BioShock 2
Review
Be a Big Daddy
by Stefanie Fogel
reviewed on X360
Delta Force (cntd)
The different ammo types are back, along with the Power to the People stations that allow you to upgrade your weapons. Upgrading has been slightly tweaked this time around, with each weapon gaining a different ability once it has been fully upgraded. Choosing to fully upgrade the drill, for example, will allow you to deflect bullets while it is spinning. Plasmids – BioShock's version of superpowers – are also back and you can now use them alongside your weapons, instead of switching between the two. Many of the old favorites return, but many of them also feel a bit useless. I found myself relying on only two or three plasmids throughout the entire game. The developers have done away with the crafting system and the hacking mini-game. Hacking cameras and turrets now takes place in real time. So does the research camera, which now functions like a video recorder. These are all welcome changes that make combat a more streamlined and fast-paced experience.
Big Sisters
Nowhere is combat more chaotic in BioShock 2 than during its many gathering skirmishes. As a Big Daddy, you can now adopt Little Sisters and put them to work for you. Holding down the X button sends out a breadcrumb trail that leads you to an ADAM-filled corpse. But, once you set the girl down to gather the ADAM, you're attacked by a small horde of splicers looking for a fix. Making use of your surroundings - oil slicks, pools of water, hacked security cameras and turrets, etc. - and your various plasmids and ammunition are the best ways to weather these mini sieges. Or, you can skip them entirely, choosing instead to simply rescue or harvest your Little Sister. But doing so will cost you ADAM, and upgrades, needed to survive your watery adventure.
Like the combat, BioShock 2's morality system has also undergone a face lift. Little Sisters aren't the only ones you choose to kill or save, and your choices have a greater impact on the game's storyline and ending. As a Big Daddy, deciding to harvest a Little Sister feels even more reprehensible than it did in the first game as Jack, making the decision – and its subsequent consequences – that much more powerful.
Disturbing the Little Sisters as they do their gruesome work comes with a new risk: encountering a Big Sister. These skinny, metallic speed demons don't like you messing with their little siblings. They use plasmids to set you on fire and telekinetically throw chunks of Rapture at you. You can't get a good shot as they hop around like bunnies on crack, and then they will get in your face and chin you with the giant, scary needle on their arm. A Big Sister makes quick work of you if you let her, and fighting one is a thrilling, heart-pounding endeavor… up until the moment you realize that A) they can be killed and B) their appearances are mostly predictable. They lose some of their bogey(wo)men appeal after that. It would have been better if 2K Marin had chosen to make one Big Sister, one relentless opponent to struggle against throughout the game, instead of making many.
Multiplayer
For the record, I'm firmly a member of the "BioShock doesn't need multiplayer" camp. Its single player experience is really the main attraction, and the reason why most people will pick up the game. That said, BioShock 2's multiplayer mode is entertaining. The story elements and leveling structure - where you unlock more weapons, plasmids, and tonics as you progress - will keep players interested, at least for a little while. Capture the Sister is probably the standout among the different matches and getting to put on the Big Daddy suit once in a while can be a blast. BioShock 2's multiplayer probably won't win over the Modern Warfare 2 or Left 4 Dead crowd, but it will extend the replay value of the game for those willing to give it a chance.
Enjoyable experience
Creating a sequel to an iconic game such as BioShock was always going to be a challenge to developers. With expectations and hype surrounding it being so high, you can't help but feel a slight twinge of disappointment over what the game could have been. But, if taken on its own merits – improved combat, a solid multiplayer mode, and one of the most atmospheric and interesting settings ever created in a video game – BioShock 2 is an enjoyable experience and one that fans of the original will want to spend some time under the sea with.
8.5
fun score
Pros
Improved combat; excellent sound; Rapture is still one of the most interesting settings ever made...
Cons
... but the mystery and fear are gone; story and multiplayer feel slightly tacked on
