Bioshock 2 (Xbox 360) Review

Posted by Michael Weyer on 03.22.2010

The return to Rapture may not be as stunning as the first trip but the new battle abilities and improved AI make it a fantastic shooter all the same.


　
Title: Bioshock 2
Publisher: 2K Games
Type: Action/RPG
Rated: M for Mature
Players: 1

Making a sequel to a hit video game is always tricky. When the game in question was the 2007 Game of the Year that offered one of the most original gaming experiences ever and didn’t seem to leave much sequel room, you can see the challenge. But 2K Games is wiling to take that challenge on with Bioshock 2 and, for the most part, they do manage to live up to the first game’s great reputation. The game does lack the stunning originality of its predecessor as it can feel a bit too familiar. However, that can actually aid the gamers in some places as the twists on the old formula lead to fun new combat. Aiding it is the game boasts what remains one of the best settings imaginable and a mix of powers and firepower that leads to one amazing gaming experience.
　

Gameplay

I’ll do my best to keep SPOILERS to a minimum, both for the original Bioshock and the sequel. The first game had you as the survivor of a plane crash who manages to enter Rapture, a fantastic underwater city created by eccentric billionaire Andrew Ryan. It was intended to be a Utopia, safe from the corruption of the surface. But like all would-be utopians, Ryan underestimated how quickly the human spirit could be corrupted. His idea to allow people to use ADAM DNA to create “plasmids” to give them special powers (ranging from telekinesis to pyrokinetic) backfired as the populace got addicted to them, mutating into the insane Splicers. Rapture was in ruins, populated by both Splicers and Little Sisters, little girls who held the ADAM DNA within them, each protected by the hulking robotic Big Daddies.

That’s all I’ll say about the first game as the joy of the storyline is too much to spoil. The sequel opens up with what looks like the fateful New Year’s Day 1958 when everything went to hell for the city. The opening shows you as the original “Big Daddy,” trying to save your Little Sister charge but ending up forced to shoot yourself. Ten years later, you wake up in the suit to see Rapture in ruins. It seems in the wake of Ryan, Sophia Lamb has taken control of the city, presenting a more altruistic philosophy that doesn’t quite jibe with her murderous actions. She has turned the Splicers into the Family, a cult that will follow her commands and are a lot tougher than in the first game. You’re contacted by Brigid Tenebaum, a scientist who says that the Little Sister you’re supposed to protect happens to be Lamb’s daughter, Eleanor. You’re now on the hunt to find Eleanor, taking on Splicers and other Big Daddies, along with the much deadlier Big Sisters.

The game’s strength is also its weakness, which is its familiarity. The key to the first game’s success was discovering the amazing world of Rapture. I still remember the thrill during that first bathysphere ride and witnessing the sprawling underwater metropolis with whales and fish swimming past buildings. Then, the true terror when the Splicers first arrived and then discovering the powers of plasmids among others. And of course, the way you slowly learned how Rapture turned into this hellhole. The sequel can’t match that feeling of discovery as it seems a bit old-hat. Sure, you get new areas like train stations and an amusement park but it’s not the same amazing sense of awe you got with the first game. You also are back to the old things like searching corpses for health packs, money and other items and listening to audio tapes that detail more about the background of the city and how things got so bad.

However, that familiarity also helps with the gameplay as you’re used to things like the plasmids and using weapons. There isn’t much change in gameplay but that’s because there really weren’t that many flaws to the first game so it’s not like you have to improve much. Being a Big Daddy makes you stronger but not invincible so you have to be careful making your way through the city. But you do have some great combat skills. Your main weapon at first is a massive drill which can cut through obstructions and is pretty nifty ramming it into Splicers. You soon acquire a rail gun to fire nails that’s also a good weapon. You also can have good stuff like the ability to fire “traps” to cut off Splicers and can upgrade to machine gun, shotgun, rocket launcher and spear gun. The Plasmids are mostly the same as you can utilize electricity, fire, ice and TK but you get cool new powers like calling a swarm of insects or being able to “scout” around corners to get a sense who’s lying in wait. Best yet, you’re able to use the plasmids along with your gun at the same time, leading to smoother fighting and the ability to create some awesome combo moves (like holding up a gas canister with TK, firing at it and hurling it forward to create a big explosion).




You’ll need all those skills because the enemies here are pretty deadly. The enemy AI is a big improvement over the first game as no longer do Splicers hang back waiting for you to take shots but charge in and often attack in great numbers with new folks like the powerful Brutes. The other Big Daddies are still the tough bastards from the first game and come in a variety of styles so you have to figure the best method to weaken them. The worse are the Big Sisters, who are much quicker and deadlier than the Daddies, able to jump about and strike hard, making their fights truly brutal. There are also security cameras that can call bots but you have a good tool for taking them down: A hacker dart which allows you to fire and take control of them from a distance, turning them to your side.

On that, the hacking has been changed from the confusing “pipe game” to a meter that pops up on screen with you needing to hit the button right when it’s in the green (hitting it in blue can get you benefits like more health or such). This feels a lot more organic and doesn’t yank you out of the game as the first time. Also, you no longer have those goofy “photography” missions that felt tacked on in the first game. This one is all about the action experience and in that, it does succeed. When you go fighting a dozen Splicers wielding gun and plasmids, it’s a true rush even more exhilarating than the first game was.

