BioShock 2

This game keeps up with it's reputation, And as much as i loved the first Game i do indeed love this too.

And as i played through the game, I really feel the Father and Daughter connection. and the end was not disappointing at all. it was really really suitable with the feeling and the story. Almost like you get tears.

Very well i'm a bit optimistic, but if there should been an improvement, then it would be the Huge Feeling, Because the health was not as much as in the previous game, so that got lost somehow.

Anyway i think i rated this Game Fair. 8 out of 10 (Little Sisters)

This game may not be as ground breaking and awesome as Bioshock 1, but it is still a fantastic game. The atmosphere this time around surpasses the original, it truly does immerse you in this world. I bought this game three times, one for the Xbox and twice for the PS3, one of which was the special edition. Alright time to get started.

The Game: The first thing I noticed right out of the gate is the graphics are much more clear and better done. The story was pretty weak, but the rest of the game more than makes up for it. The game play is much better this time around, it's much more fluent. You can equip a weapon and a plasmid at the same time. I didn't notice a big difference in quality between systems, they are about even. My favourite gun in the game is the shotgun, you can upgrade it with cylinders for rapid firing. The spear gun is also pretty cool, it almost feels like a rifle. The sound track is no where near as good as the one in the first game, which was very disappointing. As i've mentioned the atmosphere surpasses the original, there is one part where you enter a secret facility, it feels so barren, like no one has entered it for a while, it is truly a great feeling moment. The hard difficulty mode was actually pretty easy compared to the first game's hard mode. Finding all of the audio diaries was much easier this time around, I even completed that objective twice. The big sisters are more of a nuisance, but I found a way to help the little sisters without having to fight the big sisters. It's weird to be carrying around a little sister thats looks up to the big daddy, it makes you choose not to harvest them. The level's are expertly designed with plenty of hidden areas to discover. Overall the single player is a great experience.

The multi-player: I don't have much to say other than I didn't like it, I felt they could have left it out and put more stuff into the single player. Overall it's forgettable.

Minerva's Den: If you liked the main single player then I recommend getting this, it's a good addition. Just don't expect a good end boss, you can beat him pretty quickly.

The verdict: The game is fun and well worth your time and money, the single player has great replay value, but skip the online mode.

Console:

Playstation 3

Genre:

First person shooter.

Setting:

Retro future Utopia...i.e. the game is set in the 1960s, but it's an alternative world scenario...a place where humanity has advanced significantly in their development...more advanced than our current society. The sequel explores new parts of the city of Rapture.

Story:

If you liked finally playing as a Big Daddy in the original, you should get a kick out of playing as a Big Daddy for the entire length of the sequel...except for one part where you play a...

The story concerns your Big Daddy becoming separated from your Little Sister. This separation is harmful to both parties health, so you must locate your charge. Of course, powerful forces are working against this outcome and your life is in danger.

Graphics:

As far as character representation goes, this is a step up from the original...they're more realistic, less stylised than the cartoonish looking splicers of the original. It's actually a pity that this level of character representation wasn't in the original...then maybe we could have expected an Uncharted 2 like step up in visual quality for the sequel.

Sound:

Probably less obvious repetition in character utterances than the original. Some noises seem to be constant...like there is a faulty elevator or some other mechanical/electrical device. Not a huge issue but sometimes I wished that that noise would just go away.

Good about the game:

The weapons/plasmids/tonics have been tweaked. The plasmids especially are fun. On acquiring a certain plasmid I'd think to myself "Wouldn't it be cool if you could..." and then I'd try doing just that. And it would work! It's good how the makers have thought out the logical consequences of some plasmids, so you actually can do what you think that plasmid should allow you to do. Best example of that is the "Scout" plasmid. Personally, I missed the crossbow of the original (for it's precision shooting) but the speargun did become my default weapon (for being able to regather fired ammo).

If you enjoyed the "upgrade" paths of the original, the sequel has the exact same quality, but is a bit more polished in execution.

