Short Version: BioShock 2 is an excellent game - mostly because it’s exactly like the first BioShock. For every minor improvement 2K Marin made to the sequel there’s a missed opportunity that could have made the game even better.
The original BioShock was an incredible experience: an engrossing title that provided a number of fresh takes on the first person action genre, as well as drew from a number of literary and philosophical texts - resulting in one of the most engrossing stories in videogame history. The extraordinary mix of story-telling, immersive exploration, and enjoyable combat made playing the original BioShock a unique as well as rewarding journey.
For a franchise built on originality, almost everything in BioShock’s sequel is too familiar. In BioShock 2, the greatest strengths of the original title are still present — but they haven’t evolved in any significant way. In terms of the visual aesthetics, enemy types, and core gameplay, the campaign portion of the sequel could be mistaken for a lengthy DLC add-on episode.
That’s not to say the title isn’t worthy of a retail disc, because there is plenty of content to justify the price. It’s just that the game doesn’t look or play particularly different. Which, for some players, may not be a bad thing. The bottom line is this — if you enjoyed the first BioShock, you’re likely to enjoy the sequel. It’s got all the strengths of the first title, with a few minor improvements, but also a few questionable changes.
2K Marin has made sure to provide the franchise with a satisfactory evolution in the story; however, a story that doesn’t really get going until the latter half of the game. That said, the developer didn’t do much in the way of evolving the gameplay — the first BioShock wasn’t perfect and there are definitely some missed opportunities in the sequel.
The gunplay still lacks the kind of precision players have come to expect from first person shooters. It’s not that the targeting is a total mess — but it is imprecise. BioShock 2 does add damage bonuses for location dependent shooting (headshots, etc) but in the last couple years, many developers have already taken this concept several steps further (i.e. shooting off a foot disables but doesn’t kill an enemy). As a result, BioShock 2’s lack of evolution in this regard is confusing — especially considering 2K Marin’s inclusion of a multiplayer component.
Additionally, the title utilizes fewer opportunities for exploration - favoring a more streamlined approach. Players are no longer allowed to go back and search for audio diaries or “Power to the People” stations you may have missed. While this definitely prevents players from having to backtrack through massive empty levels, it also deprives players the opportunity to take in the atmosphere once the dust has settled - somewhat lowering the replay value.
As a trade-off, the game offers brief moments where the player is allowed to walk around the sea floor — outside of the city. But, these moments add almost nothing to the game. They’re beautiful, but there’s no underwater combat or puzzle solving. They occur, predominantly, as interludes between levels.
The most notable change, however, and the one that 2K Marin has been touting the most, is the protagonist. In BioShock 2, you play as Delta, one of the original Big Daddies. Delta was put out of commission prior to the fall of Rapture and players assume control of the character ten years later - when Delta suddenly reawakes.
Like many things in BioShock 2, this “change” doesn’t have particularly large implications — save for one. Where the story in BioShock was mainly about the fall of Rapture, most of the story in BioShock 2 revolves around the relationship between Big Daddies and Little Sisters.
As a result, 2K Marin decided to make sure that relationship is evident in the gameplay. The choice to “Harvest” or “Rescue” a Little Sister isn’t quite as cut and dry this round. In order to get more substantial amounts of ADAM, and subsequently plasmids, the player is now encouraged to protect each Little Sister twice, while she harvests ADAM from pre-determined corpses. As soon as Delta sets the girl down to harvest, Splicers will be drawn from the environment, and the player must protect the Little Sister until the harvest is complete (about a minute). Once the girl has drained all of the ADAM from two corpses - the player is then allowed to rescue or harvest her for the ADAM (you can always harvest a Little Sister outright, and skip the protection missions, but you’ll receive significantly less ADAM).
The game-mechanic is challenging at first — hacking machines and setting up traps beforehand offers the same type of strategy needed to take down Big Daddies in the earlier portions of the original BioShock. That said, there are simply too many Little Sisters in the game, and the placement of the harvest points aren’t particularly unique (meaning, individually, they don’t usually challenge players in a different way). If 2K Marin didn’t want to cut down on the amount of Little Sisters, then they could have at least diversified the amount of ADAM harvests each girl needed to take part in — i.e. this Little Sister needs to harvest from two corpses, while this girl only needs to harvest from one.
As a result, a significant chunk of the campaign is not taken up by story-driven objectives; instead, players spend a lot of time on a series of goals that reappear each level - i.e. fight a Big Daddy, protect a Little Sister twice, fight a Big Daddy, protect that Little Sister twice, fight the third Big Daddy in the level, protect another Little Sister twice, then fight a Big Sister (more on her in a bit).