The story is a bit weaker this time around. The concept of Lamb taking over for Ryan with her own philosophy of a cult over the individual is sound but the search for Eleanor lacks the pressured escape of the first game. Watching the clashes of Lamb basically taking down all Ryan stood for are fun but seem more distracting than the smoother story from before. You don’t get anything close to the stunning plot twist of the first game and it really does feel like they were just trying to string a story to justify a sequel rather than a true intricate building on the storyline from before. You do get the choices of whether or not to help certain people or harvest Little Sisters for their ADAM which all leads to one of four different endings ranging from happy and bright to a bit more subdued to downright horror. That does make the experience more interesting and adds to reliability but just doesn’t give you the same sense of wonder and immersion into the story as before. In that first game, you truly felt like you were the main character roving these halls and putting up with the challenges. This time around, the Big Daddy doesn’t connect as well and the experience isn’t as organic as it could be.




The story may be weaker but the visuals definitely are not. Once more, you have the choice from the start to make the screen brighter or darker which enhances the mood of the story. Sure, making it darker gives you a foreboding air but you’d miss some of the wonderfully done details of Rapture. Again, it may seem familiar to wander through hallways in ruins with water all around but there’s new touches like the various graffiti painted on walls that gives clues to the storyline (“Fallen is Babylon”), a wall of “remembrance” of dead people and the bright and cheery messages Eleanor leaves you stand out greatly in the dark settings . At several points, you have the great option of being able to walk on the ocean floor in your suit and the sequences of Rapture underwater are truly beautiful. The Splicers also look even more terrifying than before, particularly when you get to the more mutated forms while the Big Sisters are truly terrifying.

The big touch of the second game is the addition of multiplayer as you take part in a series of battles set during the civil war in Rapture. These range from all-out fights to “defend the flag” style missions, typical multiplayer action. It works pretty well overall and dealing out destruction in the world of Rapture is a cool idea, especially as you can see some areas from the game in more pristine condition. Still, it feels a bit odd seeing as how the game itself is just such
a wonderful experience that adding multiplayer feels a bit much.

Despite the weaker storyline, Bioshock 2 more than lives up to its predecessor in terms of pushing the boundaries of what a shooter can be. Between the improved AI, better enemies and improvements on touches like hacking, the game proves that you may not be able to build on perfection but you can certainly follow it.
　

Graphics

As with the first game, the presentation is stunning. Rapture truly feels like a real city, the detail utterly incredible. The sparks of broken wires, the reflections in the puddle of waters, the shadows falling from both you and enemies, the way light shines bright and somber, it all feels incredibly real. The addition of the Big Daddy helmet gives a more unique view which can help but also rob some peripheral stuff that makes it more unique. There are a few lags here and there with the Xbox although interestingly, it’s more when walking as the combat scenes are smooth and streamlined and you can see the sparks of every bullet flying around and flames from explosions. The detail keeps with enemies, as you can see the rivets in Big Daddy suits as well as the rumbled clothes of Splicers. From top to bottom, the graphics make Rapture feel as real as any city and that is the major key to the game’s success.
　

Sound

The sound again is top notch from the subtle echoing of breathing of your Big Daddy to the echoes of footsteps, water and electricity in the ruined city. You can hear clearly Splicers speaking from far off and the various sounds of your weapons and plasmids come in clear as day and in various wild styles. The music is brief but also adds as you hear 1940’s style tunes playing in the background of battles, adding a crazy air to things. The audio tapes are just the same with the crackling and realistic scratches so the voice work all comes off wonderfully and adds to the game’s flavor. All together, it’s a brilliant sound mix that makes the game so alive.



　

Lasting Appeal

The main story can take you 10-12 hours depending on how much of Rapture you wish to explore. As noted, there are various choices you can make which leads to one of four different endings. This automatically means you’d want to replay the game again a few times to get those different endings. A key to replaying the first game was that after the stunning plot twist, you wanted to replay the game again to see the clues laid out. The sequel lacks that touch but it is intriguing going over the story again once you have more background information and doing your best to improve your gameplay this time around.


　

Fun Factor

The game is just as enthralling as its predecessor as the time playing with fly right by before you realize it. Being able to mix guns and plasmids together is a terrific touch that makes the battles even cooler. The story may not be as engrossing but still fascinating seeing how this utopia collapsed and the changes from the first game. Overall, it’s a stunning experience in both game play and art direction that is thrilling and entertaining in ways few games out there can match.


The 411

Maybe the game doesn't live up to the promise fans had for it but it still produces one of the best shooters around. The twists on the first game's formuela are good, making some nice improvements and if it does feel a bit too familiar, you still get to use new weapons and powers and improved enemies for more challenges. In the end, just as with the first game, Bioshock 2 offers an utterly amazing trip through a fantastic cityscape that'll pull gamers in with ease and keep them coming back for more.

Graphics	9.5	Fantastic detail enhances the mood, letting you truly feel this is a real cityscape you're going through.
Gameplay	9.0	The story may not be as thrilling but the great weapons and powers and new tricks give the familiarity a boost.
Sound	9.5	Great from FX to voices and even background sounds seem perfectly real and natural, giving the experience more realism.
Lasting Appeal	8.0	The different endings can lead to different choices and ways to play as you also want to explore new facets of the plot.
Fun Factor	9.5	Whether blowing away Splicers or enjoying the nuances of the city and its history, you can't help but get sucked into a wild ride that'll keep you playing for hours.
Overall	9.2   [  Amazing ]

Screenshots
All 11 Bioshock 2 Screenshots