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"The Jet Gamer" Game Review: Bioshock 2
10 years ago
Here we go again guys. I hope you guys enjoy the new review. I hope you guys are actually reading these things as I am trying the best I can for you all to show you my thoughts on these games. In the end, enjoy them guys as they will keep coming =)
Bioshock 2
I just finished the first Bioshock and here I go right into the second one immediately afterwards. Another shooter right off the bat, which for me still sounds so odd to play so many shooters right in close proximity to each other. But still, this is the sequel to the first Bioshock, and the big question on most people's minds first of all is going to be how does it hold up compared to the first in the series. That is what we are about to answer. How does it hold up? Let's look at the game in more detail and find out shall we?
Gameplay
Bioshock 2's gameplay isn't that different than the original Bioshock at all in terms of gameplay. You are still running around the same city under the ocean, Rapture, where you are doing pretty much the exact same thing. You are running around the city using your guns and plasmids to kill enemies, while saving little sisters while killing more Big Daddies. When you look at the surface of Bioshock 2, it can come across as almost like an expansion pack for the original Bioshock rather than its own game. Some people enjoy this though, which is going to be good for them. When a formula works, you stick to it and bring your audience more of it, and Bioshock 2 does just that. If you enjoyed the city warfare shooting of the original Bioshock, it is all back right here and it is very easy to jump right back into the game and pick up where you left off. However, Bioshock 2 isnt without new additions to improve on the gameplay of the original. There are more plasmids, in addition to all the original plasmids being brought back. For those that enjoy using them, you will enjoy being able to continue to use your favorite plasmids from the original game. Yet, the weapons are also just as good and often times I still found myself personally using the guns way more than the plasmids. That is the one good thing about Bioshock is that you can still choose to use mainly guns, plasmids, or a mix of both as you play through the game. It is your choice and the game makes it easy for you to do whichever of those three methods of your choice. Though the big thing now is that you don't have to choose between using a gun or a plasmid anymore. Your right hand is not your gun hand and your left hand is your plasmid hand. That's right, you are dual wielding your guns and plasmids, so you can use them both at the same time. This encourages you to try and use both a bit more often, but it is still the players choice which they use. There are also new enemies for the player to fight against, like the Brute Splicer, which is a normal enemy basically on steroids. He is big and muscular and will try and fight you in melee so try and keep him at distance. There is the alpha series robot, which are basically Big Daddies with a boost. These guys are in suits just like the big daddies, but they are hostile immediately and dont ever escort a little sister around. Then the big main new enemy is the Big Sister. Whenever you rescue all the little sisters in an area, you are attacked by a Big Sister, which is one of the little sisters when they have grown up and can no longer do what they used to do. You will encounter a few of these in your progress throughout the game and then several times at the end of the game. Just be ready when they come with heavy weapons as they take quite the beating and are fast. One of the big downers though in the game is the game is even more straightforward than the original Bioshock. In the original, you could go back to old areas and explore as you pleased. However, in Bioshock 2, you simply go from area to area and follow a path most of the way to the end. There is no backtracking at all. There may be a couple of paths you can take in an area that you are in to get to the end, but pretty much you are following a straight path most of the game. Overall though, the gameplay isn't really that different from the original Bioshock, so in turn, I'm sort of leaning how I leaned in the original game. The gameplay isn't any worst, but it really isn't that much better than the original either.
Story
Wow, this is still where this series shines and even more so i the sequel. You would wonder how they would be able to top the great story of the original Bioshock, well they did just that. The story is wonderful and keep you wondering and into it all the way up through the ending. This time, instead of a normal human, you are playing as literally a Big Daddy. Yes, this time you are one of the big daddies. You are a human that was turned into a Big Daddy and then bound to your little sister permanently. However, not long after getting your new daughter, she is taken away from you and you are forced to kill yourself. This is where the game picks up, several years after the original Bioshock, Rapture has somehow come back to life and kids from the surface are suddenly disappearing and reappearing in Rapture as new little sisters. You are somehow awoken after many years of being thought to be dead, and you are on a quest to find your little sister, who is now much older and being held captive as she tries her best to help guide you to her. Sofia Lamb is the big bad guy in this game, and according to the history was actually a rival to the original bad guy from the first Bioshock, so the game does wonders in tying together Lamb with Ryan from the first game. The big twist though that you discover right away is that your little sister is Lamb's daughter, so there is a constant back and forth between you both as you both vie for control of the girl. It is a long quest through Rapture, and all the audio tapes and audio coming through from Lamb and the other people that are around you in Rapture keep you hooked on this story and keeping you wondering how everything is going to turn out. Definitely the highlight of the game.