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Other than the relationship between Delta and the Little Sisters, playing as a Big Daddy isn’t all that different from playing as Jack in BioShock (especially considering the final act of the original game). Delta’s arsenal is mostly comprised of heftier versions of the weapon types in the first title (machine gun, shotgun, launcher), though, the drill (and the subsequent dash move) is a vast improvement over the wrench.
The sequel does add two new weapon types but with mixed results. While it’s enjoyable to watch enemies get impaled on walls, the spear gun is underpowered, mainly because of a lengthy reload time (especially considering BioShock 2’s reliance on numerous horde-style fights). The rivet gun, on the other hand, is a great addition — spackling a Big Daddy with the special “trap ammo” is extra satisfying.
For anyone who remembers the amount of ammunition necessary to take down a Big Daddy in the early stages of the first BioShock, it’s hard to reconcile how easy it is for the more common enemy types to take down Delta — even after spending ADAM on a few health upgrades. The problem stems from the enemies in the game. Since 2K Marin merely copied and pasted most of the enemy-types in the first game directly into the sequel, Delta isn’t allowed the brutal might that his successors seem to enjoy. Since scrawny Splicers are the main baddies again, Delta had to be taken down a notch.
There are two new enemy types that make a valiant attempt at upping the ante but, for the most part, they fall flat. Brute Splicers ar large, gorilla like, characters that rely on physical attacks as well as tossing pieces of the environment (similar to the Tank in Left 4 Dead). The Brute Splicers add a bit of challenge to the ADAM gathering sequences but, in general, play like watered down versions of the Big Daddy fights that already occur in the game.
Big Sisters, the other new enemy type, also don’t live up to the bar their beefier big brothers have set. The Big Sister fights are limited to one per level and end up feeling like an afterthought — because in order to trigger the Big Sister, the player has presumably already taken down two or more Big Daddies, as well as defended a Little Sister about four to six times in that same level.
With so much of the game built around what it means to be a Big Daddy, actually playing as one doesn’t quite live up to the developer’s promise.
That said, there are definitely a few improvements to the core gameplay in BioShock 2 that are worth mentioning. The ability to simultaneously control plasmids on the left trigger and gunfire on the right is a tremendous improvement — and makes you wonder why the mechanic wasn’t available in the first game.
The research bonuses are no longer awarded based on interesting snapshots. When Delta wants to research an enemy he starts filming a video feed of his encounter. The more efficient, and diverse, his mix of attacks, the better the research score. The video capture mechanic is definitely an improvement for players who enjoy this aspect of the game. Though, it seems like a missed opportunity not to be able to go back and watch the videos.
Hacking is also greatly improved. The game features a new hacking tool that gives Delta the ability to hack machines from a distance, as well as the old fashioned way. In addition, the timed pipe-puzzle is gone - replaced with an oscillating needle that challenges players’ reflexes. Also, any hack occurs in game (meaning the fight doesn’t stop) — which forces Delta to take cover while he attempts to override turrets and security cameras.
Lastly, multiplayer, at first many of us were skeptical about the inclusion of online combat in a BioShock title — especially considering the lackluster shooting mechanics. Additionally, what makes the franchise great is the way it immerses you in a story — and what else can remind a person that they’re just playing a game, not actively involved in a story, than a Splicer tea-bagging their dead body?
Jokes aside, the multiplayer is actually fun — the combination of plasmids and gunplay make for an experience very different from a lot of FPS multiplayer shooters. There are a number of modes to check out — all of which draw from the main BioShock canon. In the end, the multiplayer component will add replay value for players that take the time to explore the greater depths of the combat — though there’s little chance the title will compete for a large portion of the online shooter market.
Recommendation:
In general, I’ve focused on a lot of the questionable choices surrounding BioShock 2’s development. It’s not that the game is bad — it’s actually very good. However, it never quite captures the magic of the first title and, at the same time, doesn’t improve on many of the previous game’s faults either. I realize it’s unfair to simply hold BioShock’s charisma against BioShock 2 but, as a reviewer recommending a game, it’s important for me to identify why some people may not feel like the sequel is different enough to warrant a return trip to Rapture.
Ultimately, if you’ve yet to play BioShock, do not hesitate to pick-up the first game — then decide whether or not to give the sequel a try. If you’re a Rapture veteran, the best advice I can give is: don’t miss out on the sequel, because it’s definitely a solid title, but make sure to temper your expectations.
Have you picked up BioShock 2 yet? What do you think of the game?
BioShock 2 is available now on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