Misjudgements in the game:

I'll start by way of introduction saying that since you play the top of the food chain in the original game, the sequel knocks you down a peg. This was a bit naff for mind, but it brings up the first misjudgement...where strategy is crucial in taking down these ultimate warriors, it's disappointing that the first time you fight one of them you are not in control of the circumstances in which you engage them. They're tough to beat, so to not have the ability to fight them on your terms sucks. There was a similar problem in the original, and like the original, this misjudgement goes away in subsequent battles.

As with the original, the splicers are a constant annoyance...more so than in the original. Another naff splicer is introduced too. At least in the original you could find ample opportunities to use plasmids like the Cyclone Trap...set pieces in the game. In the sequel you probably don't even have to use them. Related to this, with the research you do on splicers, it turns out you won't be able to fully research them anywhere in Rapture...some of them are limited to certain parts of the city...which is annoying...some classes of splicers I didn't get to fully research as a result and for some of those I could have really used my Cyclone Trap plasmids to good effect in set pieces...which never arrived (e.g. in defending yourself from attack after performing an action).

My third misjudgement is the lack of a final boss battle as in the original. The Frank Fontaine fight there was too hard, but in the sequel there's a feeling of anti-climax as the final fights aren't really different in kind to the normal hurly-burly of defending your Little Sister when she is gathering ADAM. And if you have certain tonics and plasmids, your task is made easier and you can simply discover how to do things better next time if you die.

Niggles:

How the game basically rewrites the history of Bioshock. I really didn't see any scope for a sequel to that game and the scenario seems manufactured out of nothing. However, the ending does have a pay off, even though I didn't buy into the story's new characters.

It would have been nice to have your moral choices highlighted more explicitly. And in the case of Gil Alexander, the game makers seem to have had a different take than me on the moral thing to do with him...relating to in game trophies.

Some characters from the original story make cameo appearances but are soon forgotten. That was a pity. And even some new characters of interest eventually disappear, never to be heard of again.

General observations:

I was prepared to give this game the same score I gave for the original (85/100), but have knocked it down a smidge due to the anti-climax of the ending. Even though I wasn't sold on the premise of the sequel and found some new character classes naff, the game held the same addictiveness as the original.

Personally I'd recommend the original over the sequel for my view of the 'real' story of Rapture. But if you don't feel like returning to the original but want something similar, play the sequel...it has polished some of the exciting weapons of the original. But the lack of use for certain weapons in game and the inability to gain research points on certain character classes anywhere in Rapture is a disappointment.

Some may argue that the Graphics are not as nice in this installment of the Bioshock series, not true especially if you are using a 3d setup and this game is definitely geared for 3D. In the Graphics options menu there is an option for turning 3D on/off so perhaps the developers know or have an inkling of where future games are headed and indeed 3D will soon be appearing on our TV sets if the current Hype is to be believed. The current 3d gaming setups are limited in range. From Zalman to NVIDIA. Using an NVIDIA setup requires that you purchase a monitor with 120 Hz refresh rate (expensive) and TVs are on their way with this and much higher refresh rates. You will need at least $1000.00 for the glasses and monitor plus a very fast graphics card and a quick computer plenty of RAM and at least a dual core 2800 to get the most out of 3D. On to the game. The quest for ammo and money give you an added objective in this game which can be a bitch or a blessing depending on how you like your games. Some (like Borderlands, see my Borderlands review) shower you in money and weapons/ammo. In BioShock2 you are constantly scavenging for money to buy ammo or health kits. If you die without a health kit to spare you are mercilessly sent back to a re spawning station where you are given some health and Eve (Eve is your plasmid power). From there you have to backtrack to you objective and kill, Mame and destroy newly spawned enemies in the form of Splicers until you get back to where you were. Fairly linear in design but some nice tricks to keep you off the beaten track such as finding Adam (the necessary tender for purchasing upgrades to your special powers) with the help of a little sister who roosts on your shoulder whilst screaming platitudes like "your'e the best daddy ever!, and beating up other Big Daddies. Most sequels are a sad disappointment depending on the age gap. Take half-life and Doom 2 for instance, the sequels in both these cases were beyond unbelievably fantastic. In this instance most people would be expecting mediocre at best but they will be pleasantly surprised. 9 out of Ten little sisters in this level!!

