Video Game Review: Dive Into Wildly Entertaining ‘Bioshock 2’

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CHICAGO – It’s time to dive back into the world of Rapture, the setting of one of the most anticipated releases of 2010, “Bioshock 2,” the sequel to 2007’s game of the year. Wildly entertaining without being particularly groundbreaking, “Bioshock 2” could be considered a slight disappointment when compared to the first game, but then again so could most titles.

HollywoodChicago.com Video Game Rating: 4.0/5.0
Video Game Rating: 4.0/5.0

2007’s “Bioshock” is easily one of the most beloved games of the last decade, a title that reinvented the modern shooter at a time when it was getting pretty stale. “Bioshock” was an expertly designed game that realized that the emphasis need not always be on more firepower. The elements often left underdeveloped in shooters - storytelling, atmosphere, environment, strategy - were as equally developed as the “really big guns”. The game is an undeniable masterpiece that should be played by everyone with a next-gen console.

Bioshock 2
Bioshock 2
Photo credit: 2K Games

Naturally, a sequel to a game of the year comes with a lot of baggage and the long delays in the production and release of “Bioshock 2” didn’t help wary expectations. Early footage and stills from “Bioshock 2” made it clear that 2K Marin wasn’t going to go too far afield of what worked about the first game. In fact, the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy employed after the original game’s writer left the project has led to a title that often feels overly familiar. It’s impossible not to wish that the developers had tried something a little different instead of something that a few message board denizens have called “Bioshock DLC”.

Bioshock 2
Bioshock 2
Photo credit: 2K Games

As has been widely reported, the player takes on the role of one of the most definable enemies from the first game: the Big Daddy. And here’s the game’s first and arguably most notable flaw. In the first game, Big Daddies were a pain in the ass, enemies that took strategy and time to defeat. In the second game, you might as well be the human lead from the first title as that’s how similar it feels. You not only develop most of the same tools through Plasmids and Gene Tonics but your armor feels completely useless. Shouldn’t Big Daddies be able to take down the Splicers with a wave of their arm? Apparently not.

Once you get over the fact that it doesn’t feel nearly as cool to be a Big Daddy as you might have dreamed it would, you will progress through the city of Rapture on a quest to find your Little Sister, the girl to whom you are forever linked. It turns out you have a tragic history with this girl and her twisted mother. Along the way, you will encounter Splicers, Big Daddies, and the much-anticipated Big Sisters, more agile Big Daddies that were once conceived as a bigger enemy but have kind of been reduced to a supporting role.

Throughout the game, you’ll get access to and choice of Plasmids to use in conjunction with your improving weaponry. The gameplay of “Bioshock 2” is still incredibly intuitive. With your left hand (L2), you shoot a Plasmid (which could be anything from a bolt of electricity to a swarm of insects) and, with your right hand (R2), you unload your rivet gun, rocket launcher, etc. As you progress, you will find new weapons and Plasmids and be given opportunities to upgrade both along with choosing the right Gene Tonics to improve your skills.

Bioshock 2
Bioshock 2
Photo credit: 2K Games

Weapon strategy is a major portion of “Bioshock 2”. Different Plasmids and weapons work more efficiently on different enemies (personally, I became a huge fan of Incinerate and, believe it or not, the speedy Rivet Gun) and weapons even have different ammo types. For example, you will find standard rivets, heavy rivets, and trap rivets, and quickly learn when to use each. The myriad combinations of Plasmids and firepower makes for a title that stays diverse and very effectively avoids the most deadly pitfall of shooters: repetition. If you’re bored with the same old Splicer battle, try a different weapon or explore a new Plasmid.

Once again, the environment plays a major role in the experience. Not only do you have to explore every corner of Rapture to find all the little secrets of the game but you can once again use much of the environment to your tactical advantage, hurling items with your Telekinesis Plasmid or frying Splicers who happen to stand too close to the dripping water. On a graphics level, Rapture is a gloriously detailed place that has lost a bit of its power simply due to being so similar to the first game but still looks remarkable.

As in the first game, moral decisions will play roles large and small. There are major plot turns where you’ll be asked to spare a life or take one in conjunction with the return of the Little Sisters. When you kill an enemy Big Daddy, you can take their Little Sister and then harvest them immediately or they can lead you to Adam, the life force of Rapture that’s hidden in corpses. As they suck the Adam from corpses, Splicers will come from every direction. Lay down traps, hack turrets to help you, introduce them to your proximity mines; just make sure you plan in advance or you and your poor girl are going down. The tactical strategy required in these sections of the game is one of the most rewarding new touches.

Bioshock 2
Bioshock 2
Photo credit: 2K Games

And one of the few. To be blunt, “Bioshock 2” feels enough like a repeat that it’s going to upset some players looking for a brave new section of the world of Rapture. It’s understandable that the developers of one of the most acclaimed games of all time were wary to stray too far from the path that took them to success in the first instance but it is a bit disappointing.

But only by comparison. The fact is that “Bioshock 2” fails in comparison to its first title, but so do a vast majority of the games released since 2007. When compared to other titles and simply on its own terms, “Bioshock 2” is wildly, amazingly enjoyable experience. Rarely have I been so riveted to the final three to four hours of a game that I allowed it to carry me into the wee hours of the night like what happened with “Bioshock 2”. Basically, about halfway through the roughly 12-hour game you will not be able to stop playing. It’s that addictive as you become more and more powerful, taking down Big Daddies in a matter of seconds. The end is, of course, different based on the moral decisions made throughout the game, but the final level is a bit of a let-down, not the actual moments that end the title but the final battle, which is basically more of the same enemy assault.

Arguably the biggest new addition in the world of Rapture is the inclusion of multi-player, an addition with mixed results. It’s pretty cool to bring games like “Survival of the Fittest” to a world with Plasmids but it seems underdeveloped. The map designs are a little off as are the abilities and the leveling up mechanics. The draw of the title is clearly still the single-player experience.

Ultimately, “Bioshock 2” is not the revolutionary step forward that many of us expected, it’s just a damn fun game. The developers were gun shy about changing what worked about their legendary first game and so they produced a by-the-numbers sequel. We can all hope that they step a bit outside the box for the inevitable “Bioshock 3,” but that doesn’t make this experience any less enjoyable.

Before you go, check out this awesome trailer of the gameplay in my favorite section of the title - Siren’s Alley:

‘Bioshock 2’ was released by 2K Games and developed by 2K Marin, 2K Australia, and Digital Extremes. It is rated M (Mature). The version reviewed was for the PS3, but the title is also available for the XBox 360 and PC. It was released on February 9th, 2010.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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