Review: Bioshock 2
I was not wholly on board with a sequel to Bioshock. That game was, to me and almost all active members of the gaming community, a very finite and self-contained gem. A sequel did indeed seem like a cash-in on a lucrative property. It very well could have ended up that way, but thankfully it did not.
I am a fan of a lot of what the original Bioshock had to offer. Being a filmmaker, I appreciated the cinematic storytelling and originality of setting. It is a game that firmly puts you in a time and place, and does so wonderfully. But after playing through Bioshock 2, I feel like I've fallen in love again, so much so that I prefer this successor to the original in every way.
The city of Rapture is like a fine wine, it gets better with age. I felt refreshed jumping into the drippy weirdness of the underwater metropolis once again. Everything is seemingly just as you left it. It was interesting seeing different sections of the city, particularly from the outside. However, this is the one area of the game I wish maybe they had gone a different direction and shown some drastically different areas of the city, but that is neither here nor there.
The gameplay and forward momentum of the story this time around is so focused. The game is constantly presenting you with new characters and mechanics, I was enthralled the whole way through. The combat feels familiar yet fresh. I, for one, enjoyed the visceral brutality of the drill as it dug into my enemies. Duel-wielding the Plasmids felt like a no-brainer and was a joy to implement.
Bioshock 2, along with it's predecessor, benefits from some of the best voice acting I've encountered in a game. I fully bought these characters. I'm excited to find myself becoming emotionally invested in video game characters. Looking at this series, the Mass Effect series, and apparently Heavy Rain, it's an exciting time for lovers of great, gripping storytelling. It seems as though developers have finally begun to crack that code of deriving real emotion from players. I was surprised at myself when I felt a little choked up at the end, and I realized it was because I actual cared for one of the characters in particular so much.
In addition to one of the more solid single-player experiences I've encountered in a long time, Bioshock 2 shockingly has an interesting multiplayer component. It is fun to run around in the world of Rapture, firing plasmids and using the 1950's weapons on each other. The level-progression system will keep people coming back for more. And while it will certainly not garner the popularity afforded Modern Warfare 2, I think it will hold up for some time down the road. A slight downside note to the multiplayer; in my experience with it, I found it it be a bit jittery and laggy. It does seem like it could use a few touch-ups, and I'm sure they will be addressed in future updates.
Overall, I cannot recommend Bioshock 2 enough. You do need to play the first game to fully enjoy it, but if you have, you're going to love what it has to offer you.
PROS
- Well-written, gripping story and characters and setting.
- Satisfying gameplay, greatly improved over the first game.
CONS
- Multiplayer is fun, but needs some technical fixes.
Final Score: 5 out of 5 stars.
BUY -or- RENT:
BUY: You'll want to come back for more, and the multiplayer is a worthwhile online experience.
