Review – BioShock 2

Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: 2K Marin
Platform(s): Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre: First-Person Shooter

Rating: Mature 17+
ESRB Content Descriptors: Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language

The Scoop: Yet another game that I put on pre-order weeks before it even came out. Here we have BioShock 2, sequel to the award winning BioShock which has collected several Game of The Year awards and was also well praised for its soundtrack, the graphics, the art direction and it’s incredibly deep story. Sounds like BioShock 2 has some big shoes to fill, wouldn’t you say? Big shoes for a Big Daddy? Well why not!

To say I was a huge fan of the first BioShock game would be a huge understatement. My favorite games are usually zombie games and while I find shooters to be a dime a dozen nowadays with their gameplay, storylines and art direction, I was surprisingly enough obsessed with BioShock and am just as big a fan of it’s sequel. I’ve amazingly been lifted.

Obliterate foes with deadly force

The Setup: Taking place ten years after the first BioShock, we are welcome to a new protagonist, a new story and the familiar city of Rapture that looks to be falling apart at the seams. Ten years is a long time after all, especially to be awaken from a coma which is what we see as we first take control of the Big Daddy and go on a search for our missing little sister, Eleanor. But with the evil Sofia Lamb on the hunt, we are quickly thrown into battle once again with vicious splicers, other Big Daddies and our new threat, the Big Sister.

The Big Daddy we play as, codenamed “Delta” is a lot different from other Big Daddies we’ve encountered in the original BioShock as Delta has full capability to Plasmids and an even heavier arsenal then we’ve seen before. With all this new stuff, we are in fact welcome with a lot of that we’ve already seen. Familiar characters are strewn throughout BioShock 2 as well as gameplay that hasn’t been altered and the ability to make choices altering you from good and bad.

Now as expected, the story is just as good as the first no matter what anybody says. Once you get warmed up to it, you’ll feel right at home in the water utopia of Rapture that we’ve all come to know and love.

Decisions, decisions…

The Hot:

• Probably the strongest component here. With the utilization of plasmids and fire arms at the same time, we can really pack a massive punch
• Very compelling story
• With a mix between amazing voice acting, eerie background sounds and a wonderful soundtrack, we are given the best audio experience we’ve heard yet
• The look of Rapture is amazing. Completely chilling.
• The new multiplayer is fun, addictive and easy to use with loads of options

What’s Not:

• Feels to much like the first
• Hacking was downgraded in BioShock 2 I felt as we now miss out on the amazing pipedream like mini-game we once loved before

Final Verdict: After playing BioShock 2 for some time now, I can honestly say that it didn’t have the amazing feel that the original had, but it’s still one of the best first-person games you’ll play. With the mix in variety between first-person shooting, action-adventure and interactive story telling, BioShock 2 is one of the most remarkable experiences in console gaming.

Second Opinion (By Victor Berardi): Not as much a second opinion than complete agreement with Joey. Bioshock 2 truly is nothing you’ve ever experienced before, unless, of course, you’ve had the pleasure of playing the original. From the outstanding audio design to the jaw-dropping art style, everything is knitted together seamlessly to create an atmosphere that no other game comes close to touching. Even the multiplayer component, which many doomed to failure, comes out a triumph. Again, nothing Joey hasn’t said before, but everyone needs to know that, at Level Up News, we love us some Bioshock.