Bioshock 2 Review
The battles with the Big Daddies return. Just because you are part of the club this time round doesn’t mean that the other Big Daddies will hand off their wards to you without a fight. So if you want your own little sister (and you do… how else would you get ADAM?), you’ll have to kill her Big Daddy first. Taking down the Big Daddy requires the same degree of planning as the first game, but things get even more interesting after you bring him down. This time around, you can either harvest the little sister for ADAM, or adopt her. If you choose to do the latter, the little sister rides on your shoulder and points out bodies from which she can harvest ADAM. The ADAM she collects from these bodies adds to your stockpile, but it comes at a price. Every time a little sister harvests ADAM, it attracts the attention of all nearby splicers, who will relentlessly attack you and your little sister while she gathers and it’s up to you to keep her safe. These segments are the most exciting aspect of the game, as you would set up traps, mini turrets or utilize hacked security turrets and cameras before setting your little sister down and brace up for the inevitable battle.
After a couple of gathers, you have the choice to either harvest the little sister for even more ADAM or to set her free. The requirement of ADAM isn’t really a huge factor in this decision, because freeing a little sister inevitably gets you bonuses such as ADAM and tonics periodically. In fact, I did not harvest a single little sister on my first playthrough and yet I always had more ADAM than I could use. That said, if you absolutely have to have everything that is on offer at the Gatherer’s Garden, you’ll probably need to harvest your way through the game.
When (and if) you deal with every little sister in an area, you’ll have to contend with a Big Sister. Big Sisters are by far the toughest foe in the game, and you’ll need all your wits about you to take them out. While they make for a tough fight, the fact that Big Sister went through an identity crisis right through the development process is evident. Touted initially as the main foe of Bioshock 2, they got shafted as generic end level bosses with no personality or intrigue about them at all. By the end of it, they are among the most forgettable aspects of the game, which really is a shame.
The other changes to the gameplay include tweaking of the weapons, and they have more bang for the buck this time round. Bioshock was all about giving players a variety of ways to kill, and Bioshock 2 is no different. The game features multiple weapons with multiple ammunitions, plasmids that can be leveled up to include alternate attacks, and a brilliant melee weapon in the form of the drill. While the latter may seem weak initially, once you unlock the drill dash and apply a couple of upgrades and tonics, it becomes a formidable weapon, especially against splicers. Tonics also make a return to further allow you to customize the tools at your disposal to suit your gameplay style. Also, Bioshock 2 is linear unlike the first game, and while you are free to tackle various objectives within a level in whichever order you choose to, once you leave an area you cannot return to it. While it may seem like a bad thing, it allowed the developers to create a tighter, more compact and ultimately compelling experience.
Other changes include improvements to hacking and research. The pipes mini game has been replaced with a simpler, quicker and more efficient mini game that takes place in real time so splicers don’t have to politely wait to attack while you finish up with the hacking. The research now uses a video camera. Just hit record and kill your enemies in creative ways to ramp up the research points and earn additional bonuses. All these little things add to the overall experience, making Bioshock 2 a vastly more enjoyable game than its predecessor.
Graphically, Bioshock 2 is mediocre at best. Like I mentioned earlier, there’s hardly any difference between the first and the second game, and that’s not a good thing. The fact that there has been no graphical advancement in the space of one and a half years between the two games is disheartening. Add to that some ugly textures, and Bioshock 2 falls below the mark of being technically competent in the graphics department. From an artistic point of view though, it’s a completely different story. While Rapture may have lost its charm that arose from unfamiliarity, but it is still a creepy place, with each turn reminding you of its past glory. Add to that the ambient sounds, the excellent dialogue among splicers, and the multiple tributes to Sofia Lamb across the city, and you’ll realize that Rapture has retained its sinister eeriness.
The other big addition to Bioshock 2 is the multiplayer component. Set as a prequel right before the civil war tore Rapture apart, the multiplayer has you participating in the Sinclair Solutions Consumer Rewards Program to experiment with weapons and plasmids. The maps are set among familiar Rapture location, and up to ten players can join in on a variety of game modes in some fast paced mayhem. Incidentally, the ‘fast-paced mayhem’ is my biggest gripe with the multiplayer, because it is in direct contrast to the deliberate and incredibly atmospheric experience that the single player strives to deliver. That said, the multiplayer component does look like fun if you’re willing to look beyond what can be termed as a signature Bioshock experience. The player earns ADAM for completing primary and secondary objectives in matches, which adds up to level up the player to allow access to even more weapons and plasmids. The player has three customizable load outs available, and can switch between these during respawns. The different game modes are variations of standard multiplayer game modes – for example, ‘Capture the Sister’ involves holding onto a bickering and screaming little sister for as long as possible, ‘Civil War’ is the Rapture version of team deathmatch and so on.
Next Page – Closing Comments and scoring
