Bioshock 2 - Xbox 360

Bioshock is a fantastic game, on that you will get no argument from me. Over time though, it has been elevated in the eyes of its fans from a fantastic game, to one of the greatest games ever, and that is where poor Bioshock 2's troubles began. From the second Bioshock 2 was announced, the fans of the first game cried foul, saying that the first game was perfect the way it was, and there was no need for a second game; a sentiment that I agree with. The problem though, is that when said sequel came out, many people had already decided to hate this game, no matter what. Had 2k released a hollow experience of a game in a shameless attempt at a cash grab, then those sentiments would be spot on. Thankfully that is not the case. Bioshock 2 is an amazing game, period. It is beautiful to behold, wonderfully written and acted, well staged, and a joy to play. Many people say the story in this game is so much weaker than the firsts, but those people seem to have conveniently forgotten how terrible Bioshock's ending was. All the twists, turns, and amazing acting culminated in a needlessly difficult escort mission, and an uninspired, superfluous boss fight. I am not bashing the first game; I am providing context for my comparison to Bioshock 2. In Bioshock 2, you are a Prototype big daddy, on a mission to rescue your little sister from Lamb, the insane cult leader who has taken over rapture in Ryan's absence. The story is solid throughout, but it is at the end where is truly shines. I won't spoil it for you, but going for the Savior achievement really shows you why Bioshock 2's ending is superior to the first. The controls and combat mechanics in Bioshock 2 are unquestionably superior those of its predecessor. Instead of having to cumbersomely switch between your weapons and Plasmids, you can dual wield, opening up a very satisfying array of strategic options. Throw out a cyclone trap in front of a charging enemy, and when they are shot into the air, pin them to the wall with your harpoon gun. The telekinesis ability from the first game was an interesting idea, but in Bioshock 2 its potential is finally realized. At its highest level, it allows you to pick splicers up bodily and fling them at their friends, further opening up what you can do in combat. The weapons and abilities in this game are varied, imaginative, and most importantly a total blast to play with. Another point of contention with this game was the fact that it had online multiplayer "shoehorned" in. Now, had the multiplayer truly been tacked on, and uninspired, I would wholeheartedly agree. Thankfully, that is not the case. The multiplayer in Bioshock 2 is well executed and a lot of fun to play. Unique to multiplayer plasmid abilities can give you the edge over your opponent, and there are few things as satisfying as becoming a Big Daddy mid match, and wreaking havoc on your foes. In fact, the only thing more satisfying is being on the opposite side of that equation, and being the one to slay the great beast yourself. Before I move onto the achievements, I would like to address the DLC available for Bioshock 2. For the most part, I am not a fan of DLC. Usually it is just an extra level or a couple of new abilities. Bioshock 2 however, goes above and beyond in the DLC department. The two multiplayer expanisons aren't really worth mentioning, and fall into the category of DLC that I dislike. Be warned that the Rapture Metro pack, while offering new levels, and rewards, was incredibly poorly executed, and not worth your time or hard earned dollar. What is worth a buy however are the Protector Trials, and Minerva's Den. The Protector trials sees you having to protect a little sister from waves of splicers. How is this different from the escort mission that you dislike so much in the first game? Glad you asked. Bioshock 2's greatly expanded weapon and plasmid list makes these trials less a chore, and more an exciting challenge. I very much enjoyed the protector trials, but to be fair, I enjoyed protecting my little sister in the main game as well. If you don't find having to set up ingenious traps, and fighting off waves of bad guys to be enjoyable, than you know the Protector trials aren't for you. It is the next piece of DLC however, that influences my thinking when I say that Bioshock 2 is superior to the first. Minerva's Den is my favorite part of this game. It is not a set of trials, it isn't multiplayer downloads, and it doesn't just offer a few new outfits. It is a microcosm of everything that made the first game great, combined with the gameplay mechanics that make the second game so much fun to play. In this stand alone story you play as a totally different character in a completely new section of Rapture. You are tasked with finding the computer that makes everything in the underwater city run. The story of Minerva's Den brings ties up loose ends left from the first and second game, while simultaneously telling a story, that in my opinion, is superior even to the first. The "twist" in the first game is legendary, and I acknowledge that, but Minerva's den has an equally surprising twist, and has a satisfying ending to boot. The new plasmid and weapon you get in Minerva's den have been called underwhelming by some, but I enjoyed them. The achievements in Bioshock 2 range from unmissable story achievements, multiplayer progress, and satisfying skill based achievements. Thankfully, none of the single player achievements are controller breakingly difficult, and they also don't take away from the flow of the story. As stated before, I suggest going for the "savior" achievement on one of your playthroughs, just because, in my opinion, it delivers the most satisfying ending. Bioshock 2, by itself, is an incredible game. When combined with the enjoyable Protector trials, it is even better. Minerva's Den, for me, as a whole was a more rewarding and enjoyable gaming experiecne than offered in both Bioshock and Bioshock 2, and its inclusion in Bioshock 2 makes this game an absolute must buy.

