BioShock 2 Review

Platform: PS3/ Xbox360/ PC
Publisher: 2k
Release Date: February 9, 2010


Story: hit
Character Development: Miss
Graphics: hit
Sound: Crit
Re-playability: Miss (Unless you count online play, I am not.)
Overall Score: Hit

BioShock 2 takes place ten years prior to the first game, and puts you behind the helmet of the original Big Daddy, as a care taker for the original Little Sister. Conceptually the idea is exciting. The first game had me wondering what life in Rapture would have been like prior to the chaos and made me want to explore the attempted utopian life forged under the sea. The game, however, starts off similarly to the first game. The game starts with a question “What am I supposed to do?”, the same question I asked after the plane crashed in the first game. The next question was “Who are the people talking to me, and should I trust them?”, also another question I asked early into the first game. Then there was the ultimate question, to save or not to save the Little Sisters. The Big Sisters were a good add-in at first. My first encounter with a Big Sister made me hopeful, but as the game continued, the encounters never really changed. Essentially, I felt like there were no significant offerings in this game. Being able to use biotics and a weapon simultaneously was a smart move, but it only gives the player a slightly wider tight-rope to walk on in this severely linear game. There is no divergence from the key plotline which makes the game feel very short. I spent an afternoon starting at 11:15 am, and finished the game at around 5:30 pm. Is it just me, or does it seem like every FPS lately has had willy-nilly singleplayer content that is somehow “redeemed” by its multiplayer option?

Rupture 2.0 did not amaze me as I walked its sub-aquatic halls. I was looking for the signature, the “WOAH!” moment, but graphically the game never delivered. It felt like a rehash of the BioShock 1. The most appealing part of the game took place at hour five for me, about 3/4ths of the way through the game, when you learn a great deal about the Little Sisters. If I could begin my review starting at that point in the game, I would probably give the game a perfect score. The pace at the end of the game is maintained with amazing precision and the story really picks up, but you have to get through the monotony of the earlier stages to be awarded with that bit of carrot.

Voice acting was up-to-par and didn’t stand out against the character lips forming the words. This is becoming something that should be expected and not rewarded, but is worth noting. The soundtrack of BioShock 2 is the greatest offering the game brings to the table. I am a great fan of classical music, and thoroughly enjoy a good scene with appropriate music to illicit the proper emotion for the observer/player. This game had a meticulously intentional soundtrack placed over each individual scene.

The argument that I conjure up for this game is this “Would this be a good game if it was made as a stand alone story?”. Being a prequel, this question can be asked and answered easily. From my comfortable desk chair the answer is no. We played this game on the merit of the first game, and the concept was not developed much deeper than the first game had already taken it. We do learn some things about Rapture, and we see new faces and explore new environments, so if you are looking for just anything to play, and have $60.00 to toss to the wind give BioShock 2 a try. I imagine that there are already a bunch of used BioShock 2 copies at your local used game store, so if you want to give it a try at a slightly reduced but still overpriced rate, I would suggest either get it there or rent it… you will have it done in a few hours of game play.