There can be no denying that the predecessor of this title was the most intelligent 360 game that really put the 360 on the world stage. Its intuitive game-play accompanied with a compelling and original storyline brought huge relief to 360 gamers after a period of frustration where only Oblivion stood up to the mark in the early goings. Now, some years on, the brains and little sisters at 2K Marin and now 2K Australia have taken us back to the mid-Atlantic bathysphere which leads us back to the glorious underwater utopia-gone-wrong, Rapture. Possibly the hardest act to follow on the 360, and now with the introduction of multi-player, to keep up with the team death-match virus that seems to be spreading throughout new 360 titles, with the help of Digital Extremes offering a feast of innovative new multi-player options, Bioshock 2 looks to be the first great all-rounder on the 360.

The games story is all based around the character you play. The games protagonist has been caught up in what seems to be a parental struggle. With a tragic event forced upon you at the hands of a maverick and shrewd woman, you are put out of action for a very long time, and thought to be dead. However, due to a special connection with a Little Sister, you come back to life with the help of Tennanbaum, the creator of the little sisters from the first Bioshock. From this, you once again explore the world of Rapture. You can see the vast damage and bloodshed caused by the maddened citizens as they prey on Adam control in the city. Never before seen areas are now at your disposal to explore, with all the hallmarks of BioShock still visible to see, I'm talking the eerie atmospheres, the crazed foes, the sublime detail given to each and every location, and of course the outside world of the ocean which serves not only as a viewing spectacle, but it also serves as the closest character friend you have.

The plasmid civil war hasn't stopped raging since the ten year gap between both titles. But this time, instead of being the helplessly controlled Jack who stopped the megalomaniac Frank Fontaine, you now step into the heavy divers suit(ed and booted) Big Daddy. But unlike the hunkered and quite simple Big Daddy's from BioShock, you play as a prototype Big Daddy who has full control of the plasmid abilities and also happily the favoured drill and Rivet gun respectively, with many other weapon varieties that were seen in the first Bioshock.

Of course, you get all the perks that you would expect from being the Daddy. Scaring the crap out of splicers is just the tip of the iceberg. Because you now can use both plasmids and guns at the same time, it makes the game-play more tactical than ever before, allowing traps to be made, controlling groups of enemies with minimal effort and also throwing innate and familiar household objects to stun your foes as you finish them off in as bloody a mess as you see fit, to further decorate the world in a coat of splicer red. All this sounds quite appetising and somewhat simple, but don't underestimate what you could run into in this place. The splicer's are now in tighter packs, making it harder to dispatch them without sustaining significant injury. There is no room for complacency in these kinds of fights. Also, ammo is an issue, which may come as a surprise and an Achilles heel for most players.

The single player as a whole is very tough. Thank God for that I say! The game offers you the chance to be the Big Daddy, which in turn makes you feel purposeful and powerful, but BioShock 2 very cunningly and subtly makes the story a fun and exhilarating challenge. But is doesn't stack up to the first Bioshock. Of course it was a hard act to follow, and honestly it has done the best it can considering, but it has only just fallen under the bar set.

Of course however, we have multi-player for the first time in Bioshock. The somewhat rustic looking online multi-player takes gamers down a trip to memory lane as locations from BioShock have been re-envisioned to create multi-player environments, such as the Kashmir Restaurant, one of the first areas in BioShock. The multi-player itself is surprisingly effective and quite addictive, but not to the standards of the Call of Duty games of course.

Bioshock 2 then is a solid all rounder; with a single player that takes precedence over the multi-player. It was a very risky move by 2K to introduce the multi-player after such a successful first effort of a story driven game. Bioshock 2 still offers its great vibrant world of Rapture, offers a new dynamic to the game utilising the Big Daddy's obvious high standing in the Rapture hierarchy. The multi-player does a good job for nostalgic Bioshock fans as you can revisit your favourite locales once again, but in the hustle and bustle of plasmid enthralled multi-player action. Top- notch Bioshock sequel that will wet any gamer's appetite.