Bioshock 2

10 Review to this product

• 

  Samer A
  February 11th, 2010 on 9:09 am

  Rating

  I have been waiting for Bioshock 2 to come out ever since they leaked that it was in production. I absolutely loved the first game–and was hoping the second would deliver a similar experience.

  As other reviewers have pointed out, it is essentially the same. I just don’t really see why that’s the worst thing ever. Look at the Call of Duty series–They are all essentially the same, fast paced shooters with the same mechanics but different settings or stories. It’s basically the old saying “don’t fix what ain’t broke”…and I really don’t see Bioshock as “broken.”

  Similar to the 1st Bioshock, the atmosphere they create is incredibly engaging and really draws you into the environment. It’s basically the same creepy dystopia that Bioshock 1 was based in. The sounds are excellent, the graphics are on par with the 1st (which are pretty good) and the mechanics are pretty much the same as well.

  What I still love about this game, as I did in the 1st one, is that they really work to make sure you feel like you are exploring a city, and not just a series of hallways that have differently arranged pots and plants. I highly recommend taking the time to traverse every inch of what is available, because they put in a lot of effort with details. I love the graffiti, the diaries you pick up (and I do recommend you listen to every one) and I love the general feeling of being deep under the ocean. As I said before, they really did the same excellent job of immersing you in the environment and making you feel like you are the character.

  From what I have played of the story so far, I like. It has me drawn in and eager to find out more. You play as one of the “Big daddys” in this game, which is interesting. It’s the same type of struggle and gameplay though, which is that most of your time killing baddies will be those crazed, tweaked people who come at you with guns and wrenches, etc.

  You also still have access to the genetic powers yourself and for better or worse, you have access to those vita chambers that restart you near by, which kinda trivializes strategy in some fights.

  Other than those real minor issues I take with the game, I will still happily award this game 5 stars and play it and love it. If you liked Bioshock 1, and have the money to buy this one, I don’t think you will be disappointed at all. Think of it as another installment in the game franchise (surely there will be more to come), instead of some revolutionary new game, and you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more.
• 

  Kevin
  February 27th, 2010 on 4:32 pm

  Rating

  Initially, I wasn’t wowed by Bioshock 2 as I was by the introduction of Bioshock. Bioshock certainly makes a much better first impression with the awe-inspiring descent into Rapture, and introduction to the objectivist ideals that underlie the city. And as the game progressed, I was surprised to find that the graphics of Bioshock 2 are actually a bit worse in some regards. Character models somehow don’t look as detailed when scrutinized by zooming in with the sniping weapon (the speargun or in Bioshock, the crossbow).

  Also, the integration of the story within each location is generally less seamless and interesting than it was in Bioshock. Fort Frolic, for example, was a mall district of the original game that was teeming with amazing details and landmarks, and was presided over by a character who commented on your actions, and felt directly involved in the plot. The atrium, with the staircase covered in water leaking in from the cracked ceiling, and a spotlight that inexplicably follows your every move, was a great centerpiece of the action in the level. And the objectives, which required you to terminate and photograph Sander Cohen’s disciples, were appropriately disturbing. The area was a high mark in Bioshock that Bioshock 2 never matches.

  The narrative of Bioshock is also more interesting overall, since it contains so much exposition about the foundation of Rapture, and its decline. The story of Bioshock 2 is not always as thought provoking and novel as Bioshock, partially because Bioshock was so successful in developing a credible world. The plot in this sequel revolves around a devious psychiatrist, Sofia Lamb, who creates a collectivist society within Rapture, intending to forge a truly selfless human through DNA splicing, and has little girls from the surface kidnapped and forced to continue the ADAM gathering process. Contrary to Bioshock, which drags to an unceremonious conclusion, it gets better as it goes along, then ends on a high note. The audio diaries, which may be even more abundant than those in Bioshock, continue to provide exposition into the lives of Rapturians during the city’s descent, and occasionally take the form of continuous mini stories that might have been emotional if I wasn’t stoic and heartless. Also, the player is forced to make decisions that are morally ambiguous, and definitely more enthralling than the dilemma of choosing to save or harvest Little Sisters in Bioshock.

  On the other hand, the gameplay of Bioshock 2 is by and large much more entertaining than that of Bioshock. In Bioshock, you play as a human who can be disposed of by Big Daddies, the most formidable enemies in the game, in two shots or less. This left the player to use more indirect, clever methods to defeat the metal behemoths. Namely, it forced you to lay down a bunch of traps, and incite them into killing themselves. Whenever I deviated from this means of killing Big Daddies, I was either defeated, or found the encounters vastly more difficult.

