel, it is sure that this game would have garnered universal acclaim, but the fact of the matter is that it is a follow-up to one of the finest games in console history. With that considered, and with the employment of great gameplay, a number of welcome upgrades, and a strong, excellently told narrative, BioShock 2 is able to stand on its own right as a premier example of game-making at its finest. A Game of the Year nominee, for certain.
The Official Verdict: 4.5 out of 5
Tags: BioShock 2, Review
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