Graphics
Once again, Bioshock 2 looks great. You really believe you are still in the wrecked underwater city of Rapture. Not only are you still running around the city, there are now a few spots in the game where you actually go out into the ocean and walk in the sea between the buildings you need to fight in now. This means you get lots of nice water effects to look at besides just the wrecked inside of buildings and dead things everywhere. Everything is smooth, and nothing really looks out of place. There are a few graphical hiccups occasionally, like when you first boot up the game, it takes a moment for the full graphics to turn on, so you can see everything look not fully rendered for about thirty seconds whenever you first start the game, so be ready for this and give the game time to load. There is also the fact that the pause screen has big slow down issues at times, where going between the menu screens and the map can take some time as the game does slow down here making navigating menus actually more time consuming than it should be. I didn't talk much here on the graphics because really, once again, the graphics really aren't that different than the original Bioshocks. One again, it looks more like an expansion pack using the exact same graphics as before. With that though, there really isn't anything wrong with it either as the original graphics still look quite nice and do a great job of making you believe you are deep under the ocean in a dark and dreary wrecked city.
Sound
Having another Bioshock game, after your first one was so great, you would think the second one would improve on the lackluster sound and music selection of the original, but this isn't the case at all. If anything, I think there is even less music in this game than the first one. I even heard, in some of the very few music selections you hear in the game, some of the game music that was in the original. I can enjoy old school fifties style music yes, but with such a minimal collection of it really doesn't seem to do much for me. For the most part the sound is just once again, the creepy background sounds of the city, the noise and chatter of the splicers as they roam around the city, and the sounds of gunfire and heavy steps of your boots. I know they are going for dark and dreary in a lot of this game, but there could be a bit more in the sound department. You really aren't missing much. The voice acting is great though and what you want to listen to when it comes to this game. If it wasn't for the great story and voice acting in the game, I would almost say you could mute the game and you wouldn't miss much. Still, keep that volume on to listen to the great story. You don't want to miss that.
Control
The controls aren't that much different than the original Bioshock's controls, but the big thing is that they made changing weapons and using them a lot easier I feel in this version than the original. Some of this may be how I was still fresh off playing the original Bioshock, but that is something to consider as well. If someone who has played another game in your series can pick up another game in your series and pick up on the controls very fast with little trouble at all, you know you have done well in your controls. I made nowhere near as many control mistakes in this version as I did the original Bioshock My only complaint was the odd button choice of the using a first aid kit button. Using one of the D-pad buttons did take time to get used to compared to the original, but you can still get used to it in time.
Replay Value
Once again, the replay value for Bioshock 2 is honestly average at best. Since the game is so straightforward and does heavy rely on the story to drive the player along, once you beat the game, all the games secrets are out there and you lose a lot of the special drive that keeps you going to make it through the game again. Really, the main reason to play the game again is to get any achievements or trophies that you may not have gotten the first time through the game. You can also play the game slightly different if you wish, but a lot of the time, your play style is unique to you. Changing it may be hard as you play the way you play. There aren't even that many ways to change how you play as well. You may get through the game faster the second time, but when you know what is going to happen, how much fun is it going to be? This game is one you put on the shelf for awhile in this regard and pick up ever now and then, or pick up again if you forget a lot of the story and want to experience it again. Overall, replay value is just average at best.
Overall, Bioshock 2 is a decent sequel to the original Bioshock. It plays just like it while improving in a few areas, but keeping the feel and look of the original intact. This may be disappointing for some as there aren't a ton of changes between the two games, but for others that enjoyed the original a lot, you get plenty more of what you enjoyed from the original plus more. While there aren't a ton of new features in this game, Bioshock 2 does enough to improve on the original and hold up as a decent sequel to the original in most ways. I would give it a look if you enjoyed the original. If you are looking for something a bit more unique, I would give it a pass. Just remember that with lacking music and replay value, this game isn't for everyone. Still, it does a good job at being a decent shooter, and definitely kept me entertained through most of the game. I would give it a go if you enjoy this type of game.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Bioshock 2 an eight out of ten
Gameplay: 8
Story: 10
Graphics: 9
Sound: 5
Control: 9
Replay Value: 6
Overall: 8
Bioshock 2
I just finished the first Bioshock and here I go right into the second one immediately afterwards. Another shooter right off the bat, which for me still sounds so odd to play so many shooters right in close proximity to each other. But still, this is the sequel to the first Bioshock, and the big question on most people's minds first of all is going to be how does it hold up compared to the first in the series. That is what we are about to answer. How does it hold up? Let's look at the game in more detail and find out shall we?