  Either way, it felt that the game discouraged you from varying the way you approached situations. If you used traps, you easily overcame obstacles, but there was hardly any challenge involved, but if you didn’t use many traps, the game was incredibly difficult. Fortunately, Bioshock 2 actually rewards varying the plasmids and weapons used against enemies. The camera system, which upgrades the main character’s abilities, progresses more quickly when different types of attacks are used. Much like how a skateboarding game might give lower scores when the same trick is used repeatedly, the camera system in Bioshock 2 diminishes returns on using the same attacks over and over again.

  Furthermore, a few new breeds of enemies diversify the gameplay. Rumblers deploy mini-turrets and fire rockets, Brute Splicers are an evolved form of Splicer that prefers fighting up close and personal, and Big Sisters, the most dangerous foe in the game, are fleet of foot, acrobatic, and use telekinesis to toss objects at the player.

  These ostensibly simple improvements in Bioshock 2 serve to make for a streamlined game that is more enjoyable to replay than the original Bioshock. The value in Bioshock lies primarily in its storyline, which is excellent, but never as magnificent after the first time you’ve played it. Bioshock 2 has a similarly compelling narrative, but it is also far more fun to play, regardless of story.
• 

  Davey Jones
  March 16th, 2010 on 2:03 am

  Rating

  Great Game. I recomend you play the first on if you haven’t yet, but it’s not required to contemplate whats going on.
• 

  Lance Kellner
  March 16th, 2010 on 4:57 pm

  Rating

  I loved the first bioshock game, and they improved this one to make it even better. I think there is more strategy involved. You must set up defenses and you can hack from a distance and you can wield both a weapon and a plasmid.
• 

  Damian S.
  April 2nd, 2010 on 2:18 am

  Rating

  This game is amazing. However it really is more for the gameplay, and multiplayer. The story is nothing compared to the first but is still a pretty good story. The gameplay however is fantastic, and the multiplayer is amazing in my opinion because its so different then just your typical shooter. Half of my friends seem to love it and half of them seem to hate it so i guess the multiplayer is liked by people or hated. I on one hand loved it.
• 

  Laura Lambert
  April 14th, 2010 on 9:09 am

  Rating

  I have to agree with previous reviews: This could very well have been an expansion pack. Granted, a very large expasion pack, but one nonetheless. HOWEVER, I have no complaints about that. If you loved the first game then you will love this game since it’s so similar. There were several new areas to explore, tons of items, cool new plasmids, the ability to wield plasmids and weapons at the same time, and a great new storyline. It was still eerie, the music was still good, the story was still disturbing and interesting, the audio files were still good enough to listen to, and the enemies were still sometimes shocking and freaky. It was a bit shorter than the first game but not so much that it really matters…I am completely satisfied with this game! It is very fun and captivating; I’d never want to stop playing and only would when I’d get tired cause exploring new areas can get exhausting at times. Great game!
• 

  specops100
  April 24th, 2010 on 10:19 am

  Rating

  crazy amzing game if you like alot of gore and blood this is a game for you live mode is amazing to but i boutght it from joelmold it needed to have a compel of scraches in it but it works great
• 

  Some Guy
  April 26th, 2010 on 9:06 am

  Rating

  As addicting as the first game, BioShock 2 is one of the better games of the year. While many are saying that it’s more of the same, yes, it is. But it’s also from a different side by playing as the Big Daddy. Highly recommend.
• 

  Greg Shoemaker
  April 30th, 2010 on 9:13 am

  Rating

  I’ve heard a lot of complaints about this game being just more of the same, and its just not true. The major complaint is that its not original enough. I think they are missing the point, anyone who played the first game probably enjoyed the story as much as the game. But there in lies the problem once the cats out of the bag you can’t put it back in. So why complain about originality when this is so obviously a sequel. Its like saying spiderman shouldn’t have been the hero in Spiderman 2. What were people expecting an all new rapture on the moon. I enjoyed the story from the second one and I thought it was pretty good. Don’t listen to the ney-sayers as they apparently have never pondered the thought that the first one already existed and that there is no way to ever go home again, it was time to move on and they did. The multiplayer is good but not great, it is competitive, but the servers do need some help. Overall I would give this game a 9.5 out of 10, if you enjoyed the first one chances are you will enjoy this one as well. I guess you just can’t please everybody.
• 

  C. leveling
  May 27th, 2010 on 2:47 am

  Rating

  I loved Bioshock and had to get Bioshock 2. Perfect sequel, I don’t know how they could have done it any better. In fact some things are better. The weapon use is improved and hacking is far less frustrating. To put it simply, if you liked the original you’ll Bioshock 2.