Bioshock 2 Review
Gameplay: 4/5
Although not a huge jump from it's predecessor the gameplay is still great. Gun play feels nice and tight. One of the biggest additions to your weaponry arsenal is the drill. Drill is pretty much the equivalent to the wrench in the first game but better. You might not feel that way in the beginning but later on in the game you'll be able to collect tonics to where you could play a whole entire area using just the drill.
Playing as a big daddy gameplay wise wasn't to different when it came to combat. You have you certain amount of weapons you find and upgrade. There are different weapons in Bioshock 2 but they all have the same functions as the last Bioshock weapons.
With addition to two new enemies and another type of Big Daddy, your journey will be much more challenging. The main addition is the Big Sister. If you thought the Big Daddies were hard, Big Sisters are like Big Daddies on speed.
The hacking mini game I do enjoy better in this installment. One thing that kept me on my toes was whenever you are hacking anything it's all in real time and you can get attacked during the process. To make things interesting you have a hacking to that hacks at a distance. One example they give you from the start is if there is a turret and a splicer trying to work on it, your able to hack it from a distance without attracting the splicer and get the turret to start tarring the guy up. This is a great addition to your equipment.
I loved everything I was able to do in the game for the most part. There are still some things that bugged me at times but nothing to serious to kill the game. Minor glitches with the fact that the switching inventory is still clunky still exist. With not to many changes to function and design Bioshock 2 is still enjoyable and fun to play. This is the thinking mans first person shooter for the most part but Bioshock 2 has a more aggressive stance than its predecessor.
Story: 5/5
Once again Bioshock sucks you into it's world. When I heard when you where going to be playing as a Big Daddy I was a little worried about the story and it's relation to the first game. Now that I finally played it and beat it I have a much more positive output.
One of the biggest impacts in Bioshock 2 is the relationship with the main character and the character Elanor. The main goal for your character from beginning to end is to rescue Elanor. Along your journey you'll run into interesting characters in each section you come across. Although none of the major characters you come across in the game are bosses, you have the choice to either kill or spare their lives.
One thing that they took out from the exploration of Bioshock was that there was no way to get back to previous places. Once you reach a new area, you can not go back.
For aside of the main story you still have the well know audio diaries in the game. This gives you a back story which provides plenty to know about the areas and people in rapture. The audio diaries also gives you another way to get closer to most characters.
As in the first game you still have a choice to save or harvest little sisters. One thing your able to do now though is that you can adopt a little sister now before you make your choices, if you want to. If adopting a little sitter you can help her collect Adam. When getting to the Adam filled corps you'll have to active a sequence in which the little sister is collecting the Adam and waves of splicers start attacking. This is where setting up traps and bringing up a game plan is worth the time. If you do decide to help out the little sisters you will be able to get a heck of a lot more Adam. Just remember, the choice you make after helping the little sister still effects the ending.
From what I witness Bioshock 2 does have a really emotional story. If you really let yourself get lost into the story by the end you will be filled with emotions that only a few other games can give you. If you rush and speed run Bioshock 2 your just not playing the game they way it should be. The slower you take in the game the more you'll get out of it.
Graphics: 4/5
Compared to it's predecessor Bioshock 2 isn't a huge improvement. Quiet so that maybe there was no graphical. This wasn't a problem though do to Bioshocks great artistic design.
The world in Bioshock is deep in history. Since five years has past since the first game rapture is in the shitters. The sea is reclaiming rapture slowly and it showers. With a rusty, more mill dewy look Bioshock 2 does have a darker atmosphere.
Splicer designs have changed but not by much. Everyone does seem more spliced up and mentally screwed up. Animations are smooth and solid. The only thing that bugs me at times is texture popping and some that just seemed unfinished. Overall though Bioshock 2 is a beautiful game.
Sound: 5/5
Soundtrack in Bioshock 2 is outstanding and worth the praise. The music gives this emotion to the store in which compliments the tone of the game. When things get rough and frightening the music will let you know.
Since audio diaries are a huge part of the game, dialog was a big part as well. Voice acting in the game is excellent and well executed and the emotions that each character brought out was superb.
The gun and plasmid sounds are very Iconic and sounds from the first game come back to play their part like vending machines.
Sound is another strong part in the game and it delivers real well. There is a couple glitches that deals with music looping over and over again but for me I never ran into it.
Multiplayer: 3/5
Sadly I wasn't able to play a large amount of it but I got the basic feel and lifeline of Bioshock's multiplayer. From what I played multiplayer was entertaining. It's a great way to keep people playing right after finishing the single-player.
First thing your able to do in multiplayer is choose your character. From there you choose your load out in where you choose your assorted weapons and plasmids. You have a choose of traditional multiplayer match types like deathmatch and team deathmatch but you also have modes like capture the little sister which is like a suite up version of capture the flag.
During matches your able to set up traps like hacking turrets and vending machines. What makes Bioshock multiplayer stand out more than other games is that it brings in most of the element from single player to the multiplayer. But sadly I don't see Bioshock 2 multiplayer lasting to long. It has this feel in which only Bioshock 2 die hard fans will only be playing after a year. It's fun but not long lasting.
Overall: 4/5
This was definitely a surprise for the most part. All the things I was worried about didn't come true and Bioshock 2 curb stomped it. Story was very well written and presented to the player. With gameplay and sound complimenting each other perfectly it leaves you feeling sucked into the universe of Bioshock.
Although Bioshock 2 isn't a huge jump in graphics it still has it's artistic charms and looks. Although multiplayer isn't strong and just feels like an add on Bioshock 2 is still worth every penny and worth the buy. I recommend a strong buy for anyone looking for a great story and a great gameplay experience.
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