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54 of 66 found the following review helpful:
 Good if you like the gameplay; disappointing if you're after the story Feb 25, 2010
By impitbosshereonlevel2
"impitbosshereonlevel2"
I was a bit apprehensive about getting this game - I knew for fact that I'd get it, since I loved the original so much, but I was worried that the absence of Ken Levine would be too obvious on its story. However, I kinda ignored the voice in the back of my head, and decided to get the game anyway. When the 'more of the same' reviews started coming in, I wasn't disappointed; I loved the original game enough not to mind going through a very similar the game again (I played through Bioshock two or three times; each time finding something new in the game, or the story).
The beginning of Bioshock 2 seemed promising. It's certainly impossible to top the beginning of BS1 (the whole segment up to the exit from the bathysphere is classic), but there was a lot of promise in the presentation of the new antagonist of the game, including the shrines you find here and there, and the occasional communist drivel she spouts. Once you reach near the end, however, you begin to realize that there's really not much of a twist in terms of a plot. The ending(s) is predictable, at best. In the grand scheme of things, Lamb is barely touched upon; enough to make you wonder why she was chosen as an antagonist. Many of the characters you meet in the game seem transient; the last conflict with Sinclair is almost laughable in its brevity and insignificance. In short, the story of Bioshock 2 doesn't hold a candle to that of the first game.
On to gameplay.
The Big Sisters, which seemed to hold so much promise before the game's release are nothing but another enemy - one almost impossible to beat without dying - at least early in the game on Medium and Hard. No real story is presented to explain their existence, short of a silly blurb about them being Little Sisters in a specialized suit.
The underwater levels promised early on are nothing but brief stretches of linear path, and not deserving much mention.
The Big Daddy drill is an interesting weapon in the new arsenal, but it lacks in two serious aspects: a) the drill dash is not available until later on in the game, and this move is often crucial for survival, and b) unlike the wrench, it requires "ammunition", which is often scarce to come by, especially on higher difficulty levels. You are pretty much guaranteed to drain the drill's ammo in any serious fight; therefore, you cannot depend on it in any medium- to large-scale fights.
The variety of new weapons offered in the game is great, but you'll soon learn that you really need the drill, the shotgun, and the rocket launcher. The rivet gun becomes useless almost from the beginning - even headshots hardly scathe the opponents.
The music! One of the best parts of Bioshock is the music, as it sets the mood perfectly. In Bioshock 2, music is barely heard in five or six locations throughout the game. I have heard more old-timey music waiting for the game to load, than I have throughout the entire game; making me wonder why 2K even bothered licensing the songs.
That said, the game does make some good gameplay changes, including the spear gun, which is a fun weapon reminiscent of the one in Half-Life 2. Hacking is better, if not much more realistic, as now you need to hack as you play. While the underwater moments are all-too-brief, there are a few scenes which are beautiful and deserving a lot more attention, than that given. Another excellent addition was the view of the world through the eyes of a Little Sister - if you ever wondered why they refer to the splicers as 'angels', this part in the game makes the reason all-too clear.
All said, I'm far more disappointed by the lack of a solid story in this game, than I am by the elements of gameplay. Living up to the original is not an easy task, and while I didn't expect the same level of innovation from this one, what I did get, I expected - a sequel that desperately cried out for the attention of the author of the original.
64 of 81 found the following review helpful:
 A Bit More of the Same Feb 09, 2010
By R. Ross
Bioshock, when it came out 2 years ago, completely reinvented the way I'd played first person shooters (I had never played System Shock 2). Diving into the sea, into a world eerily familiar to mid-20th century America was one of the most blindingly original, involving experiences I ever had with a controller. My main problem with Bioshock 2 is that this feeling of originality never returns. Despite what the designers do, this new main villain Sofia Lamb just doesn't strike the same terror at Andrew Ryan did and fighting splicers and other big daddies from the other perspective- that of a big daddy--just isn't as exciting or new as i would expect. The game feels so much like more of the same, and for that I give it fun factor of 5, because it builds on a brilliant foundation, but overall i feel its lack of originality compared to the original earns it only 4.
As an addendum-- I can find no issue technically with the game- I think it's running on the same Unreal engine as the first, and I believe that was pretty maxed out in the first one so there was likely not room for substantial improvements. The new plasmids aren't really as cool as the ones in the original game either, as they seem more practical (maybe not a complaint, but being able to go vertical just isn't as sweet as shooting bees at a guy). Graphics were good, sound was just as immersive as Bioshock 1, technically I really didn't have any problems with the game. I stand by the 5 I give it for fun, but I can only really give it a 4 because it just doesn't invoke that same sense of ingenuity I got in the first game.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Actually pretty good Sep 20, 2010
By A.K. Bogert
By now, there's not much new to be said about BioShock 2. No, it isn't as good as the first game, but honestly I don't know if any game is as good as the first BioShock. No, Ken Levine wasn't involved, and to some extent that's evident; or, more precisely, it's evident why he didn't feel compelled to explore Rapture further.
The premise of BioShock 2 isn't exactly new, since it's basically a reversal of the previous game. If BS1 explored a world powered by objectivism and capitalism, BS2 shows the city fallen into the hands of socialists. From a socioeconomic standpoint, it's an intriguing exploration of the evils of both sides, and a necessary response to the first game in that respect. Also, the dynamic of using plasmids and weapons simultaneously is incredibly useful and is something you will miss if you play a normal shooter afterwards. Multiplayer, despite its complete brokenness, was fun, and honestly it's a shame that no one plays it because I'd love to jump back in.
The voice acting that made the first game so memorable is back in full force: the detail put into all the diaries and enemies is impressive and something you should take the time to notice: enemies say hilarious things when walking around Rapture alone. As far as the "bosses," none of this game's characters are quite on the level of the first game's. I will never forget Dr. Steinman or Sander Cohen. I have, however, already forgotten many of the characters encountered here.
Biggest issue: it's super linear. Legitimately, you are on a rail car, and cannot revisit any past areas. Aside from the weight this puts on collecting audio diaries and the like, it just detracts from some of the fun in the first game of revisiting the beautifully crafted world of Rapture.
There are also a few loose ends that don't really get tied up, like what exactly happens to Tenenbaum after you encounter her in the beginning. That's more of a nitpicking fan thing though.
The end of the game, however, is a pleasant surprise and nothing like the disappointing pushover at the end of BS1. No, it's not a battle per se, but it's intriguing enough.
All in all, if you liked the first game you will like this one and should certainly play it. Moreover, the morality factor has been upped a bit, making your decisions throughout the game a bit harder and causing the conclusion of the game to come out in 1 of (i think) 6 different ways (though really this is just different 2-part combinations chosen from a pool of 4).
23 of 30 found the following review helpful:
Unremarkable - Bioshock 2 As A Vanilla Metaphor Mar 20, 2010
By joe bitterman
Unlike the first, this game will not remain in your memory for long. It feels more like a prelude to another, not an end in itself. And instead of being unique in its gameplay it steals from other games. For example, the voice of a loved one interrupts the game - as seen in Dead Space and countless other games. It also steals from itself, as basically the entire game is fighting Big Daddy's and splicers, again.
The main antagonist is also watered down. She starts out with a bang but quickly becomes just a nuisance. I found myself wanting more snippets of Andrew Ryan along the course or hearing again from the woman who was an actress/singer, versus hearing from the main foe, Dr Lamb.
The game also provides way too many opportunities for help through the "Hypnotize" plasma, which is ridiculously overpowered, and with too much ammo, money, and health (on average difficulty) there is little need for strategy.
Stepping away from the complaints for a second, the world is again, beautiful. But stepping right back, the underwater section is pointless. There is little chance for exploration and no enemies. It is completely underdeveloped and is a waste. And unlike the first, I don't recall a single unique section of Rapture in Bioshock 2.
So, doing the math, Bioshock 2 is a vanilla cookie. It's there, but if it wasn't, you wouldn't care. The story in this attempt is fine. The enemies are fine, though there are no real "bosses" again and the majority of the game is finding a little sister and protecting her (which gets very boring and was stolen from the first as well). The new recurring foe, "The Big Sister" has a frightening shriek, but when you figure out she's just a quicker Big Daddy, you don't care anymore. And the end? It just ended, which is especially frustrating, given how poor the finish of Bioshock was.
Bottom line, if you played the first you will likely play the second, regardless of the review. I just hope that you rent it through a free gamefly trial instead of spending money on it.
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
A little balance would help Mar 02, 2010
By Vynny
"Vynrod"
Bioshock 2 - ahh so much promise; you play as a big daddy, there's new weapons, plasmids, big sisters and you can go outside of rapture's realm into the murky floor of the ocean.
Of course the reality here is it's the same game. Full stop. Sure it's tweaked a little and jigged somewhat but it's still Bioshock 1 and it feels little more than a user-mod instead of a full-priced game. In all fairness I just can't applaud the game makers' inability to step outside the box and advance the franchise's content by giving us more than a small upgrade. Frankly things have kind of taken a step back too - there's almost no shades of metaphorical color here, it's all black, Blam blam blam in-your-face action. No chance to take a breath and sit back and relax for a moment and enjoy the location. And with visuals like the ones found in Rapture it deserves to be savored momentarily, not run through quickly because another big sister or one of the randomly spawned brutes are after you (for the thousandth time). Audio is let down by the many pre-recorded messages which quickly become a royal pain. Main sound effects in-game are lowered in volume during these frequent and annoying playbacks and I lost count the times I got attacked because I could only hear some taped voice instead of the splicer coming up behind me. It added nothing to the game that a text-based log book wouldn't have achieved. I guess the makers had been playing System Shock 2 at some point, but they really didn't nail the point of such messages and placed far too many of them in the game.
The mechanic of dying in BS2 is also faulty. You die because you're not capable of beating whatever hard part of the game you're at and so you return to the nearest Vita-chamber. The problem is you now have a lot less ammo, less fuel for your drill, less eve and 50% of a single vial of health... and you still have to go back and fight the guys that you just lost against! This becomes especially obvious when a little sister is harvesting Adam; if you die you have to start over despite having lots most of your equipment in the last go around. So you roam around looking to stock up on inventory only to be plagued by spawning splicers in places you thought you'd cleared out. I'd just rather have my character die and reload than the current broken system of regeneration. A final stab in the eye was just as my character was getting strong enough to take on major bad guys with relative ease and I could feel things turning my way... the game ended!
Of course there's moments of brilliance - the water effects are incredible and wandering outside (brief and pointless as it is) is beautiful. The part where you play as a little sister is exactly what I wanted from this sequel, sadly it's far too short. But it's these great moments though that highlight the problems that I feel BS2 has - ultimately, the developers should have taken everything down a notch not up, let the tension build and surprise us at the critical moment...
...instead we get never ending zombies to blast away at. Meh.
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