Gameplay
Bioshock 2's gameplay isn't that different than the original Bioshock at all in terms of gameplay. You are still running around the same city under the ocean, Rapture, where you are doing pretty much the exact same thing. You are running around the city using your guns and plasmids to kill enemies, while saving little sisters while killing more Big Daddies. When you look at the surface of Bioshock 2, it can come across as almost like an expansion pack for the original Bioshock rather than its own game. Some people enjoy this though, which is going to be good for them. When a formula works, you stick to it and bring your audience more of it, and Bioshock 2 does just that. If you enjoyed the city warfare shooting of the original Bioshock, it is all back right here and it is very easy to jump right back into the game and pick up where you left off. However, Bioshock 2 isnt without new additions to improve on the gameplay of the original. There are more plasmids, in addition to all the original plasmids being brought back. For those that enjoy using them, you will enjoy being able to continue to use your favorite plasmids from the original game. Yet, the weapons are also just as good and often times I still found myself personally using the guns way more than the plasmids. That is the one good thing about Bioshock is that you can still choose to use mainly guns, plasmids, or a mix of both as you play through the game. It is your choice and the game makes it easy for you to do whichever of those three methods of your choice. Though the big thing now is that you don't have to choose between using a gun or a plasmid anymore. Your right hand is not your gun hand and your left hand is your plasmid hand. That's right, you are dual wielding your guns and plasmids, so you can use them both at the same time. This encourages you to try and use both a bit more often, but it is still the players choice which they use. There are also new enemies for the player to fight against, like the Brute Splicer, which is a normal enemy basically on steroids. He is big and muscular and will try and fight you in melee so try and keep him at distance. There is the alpha series robot, which are basically Big Daddies with a boost. These guys are in suits just like the big daddies, but they are hostile immediately and dont ever escort a little sister around. Then the big main new enemy is the Big Sister. Whenever you rescue all the little sisters in an area, you are attacked by a Big Sister, which is one of the little sisters when they have grown up and can no longer do what they used to do. You will encounter a few of these in your progress throughout the game and then several times at the end of the game. Just be ready when they come with heavy weapons as they take quite the beating and are fast. One of the big downers though in the game is the game is even more straightforward than the original Bioshock. In the original, you could go back to old areas and explore as you pleased. However, in Bioshock 2, you simply go from area to area and follow a path most of the way to the end. There is no backtracking at all. There may be a couple of paths you can take in an area that you are in to get to the end, but pretty much you are following a straight path most of the game. Overall though, the gameplay isn't really that different from the original Bioshock, so in turn, I'm sort of leaning how I leaned in the original game. The gameplay isn't any worst, but it really isn't that much better than the original either.
Story
Wow, this is still where this series shines and even more so i the sequel. You would wonder how they would be able to top the great story of the original Bioshock, well they did just that. The story is wonderful and keep you wondering and into it all the way up through the ending. This time, instead of a normal human, you are playing as literally a Big Daddy. Yes, this time you are one of the big daddies. You are a human that was turned into a Big Daddy and then bound to your little sister permanently. However, not long after getting your new daughter, she is taken away from you and you are forced to kill yourself. This is where the game picks up, several years after the original Bioshock, Rapture has somehow come back to life and kids from the surface are suddenly disappearing and reappearing in Rapture as new little sisters. You are somehow awoken after many years of being thought to be dead, and you are on a quest to find your little sister, who is now much older and being held captive as she tries her best to help guide you to her. Sofia Lamb is the big bad guy in this game, and according to the history was actually a rival to the original bad guy from the first Bioshock, so the game does wonders in tying together Lamb with Ryan from the first game. The big twist though that you discover right away is that your little sister is Lamb's daughter, so there is a constant back and forth between you both as you both vie for control of the girl. It is a long quest through Rapture, and all the audio tapes and audio coming through from Lamb and the other people that are around you in Rapture keep you hooked on this story and keeping you wondering how everything is going to turn out. Definitely the highlight of the game.
