Bioshock 2: A Review by Sean Valjean

[Sean Valjean]

Developer(s): 2K Marin, 2K China, Digital Extremes
Publisher: 2K Games
Platform(s): Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Release: February 9, 2010​

Bioshock released in 2007 to universal acclaim. After numerous awards and accolades, many wondered how Irrational Games (known then as 2K Boston) could top it. Well, they didn’t. Ken Levine and his team opted out of the sequel, choosing instead work on something totally different (what we know now is Bioshock Infinite). This left the sequel in the hands of several of 2K Games’ developers. Without the mind of Ken Levine or the involvement of his team, can Bioshock 2 meet the lofty expectations set by its predecessor?

The year is 1968. Andrew Ryan is dead. Eight years have passed since the events of the first game and the underwater dystopia of Rapture has slipped even further into decay. Enter Sofia Lamb, a psychiatrist who had once opposed Ryan’s rule and ideals. While Ryan believed in the power and freedom of the individual, Lamb values the collective. She believes that each person should be working towards a single cause and thinks of free will as a disease. Using her influence she creates “The Rapture Family”, a group of citizens dissatisfied with Andrew Ryan manipulated by Lamb to support her cause and take control of the city. At the center of this plot is young woman named Eleanor, a former Little Sister who once called you “daddy”.

This time around you are placed in control of Subject Delta, the first Big Daddy ever created, who has awakened with no recollection of his past. Brigid Tenenbaum has returned and informed you that your original Little Sister, Eleanor, is being held captive by Sofia Lamb and must be rescued at all costs. Like the original, much of the story is told through voice chats and countless audio logs though Eleanor now serves as a primary guide and reference for both past and present events.

Time has not been kind to Rapture. Structures are crumbling; water is seeping (and in some places, outright pouring) in everywhere. Coral now covers once lavish walls and floors and barnacles grow through the cracks. Most areas feel like they’re about to collapse at any given moment. This deterioration is beautifully realized with some great texture work, with detail that may even exceed that achieved in the first game.

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This passage of time is exemplified best in the Splicers. After hitting up the ADAM for that long, they are as grotesque and insane as ever. Previous types like Spiders and Houdini’s return but are joined by the new Brute Splicers. These behemoths rely on their freakish strength to charge and maul you, while tossing anything within arm’s reach when at a distance. Of course, no enemy compares to the Big Sisters. Possessing the strength and armor of a Big Daddy with the ADAM-collecting of a Little Sister, these terrifying foes have a variety of plasmid-induced abilities at their disposal. With only a furious shriek as a warning, these powerhouses will mercilessly attack you, leaping around the room attacking with a flurry of fireballs to creating a whirlwind of debris to heave your way.

With adversaries like that, you’re going to need some nice firepower. The combat system is relatively unchanged and still places a big emphasis on player choice with a number of plasmids to fit your play-style. Like the first game you must stay mindful of your surroundings at all times and use the environment to your advantage. Lure Splicers into a pool of water and zap them with the Electrobolt, intensifying its power. Use the Scout plasmid to create an astro-projection of yourself and hack turrets to mow down unsuspecting enemies. Hypnotize a Splicer within a group and have him terrorize them, while you drop in to take advantage of the confusion.

Weapons don’t stray far beyond the standard shotgun/rifle/etc. New additions to your arsenal include a spear gun capable of impaling and pinning enemies to walls. Replacing Jack’s wrench is now a massive drill, good for both basic melee and, of course, drilling gaping holes into sternums. Each weapon is upgradable, with multiple attachments that augment their abilities.

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Hacking is much improved this time around. Instead of fiddling with a cumbersome pipe system, you now have to stop a meter needle at the correct spots in a challenge of hand/eye coordination. While catching all of the green spots makes for a successful hack, hitting the less frequent blue areas will give you a free item or special bonus upon completion. Ramping up the intensity, hacking is now done in real time. Make sure you’ve either cleared the area of enemies or set up some traps if you want to hack unhindered.

As a Big Daddy, you’re now able to adopt Little Sisters and use them to gather ADAM for yourself. Be careful though. A gathering Little Sister attracts a multitude of Splicers so it’s wise to think ahead and set traps to slow their advance. The emphasis on preparation shines most in these scenarios and you’ll have to channel your inner Macaulay Culkin to ensure your Sister’s safety. Hacking nearby cameras and turrets can detect early invaders. Use trap and electric spear lines to create a perimeter to slow advances. With the great set-up, you can literally stop a wave of enemies without firing a shot, which is good if you’re ammo-conscious. It’s always funny watching Splicers battle hacked machines and booby traps as your Little Sister continues her gather, blissfully unaware of the chaos around her. Once she finishes her gather, you’ll once again be given the choice of rescuing her, returning her to a normal girl, or harvesting her, gaining the maximum amount of ADAM at the cost of her life. Morality plays a large role once again, both in this choice and in your treatment of the characters you encounter.

The Big Sister. She's climbing through your window, snatching your ADAM up​

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While a fun game, there are some things that hold it back from reaching the excellence of the original. In addition to a great story, the original Bioshock had a huge sense of wonder and discovery that is absent in this game. With that advantage gone, having a compelling narrative is even more important this time around and that is where the game falters. While it does a good job of expanding on Rapture’s history, the pacing needs work. The narrative tends to drag and takes far too long to really get interesting. For a majority of the game you’re just going from point A to point B, taking out whatever member of the Rapture Family happens to preside in that area. The story doesn’t really pick up until the last couple of hours, which are amazing and worth the price of admission alone. Still, compared to the big surprises and revelations the first game had, this story left me wanting more.

