• View Comments
• Share with Shortlink:

Developer / Publisher: 2K

Games

Platform: XBOX 360

Players: 1 – 10 (Online

Multiplayer)

Rating: A-

In 2007 few games caught the attention of the gaming community like Bioshock. It’s dark and gloomy theme coupled with a never ending stream of gruesome gameplay immediately separated this game from your typical first person shooter. Who had thought shooting fire from your fingers and wielding a wrench would have been so much fun?

Now almost three years and several awards later, we finally get the sequel Bioshock 2 (2K Games). While this title doesn’t clearly surpass its timeless predecessor, it does prove to be a worthy successor.

Bioshock 2 (2K Games) takes place in the same unforgettable underwater city of Rapture. No longer manning the former protagonist Jake, you play as a Little Sister guarding Big Daddy. Problem is you wake up approximately ten years after the previous events in search of answers, your Little Sister and survival.

As a Big Daddy you were specifically created to protect Little Sisters. So the moral decisions presented about saving or harvesting these individuals for energy adds a different depth to this game. During your travels you pick up recorded messages left for you by former citizens of rapture, cluing you further into your surroundings and tasks that lie ahead.

At first impression, the gameplay bears no immediate difference between Bioshock 2 and the original. Rapture largely remains the same here, so that signature chilling intensity of searching through this city for the first time is somewhat lacking.

Nonetheless the action is far from dull, with an onslaught of foes always on your heels. Your enemies range from easily disposable slicers to massively tougher mutants. Making things even more interesting is their AI. Your attackers are far from dumb and will seek you out unmercifully. Case in point if you are killed, they will immediately migrate to your designated re-spawning chamber to get you again.

All is not lost though; at your disposal are different long and short range weapons ranging from grenade launchers to the ever trusty shotgun. Plasmids are instant genetic modifications that load you up with special powers like flame, ice, electrical blasts, and more. Additionally the new tweaks to the gameplay (revised computer hacking, dual wield weapons, etc) do add to the overall experience.

Something completely new is the online multi-player. Set during the fall of Rapture, this feature serves as a bit of a prequel to the series. Players assume the role of a Plasmid test subject for Sinclair Solutions, the premier provider of Plasmids in Rapture that was explored in the original Bioshock. You can earn experience points during multiplayer to earn access to new weapons, and plasmids; adding a different spice to the world of deathmatch.

Overall Bioshock 2 is a great sequel. While the city of Rapture isn’t as mysterious as it once was, the action never lets up and story is better delivered this time around making the moral decisions more meaningful. Bottom line this title looks great, sounds great, and plays great. A definite standout for 2010.

Bioshock 2 Official Trailer: