I tried to like this game. I really did. After the impact the first game had on me, I really tried to muster empathy. Sure, I was chief-nitpicker towards the first Bioshock as well, stating that the role-playing elements of System Shock 2 were missing, that it’s too easy, and completing the game feels like a gold medal as a normal person winning the Special Olympics. 

But all that aside, Bioshock mesmerised me with its great and unique atmosphere, great cast of characters, engaging story and a downright spooky environment. Surely, a sequel was inevitable, and Bioshock 2 came out. Did it surpass the original? Let’s find out together.

 

Mr. Driller?

The gist of the new Bioshock, besides numerous improvements, is the fact that your character is no longer a faceless human, but the primordial Big Daddy. A drill, an awesome scuba mask that makes you look like Bomberman with an evisceration fetish, and a butt-load of plasmids at your disposal, make you feel more powerful than any hero in the Marvel Universe. And that’s not all. You can hack, manipulate and outsmart any enemy, which gives you a greater sense of a Messiah or a Superman. You’re actually a smart mute inside a metal shell, looking for your long-lost daughter. But I’ll get to that later. In the gameplay department things have improved a bit. Now we can have a plasmid power and a weapon aimed at our enemies at all times. No more finicky scrolls, buttons and accidental mash-ups when you’re deciding to deep freeze a splicer, instead of frying him. We may also see a bit of tweaking in the combat system. The shooting feels more natural, the use of powers really have a straightforward impact, and so on. But, Bioshock 2 also inherits a shitty feature from its predecessor. And by that, I mean an invisible, untouchable and inexplicable level scaling. Throughout the game, you’ll see that splicers have become more powerful, able to withstand a lot more punishment, without an apparent reason. They don’t have armour, any weapon upgrades, or anything like that. They just become stronger, and you MUST upgrade your weapons and especially your plasmids if you wish to take them out. Also, the first game was blamed for being way too easy. The vita-chambers are back, but now, *grab something and try not to faint*, they’re optional. Gee. Thanks, 2K. This means one of two things: the producers gave a chance for the mentally challenged to be able to finish the game, and to the rest of us, they gave us the middle finger in the most insulting way possible. “Yes. You can use the save/load feature if you die, just like in a regular first person shooter, but we also think you should have the vita-chamber available, just in case your mother dropped you on your head when you fell out of the womb”. Once again, thank you. Oh, and to top all that, they made the game more challenging by making the weapons as powerful as a spring breeze crawling up your pants. You may find the game a bit challenging, but not because of some great AI, desperate situations, and so on. No. It’s because your skill is kind of worthless here. You could be a Quake 1, 2 & 3 champion, with the reflexes of a paranoid gymnast, but still, it won’t get you anywhere. Headshots rarely count, bullets mostly pat a splicers’ hair-do and plasmids seem to be put there for the pyrotechnics. All in all, it keeps some fundamental flaws of the original. And they may not seem like major drawbacks to the general population, but these annoyances keep the game from taking any gold medals, making an example of “how a first person shooter should be”. The gameplay is pretty decently executed, but still, some more improvements would have been in order.

His name was Andrew Ryan…

Was a sequel necessary? Probably not. Is it a crime that 2K continued the franchise? Hell no. I awaited this sequel with a fair amount of skepticism, obviously. And, as much as I wanted to trash it, it does have some incredible parts. And thank heavens for the professionalism-gland and I actually finished the game before reviewing it, because underneath some horrible rehashing of old ground, there are some sparkles of brilliance here. I won’t bore you too much about the main story, because it’s on every front page on most of the gaming websites out there, and you know the basics. You’re a Big Daddy, you need to find your daughter, there’s a new enemy in town, only this time she’s a female, etc. But for the first two thirds of the game, the sequel may seem to you as a simple remake with bits and pieces of a new story stapled to it. The first game had the 'awe factor' and the mystery. Bioshock 2 should have worked harder in the narrative department to ensure the audience is receptive to the new parts of the story. And it didn’t. Every fifteen minutes you may stop for a second and tell yourself “same shit, different day”, well, at least until you reach the third part of the game. Without spoiling anything, I must share that the last third of the game is amazing. The story unfolds beautifully, leaves a huge scar on the player and engages him in some psychological exercises. It’s not just because of the moral-choice system. That’s only a fraction of it. The magic lies in the writing. I was approaching the end credits quite in a hurry, without realising that I almost shed a tear in front of the monitor. And this, was unexpected, to say the least.

 

Would you kindly…?

The multiplayer feature is pretty decent as well, but this isn’t Call of Duty or Gears Of War. It can provide a few good hours of fun to you and your friends, but people don’t go for Bioshock for the multiplayer kill-fest. It is indeed a nice addition that may attract new-comers to the series, so this was a great strategic move from the guys and gals at 2K, but we have to admit that fans don’t go to Rapture for the multiplayer. They seek its mysteries. So, after finishing the game, I heard Atlas’s voice in my head, whispering “Would you kindly recommend Bioshock 2 to others and give it a favourable review?” I felt compelled to obey. The gameplay is slightly better that the original, but still needed a few quirks, and the story fails to keep you glued to the seat from the first five minutes. But if you give it a chance, this game will blow your mind. From a technical standpoint, it’s more of the same, but that’s a good thing. Rapture is beautifully detailed, as we’ve come to take for granted as players, the lighting and the level-design still feels fresh and agonisingly scary, so I have no reason to complain about it. All in all, it’s just a shame that it starts out so poorly, but with a bit of patience, you’ll find that Bioshock 2 is as engaging as ever. And I need to repeat myself: The last third of the game, makes up for the slow start. So if you’re a Bioshock enthusiast, this installment will fit right up your alley.