Graphics
Once again, Bioshock 2 looks great. You really believe you are still in the wrecked underwater city of Rapture. Not only are you still running around the city, there are now a few spots in the game where you actually go out into the ocean and walk in the sea between the buildings you need to fight in now. This means you get lots of nice water effects to look at besides just the wrecked inside of buildings and dead things everywhere. Everything is smooth, and nothing really looks out of place. There are a few graphical hiccups occasionally, like when you first boot up the game, it takes a moment for the full graphics to turn on, so you can see everything look not fully rendered for about thirty seconds whenever you first start the game, so be ready for this and give the game time to load. There is also the fact that the pause screen has big slow down issues at times, where going between the menu screens and the map can take some time as the game does slow down here making navigating menus actually more time consuming than it should be. I didn't talk much here on the graphics because really, once again, the graphics really aren't that different than the original Bioshocks. One again, it looks more like an expansion pack using the exact same graphics as before. With that though, there really isn't anything wrong with it either as the original graphics still look quite nice and do a great job of making you believe you are deep under the ocean in a dark and dreary wrecked city.
Sound
Having another Bioshock game, after your first one was so great, you would think the second one would improve on the lackluster sound and music selection of the original, but this isn't the case at all. If anything, I think there is even less music in this game than the first one. I even heard, in some of the very few music selections you hear in the game, some of the game music that was in the original. I can enjoy old school fifties style music yes, but with such a minimal collection of it really doesn't seem to do much for me. For the most part the sound is just once again, the creepy background sounds of the city, the noise and chatter of the splicers as they roam around the city, and the sounds of gunfire and heavy steps of your boots. I know they are going for dark and dreary in a lot of this game, but there could be a bit more in the sound department. You really aren't missing much. The voice acting is great though and what you want to listen to when it comes to this game. If it wasn't for the great story and voice acting in the game, I would almost say you could mute the game and you wouldn't miss much. Still, keep that volume on to listen to the great story. You don't want to miss that.
Control
The controls aren't that much different than the original Bioshock's controls, but the big thing is that they made changing weapons and using them a lot easier I feel in this version than the original. Some of this may be how I was still fresh off playing the original Bioshock, but that is something to consider as well. If someone who has played another game in your series can pick up another game in your series and pick up on the controls very fast with little trouble at all, you know you have done well in your controls. I made nowhere near as many control mistakes in this version as I did the original Bioshock My only complaint was the odd button choice of the using a first aid kit button. Using one of the D-pad buttons did take time to get used to compared to the original, but you can still get used to it in time.
Replay Value
Once again, the replay value for Bioshock 2 is honestly average at best. Since the game is so straightforward and does heavy rely on the story to drive the player along, once you beat the game, all the games secrets are out there and you lose a lot of the special drive that keeps you going to make it through the game again. Really, the main reason to play the game again is to get any achievements or trophies that you may not have gotten the first time through the game. You can also play the game slightly different if you wish, but a lot of the time, your play style is unique to you. Changing it may be hard as you play the way you play. There aren't even that many ways to change how you play as well. You may get through the game faster the second time, but when you know what is going to happen, how much fun is it going to be? This game is one you put on the shelf for awhile in this regard and pick up ever now and then, or pick up again if you forget a lot of the story and want to experience it again. Overall, replay value is just average at best.
Overall, Bioshock 2 is a decent sequel to the original Bioshock. It plays just like it while improving in a few areas, but keeping the feel and look of the original intact. This may be disappointing for some as there aren't a ton of changes between the two games, but for others that enjoyed the original a lot, you get plenty more of what you enjoyed from the original plus more. While there aren't a ton of new features in this game, Bioshock 2 does enough to improve on the original and hold up as a decent sequel to the original in most ways. I would give it a look if you enjoyed the original. If you are looking for something a bit more unique, I would give it a pass. Just remember that with lacking music and replay value, this game isn't for everyone. Still, it does a good job at being a decent shooter, and definitely kept me entertained through most of the game. I would give it a go if you enjoy this type of game.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Bioshock 2 an eight out of ten
Gameplay: 8
Story: 10
Graphics: 9
Sound: 5
Control: 9
Replay Value: 6
Overall: 8