Despite donning the diving suit, I never really felt like I was a Big Daddy. Even though you’re wearing a supposed padded and armored suit, you take damage just as much as Jack did. Is his suit made out of feather and tin foil? I understand the concern of being too powerful, but I never felt all that commanding. Having to constantly sneak and search for cover is unlike a Big Daddy. There were times I’d see my reflection or shadow and be genuinely startled to see a Big Daddy instead of a normal person.

Another big complaint concerns the Big Sister and this goes back to when the game was in development. When the character was first announced, she was only going to be a single, unique character that would stalk the player throughout the game similar to Resident Evil 3’s Nemesis. This was a great idea and I couldn’t wait to encounter her in the game and learn her story. But towards the end of development, for whatever reason, this was changed and she was made into just another faceless enemy who has no bearing on the plot whatsoever.

Why? The Big Sister had the potential to be the most interesting character in the game. The idea of a powerful, twisted, adult Little Sister who can find you wherever you may hide, with enough power to kill you in her pinky finger alone could’ve been narrative gold and would’ve made her presence and encounters much more daunting. Instead, like anything mass produced, her novelty wears off after killing your third one.

A big addition is the story-driven online mode. Interestingly, this mode takes place a year before the events of the original Bioshock. Players take control of different citizens of Rapture to take part in the civil war that tore the city apart. Sponsored by Sinclair Solutions, you’ll unlock new plasmids and tonics as your character progresses in multiplayer matches. Standard match types like free-for-all and team deathmatches are present. Capture the flag is now Capture the Sister (which sounds like you’re abducting a nun). As the name implies, Turf War is about capturing and holding different areas of the map. My personal favorite is ADAM Grab, which task players to capture and maintain possession of a Little Sister for as long as possible whether alone or as part of a team. Nothing innovative, but seeing Rapture right before its fall is pretty cool.

Bioshock 2 is a respectable follow-up, but some missed opportunities and questionable gameplay decisions keep it from reaching the heights of the original.

Final Score: 8.75/10

Random Thoughts

-Andrew Ryan's history of Rapture ride was my favorite section of the game and the propaganda anima-tronic presentations were hilarious.

-The Brute Splicers remind me of Max the Gorilla from Cats Don't Dance. If you get that reference, I applaud you.

 

[Chicago1989]

First of all, Sean Valjean, excellent review on Bioshock 2. I liked how you set it up and how detailed and professional it was. Good job

Here's my thoughts on Bioshock 2:

I don't think it topped the original Bioshock in terms of exploration because you already experienced Rapture. The environment is still beautiful and ugly at the same time, but the novelty of discovering Rapture wears off quick as you progress in the game. This is what bothers me the most of this game.

The story was ok. Could've been better without the stupid audio logs and all that, but it was passable IMO.

Spoiler

I think the final battle with Lamb was underwhelming and could've been better. I didn't like how you didn't get to actually fight her physically to see how she can back up her words. She was such a bitch and a big coward, hiding behind her audio logs.

The plasmids were better this time. You definitely had a bigger variety of powers and different ways to eliminate your enemies. It's fun to think about what plasmid and tonic you want to use. It just feels like an RPG when you get to decide on things like this.

I liked the enemy AI in this game. It's pretty good for an FPS game. You see enemies interact with each other and explore areas and loot, which is cool. The "mystique" of the Big Sister was overused and killed in this game, so I do agree with you on that. They should've done a better job of making the Big Sister more important to the story, but instead was just used as a gimmick and filler boss.

I'm giving Bioshock 2 a 8.2/10. I enjoyed this game, probably more than the original, but it didn't go too far as far as the environment and gameplay goes. It just felt like a few new additions were included into the original.

By the way, I enjoy the Multiplayer on Bioshock 2. If you ever want to battle or team online on the PSN Sean, add me as Chi-Town1989.

 

[Muffin Top Merkley]

One of the key elements that made Bioshock just an outstanding game was its immersive atmosphere and mood. Every time you would turn a corner, enter a new room, you would be filled with wonder and discovery. Every new area in the game painted more of a picture of the bleak and violent outcome of the city of Rapture.

As I continued to play Bioshock 2, I couldn’t help but notice that the mystery of Rapture was gone. Instead possessing the mystique setting that was at the forefront of its predecessor, Bioshock 2 had more of a ‘been there, done that’ feeling. The city of Rapture isn’t the visual spectacle that it was when the first Bioshock was released.

The same can be said about the character and personalities that are encountered. There aren’t too many characters in video games that are as fascinating as Bioshock’s Andrew Ryan. Sophia Lamb’s character, despite having a complete opposite belief and view of how Rapture should operate as a city, isn’t as exciting and captivating as Andrew Ryan, though not for a lack of trying.

The developers at 2K Games obviously wanted to create a game that was as well received as Bioshock, and I think they came close to doing it. They attempted to recreate the mood and mystique that the atmosphere in Bioshock brought to the player. They attempted to create a character like Sophia Lamb, which was as captivating and memorizing as Andrew Ryan. Without Ken Levine’s input and vision, I think this game falls short when compared to its predecessor.

That’s not saying that Bioshock 2 is a bad game, because in fact, it is a very enjoyable game. However, instead of trying to create something new and build off of what the first Bioshock was able to do, 2K Games, played it safe and tried to recreate the game before it was minor changes.