So when a game does something "original" lightning rarely strikes twice. The sequel will not be able to be quite as awe inspiring as its' forebear on account our minds have been conditioned to know what to expect. Frankly Bio Shock 2 is "more of the same" in most regards though it does mix it up nicely. To me the story here is more personal. As the first Big Daddy "Delta" your little sister Eleanor is stolen to be made into an altruistic martyr by Sophia Lamb who was a person constantly in conflict with Andrew Ryan. Aka instead of seeing the evils of selfishness and capitalism you're having to deal with a mind bending psychologist and her cult of splicers called "The Family" who want to change the world by creating an ultimate saint with godly powers. Of course Eleanor is being forced into all this against her own will which is why she awakens you to help her. Later you bump into Sinclair, a greedy opportunist swindling his way into an unlikely partnership with you. However there is more to him than that and honestly it surprised me how much he changes throughout the game. For me this had the same impact as "would you kindly" though it was delivered from an entirely different angle. Aka Sinclair is not simply another Atlas so don't fret over it! Improvements are you have the awesome Big Daddy Drill and you can dual wield your weapons with your plasmids. In case this is your first deep sea dive into Rapture "plasmids" are genetic alterations that give you super powers. The essence of plasmids were harvested from sea slugs. Rapture's citizens indulged in these upgrades to make themselves "perfect" within their own delusional Utopia. However an addiction to "Adam" the very essence that allows people to use an ever increasing array of supernatural abilities caused fights to break out everywhere. In addition plasmid users became increasingly less human until they were nothing more than the violent splicers which you're forced to contend with throughout your journey. As if plasmids did not make you formable enough you can also upgrade fire arms, improve your drill, and hack both bots and gun turrets. Bioshock 2 is as simplistic or as strategic as you want it to be thus continues the spirit of its' predecessor. Personally I'm happy the "hacking" segments are easier this time around. There is no more making an elaborate pipe from point A to point B. Now all you have to do is tap a button when the giger needle going back and forth passes over the right colors. In the tradition of action and consequences you can save or murder the little sisters. The best addition is having a little sister on your shoulder sniff out Adam for you. As she kneels over a cadaver to gather the good stuff you must set up a protective parameter and defend her from impeding enemies. This added yet another tactical wrinkle to the game which I was appreciative of! To elaborate on the above you will of course get a different ending fringing upon whether or not you play through the game as a benign savior or a blood thirsty tyrant. More complexity comes into play on account choices made with a few other residents you meet along the way are taken into consideration. At least one encounter presents a difficult decision not so easily categorized as being right or wrong. I commend BS2 for making us contemplate our actions. Most FPSES do not bother to make their audience "think" which is a bar Bio Shock as a series has raised in a positive fashion. Plasmid variety is still decent. You can electrocute foes in water, freeze them, hypnotize them to open fire on each other, set them aflame, or toss grenades back at the baddies with telekinesis. In addition my favorite new power is the "cyclone trap". When splicers run atop these marked areas they are thrown into the air and take damage when they fall. Only complaint I have is the "Bee swarm plasmid" from the previous BS is either absent or very hard to find. C'mon guys! That ability was priceless! Bottom line Bio Shock 2 does a lot right. It is a serviceable sequel and retains having a strong emotional story line. While it may not be better than Bioshock 1 in every way it does add a few new nuances to the gameplay. It is another under-water pulse pumping adventure you cannot put down until the credits roll! Overall for every fault Bioshock stumbled with it presented more improvements to overcompensate thus it still gets a perfect score out of me. Pros + Ability to finally use the Big Daddy Drill. + You can dual wield plasmids with other weapons. +Great plot so long as you don't try to instantly over analyze it with the expectation it should be exactly like the previous story line. +Some people have already complained BS 2 doesn't make you feel as if you're a Big Daddy. However even by the synopsis given you are the first one off the assembly line so of course you're not going to be quite as versatile as later models. Rest assured after you've spent time upgrading yourself accordingly you WILL achieve the satisfaction of being a mauling death machine! + Good voice acting, ambient sounds, and nice music. The audio atmosphere is top notch as always. +New tactical element of defending the little sisters as they harvest Adam. +Big sisters are rightfully terrifying the first time you're forced to contend with them. +Nostalgic tributes to the first Bio shock including an animatronic Andrew Ryan in the Rapture museum. +Stakes seem more personal in BS 2 because you're trying to rescue someone you deeply care about whom communicates with you via telepathic visions through the whole game. +The good ending I got pleased me in every way. +Death match multi-player if you want it. (I'm not big on it though.) Cons -Remember those promised under water segments? Yeah, they're here but are little more than a linear path leading from one part of Rapture to the next. -The train doesn't allow you to go back to previous areas. -Not as many splicer boss encounters. Show downs such as the one with the homicidal plastic surgeon Dr. Steinmen and the nut job art appreciator gave the first Bio Shock a lot more personality. _Graphics have not upped the ante but what was there was great eye candy to begin with anyway. -As with the first BS if you play this non stop you can beat it in a relatively short peroid of time.